Need some office furniture, fire extinguishers or a mechanical car lift?
All that and more will be auctioned off Wednesday morning at the former Healey Ford on Main Street.
Everything left inside the building is for sale. The property was vacated in June when the dealership was suddenly shut down by Ford.
Michael Healey, whose family owned Healey Ford for more than 60 years, was unable to be reached for comment Monday.
In June he told the Valley Independent Sentinel the closure was announced in the face of consolidation with the national company.
“I gave them every reason in the world why this is a great town, why they should stay in the Valley,” Healey said on the dealership’s last day June 4. “It’s like all of a sudden a tornado came through and destroyed everything.”
Auction
Wednesday’s auction will be conducted by a company called Cash Realty and Auctions. To see a complete list of items to be auctioned, visit the company’s website here.
Interested buyers can place bids online, too. Bidding on most items starts at $10.
Bidding in person will begin at the site at 10 a.m.
Building
Meanwhile, the building remains for sale — listed at $3.95 million by Colonial Properties, based in Orange.
The building is about 30,000 square feet on 1.75 acres in downtown Ansonia.
A message was left with Bill Weirsman, the real estate agent representing the property.
What’s Next For Healey Ford?
Some local business owners and residents (in a conversation on the Valley Indy Facebook page) said they’d like to see a Harley Dealership, a roller skating rink or a store such as Trader Joes fill the spot.
City leaders want the property back in service too.
Claude Perry, the city’s economic development director, said that Healey has not reached out to his office for help with redevelopment or sale of the property.
“I had a conversation with Mike because we have people who contact our office looking for properties,” Perry said.
But Healey appeared to be handling the affair on his own, Perry said.
Perry said Healey may also be working with Mayor James Della Volpe, who was not available for comment Monday.
“It’s not out of this office,” Perry said.
The Economic Development Commission will be looking at the property as it tries to inventory the available land in town, said Alderman John Marini, who is also a member of the EDC.
The commission has not talked specifically about the Healey Ford property yet, but wants to eventually get all available properties listed on the city’s website to attract investors.
“In general we’re trying to identify the available properties and take proactive steps to solicit businesses that might be a good fit,” Marini said.
