PALESTINE —
The old Rusk school located on West Palestine Avenue appears poised to soon house a local hardware store following the sale of the building during Monday’s regular meeting of the Palestine City Council.
After approving both a zoning change and a specific use permit, the council then voted, 6-0, to approve the sale of the building to local businessman Stephen Braly for $16,000.
Braly has indicated he intends to relocate Braly Builders Supply Inc., presently located at 1502 N. Jackson St., to the location.
Palestine City Manager Mike Ohrt said Braly’s bid on the building was the only one received by the city.
The City of Palestine purchased the building in 2006, initially planning to utilize it for additional office space or perhaps even explore moving the police department there. The building, however, has been used solely for storage in recent months, according to city leaders, and become the target of vandals.
Council member Steve Presley expressed his appreciation to Braly for his purchase of the building, saying it was “a very nice thing to add a facelift to that part of town.”
“I’m excited about it,” Braly said during the meeting. “Any kind of move...is a little nerve wracking. I am excited about it and I hope it works out well.”
When asked, Braly said construction “at the earliest” would begin “probably after the first of the year.”
Paul Stone may be contacted via e-mail at pstone@palestineherald.com
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