The Wichita Falls City Council will vote Tuesday on finalizing a deal to buy the former Kirby Middle School and on spending another half-million dollars on the City Hall renovation.
The council meets at 8:30 a.m. in the Seminar Room of the Multi-Purpose Events Center, 1000 Fifth St. The meeting is open to the public and will be livestreamed on the city’s Facebook page.
The deal to buy the former middle school from the Wichita Falls ISD carries a price tag of $1.225 million. The property would be used as the future site for the city’s police department and municipal court.
The agenda states the deal would close Nov. 16, and construction would start in January 2027.
Devoting more money to City Hall comes in the form of a change of order to Anthony Inman Construction Inc. for about $552,424 more. The money would be used to put additional offices in the city manager, city clerk, and public information suites.
The overhaul began as a $16.3 million project using COVID-19 federal relief money from the federal government and has now grown to $19.1 million. The agenda says the additional money will come from interest on the money from the American Rescue Plan Act and the venue tax fund.
Councilors will vote on giving up to $10,000 each to New Day Empowerment Center and the Zoom Zoom No. 5 convenience store. The money would come from the city’s Tax Increment Financing Reinvestment Zone No. 3 and would match reimbursement grants.
The House Empowerment Church wants the money to upgrade its facility at 511 Mississippi St. to continue outreach services. The owner of the convenience store wants the money to renovate the strip shopping center at 1301 MLK Jr. Blvd.
In other business, councilors will consider:
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: City Council to vote on buying Kirby school site, spending more on City Hall renovations
Reporting by Lynn Walker, Wichita Falls Times Record News / Wichita Falls Times Record News
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