SOUTH GATE : Fire Station 52 Sale Remains Stalemated

Councilwoman Mary Ann Buckles abstained from a vote last week to terminate the agreement to sell the abandoned Fire Station 52 to St. Francis Medical Center. Her vote could have broken a 2-2 deadlock.

The council then unanimously agreed to research the cost of an appraisal, which some city officials said could cost up to $7,000.

Ron Dahlgren, vice president of St. Francis, said officials at the Lynwood-based medical center will wait until an appraisal by the city is completed. St. Francis has agreed to pay $80,000 for the 18,000-square-foot property on State Street near Firestone Boulevard.

The motion to drop the sale came as the City Council listened to residents’ pleas for a youth center on the property, while others called for redevelopment.