FOR SALE: 5,000-square foot building, downtown Ironton, all the essentials, lots of extras, must see!

The Lawrence County Commission Thursday agreed to put up for sale the old Child Support Enforcement Agency building at 214 S. Fourth St. It will be sold at an auction later this month.

The building was vacated in April when the CSEA staff joined the Lawrence County Job and Family Services staff at the larger JFS building on South Seventh Street.

“This (move) helped us streamline and lowers the cost of operations involved in maintaining two separate facilities,” JFS Director Gene Myers said.

Because the building is owned by the county, the commission must be involved in the disposal of the property.

“By getting the property to auction, it puts the property back onto the tax rolls and gives businesses an opportunity to come and locate in town,” Commissioner Jason Stephens said. “I think this is the fairest way to go about doing it.”

The building has been appraised for $170,000. The minimum bid must be 95 percent of the appraised value— or $161,500.

“It’s a good, solid building,” Meyers said. “It has new carpet, a security system, new roof. It’s computer ready. We’ll throw in the cubicles for free.”

County officials said the building could be used for a doctor’s office, a small bank, or any other small office. It has accommodated 28 employees in the past but Myers said that many people made the building a bit crowded.

Stephens said county officials had considered whether the building could be used as a temporary holding facility for jail inmates, to alleviate the county’s growing out-of-county inmate costs.

But rehabbing this building would cost a half-million dollars. Right now the out-of-county inmate costs are projected to be approximately $250,000, therefore, commissioners say this would not have been a cost-productive use for it.