Surprise's economic development manager Jeanine Jerkovic says anauction process on the 24-year-old complex at 12425 W. Bell Rd. wasselected because of the huge amount of community interest in thesite. "Our city council and staff and all of us were approached byvarious interests, asking us what we planned to do with the space,"she says. "We decided to put this to a bid to see who's reallyinterested and what they'd do if they had the space."

Jerkovic tells GlobeSt.com that the 6.5-acre asset is availablefor sale or lease. In the event of a sale, it has to be presentedas a public referendum. Either way, once bids are sifted through, arecommendation will be made to city council, which is slated forDec. 11. "At that time," she explains, "they'll decide whether toenter into a lease or sell it."

While bids on the old city hall complex are taking place, thenew one is going vertical two miles west at the crossroads of Belland Bullard roads. Ground broke earlier this year on the134,000-sf, four-story building at a cost of $48.5 million.Jerkovic says move-in should take place by July 1.