GREEN RIVER - Wyoming Game and Fish Commissioners finally got the price they were asking for Monday.

The commission approved having the Game and Fish Department finalize the sale of a warden station in Rock Springs during a conference call Monday morning.

The commission also negotiated the possible sale of a similar warden station in Sundance. If the sale does not go through, however, the commission will try again to sell that property.

If the Sundance sale is finalized, both homes will be sold for right at, or slightly above, their appraised value of $105,000.

The department decided last fall to dispose of the two warden stations after a recent re-organization of the agency's Wildlife Division.

The commission had hoped to approve the sale of both properties during their April meeting, but the board deferred action until Monday because commissioners were dissatisfied with the initial offers.

By law, the commission cannot move forward with the sale of excess property if a bid is at, or below, the property's appraised value, said Game and Fish Department Services Division Chief John Kennedy.

The board voted 6-0 to accept a bid of $105,050 for the Rock Springs warden station. Kennedy said three bids under the appraised value were also submitted.

Kennedy told commissioners no bids were received on the Sundance warden station during the first 45-day advertisement period that ran from December until February.

He said the department re-advertised the sale with no minimum bid requirements, as directed by the commission, and expanded the advertising efforts to include northwest South Dakota.

Kennedy said the second time around, the agency received three bids that were "well-below" the appraised value of $105,000. He said the closest bid to the appraised value, $96,000, came from Susan Redding of Sundance. Redding is the County Assessor for Crook County.

Redding participated in the conference call and agreed to consider paying the appraised value price when asked by Commissioner Ron Lovercheck She also agreed to put up $1,000 in "earnest money." She said her mortgage lender also planned to have an appraisal done on the property.

The commission voted unanimously to proceed with the negotiation of a sale contract with Redding. Commissioner Kerry Power had a previous engagement and did not participate.

But just in case the negotiations with Redding are not successful, the commission agreed to relist the property, re-advertise and offer it for sale again.

Kennedy noted that the market conditions in Sundance have "improved slightly" since the property was advertised last winter. He said the appraised value of $105,000 "still appeared reasonable" at this time.

Commission President Hale Kreycik told Redding he "hopes this works out to our mutual benefit." The commission's next regular meeting is scheduled for July 15-16 in Pinedale.