Chris Berendt|Sampson Independent
A $25,000 offer has been received by the County of Sampson for the property at 107 Underwood St., a bid that will be considered Monday by the Board of Commissioners as part of the upset bid process.
Bid submitted by Matthews Drug for former EMS site
By Chris Berendt
The County of Sampson has received an offer from Matthews Drug Store to purchase the former Emergency Services headquarters property on Underwood Street. If accepted by the Sampson Board of Commissioners at its Monday meeting, the upset bid process would be initiated allowing for that offer to be outbid and continuing the auction-style procedure.
Commissioners have the items on their Monday, April 8, meeting agenda, to consider. The county received an offer to purchase the property located at 107 Underwood St. in the amount of $25,000 from Pharming Company, LLC dba Matthews Drug Store.
In accordance with N.C. General Statute, if the board accepts the offer, a notice of the proposed sale must be published describing the property and the amount of the offer, and also stating the terms under which the offer may be upset.
As part of the upset bid process, the offeror would be required to deposit 5% of the bid amount with the board clerk, who would then publish an advertisement for eligible upset bids — which would have to equal 10% of the first $1,000 of the original offer and 5% of the remainder and be received within 10 days after the date of the advertisement and be accompanied by a bid bond or deposit.
In this case, should the Matthews’ bid be accepted, the minimum amount needed to upset that bid would be $26,300. If qualified upset bids are received, the upset bid process would be repeated until no additional qualifying upset bid are received.
At the conclusion of the 10-day period, the clerk to the Board of Commissioners shall open the bids, if any, and the highest such bid will become the new offer. If there is more than one bid in the highest amount, the first such bid received will become the new offer. If a qualifying higher bid is received, the clerk shall cause a new notice of upset bid to be published, and shall continue to do so until a 10-day period has passed without any qualifying upset bid having been received.
In January, commissioners directed staff to resume informally soliciting and negotiating offers on the Underwood Street property, to exclude the portion that includes the Sampson County Veterans Park, which county leaders have assured will stay where it is.
The Sampson County Board of Commissioners previously expressed its interest in divesting itself of any ownership interest in and financial responsibility for the old Emergency Services building while maintaining the memorial at its current footprint off U.S. 701 Business and Underwood Street.
The issue of disposing of the property was first broached at the end of 2022 and, throughout 2023, local veterans pleaded with county leaders to preserve the memorial. Commissioners subsequently said the park wasn’t going anywhere, but it was a matter of how to proceed.
Potential options were pursued at the end of 2023, but it was at the board’s first meeting of 2024 when a clear path forward was offered, with the board redirecting staff again to entertain offers from the public. If an acceptable offer was received, that would then come back to the board. If accepted, the upset bid procedure would be initiated that allowed for that initial bid to be outbid, and so on.
In a resolution the board adopted, it states that “the board expects, but does not commit, to begin the negotiated offer and upset bid process in March of 2024, and hopes to have conveyed the portion of the property where the old Emergency Services building is located to an end-purchaser by July 1, 2024.”
Gauging interest in the EMS property was part of a larger endeavor to identify potential new sources of revenue for Sampson County government, but also broached as County Manager Ed Causey said concerns were raised that it might be in the best interest of county leaders to be free of the old building once not in use.
In 2023, in light of the move away from the property and talk of potentially selling it, veterans voiced their concerns about the preservation of the veterans memorial on the edge of that same property. They have kept the topic at the forefront all of last year,the need to preserve that park, and the aim to ensure the public would continue to have access to it.
Several veterans implored commissioners not to move the memorial, calling it a “prime location” off U.S. 701 Business. For many years, that place has served as a haven, a sacred ground that veterans and their families hold dear. Motorists who pass by also are able to see the memorial, the brickwork and the flags rising from it. It means something to a lot of people, Sampson County Veterans Service Officer Ann Knowles and local veterans have attested.
“There’s a lot of history in that park,” Knowles attested. “It is very personal to the veterans in this county. We just want to keep what we feel is very important to the veterans in this county, the widows who have lost their husbands, the children who have lost their dads. We would appreciate all consideration you can give us.”
Years ago, emergency officials noted the old armory building was “in dire need” of replacement, citing the aging facility, limited space and flooding issues at the facility on Underwood Street, which was constructed in 1956.
While the idea for a new facility was tossed around for years, emergency officials said the building had become too small and was susceptible to flooding during even moderate rains. The facility served as a North Carolina National Guard Armory until it was released to the county in 1995. There was a general lack of space for staff, equipment and storage, as well as ventilation issues.
In September 2023 meeting, Causey said that a full move to that new $18 million headquarters across town was completed, so the county was no longer in need of the structure. Commissioners assured, in no uncertain words, that the park was not going anywhere.
“The number one thing is that we keep that memorial for the future, for that to be there forever,” Board Chairman Jerol Kivett said at that September meeting, “but also that we do not have to maintain that facility there.”
The county has reserved the right, as part of the upset bid procedure, to withdraw the property from sale at any time before the final high bid is accepted and reserves the right to reject at any time all bids.
The property will be sold “as it, where is” and the buyer must pay with cash at the time of closing. If no qualifying upset bid is received after the initial public notice, the offer from Pharming Company, LLC dba Matthews Drug Store will be accepted.
Editor Chris Berendt can be reached at 910-592-8137 ext. 2587.
Editor Chris Berendt can be reached at 910-592-8137 ext. 2587.