The Odessa City Council is set to sell the old Fire Station No. 6 on Brentwood Drive Tuesday night. The city has received three proposals.
Peace Academy of West Texas, a nonprofit, wants to build a community center where they will host educational programs, cultural events, recreational activities and community meetings.
Their proposal calls for the city to sell the station for $50,000.
During a recent council meeting, Austin and Lauren James said they’d like to purchase the station to rent out office space to small businesses while utilizing the rest of the building for their businesses. He owns and operates Giant Rentals and Services and she owns Lauren James Clothing Company, which specializes in clothing and gifts and bear stuffing for nonprofits and schools.
They also plan to host larger events for local entrepreneurs, the couple said in a letter to the council.
They propose the city sell the station for $365,000.
Megan Prado told the council her family, which opened Town and Country Drug in 1958, would like to own a building of their own to operate their business out of. She said she dreams of opening a drive-thru pharmacy.
Her proposal includes a sales price of $400,000.
Tuesday’s regular agenda also includes a discussion about spending $751,000 to equip 20 recently purchased Odessa Police Department Ford Expeditions with the appropriate lights, plastic seats, partitions, radar and other items.
In addition, the council is scheduled to discuss a possible $6.5 million agreement between the Odessa Development Corporation and the Walkamin Trading Company that would result in the development of a light industrial park near Yukon and Faudree roads.
During the council’s work session, the council will discuss completing Floyd Gwin Park. The project, which was designed by KDC Associates, was expected to cost more than $8.5 million with ONYX General Contractor doing most of the work.
In February 2023, then Parks and Recreation Director Steve Patton told the council that after a few delays for materials, the park was 98% complete and would come in under budget by $68,000 to $72,000.
However, back in November, his replacement, Max Reyes, told council members that the project still wasn’t complete.
Reyes said he’d discovered major irrigation issues, a holey pavilion roof, improperly crimped trim and faulty weatherstripping.
In addition, Reyes also discovered that instead of removing an asphalt parking lot, a contractor simply dumped dirt over it, claiming that’s what a prior administrator instructed them to do.
The lights to the park are currently “locked down” because a subcontractor is waiting to be paid by ONYX, Reyes said.
At the meeting in February, City Manager John Beckmeyer called the entire Floyd Gwin situation a “boondoggle from the get-go.”
During the same meeting Mayor Javier Joven said the situation was the result of the “old culture.”
Mismanagement has been seen again and again with Sherwood Park, the park at UTPB, McKinney Park and now Floyd Gwin, he claimed.
The council will also discuss adding new credit card readers in billing and collections, building inspections, central fire administration building, police department, parks department and Ratliff Links Golf Course.
