Comanche County Commissioners OK project to build new parking lot west of courthouse

Central District Commissioner Johnny Owens wants the Comanche County Courthouse to have a larger parking lot.

Owens won approval from two other county commissioners Monday when the board unanimously agreed to designate up to $900,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money to a project that will raze and remove the former American National Bank at the corner of Southwest 6th Street and D Avenue, then turn the vacant space into a parking lot. The action came as part of a larger discussion about exactly what the county will do with $3.8 million remaining in ARPA’s government services category, and how the three commissioners will share those funds and what projects they can pursue with them.

Owens knows the first one he wants: more parking for county employees and courthouse visitors.

While some parking is available on a small lot on the west side of the courthouse, in a parking lot off Southwest C Avenue at Southwest 6th Street, the bulk of courthouse parking comes from space commissioners lease on the east side of the courthouse from the FISTA Development Trust Authority. That entity operates Central Plaza, to include the parking lots that surround the mall complex. But in the last year, FISTA has begun fencing off portions of the parking lot between the mall and the courthouse as part of a plan to develop the former Sears store into space for military defense contractors.

Owens said FISTA “keeps adding functions over there” and because fenced areas are necessary for security reasons, there may come a time when the areas the county uses for parking are not available. Parking already is a challenge when the mall leases its west parking lot for activities, such as circuses, and Owens said he fears the day that parking no longer will be available for the county.

“We can’t take that chance,” he said, adding the county must find parking space that is permanent.

That’s where the old bank building comes into play. The county has owned the structure for about 20 years, officials said, of a facility primarily used for storage.

“The main thing it’s good for is parking,” Owens said.

Owens’ proposal is to tear down the building, then turn that space into parking. The $900,000 set for ARPA funding is the estimated cost of that removal, cleanup and parking lot construction.

District 3 Commissioner Josh Powers said there may be a way to lessen the construction cost.

“The county owns most of the equipment,” Powers said, of the equipment needed to build a parking lot (the same equipment county work crews use to repair and build roads).

Powers said county crews could build the parking lot as a winter project, something District 1 Commissioner John O’Brien agreed would cut the cost of the project. Less cost for the parking lot project means ARPA funds could be spent on other Central District projects, Powers said.

District Attorney Kyle Cabelka said commissioners could bid out the project to determine cost, then decide if the county could do the parking lot at less cost.