Willie Francis
November 7, 2013
Gertrude Frances Norris
November 13, 2013
A month and a half after having the former Houma Elementary building appraised, the Terrebonne Parish School Board is now accepting bids from prospective buyers.
The board agreed in June to lease the property, on Grinage Street, to the New Orleans-based HRI Properties at $1,000 per month in the hopes that HRI would eventually purchase the building. Last month, an appraisal valued the building and property at $1.9 million.
“It is a process, and this is just the beginning,” said Superintendent Philip Martin, who added that his “best guess” as to a would-be sale’s ultimate timeline is about three months “if there is an interested buyer, which I don’t know that there will be.”
The measure passed by a 6-2 vote. Board members Brenda Leroux-Babin and Roosevelt Thomas were in opposition. Member Debi Benoit was absent.
The board would still have to sign off on a sale.
Leroux-Babin said some Mulberry Elementary students live within the downtown Houma building’s enrollment radius and that the school district should conduct a population study before finalizing the sale of a building that could still be an asset.
“I just don’t believe in throwing out the old because we want a new building,” said Leroux-Babin. It could ultimately be less costly to renovate the building, plagued with asbestos, and other issues, she reasoned.
Roger “Dale” DeHart, the board’s president, said he would like to see the district rid itself of the building. “I think it’s cheaper to build a new school,” he said.
The Houma Elementary saga has played out since the summer, when the board began advertising it for lease or sale. At that time, the 3.4-acre property was appraised at nearly $900,000, a figure that did not include the building’s worth.
In June, the board approved the lease agreement with HRC and prematurely ceased accepting bids for the property’s sale.
Then, in July, the state Attorney General’s office received an anonymous complaint that the board did not properly follow bid laws. The AG’s office contacted the school board’s attorney and reviewed relevant documents, but it has not issued an opinion on the matter.
“We followed the statute for leases,” DeHart said at the time. “We only got one packet for a lease of the building. We are not going to turn down any legal revenue. There was no self-gain or favoritism involved with this lease, and I would do it again.”
About 80 district employees in federal and special-education programs work from Houma Elementary. Martin said they could be relocated to the former West Park Elementary building within the next two months.
The former Houma Elementary building, which now houses federal and special-education employees, is being advertised for sale after action taken by the Terrebonne Parish School Board last week.
