City council accepts offer for train depot

As Aledo continues to grow and transform into the new community it’s becoming, old Aledo still has a strong presence downtown. The difficult act of holding onto the old while experiencing the new is a dance few communities have mastered. 

But, Aledo is trying.

During the end-of-the-month meeting on Thursday, Aug. 26 for the Aledo City Council, the first step in preserving a hallmark piece of property from yesteryear for the future of Aledo was taken. The old train depot has sat in disrepair on the property where the current city hall sits, and where the new city hall will be erected. 

For a number of years, the city has sought out a potential new owner of the building with little to show for their efforts. 

With construction of the new city hall coming around the corner, finding a new home for the old depot has worked its way up the list of to-dos. The council approved a motion to appropriate $25,000 to help cover the cost of relocating the depot from its present location to its future home at 200 S FM 1187. 

The motion also provides City Manager Noah Simon the authority to negotiate the terms of sale and relocation to 1882 Partners, LP. 

The city previously inquired about the cost of refurbishing the depot, but the cost of moving the structure, coupled with the asbestos removal, foundation preparation at a future site, and the cost of refurbishing the building was exorbitant. Per city guidelines for the potential sale, 1882 Partners, LP will have 18 months from the transaction date to relocate the building, complete the refurbishing project, and have the structure open for public use. 

Mayor Nick Stanley stated he would also like to see language incorporated into the deal that the building cannot be sold or moved from Aledo once the rehab project is complete.

Speculation surrounding the possibility of an affiliation between Stanley with 1882 Partners, LP began to arise shortly after the conclusion of the meeting. When asked by The Community News for clarification regarding a possible relationship between himself and the group looking to purchase the depot, the mayor responded with an email stating, “Thank you for reaching out and requesting the clarification. While those are people that I do know from living in the community, I do not have any interest or business with 1882 Partners, nor do I stand to benefit financially from anything they do.”

Shelter skelter

Dr. Susan Bohn, Superintendent of Aledo ISD, was on hand during the meeting to discuss a proposed amendment to the 2015 International Building Code dealing with storm shelter requirements. 

Specifically, under the current statute the school district would be required to build another storm shelter on the Aledo High School campus due to the renovations approved during the bond election earlier this spring. However, as Bohn pointed out, the renovations made to the high school will not increase student capacity. The project will just create usable spaces for various clubs and teams where spaces do not currently exist. 

She also stated the bond does not provide funding for the construction of additional shelters, which cost double per square foot of any other structure.

Over the course of the dialogue, Place 3 Council Member Shawna Ford stated her primary concern is that if the amendment is approved, it will not stand for just this specific project. Her concern is that future buildings of similar size will be able to get by without providing adequate sheltering space in the event of a significant storm.

Mayor Pro Tem and Place 4 Council Member Nelson Rowls expressed a similar sentiment. He stated he would not know how he could handle it if a significant weather event led to the deaths of students if he chose the option of saving money over saving lives.

Council Member Shane Davis for Place 1 motioned to table the discussion, pending the district providing further information regarding current shelters and procedures to ensure students and faculty have adequate sheltering space available in the event of severe weather.