County to take back old sheriff’s office

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During the county auction of surplus property last April 7 the old sheriff’s office was purchased for demolition.
The purchaser hasn’t followed through on the demolition of the old building.
Emery County Commissioner Gary Kofford brought the matter up at the first meeting of the year on Jan. 6.
The agreement with Castle Dale was to have the building demolished at the end of two years. Castle Dale traded some city property where the Veteran’s memorial is located by the museum and the property where the senior citizen parking lot is in Castle Dale to the county in exchange for the land where the old sheriff’s office is located.
“When Emery County had the auction last April 7, the buyers agreed to salvage and tear down the building. As things went along, they said the building was probably not quite what they expected. They paid $1,500. We also had them sign a release that the county would not be responsible for any injuries during the tearing down process. They were also responsible for a $30,000 bond to Emery County if the building was not torn down. We talked to them in June,” said Commissioner Kofford.
Since June nothing has been done and Commissioner Kofford said the county will take back the building and see to its demolition. They have allowed the county to store items in the building for the pool so the $1,500 fee paid for the building will be returned in exchange for the storage.
The county will have County Attorney David Blackwell write a letter to the owners informing them of the county’s decision to move forward with the demolition of the building. The commissioners passed a motion which stated the county will refund the purchase price of the building and disperse with the bond and reclaim ownership of the building.
Commissioner Kofford said the road department will demolish the building and he will get with them and work on a time frame for the demolition of the building.