Federal Building and Post Office in Fargo. (Library of Congress)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (KFGO) – The U.S. General Services Administration has identified several government-owned buildings in the region that it wants to sell or repurpose.
The Federal Building and Post Office in Fargo and Edward J. Devitt U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building in Fergus Falls are listed as non-core properties. The GSA says non-core properties are surplus, and are either vacant or underutilized. Those properties could either be sold or repurposed by another government agency.
The Quentin N. Burdick U.S. Courthouse in Fargo is not listed as non-core.
Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith co-authored a letter to the GSA, protesting the potential closure of the courthouse in Fergus Falls. They say closure could undermine public safety and access to justice in western Minnesota.
“In addition to serving as the only federal courthouse outside Minnesota’s largest metropolitan areas of Minneapolis-St. Paul and Duluth, the building is home to U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Probation Office,” Smith and Klobuchar wrote. “With an abrupt and unplanned closure, these essential services will be disrupted, putting communities at risk.”
Other properties in the region listed as non-core are the Bruce M. Van Sickle Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Minot, a parking lot in Bismarck, the federal buildings in Aberdeen and Huron, South Dakota, and several buildings in the Minneapolis area.
Federal law says non-core properties must go through a disposal process. That could include the property being transferred to a different agency, or using the building to house or provide services to homeless people. If the property isn’t suitable for another agency or for homeless use, it must be offered to state or local governments. If none of those are viable, then the property can be sold to a private party.
Hundreds of properties across the nation have recently been listed as non-core properties. The GSA plans to add or remove several properties from the list as assessments continue.
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