UPDATED: Charity Foundation for Homeless High Bidder for Lubbock ISD Property

Updated story posted 5:45p October 26, 2010

Lubbock ISD earlier this year placed four former Early Childhood Education Center sites up for sale.  One of them, the former Mahon Elementary School at 2010 Cornell Street, is located in Lubbock City Council District 1 and is in the center of controversy.

Today, District 1 City Councilman Victor Hernandez voiced his displeasure with the potential selling of the Mahon school site to an organization that would turn the facility into a homeless shelter.

According to public information obtained by Councilman Hernandez, Lubbock ISD has received two bids for the Mahon site.  The first is from the Matthew 6:33 Foundation for $34,200, chaired by local realtor Rick Canup, and the second is from Guadalupe Economic Services for $10,001.01.

However, Lubbock ISD tells KFYO News that any potential sale of the Mahon Elementary School site is not imminent.  According to Lubbock ISD’s Nancy Sharp, the district has to review the bids to see if they meet all qualifications of the Request for Bid, and the school board must approve the sale of the Mahon site.  If the board votes down the sale, the Mahon site can be put up for bid again with a different set of qualifications and monetary requirements.

Councilman Hernandez says that residents in three neighborhoods in his district, Mahon, Jackson and Guadalupe, are against the Mahon site for a homeless shelter.  They instead want to see a new facility built adjacent to the current Salvation Army facility in downtown Lubbock.

Councilman Hernandez also said, “Finding a balance between the needs of the homeless, the business community that’s downtown, the surrounding neighborhoods and all other stakeholders, is going to be challenging to finding an acceptable solution (for my district and the city). The homeless committee (to be formed by the city) will have its’ hands full starting day one. I intend to lend a helping hand as well”.

If anything new develops concerning this story, KFYO News will keep you updated.

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 Originally posted at 4:20p October 26th
Lubbock ISD’s Mahon Early Childhood School may soon become a homeless shelter.

The high bidder for the facility at 2010 Cesar E. Chavez Drive is the Matthew 6:33 foundation, chaired by local realtor Rick Canup for $34,200.

The second bidder is Guadalupe Economic Services for $10,001.01. The Lubbock ISD School Board must approve the sale before any other action is taken.