Powder Springs Could Sell Porter Lawnmower Shop

The Powder Springs City Council is set to vote Monday on whether to declare the old lawnmower shop downtown as surplus.

If approved, the city would then try to sell the property at the corner of Marietta Street and Lewis Road through sealed bids or auction.

“I think we’re going to get some hits on that building,” interim City Manager Brad Hulsey said at Wednesday’s council work session at . “It’s a prime location” because its downtown; along Lewis Road, which will soon be extended through the Town Square and to Old Lost Mountain Road; and near the Silver Comet Trail.

Hulsey said he believed the city could make more money from an auction.

Council members expressed concerns that they wouldn’t make enough money by selling it after paying what Councilman Al Thurman called “a small fortune.”

The city acquired the building from Earl “Bug” Porter as part of a deal in getting a chunk of the property for the Lewis Road extension project, which connects downtown Powder Springs to C.H. James Parkway.

Porter, , had run the Powder Springs Service Station and Mower Shop there.

Officials didn’t immediately know Wednesday exactly how much was paid for the building.

A minimum bid can be established once the property is given an up-to-date appraisal, Hulsey said.

Thurman suggested leasing if the city doesn’t get that amount. “That’s long-term revenue if you were to get a good tenant. You could sell it and certainly make the money, but if you lease it, you’re going to always be making money off of it.”

The city has “a lot of money tied up in it,” he added, “and I’d hate to think that we just give it away.”

The council is set to meet Monday at 7 p.m. at the .

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