Anyone attending Tuesday’s Port Arthur City Council meeting Tuesday in hopes of hearing an update on the contentious Edison Square housing project left the all-morning meeting without having heard a thing.

Though the March 22 agenda contained an item stating the matter would be discussed during a presentation by the city’s public works department, Councilman Willie “Bae” Lewis, who requested the item be put on the agenda, asked that it be discussed in closed session.

Items related to the housing project were posted on the March 22 agenda for a presentation in open session as well for discussion in closed session with the city’s legal counsel present. The closed session item is allowable under Texas Open Meetings laws because it is pending litigation.

“I don’t know what was going on, I sure wanted to ask some questions, but didn’t get the chance,” Reginald Trainer said.

Trainer, a plaintiff in the court case brought against the city in an effort to stop construction of the 78-duplex-type unit apartments for senior citizens, said he was upset to have not had a chance to hear the presentation.

“ If you are going to do that in closed session you don’t put it on the docket then ask people to come and talk about it,” he said.

The case has been ongoing for nearly three years in an effort to stop what Trainer and a group of three other plaintiffs felt was a housing project that was not only unwanted by the neighborhood, but unsuitable as well.

The case is currently on appeal in the Court of Appeals Thirteenth District of Texas in Corpus Christi-Edinburg.

Trainer said he has had trouble getting his attorney, Langston Adams to tell him what was going on, and had hoped to find something out from the city — especially since construction is well under way at the project’s 12^th Street location.

And, now he’s having trouble understanding why Councilman Lewis would tell him the matter was going to be discussed at the Council meeting, and then it wasn’t, not in open session anyway.

“I was upset, because I did not go there for no closed session, I could have done something else. I was there for four hours. They talked about everything else but Edison Square,” Trainer said. “Why would you do that? I understand there are certain things you cannot take about in open session, but don’t put it on the agenda if you are not going to talk about it,” Trainer said.

In the meantime, Chris Akbari, president of ITEX, said the company is operating legally, and is trying to complete the project by the end of of June, before the deadline is up for using Hurricane Ike recovery money, which is largely funding the project.

The News’ calls to city officials including City Manager Brian McDougal, City Attorney Val Tizeno, and Lewis were not returned for comment by press time for this article. Adams secretary said he is out of the country.

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