ASHLAND — Ashland City Council on Tuesday approved the purchase of a maintenance building on Third Street that could lead to additional parking in the downtown vicinity.
Council agreed to purchase the building, previously owned by the Ashland City School District, for $75,000. The dilapidated structure is surrounded by city parking, so officials agreed the property makes for good additional parking.
“As we continue to hear more and more concerns about the need for more parking, especially when there’s events in that area, the city schools were gracious enough to talk to us first to see if we’d be interested in that building,” Ashland Mayor Matt Miller said.
The city, however, will not take possession of the building until the school district finishes building a new maintenance garage, according to the purchase agreement.
That could take up to 24 months, according to the purchase agreement. The mayor said the school district has plans to build another building soon.
“We’re in no rush,” Miller said. “The truth is, we could change our mind and maybe one day store some of our city equipment in it, but it’s in pretty rough shape.”
Councilman Dan Lawson asked if anyone knew if the building has asbestos within — alluding to the fact that asbestos removal, when paired with demolition, could get pricey.
“There’s a good chance that it might (have asbestos) because it is an old building, but we do not know that yet,” Miller said.
The school district has owned the property since 1990 and the building was built in 1939, according to property records.
