Council to reconsider Pratt, Pace lot bids

The Olney City Council will reconsider bids made last month by Brenda Pratt and her brother Michael Pace for two city-owned lots that are significant to their family and to the city’s Black community.

The Council will consider bids for 409 E. Elm St. and 411 E. Elm St. on the Nov. 13 agenda, City Administrator Arpegea Pagsuberon said.

The Council will take this action three weeks after rejecting Mrs. Pratt’s and Mr. Pace’s bids for two lots adjacent to Mrs. Pratt’s home.

Although the brother and sister met the minimum bids displayed on the Texas Communities Group [TCG] website, the Council found on Oct. 23 that they had not met the amounts set by the City, which included reimbursement for several years of maintenance.

The Council also found that they had not properly described what they planned to do with the lots. Mrs. Pratt and Mr. Pace had submitted plans to TCG saying that they would not build on the small lots but would use them for gatherings of family and friends.

The amounts posted on the TCG site were $1,540 for each lot. The County Appraisal District website showed that 409 E. Elm St. is worth $2,000 while 411 E. Elm St. is worth $2,500, but the Council determined that the lots are worth $2,064.14 and $4,933.13.

The 0.17-acre lot at 409 E. Elm St. lies where African-American members of the community lived, attended school, and worshiped. The 0.06 acre lot at 411 E. Elm St. was owned by Mrs. Pratt’s and Mr. Pace’s uncle, Robert Washington, before it was sold outside the family.

The lots then returned to the City of Olney and eventually were listed on the TexasCG.com website at prices that increased each year as the City paid to maintain them.

Mrs. Pratt disputed that the City had spent more than $2,000 mowing the properties over the years.

Mrs. Pagsuberon said Mrs. Pratt and Mr. Pace, children of Alfred and Arstine Pace, will have to resubmit “a written revised bid matching the amount shown on the TCG website” and the Council will reconsider the bids at its next meeting.

Mayor Rue Rogers and Mayor Pro Tem Tom Parker said in separate interviews last month that even if Mr. Pace and Mrs. Pratt win a third bid on the lots, the Council may not approve their plans for the land. Neither Councilmember would say what type of use the City had in mind for the lots as it rezones to try to boost property values and attract housing.

Some community members say the Council should be more sensitive to the preservation of African-American history in Olney.

In an effort to preserve the African American heritage sites in Olney, some community members have come forward and offered to donate to the City to secure the lots.

Anyone who wants to help with the preservation efforts should contact the Olney Enterprise at (940) 564-5558 or send an email to editor@olneyenterprise. com.