The old fire hall, which has sat vacant across from the Island County Museum for decades, is going back on the market.

In the next couple of weeks, Coupeville Mayor Nancy Conard will present the Town Council with a plan to sell the building that was built in the late 1930s.

The upcoming sale will be the second attempt to sell the former fire hall in recent years. Coupeville businessman George Loyd tried to purchase the building, but the sale fell through. The town last put the fire hall on the market in 2002.

Conard said the building will be sold “as is.” She conceded that the building needs a lot of work. The roof leaks and the structure doesn’t meet seismic requirements.

Rather than put a price tag on the building, the town will solicit proposals for possible uses. The town may even consider some kind of in-kind work that would have a public benefit, Conard said.

The mayor indicated that any deal the town strikes will require the fire hall to remain standing.

Several issues had to be resolved before the town could move to sell the fire hall. A boundary line adjustment was made and an easement was created in order to protect a nearby town well.

The building was constructed in 1937 and was used as a fire station for years. The building was big enough to hold two fire engines. Sometime in the 1960s, after the fire department stopped using the building, it was transformed into a museum. The fire engine doors were replaced with a wall complete with three windows and an entryway.

When the current museum was builte, the fire hall was left vacant and used by the town as a storage space until several years ago, Conard said.

Rather than solicit proposals on their own, town officials are seeking the help of a real estate company to find potential buyers.

“I just want to make sure we get good exposure,” Conard said.