By Josh Bergeron

josh.bergeron@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — The price for a vacant county building once used by the Department of Social Services hit $100,000 on Wednesday.

After months of bidding, James Sauls Jr. of Salisbury submitted a $100,000 offer for the property at 1236 West Innes St. He has submitted multiple offers on the property and is one of many to express interest since an upset bid process started in August.

The West Innes building is being sold together with an adjacent parking lot. The property has multiple, connected buildings built at different times. One building, for example, opened in the 1960s. Another opened in 1952. County officials tried to sell the buildings and several other county properties during an in-person auction last year. Other properties sold, but the West Innes property didn’t. Mold and mildew inside the buildings may have deterred bidders from submitting an offer.

The building also contains some asbestos, according to county officials.

Efforts to find a use for the building date back years. At one point, county commissioners and school board members discussed whether it could be used as a central office. Just last year, commissioners considered demolishing the building because of a lack of interest.

On Wednesday, Sauls said he has several ideas about a potential use for the building if his offer is accepted. Sauls said he didn’t want to talk about what those uses might be because the upset bid process has not ended.

If no one tops the $100,000 bid and submits a deposit within 10 days, Sauls will win the upset bid process.

Before Sauls made his offer on Wednesday, the top bid  was $94,000 from Michael Sholtis, who listed a Holly Springs address on his bid.

Contact reporter Josh Bergeron at 704-797-4246.