SHSU president addresses eminent domain situation
“After learning the property was going up for sale, Mr. Hooten contacted the Mayor on June 5 regarding pricing and terms. The Mayor responded, giving us the appraised value and offering to send the details. On June 6, Mayor Woodward sent another email to Mr. Hooten letting him know that Mr. Benoit had been asked to check if there could be any flexibility on pricing and terms if selling to another public entity.
We waited for the additional information and any details regarding the property. When no one responded by June 20, we asked about the sale of the property again. At that time we discovered the city had conducted a bid process and the bid deadline of June 17 had passed.
The bid process had not arisen in any conversations we conducted with the city regarding the sale of the property until after the deadline. We have been portrayed as “arrogant,” and the Item has stated on two occasions that “SHSU officials expected city officials to contact them personally when the bid process opened on the city-owned land.” We did not expect “special treatment,” as the Item stated in “Our View” on August 18, or anything other than a response to our inquiries. We believed that our sincere expressions of interest in purchasing the property and our ongoing dialog about the sale would have prompted communication from the city about their requirements. “
Gibson, Diana. Houstonian 3 September 2013.