b'B arBaraC anales Canalespredecessor,JudgeNeal,washoundedof the old courthouse projecta factor that undoubt-for much of his 12 years in office to do something edly had an impact on his loss to Canales. Just two anythingwith the old courthouse, especially in recentweeks after the Coon Restoration deal fell through, years after the new $1 billion Harbor Bridge was ap- Neal wrote to the Texas Historical Commission asking proved and scheduled for construction. Neal and hisfor a waiver to the 50 years of protection that came fellow commissioners initially jumped on the oppor- with Nueces County accepting a 2001 grant of over $2 tunity to sell the property to a private developmentmillion, on the condition that the building would be group that was interested in restoring it and convert- preserved, including for redevelopment. Once again, as ing it into a grand hotel and events center. The daugh- with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife grant, Nueces County ter of a project manager at Coon Restoration, based infailed to live up to the requirements that came with the Ohio, called her dad one day to talk to him about themoney, and found itself begging for special treatment, old, dilapidated courthouse and whether his companyas it did not follow the rules it accepted. In his letter might be interested in doing something with it. Withinto the commission, Neal wrote, I submit to you today months, a partnership had been formed between Coon,that this is the end of the road for the buildingEvery which specialized in restoring historical buildings inpossible avenue for restoring it has been explored, and Ohio, and an investor in Fort Worth, and negotiationswe must now accept the fact that it is impossible.with Neal and the commissioners court commenced. Enter, The Impossible.Confident that he had finally mined a victory on the old courthouse, Neal held a very public ceremonyBC:Iwentto[theHistoricalCommission] in May 2018 in which a final letter of sale was exe- and said, you want to save this building and cuted with Nueces County Development Partners LLC,so do we, but I need your help. So they came the company formed to own and manage the new ho- back with a full-scale plan to develop the old tel. The courthouse was sold for $1 or some ceremo- courthouse into a 174-room hotel with ball-nial amount with the condition that the buyer pay $1.5rooms, restaurants and bars, and event space. million in back taxesan amount the developer antici- The plan includes floor plans, suggestions for pated paying out of its first round of financing for thea [Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone] for the project, reportedly about $20 million of the $57 millionblocks surrounding it as well as a way to ob-total they estimated was needed. After the new hoteltain the right-of-way from TxDOT for the land Top to Bottom (1): The Pearl Brewery development inreceived its certificate of occupancy, the owner was setwhere the old bridge is now. Best of all, their San Antonio, a potential model for the 1914 Courthouseto receive $3 million in City of Corpus Christi grantplan came with money! They found numerous and surrounding blocks. (2): Grand plaza and monumentfunds, as well as a federal tax credit equal to 20% offunding sources that added up to about $32 as envisioned for a newly developed North Beach. (3): Newthe total investment needed to restore the historicalmillion, some of it federal, some of it state. So, Christus Spohn Shoreline hospital at the center of Corpusbuilding. Knowing he was at the end of his political ca- the total budget estimate is $68.46 million, Christis expanding medical system. (4): New Tidal Hall Lifereer, Neal joyfully declared, This is going to be the daybut with the grant money the cost to a devel-Sciences building at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi. that people will remember [when] we turned this cityoper goes down to $36 million.and this county aroundWhat a great period of time inIts not a done-dealit will all come down to the Nueces County, and I am so glad to be a part of this. structuralengineeringreport,butthatcosts By August, the buyer had still not paid the $1.5money too, so the commission helped us find a million in taxes, and Judge Neal and the commission- $150,000 federal grant to pay for the structural ers were getting antsy. As it turn out, the developmentanalysis of the building. The money has been partnership had not completed their own structuralapproved but it takes a little while to get to us. examination of the building, and had not secured theIn the meantime, weve started the [Request for required financingand in fairness, they were surelyProposal] process. Were on offense.not excited about doling out a million-and-half dollars of their own money if they were unsure if they could secure the rest of the funds needed to build the hotel.Competenceisnotapartisanissueatleastit A case could be made as to why Neal and the buyershouldnt benot if our elected officials and the civil would sign a letter of sale for a sale that was not com- servantswhomtheyoverseeareonacommonmis-plete, but the strength of ambition to pounce on elev- sion to succeed and do what is best for the citizens they enth-hour opportunities to build ones political legacyserve. In her State of the County address, Judge Canales should not be underestimated. emphasized the Commissioners Courts responsibility to On August 23, 2018, Neal officially pulled the plugprovide stewardship of good management, which has on the 1914 Courthouse deal with Coon Restoration etbeen revealed to have been seriously lacking in Nueces al after the buyer offered up only $100,000 toward theCounty during the prior dozen years of leadership un-payment of back taxes, while asking for more time toder Loyd Neal, Mike Pusley, and others whom identified secure private financing for the project. Former Pre- their singular mission on the court as, keeping prop-cinct 1 Commission Mike Pusley, whom Canales defeat- erty taxes down, and really nothing else. As chronic ed in November, had led two years of negotiations andproblems at the County are finally addressed, the finan-planning with the prospective buyer, and would be for- cial and opportunity costs at the hands of Judge Canales ever attached at the hip with Loyd Neal on the failurepredecessors continue to painfully accrue.40 THE COASTAL BEND MAGAZINEFall 2019 TheCoastalBend.com'