Residents interested in buying an old city firehouse still have a chance.
City officials initially planned to close bids on the old Fire Station #6 at 204 Melba Street on Nov. 21, but City Attorney Jonathan Berchem said the city started receiving calls from interested bidders who said they needed more time to formulate a bid. So the deadline was extended until the end of December.
“That was the most encouragement so far,” Berchem said.
The Melba Street firehouse was decommissioned after the opening of the new East Side Fire Station, and so the city decided to sell it.
The city will be accepting sealed bids in the Office of the City Attorney, 110 River Street, Milford, CT 06460 until noon on December 30.
Bids must be accompanied by a deposit in the form of a certified or bank check payable to the City of Milford in the amount of 10% of the total bid. The property is located in a BD Zone and consists of land totaling approximately one half acre.
Anyone interested in placing a bid may find the bidding instructions on the city's website at ci.milford.ct.us located under the Purchasing Department.
The city tried to auction the firehouse in May but no one showed up to bid.
A couple of people who toured the old Station 6 Firehouse in May said they thought the starting bid of $477,000 was a bit high and it kept them from entertaining any serious thoughts about bidding.
In October the Board of Aldermen approved a plan to try selling the building again, this time with no minimum bid.
“This time it will be a sealed bid without a floor,” Mayor Ben Blake told the aldermen. “But the caveat is that the winning bid will have to be approved by this board. So you will see this again.”
Berchem is hopeful that there will be serious bids to review that will be good for the Melba Street neighborhood.