The City of Houston is tearing out roughly $1.3 million in taxpayer-funded upgrades at Grimes Park after the Houston Independent School District ended its lease on the property.
The park’s tennis nets, basketball hoops, and lights have already been removed. Swing sets are expected to come down soon. Several city council members want to know why the city spent that money on land it did not own — and why the lease forces the city to pay for the removal and repairs.
ABC13 obtained the latest lease agreement between the city and HISD. It was originally set to run for five years and expire in 2028. Under the deal, either side could end the lease with 60 days’ advance written notice.
Pollard and Evans-Shabazz push back
Councilmembers Ed Pollard, who represents District J, and Carolyn Evans-Shabazz, who represents District D, criticized the arrangement during Wednesday’s City Council meeting.
“That does not put the city in a good position whatsoever when you’re leasing that land for park use and community benefit,” Pollard said.
Evans-Shabazz said the city needs to rethink how it negotiates deals involving property it does not own.
“In the future, we need to look at how we negotiate these contracts,” Evans-Shabazz said. “Who wants to go into a house, remodel it, and somebody could just decide that they can come take your home?”
The council members’ frustration centers on a basic question: why invest heavily in land the city does not control? The lease gave HISD the power to end the arrangement with relatively short notice, and the city was left to absorb the costs when that power was exercised.
What the lease actually says
The lease allowed the city to make improvements to the property. But the agreement states that any improvements not removed within 60 days after the lease ends would be considered abandoned and become the property of HISD.
The city is also on the hook for repairing any damage caused by removing the improvements. That means the removal work comes with its own labor and material costs on top of the original $1.3 million investment.
The key terms break down like this:
- The lease ran five years, with an expiration in 2028.
- Either party could terminate with 60 days’ written notice.
- The city was authorized to build improvements on the land.
- Improvements left behind after 60 days would belong to HISD.
- The city must repair any damage from removing those improvements.
The 60-day window is a lease term, not a described race. If the city does not remove everything in time, the improvements become HISD’s property — meaning the city would lose the value of the work entirely, with nothing to show for it.
HISD plans a career and technology center
HISD says it plans to use the property for a new career and technology center. Construction is expected to begin in March.
The district’s stated plans give a reason for the lease termination, but they do not address the city’s underlying exposure. The city spent money on a park it did not own, under terms that left it vulnerable if the district changed direction.
Pollard challenged the city to review similar agreements to determine whether they adequately protect taxpayers. Mayor John Whitmire appeared to agree with the need for a review during Wednesday’s council meeting.
The review request is not limited to Grimes Park. Pollard wants the city to examine other leases where it has invested in property owned by someone else, to see whether those deals carry the same risks.
The cost of removing the improvements
The city is not just losing the improvements. It is paying to take them down.
Removing the tennis nets, basketball hoops, and lights costs money. So does repairing the property afterward. The swing sets will add to that bill when they come down.
The total cost of removal has not been stated. But the original investment was about $1.3 million, and the city now has to spend more just to undo the work.
That outcome would be a complete loss of the taxpayer dollars spent. The equipment would belong to the district, and the city would have paid for improvements it no longer controls and cannot use.
What happens now
The removal work is already underway. The tennis nets, basketball hoops, and lights are gone. The swing sets are next.
HISD’s construction on the career and technology center is set to begin in March. The district has not said whether it will use the existing park infrastructure or clear the site entirely.
What is clear is that the city spent $1.3 million on improvements and now has to spend more to tear them down. The lease allowed this to happen, and the council members want to make sure it does not happen again.
Pollard put it plainly: the arrangement does not put the city in a good position. Evans-Shabazz wants better negotiation in the future.
Whether the review produces changes remains to be seen. But the questions are on the record, and the mayor appeared to agree they need answers.
Source: abc13.com