Only the Brick Façade of the old EPNG Building Can Be Saved
By John Earp
In the August meeting of the Jal City Council this past Monday night, Mr. J.D. Norby presented the results of his examination of the old El Paso Natural Gas Building, which has housed the Jal Police Department for many years now. As stated on the first slide of his Power Point presentation, the purpose of the study was to evaluate present condition of structures and offer suggestions for use and or demo along with probable costs. The report presented to the council stated that “The present above ground building is approximately 18,000 [sq. ft.] with a basement under the west wing. The [original] structure was added on to at some time in the past. Presently the Police Department utilizes the west portion of the building with some use of the north wing moving inmates to and from the sally port. For the most part the addition to the original building is not being used and is in bad repair.”
In his slide show presentation for the council, Norby noted a concern for the health and safety of those who use the building, with black mold being embedded in some of the walls, as well as methane gas being emitted in the building from the old sewer lines. Also noted was an old storage room that had been sealed off and unopened for decades until recently, which had been used to store numerous bottles of chemicals of various kinds by El Paso Natural Gas. The report stated that these chemicals would need to be analyzed and disposed of properly before any demolition or renovation were to occur. The report also stated that “All the electrical is run exterior in conduits and what electrical is inside the building is not up to current code. None of the electrical can be saved. Plumbing is problematic due to solid walls and again none is up to code and would have to be abandoned or removed.”
Norby’s report indicated that “The structure is showing signs of foundation issues in a number of locations such as interior walls, exterior corners and basement walls, as photos indicate. The roof of the structure would more than likely be required to be removed and new decking due to much of the decking being of an asbestos construction. As well, there are issues of leaks and water penetration through all the structure including the roof and walls of the basement,” with areas of the basement experiencing rot from the water damage, indicating that the outside walls of the original structure were not properly sealed during original construction in the 1940s.
The report noted that plumbing and sewer lines “appears to be cast iron running under the building. Presently there are water lines leaking under the building with no avenue to get to them short of removing the concrete floor. There is also an amount of gas/air escaping through the water indicated by large consistent air bubbles. I cannot determine if this is a methane gas leak from sewer lines or something other. There are also electrical lines submersed in water.”
Norby’s report went on to state, “The existing structure was built during an era that asbestos was common place and utilized frequently in construction. The entire structure has asbestos tile on the floor. Much of the decking material is asbestos base. The tar utilized is most probable hot as well. Lead based paint on the interior walls must be removed. The police department utilizes the front West portion of the building for the most part. Simple repairs and carpet replacement has been prohibited due to the presence of asbestos. The police department has been forced to make do with the building. Regardless of decision to save the building or demo the building, abatement must take place. The task of abatement to save the building is a selective dismantling of the structure. There would be no guarantee of what is left would have any kind of structural ability to build back from.”
In summary, the report stated, “There is nothing in the building that is salvageable. Much of the structure itself will be required to be removed prior to any remodel. What portions of the building can be saved? The exterior façade is the only savable portion as long as there are not structural issues encountered during dismantle. There are structural issues exposed currently. In my opinion once abatement of the building begins, there are extremely high chances you will find issues that make the building unsavable and cost prohibitive. The present building does not serve well as a police department or courts. None of the cells meet present standards, restroom facilities do not exist for the police officers. The building is not safe.”
Estimated costs of two options were given. One being the demolition of the building altogether, with construction of a new 60’ x 200’ x 18’ commercial metal building (which the city has stated would be rented out to Cain Electric) with new parking lot, site utilities, a 6’ cinder block fence around the perimeter, was estimated in the report to be $5,051,000. This option would also involve the remodeling of the large basically warehouse-like shell in the north wing of the Burke Building, behind the new City Hall, into a new police department and courts. This space has been leased to Cain Electric as essentially a warehouse for several years now. Estimated cost of remodeling this area is $8,628,000, so the total cost on demolishing the present police department building, constructing a new commercial building on that site, and remodeling the north wing of the Burke Building into a new home for the police department and the municipal courts would add up to $13,679,000.
The other option considered would be to renovate the old El Paso Natural Gas/Jal Police Department building, which would involve demolishing all but the brick façade, and then building an entirely new building from the inside out within the façade. The estimated cost given for this option was $16,727,000, a $3,000,000 difference between the two options.
The council did not decide anything regarding the matter Monday night, and said they would need to discuss it further before making a final decision. Councilor Seifts asked if the lease for Cain Electric would need to be renegotiated if the City were to build them a new commercial building to be leased from the City. City Manager Wes Hooper stated that he did not know when the contract would be up for renegotiation, but that renegotiation could always be done when the time comes to renew the contract. It was stated that the City wants to keep Cain Electric as a renter, as the company brings in a lot of gross receipts taxes to the City. It was not discussed whether this sort of arrangement, not to mention the building of a brand-new commercial building by the City for the express purpose of continuing the City’s arrangement with Cain Electric might possibly constitute favoritism by the City towards one company over another.