The old city hall building at 302 E. Market St.

WARSAW — The old city hall at 302 E. Market St., Warsaw, has sat empty for almost five years. Last night, Feb. 5, the Warsaw Common Council learned about steps they could take to approve the disposition of the building.

The first step to dispose of the building is to require two appraisals. The city has already collected one appraisal and hopes to have a second one by next week. The two appraisals will be used to calculate an average assessed value. The appraisals will be presented to the council during the next meeting held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20.

A notice will then be published and interested buyers will have 60 days to produce a bid. All bids will be open to the public. If a bid is not received within 90 percent of the assessed value, the council can take a different direction with the building. The alternative options for the building could include leasing or lowering the price, but will only be explored once the current steps are completed.

Council members received confirmation that they would be informed and consulted during every step of the disposition.

The Lakeland Arts Association was present to express their continued interest in the building. If they receive the building, they hope to move, expand their programs and develop a fine arts museum. The association has expressed interest in the bulding due to its downtown location, square footage, brick facade and the handicap accessibility.