Disagreement about cost of renovating South Park

September 22, 2009 8:44 AM
Ashley Rodrigue

Testimony has ended in a trial that'll determine the fate of South Park Middle School. Judge Bob Wortham has taken the case under advisement.

The two sides involved in the trial to determine the fate of South Park Middle School disagree about the comparative costs of renovating the school and rebuilding.

The Beaumont Heritage Society is seeking a Permanent Injunction to prevent the Beaumont Independent School District from demolishing the building. The group says the building has historic significance and it wants to preserve the structure, although it's not mandating the building be used as a school.

Sina Nejad, a Beaumont engineer, testified for the plaintiffs Tuesday morning. He described his inspection of South Park Middle School and said it would cost $18 million to renovate and add on, based on Texas Education Agency standards. But an attorney for BISD said the engineer didn't take all TEA guidelines into account in reaching his estimation. An expert testifying for BISD said it would cost $35 million to renovate and add on. The district's bond website says the budget to demolish the old school and build a new one is $33 million.


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