Annex plans OK'd; Brooks building set for demolition
By DAVID LOWE Staff Writer

The Lampasas County Commissioners Court on Monday voted to demolish the former Brooks grocery building to expand the Lampasas County Office Building.

The court voted 5-0 to approve schematics, which call for a twostory addition just north of the existing annex, prepared by Komatsu Architecture Inc.

The Commissioners Court also unanimously accepted a $4 million contract -- which includes a 7.5 percent fee -- with Komatsu for architectural services on the expansion project. The county paid a 10 percent fee on the existing annex, built in 2002, and a 15 percent fee on its courthouse renovation project.

County Auditor Jack Clark will request running cost estimates throughout the design phase, and the Commissioners Court can make changes to cap construction spending at $3.85 million.

The first floor of the addition will house the elections administrator, the Lampasas Major Crimes Assistance Unit, the emergency management coordinator and juvenile probation offices. The collections officer, county treasurer and employees of the county attorney, county and district clerks and county auditor will occupy the second floor. The veterans affairs officer also will work on the second floor of the addition.

The district clerk will have threeand a-half times more space than in the current office building, and the county clerk's space will more than double with the expansion.

Plans also call for a second-floor roof capable of supporting a third story if the county needs additional room to accommodate growth. The schematics include plans for an elevator, an outside stairwell and for an additional set of stairs to reach the top story if commissioners add a third floor.

"I'm a little concerned about a three-story building facing on the square," Lampasas resident Jeff Jackson told the Commissioners Court. "I'm not sure that's a good idea for our downtown."

The addition's exterior will match that of the annex building and will not detract from the downtown square's aesthetic quality, Clark said.

The auditor then asked Komatsu architects about the possibility of building the addition on the lot behind the annex and connecting the two buildings with a breezeway over the alley. Several citizens have suggested the plan as an alternative to tearing down the Brooks building, Clark said.

Creating an addition across the alley would not increase the persquare foot costs, architects said, but the contractor would have to build a breezeway bridge at least 13 feet, six inches tall to allow delivery trucks to pass underneath as they drive down the alley. In addition, a ramp would be required to allow people with disabilities to use the bridge. Because the ramp would extend onto the lot behind the current annex, the county would lose space for building the addition, architects said.

Expanding across the alley also would reduce the amount of parking space the county could add, Clark said.

"We need more parking space," Precinct 1 Commissioner Robert Vincent added. "You come down here on court days, and there's nowhere to park."

Visitors to the recent Bloomin' Fest filled parking spaces on the square and behind the annex building, Vincent said, which shows the need for additional parking. With more spaces, more people will visit the square and patronize downtown merchants, the commissioner added.

The county, which owns the Brooks building, probably would need to demolish the structure even if it did not expand the annex on that lot, County Judge Wayne Boultinghouse said.

The county is not tearing down a historical structure, said Precinct 3 Commissioner Lowell Ivey, who made the motion to approve the schematics and demolish the Brooks building."To me, that is the only feasible way" to expand the annex, Ivey said. "I don't feel like we're getting rid of any historical property. I think we're getting rid of an eyesore."

Jackson, chairman of the Lampasas County Historical Commission, did not argue that the county should preserve the Brooks building, constructed in 1905. He disputed, however, the county's authority to vote for demolition, saying the item was not on the agenda.

Item six on the Commissioners Court agenda, to which Ivey's motion applied, read: "Review annex expansion with architect." Members of the court argued they had to decide the fate of the Brooks building in order to approve schematics for the annex expansion.

"To proceed with the schematics, it just goes without saying that we'd have to remove the Brooks building," Boultinghouse said.

In other business, the court unanimously OK'd an agreement with GovDeals to allow the county to sell items on the company's Web site. GovDeals will charge a 7.5 percent commission on items sold for less than $100,000, 5.5 percent commission for items sold for more than $100,000 but less than $500,000 and 3.5 percent on items sold for more than $500,000.

The county still may conduct its own sales of surplus equipment, seized vehicles and other items but may advertise any item it wishes on govdeals.com, which works much like the Ebay auction site.

GovDeals offers free registration to bidders from across the United States, said the company's Texas representative, James Oakley. The company moved $63 million in assets in 2007, and the website recorded 49 million hits in March 2008, Oakley said.

In another matter, the court tabled an application from Danny Britton for a junkyard/automotive wrecking/salvage yard license. Britton collects classic cars and parts at property at 1260 East Farm-to-Market Road 580, about 1.2 miles outside the Lampasas city limits.

Court members wanted to ensure Britton has notified his neighbors. Because the county recently approved updates to its junkyard/salvage yard ordinance, Britton, who has stored cars for many years, may be grandfathered under old rules, Boultinghouse said.