COUNCIL DISCUSSES BRENHAM HERITAGE MUSEUM LEASE

  

Brenham City Council entered into an Executive Session after their public meeting today (Thursday) to discuss three items.  City Manager James Fisher was absent from today’s council meeting however.  Mayor Milton Tate announced that Fisher had to return to Forney, Texas to take care of a matter that came up.

In the Executive Session, council members discussed the lease agreement for the Brenham Heritage Museum.  The city leases the old Federal Building on Market Street to the Museum, but it received damage from the flooding in May of 2016 and was closed to the public.  Extensive problems with the electrical and climate control systems were discovered while repairing the water damage.  The city ordered the building vacated in August of last year due to safety concerns.

Council also discussed offering financial or other incentives to a Business Prospect that is looking to locate in or near the city.  In September of last year, council heard a proposal from Hutton Real Estate to develop a shopping center at Highway 36 and Salem Road.  They were requesting the city enter into a Chapter 380 agreement to develop the project.

Also on the agenda for the Executive Session was the discussion of the Construction Contract with GCP Contractors for the construction of the new bathroom facilities at Fireman’s Park.  GCP failed to complete the buildings by the December 2017 deadline and City Attorney Cary Bovey has been working with their surety company to continue construction with a new contractor. Director of Public Works Dane Rau said that GCP's surety is still moving in a positive direction and canceling the construction contract at this point would only add more legal expenses to the issue.

No action was taken on any of the three items discussed during the Executive Session.