McALLEN — The McAllen school trustees took a tentative first step toward ridding itself of the David Crockett Administration Annex on Tuesday.
Formerly David Crockett Elementary, the 71-year-old school hasn’t sheltered students in a decade but continues to house administrative departments that could be readily accommodated in other existing facilities.
The board approved listing the property in accordance with the local government code only after the administration determines whether the local government entity which has the power of eminent domain may be interested in acquiring it Monday, which means ultimately the district could accept bids for it, conduct some sort of land swap or an complete an interlocal agreement with the city or Hidalgo County or the Boys and Girls Club — the last of those possibilities being the option most vocally supported by trustees.
(Read: Bonham Elementary to close)
Crockett costs the district $120,000 a year in maintenance fees. Costs associated with fixing its roof, parking lots, HVAC system and other infrastructure would exceed $2.5 million, and it would cost between $300,000 and $500,000 to demolish it.
In short, the property is financial deadweight.
On the other hand, Crockett is an almost dauntingly golden opportunity. An agreement with the city has allowed the public to use the 11.696-acre property as a park for most of the last decade.
(Photo by Nathan Lambrecht | The Monitor)
It’s a large expanse of greenspace in the heart of old McAllen, nestled in a quiet neighborhood off two main thoroughfares, just up the lane from an increasingly bustling downtown.
It’s also worth a healthy chunk of change — appraised at $82,500 an acre, selling the park to a private entity would earn the district at least $965,000.
Nervous about that possibility, McAllen City Commissioner Victor “Seby” Haddad approached the board earlier this year, pleading with them to consider some kind of solution that would preserve the property’s greenspace.
A majority of the board voiced opinions Tuesday supporting solutions that would do that in some fashion. According to Board President Sam Saldivar, calls from residents in the area indicate that they want a solution like those two.
“They definitely do not want a structure, an apartment complex or anything like that,” he said. “Neither do I, and I think most of us feel that way. But at the same time, we’re gonna pay our teachers salaries, and we’re going to have to be starting to unload things to be able to afford getting teachers a higher salary and compensation.”
Trustee Danny Vela likened it to McAllen’s own Central Park — a space that could one day boast a dog park and a skate park, with walking trails or a wading pool or an outdoor amphitheatre.
“I think to blow it away for $800,000 [sic] would just be shameful on our part,” he said. “I think we have a unique opportunity to add an incredible amount of economic value to the center of McAllen. The quality of life in that neighborhood would go up dramatically.”
Although most of the board seems dedicated to a parkish solution, the Devil will likely be in the details.
Trustee Debbie Crane Aliseda thinks the buildings on the property should be razed, and cautioned against park projects being shelved by municipalities. Sofia Pena was wary about parting with the property as well, suggesting renovating it and maintaining it in the most cost effective way possible.
Conrado Alvarado suggested the property could still be useful to the district — perhaps it could house an official board meeting place. Vela opposed tearing it down as well; he said McAllen has torn down too many of its historic buildings already and supported keeping at least a portion of the school standing.
Marco Suarez, on the other hand, said the city and the county have money ready to go; now might be the opportune time for an interlocal agreement.
Tony Forina was the only trustee to cast some doubt on a park project. Crockett already is a park, he said, arguing that its walking trail isn’t being used and its tree garden looks neglected.
“I think if we’re going to keep it then we need to invest in it, but I don’t have a problem saying ‘Let’s put it out, see who’s an interested buyer,’ and see what we could do there,” he said.
The possibility that moving forward with listing the property Monday could ultimately lead to Crockett falling into the hands of a private entity raised some concerns.
Some trustees asked whether negotiations could be conducted with the city or county without taking that step, although Saldivar said that it was a necessary step to begin conversations.
A committee made up of Crane Aliseda, Pena and Vela — the trustees most vocal about preserving or keeping the property — will work with Superintendent J.A. Gonzalez on those negotiations.
Still, the motion drew some concern. Crane Aliseda abstained from the vote; Vela audibly quavered before voting aye with the rest of the board.
“There’s consensus here, I think we all want the same thing,” Alvarado said before voting. “So it’s absolutely yes.”
