Orange City Hall has become squirrely and that’s one of the reasons the city needs to move, according to the city manager.
During a hearing Wednesday in state district court, information was revealed about the Orange City Council’s decision to buy the First Financial Bank building on 16th Street and move city hall. The council made the decision during closed-door sessions and voted on the $2 million purchase deal without discussion.
Orange City Manager Shawn Oubre, while on the witness stand, said squirrels and raccoons continually get into city hall. The critters eat through electrical lines and internet lines.
The pest invasion was only one of several problems Oubre mentioned about city hall, which has been in a 1920s mansion for 70 years.
The hearing was for a temporary injunction to stop the city from buying the bank building and moving city offices from the historic downtown area. The non-profit group Historic Orange Preservation Empowerment and lawyer Leslie Barras, who lives in the Old Orange Historic District, filed the lawsuit against the city and each individual council member.
The group says moving city hall from the Old Town Center is illegal because the city’s comprehensive master land use plan outlines keeping all government buildings in the Old Town Center. The city charter, approved by voters, requires the city to follow the master land use plan unless public hearings are held and the council votes on changes, the lawsuit says.
State District Judge Buddie Hahn on Thursday said he will make a decision Monday because the courthouse is closed Friday.
Beaumont lawyer David Starnes represented the group in the court hearing. He presented an architectural study from Rob Clark in December 2011. The study estimated $1.57 million to renovate city hall and build a new annex building for office space.
The price included demolishing the back building which was the mansion’s garage and servants quarters and later was the city jail. The Convention and Visitors Bureau currently has offices in the downstairs of the building.
During his time on the stand, Oubre mentioned other problems with the building including one with customers falling on steps while coming in or out to pay water bills. The layout of the grounds does not allow for a drive-in window for customers to pay bills.
Also, some of the electrical wiring in the building dates back to the 1920s.
Oubre said the city staff looked all over the downtown area for a building to serve as city hall. The buildings included the former AT&T building, a church, a doctor’s office, the depot and the former West Orange-Cove CISD administration building.
Some of the buildings did not meet the base flood level requirements and would have to be raised. Some were too small or had parking lots that were too small.
He said one building was near Lamar State College-Orange and the college is looking to expand. He said the city wanted to form a partnership with the college. The LSC-O website lists Oubre on the LSC-O Foundation board of directors. The website says “The foundation has played a direct or indirect role in the acquisition of all the real estate that now constitutes the downtown campus.”
During the hearing, Oubre said bank president Stephen Lee contacted him in October and said the bank building on 16th Street would be on the market because the bank was going to construct a new one. Oubre said Lee originally told him to pass the information along to the city economic development director in case a business was looking for a location.
The city council instructed him to look into the bank building. The city’s public works director, finance director and economic development director reviewed the bank building. “We felt it was a fit for the city,” Oubre said. The city also had an HVAC expert look at the bank building.
Oubre said First Financial had an appraisal on the building at $4.4 million to $4.6 million. The city had an appraisal that put the value at $2.4 million. He said the bank offered to sell the city the building for $2 million and the city would sign papers for the bank to apply for federal tax credits for the additional $2.4 million. The city “felt it was a fair” deal, Oubre said.
Leslie Barras, the plaintiff, also took the witness stand in the hearing. She talked about her background including a master’s degree in public administration from the Lyndon Baines Johnson School of Public Affairs, in addition to her law degree. She also has decades of experience in city planning issues.
She said her research shows the current city hall has about 10,000 square feet with 15 full-time employees. That makes about 679 square feet for every employee and the federal standard is a 135 square feet per employee.
The First Financial Bank building has 28,000 square feet, which will allow 1,900 square feet per person. “I want our city staff to have good working space, but it makes no sense financially and for efficiency” to have the larger building, she said.
Oubre, speaking after Barras, said the city could lease some of the space to other businesses.
-Margaret Toal, KOGT-
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