Mary Meaux
The Port Arthur News
GROVES — Demolition of a vacant bank building owned by Port Neches-Groves ISD was once again set on the back burner as trustees mull the idea of possibly selling the piece of property. Bids to demolish the bank, located at 1025 Port Neches Ave., were received by the district with the lowest bid coming from Lark Group Inc. at a total cost of $28,700. The base proposal included the demolition and hauling off of the existing main building and contents and for both drive-through locations. The concrete slab and all piping and other infrastructure at both the main building and drive-through areas was also included in the bid. But early on in the meeting during the patron presentation period, Shane Warr, owner of Ace Rental Management, told trustees of his interest in purchasing the building. Warr toured the facility from top to bottom and was pleased with the physical appearance, he said. “I know I’m coming in late in the game but I’m asking for time to do a feasibility study,” Warr said. “I can see using the inside of the building as a type of mall for law offices, people who provide services.” Warr even expressed interest in possibly moving his nearby business inside the vacant bank building, he said. He was attracted by a number of unique offerings, such as the large vault in the front of the building. “At the very least I’d be interested in discussing with the board the possibility of purchasing a portion of the parking lot,” he said. Trustees are not allowed to discuss, ask or answer questions during the patron participation portion of the meeting but revisited the issue during the agenda item to award the bid for the bank demolition. The bid proposal was broken down into a base bid with two alternates. Alternative No. 1 includes the cost of removing asbestos in several areas of the building that was discovered during an inspection. The asbestosis must be removed during the tearing down phase. Alternate No. 2 includes the cost to remove and haul off all of the parking lot and driveway concrete within property lines. Once removed the entire area shall be backed filled with dirt and leveled to the original elevation of the slab, according to information from the district. The discovery of asbestos at this late stage in the game was a shock to trustees who were told earlier there was no asbestos. The asbestos was found when some wallpaper fell, Cheryl Hernandez, business manager, said. Trustee Rusty Brittain made the motion to table to issue. The motion was approved by a 7 to 0 vote. PN-G High School’s football stadium — the Reservation — will soon be available for rent. Trustees unanimously approved the stadium rental policy during Tuesday’s meeting after receiving information from Coach Matt Burnett. The fee to rent the stadium, which was recently renovated, is $3,000 plus 10 percent of game fees. The fee, Burnett said, is pretty standard ad will allow the district to make a profit in return. The biggest cost for the rental is payment to game officials followed by security. Hernandez said security does play a part in the issue. For example, security for a football game between PN-G and Nederland costs about $2,200. There have been several recent occasions in which the stadium could have been rented out such as University Interscholastic League events. Profit will be tied to the amount of people who attend an event at the stadium. Smaller venues, such as a playoff game featuring Evadale or Newton might not bring a large amount of cash. Larger schools, such as Baytown, are unlikely to utilize the facility, he said, adding that rentals might come from Port Arthur or Vidor. mmeaux@panews.com
