Bastrop, Tx–When a city council majority approved terms of a 40-year lease of the present city hall on Main Street for reuse as a Bastrop County Historical Society museum and city visitor center on April 20, they apparently believed the deal was done and there was nothing left to say on the subject.
That conclusion may have been premature.
A draft lease, included with the council packet released Friday, is listed on the agenda for formal adoption when the council meets again April 28 at 6:45 p.m. at City Hall. The terms, as currently drafted, include some signal concessions from the historical society, including the omission of provisions calling for the city to cover all utility and some related costs for the Main Street building for up to seven years after it is converted to use as a museum and visitor center.
But historical society officials may still be seeking additional changes, according to City Manager Mike Talbot. In a telephone interview this afternoon, Talbot said his office had just received a copy of the draft lease with detailed comments by society officials.
Asked if the lease was still under negotiation at the end of the business day Friday, Talbot said “*If you asked that question this morning, I would have said no. If you ask the same question at 5 p.m. (Friday) I’d say yes.”
Talbot indicated he had not yet had time to review the most recent comments, suggestions or requests.
Major terms of the lease approved by the council on a 3-2 vote Monday call for the council immediately to deposit $500,000 from hotel room rent taxes to be applied to old city hall renovation and alteration expenses as soon as the society has raised a matching $250,000 for the same purpose (at least half of the total in cash). The society would have up to two years to raise the matching contributions and and an additional three years to complete the renovation work and begin museum/visitor center operations.
Tags: Add new tag, historical society, museum/visitor center lease negotiations, old city hall