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October 31, 2008

County facilities study finished

Study will be presented at a later date

By Rich Flowers News Editor

The Houston based architectural firm Brinkley Sargent has completed a preliminary study of future facility needs for Henderson County and will soon present it to Commissioners Court.

Henderson County Judge David Holstein said he and Pct. 3 Commissioner Ronny Lawrence spoke with a representative of the firm Thursday and learned the report was ready for viewing.

Commissioners chose the firm in July after a series of workshops in which they reviewed a dozen applicants. The focus of the study was to determine the county’s needs for office space, storage area, while providing a catalyst for economic growth in the Athens Central Business District.

The Ginger Murchison Foundation agreed to pay up to $100,000 toward the facilities study with the stipulation that it be complete by Dec. 31 of this year. The county set a Sept. 30 deadline for completion of the study to allow a 2 month window for any delays. Holstein said it took about five weeks longer than he had anticipated to select and enter an agreement with Brinkley Sargent.

“We got a later start than expected,” Holstein said. “We didn’t award the bid until the end of July. The consultant could not meet with all of the department heads by Sept. 30,” Holstein said.

The study targets an “area of interest” surrounding the Henderson County Courthouse. The study was expected to evaluate the adaptability and availability of the properties north of College Street, south of the Southern Pacific Railroad Tracks, east of Pinkerton Street and west of Carroll Street.

A study done by Broaddus and Associates was presented to the court in 2003, but no action was taken on the plan.

The expansion issue began to move to the forefront in September 2007, when commissioners purchased an option on 44.35 acres on Loop 7 for expansion and relocation of some county offices. Two months later, after a wave of protests from Athens city and business leaders concerned about the potential move of county offices from the downtown area, commissioners obtained a 90-day extension on the land option to allow time for further discussion.

In February, 2008, commissioners voted to abandon the Loop 7 land purchase, choosing instead to accept the Ginger Murchison Foundation offer to fund a facilities study.

Property owned by the Foundation, southwest of the courthouse, was offered as a solution to the space problem. The Foundation offered to raze the buildings on a 14,400 square foot portion of the property at no cost to the county.

Other options included: the old jail property on Larkin Street; the northeast corner of the square in the area of the Texan Theater; the northwest side which includes properties south of the Henderson County Museum and the southeast side of the courthouse, near the intersection of S. Palestine and College Streets.

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