The City of Dover officially declines to buy back the old Dover Library from Delaware State University.
The city sold the property to Wesley College in 2017 for $1, on the condition Wesley use it for academic purposes for at least 50 years. Now DSU, which acquired Wesley in 2021, wants to sell it.
First, they had to give the city the option to buy it back, which city council officially declined Monday night. Councilman Roy Sudler says the land was appraised at almost $1.2 million.
“I’m glad we didn’t buy it back," Sudler says. "Me personally, I think that if we gifted an educational institution such as that for $1, I would hope that they would try and sell it back to us for $1, not $1.2 million.”
The original sale was contingent on some state Community Transportation Funds – the city received just over $1 million from the state between FY2018 and FY2020.
Sudler adds he is disappointed DSU won’t put the building to academic use, and encourages the university to seek a partnership with the new tenant.
“I wish that we had the opportunity to sell it ourselves so that we could provide the jobs and get the profit and income," Sudler says. "But I’m not opposed to Delaware State University doing that. I think it’s an opportunity for them to form a partnership or give their students the opportunity to be in the healthcare field.”
DSU spokesperson Carlos Holmes says they do not have any final plans for the property, but City Manager Dave Hugg says DSU has an offer from Nationwide Healthcare to buy it and create an adult-focused care facility.
