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Proposal would turn the vacant Youngstown fire station into a house
YOUNGSTOWN
The lone proposal to buy a vacant South Side fire station is for $12,700 with a plan to convert it into a single-family home.
David Murdoch, owner of J.W. Murdoch & Sons Inc., was the only person to submit an offer by Friday’s deadline to buy the former Station No. 9 at East Midlothian Boulevard and Sheridan Road.
Murdoch wants to restore the 92-year-old, 2,494-square-foot building that was closed six months ago after the city spent about $900,000 for a new Station No. 9 at Ipes Field, also on East Midlothian Boulevard.
In his proposal, Murdoch, who owns a commercial and industrial door business on West Indianola Avenue, wrote that his proposed payment “is low due to the amount of upgrades necessary and the average value of homes in the local vicinity.”
The “upgrades would be confined mostly to improve the interior of the facility, maintaining the original integrity of the exterior architecture,” he wrote.
The station has long-standing structural issues and problems with rodents, mold and water leaks. The fire department has wanted to leave the building for several years.
The city’s board of control will evaluate the proposal, have discussions with Murdoch and see if an agreement can be reached, said Mayor John A. McNally.
The city’s board of control, of which McNally is chairman, will make the final decision.
The city wants to sell the station if the proposed use conforms to the neighborhood and is a benefit to the community, McNally said.