February 10, 2000
County okays $2.7 million courthouse renovation
By STERRY BUTCHER
PRESIDIO COUNTY — Accompanied by significant amounts of trepidation, some excitement and a portion of reluctance, county commissioners committed Monday night to the effort of funding a complete renovation of the Presidio County Courthouse.
The renovation issue has long presented commissioners with the horns of a dilemma. On one side of the problem is the overwhelming fondness that commissioners — and Presidio County residents — have for the building, indisputably among the most graceful and lovely structures in Far West Texas.
Along with that fondness comes the knowledge, also indisputable and uncontested, that the building is in grave need of repair. A lack of adequate heating and cooling causes jury panels and courthouse workers to alternately broil in summer and shiver in winter; leaky windows have led to water damage severe enough that visitors no longer may climb to look out the dome, while plaster work, lead paint and other problems likewise need attention.
On the other side of the problem is the very basic fact that Presidio County is among the poorest of all 254 Texas counties. Presented this year with the opportunity to participate in a brand new Texas Historical Commission grant that will dole out $50 million specifically for courthouse renovations, commissioners balked at having to raise the matching funds and other monies that the grant requires.
The 25 audience members at Monday’s special meeting, by far the largest turnout to any recent county meeting, were enthusiastically and unanimously in favor of pursuing the grant money.
Each audience member spoke.
“This is work that will live long after anyone in this room,” said Marfa resident and banker Rey Veselka. “The short term costs will have a long term benefit.”
Lee Bennett was optimistic that the matching funds could be raised, and cited the relative ease by which $80,000 was fundraised for the Marfa Centennial celebration in 1986. “The people of Marfa, the county worked together. Give the people of this community a challenge like this and they’ll rise to the occasion to help out all the way.”
“I’m passionate about it,” said Marge Hughes, who works in the building as the assistant to Presidio County Judge Jack Brunson. “It’s been a presence in our lives so long.” She spoke of the number of visitors who come, wide-eyed, to the building. “We just had a couple come in from Australia. They were inspired — tourists love this place.”
Yet the problem before commissioners was more complicated than just having to pony up matching funds for the project. Counties that want to participate in the grant project are expected to pledge 15 or 20 percent matching funds. The more money the county pledges to match, the better its chance of being funded.
Likewise, a master plan for the restoration by architect Kim Williams is in place, but the application for the project is due March 8. Williams’ plans left commissioners with a choice between two options, each with its own set of advantages and disadvantages.
The Phase One project, with its $1.4 million price tag, would solve a very limited number of interior problems, but renovate the outside of the building. It is likely that the county, which has $210,000 saved for the project, would not have to raise money to meet the Historical Commission’s 15 percent match in this scenario.
With the Phase One choice, commissioners would also have to send a plan along with the grant application that specifically states how and when the county planned to address all the problems and renovations not met by Phase One.
The Phase Two project is a detailed, thorough, total renovation that would address all the building’s needs and problems. Phase Two’s drawbacks are financial: the county would have to raise money for the matching funds and, perhaps more troublingly, its offices would have to move to an entirely different location for up to a year in order to accommodate workers during the restoration. None of the money spent for leases, utilities and other expenses for the impending move can count as part of the match. All money necessary for the move will have to come from the county itself, donations or resources other than THC.
The money issue troubled the commissioners all evening. “I think we should go with the 15 percent match,” said Commissioner Eloy Aranda. “We should work with (the $210,000) we have, do the most with what we have. Moving out for a year — that’s going to take money.’
“I’m on the same boat,” said fellow Commissioner Jaime Ramirez. “Where are we going to move? It’d be for a year at least, minimum. Let’s focus on … priority needs.” Ramirez pointed out that everyone wants a renovated court house, but he worried about the financial strain on the county. “People are tired of raising taxes. People are poor,” he said. “How many do we want to go in debt?”
The rapid and marked deterioration of the building and the absolute lack of storage of any kind were equal reasons for concern. The county could take out certificates of obligation to pay for the project, should the Presidio County Courthouse be among those chosen to be funded. “We have no choice,” said Commissioner Danny Watts. “People have been putting it off. That’s why every nook and cranny is full of papers.”
“Let’s shoot for the moon,” said Commissioner Felipe Cordero.
Ramirez and Aranda put forth a motion to accept the Phase One plan outlined by Williams, which was defeated 3-2. A motion to accept the total renovation plan of Phase Two, along with its fundraising and relocation requirements, quickly followed. Presidio County Judge Jack Brunson, Cordero and Watts voted in favor of the action, while Ramirez and Aranda were against it.
A few moments later, commissioners unanimously voted to stretch only for the 15 percent match of the $2.7 million project instead of a 20 percent match. Commissioners likewise voted, with Ramirez as the lone dissenter, to set aside up to $30,000 for renovations to the old Presidio County Jail building. The addition of metal shelving to the main jail tank will create two tiers of racks for direly needed records storage, said Brunson. The money will also go for a new roof for the structure.
Commissioners also voted to authorize Presidio County Attorney Teresa Todd to look into whether the work done on the courthouse has been performed within the state courthouse law and send a letter to that effect for the grant application. Also intended for the renovation project, commissioners opted to voluntarily give a 50-year long-term deed covenant of the courthouse to the Texas Historical Society in order to gain points on the application. Discussion on Presidio Underground Water District issues was tabled until the commissioners’ February 14 meeting.