‘One person’s trash …’
Hancock garage sale this weekend
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HANCOCK -- The City of Hancock looks to sell, sell, sell this weekend. After purchasing the buildings of the former Finlandia University -- which closed in 2023 -- the city will host a community garage sale Friday afternoon and Saturday morning in the closed university buildings.
Community Development for the City of Hancock Todd Gast said this is an "all must go" garage sale. Office and school supplies, furniture, appliances and electronics will be hot ticket items at the sale.
"We have so much left over that we don't want to clog up the landfills with any of this," he said. "We really think the community would love the opportunity because those supplies aren't cheap."
According to Gast, these items will be at a discounted rate due to the city wanting to fully utilize the buildings as soon as possible. To do so, it needs to empty them of any materials left behind in the closure.
Local energy non-profit New Power Tour is helping manage the garage sale and gather old supplies in the buildings. Managing Director Melissa Davis said. "We got a crew of AmeriCorps workers to come and assess the buildings for the energy needs and also promote the space for developers, as well as polling the community," she said. According to Davis, the community polls are still on-going and have not been reviewed by city officials. "Our role was really to do the legwork for bringing AmeriCorps volunteers in. They're also cleaning [Mannerheim Hall]," she said.
Inside Mannerheim Hall, AmeriCorps worker Lily Frayer said she and the rest of the team are eagerly looking forward to seeing the old buildings fully cleaned and utilized. "It's really nice to be able to be doing this and give back to the community," she said. "The hope is I come back in a few years and see this building being used, whether it’s for businesses office space or residential."
Gast said the collaboration with New Power Tour and AmeriCorps will benefit the community in the long run. "We are really trying to make use of these buildings," Gast said. "Having them empty is going to be the best way to do that."
The community garage sale will run from 3-6 p.m. Friday, again from 10 a.m. -1 p.m. on Saturday on the former Finlandia campus, 705 Franklin St. Hancock.