Reporting By Gary Norman | Mineral Wells Area News
The Mineral Wells ISD Board of Trustees approved the sale of the fire-damaged former Fannin School property and adjacent Senior Center property to developer Michael Bates for $1,000 during its Sept. 14 meeting, potentially clearing the way for a senior-care development centered around preservation of the historic school.
The sale remains subject to legal review as the district works to ensure it complies with state requirements governing the disposition of public property.
The historic school has stood largely gutted since an arson fire destroyed its interior on Nov. 14, 2021. The century-old building was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived, forcing crews into a defensive operation because of the intensity of the fire and instability of the structure. No injuries were reported, and firefighters were able to protect the neighboring Senior Center and historic Rock Schoolhouse.
Investigators later determined the fire was intentionally set and identified juvenile suspects. In the years since, the remaining exterior walls have continued to deteriorate, requiring structural bracing and security fencing around the property.
Superintendent Dr. David Tarver said the district received one bid after advertising the properties. The district had previously considered demolishing the Fannin building along with the former gymnasium at the district’s administrative campus, but demolition bids came in substantially higher than anticipated.
“The bids came back much higher than we expected,” Tarver said in a post-meeting interview. “What we had discussed and worked through with outside companies, what we were expecting as a bid and what came in was not what we budgeted for.”
The district had explored several possibilities for preserving all or portions of Fannin before the board authorized demolition earlier this year. Options included reconstructing the building, protecting the remaining walls with a roof, preserving only the front façade or salvaging historic materials. Cost and the continued deterioration of the structure remained significant obstacles.
Both Fannin and the former gymnasium also contain asbestos that must be properly remediated and disposed of.
The lowest bid received for demolishing both structures was approximately $1.2 million, according to Tarver. He estimated demolition of the multilevel Fannin building alone could account for roughly two-thirds of that amount, or approximately $800,000, although the district did not receive a separate bid for that work.
Because demolition and environmental remediation costs could exceed the property’s value as usable land, Tarver said the $1,000 offer could represent the property’s fair market value in its current condition. The district is consulting with legal counsel regarding the steps necessary to document that determination.
“Returning that to usable grade property” would involve significant expense because of the building’s condition, multiple levels, basement and asbestos, Tarver said.
Bates, who operates Serenity Estates in Mineral Wells, said he became interested in the property after seeing the burned building and recognizing an opportunity to combine historic preservation with senior care. His company, Selah Healthcare and Consulting LLC, is pursuing the development.
Plans subsequently provided by Bates outline a proposed $20.9 million redevelopment called The Landmark at Mineral Wells, which would restore the historic 1913 school building as a senior community center while constructing a new 100-bed and unit senior-care campus behind it.
The proposed new facility would include 11 assisted-living units, 32 secured memory-care units, 46 skilled-nursing beds and 11 short-term rehabilitation beds.
Rather than demolishing the historic school, the development concept calls for restoring it for public use. Plans include an approximately 200-seat event hall, classrooms, senior outreach and program offices, congregate dining and kitchen facilities, and fitness and wellness space.
“I want those tax credits,” Bates said, referring to potential historic-preservation incentives. “Everything we can save, we’re going to save.”
The proposal also incorporates the nearby 1884 Rock Schoolhouse, which would remain a museum while undergoing restoration and accessibility improvements in coordination with the MWHS 50-Year Club and Heritage Association.
The conceptual site plan places the restored Fannin building along NW Fifth Avenue with the new senior-care facility behind it. The historic rock amphitheater also would be restored as an outdoor gathering and performance space.
Bates’ development schedule anticipates beginning hazardous-material abatement and stabilization as early as the fourth quarter of 2026. Design, financing and regulatory work would continue into 2028, followed by construction and eventual occupancy, with the proposal targeting stabilization of the senior-care campus by late 2030. The timeline remains preliminary and dependent upon financing, permitting, licensing and other approvals.
Tarver said the proposal could provide a positive use for a property that otherwise could require the district to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on demolition.
“I definitely personally wanted to see something positive happening,” Tarver said. “Demolition doesn’t feel very positive.”
He said the project also could provide additional senior-care services while preserving a place that holds memories for generations of Mineral Wells residents.
“Seeing something that could potentially turn into a very rejuvenated building … that’s actually going to serve residents of Mineral Wells,” Tarver said, “that’s pretty cool.”
Bates said some future residents could be people who attended school on the property when Fannin was still operating. He described the concept as inviting former students to “come on back to campus” for their senior years.
The facility, he said, would combine senior housing and care with preservation of the site’s history, creating a setting where former students could return to a familiar place while receiving assisted living or other services.
The district still plans to demolish the former gymnasium at its administrative campus and convert that area into parking. Tarver said the district first must relocate the facility’s main electrical entrance because power currently runs through the gymnasium to other buildings.
Bates’ proposal also calls for long-term partnerships with the Mineral Wells Senior Center and MWHS 50-Year Club. The investment presentation proposes 99-year ground leases and an annual contribution equal to 2% of the project’s net profit after debt service and operating costs to the two organizations. Those figures are projections and would depend on the project’s eventual financial performance.