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The process for finding someone to take over or use the old Albemarle Police Department building has moved forward, according to a report at the latest Stanly County EDC meeting.

Director Candice Lowder read a report from Albemarle Economic Development Director Lindsey Almond at the meeting. Almond was unable to attend because of a meeting of the Albemarle City Council, according to an email.

In the report read by Lowder, Almond states the Request for Proposal (RFP) review committee “for the former Albemarle Police Dept. Headquarters unanimously recommended ‘Proposal 4’ to the City Manager, City Attorney, and City Council.”

In an email to The Stanly News & Press, Almond said her report to the EDC did not “state if counsel is moving forward with that proposal and (I) feel that distinction must be pointed out. The project will move into the negotiations and due diligence period with the prospective client.”

According to North Carolina general statues, the details of any response to the request for proposal is kept confidential, including the identity of the respondent.

An article in the Stanly News & Press reported the city sent out RFP requests Feb. 25, 2022, for the old APD building on 203 N. Second St.

The building has remained vacant since APD moved its headquarters around four years ago. The city has sought proposals from developers to enter into a development agreement to repurpose the 7,800-square-foot facility. Constructed in 1940, the facility was first utilized as a U.S. Post Office before the police bought it and moved into the space in 1969. An appraisal of the property was completed in the fall of 2021 and it showed a value of $350,000.