SAN ANGELO, TX — San Angelo ISD trustees are preparing to vote on demolishing the vacant Sam Houston Elementary campus, with administrators recommending Reese Albert Trucking for demolition and AML Environmental for asbestos abatement at a total cost of $316,460, including a $40,000 contingency.
The move comes after district programs relocated from Sam Houston, 309 W. Avenue M, earlier this year, leaving the aging facility unused. Trustees said tearing down the building will prevent costly maintenance and eliminate the risk of neighborhood decline tied to an empty property.
Trustee Karla Cardenas asked whether the district should sell the property instead.
Board Secretary Gerard Gallegos pointed to the earlier sale of Travis Elementary, which has since sat unused: “We sold it, and the person that sold it just didn’t do anything with it, so it’s just been sitting there vacant. If we sell it, I don’t want it sitting there for the next 20 years because someone didn’t want to do anything with it. So it’s just better.”
He further said that the option to sell the property even after the building is torn down is still an option.
Board President Taylor Kingman added that the school district could potentially use the property for something else in the future.
The board is scheduled to take formal action on the Sam Houston demolition at its Sept. 18 regular meeting.
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