The Sulphur City Council on Oct. 14 authorized the advertisement of sealed bids for demolition and environmental abatement of the Old Kroger building at 1551 East Napoleon Street, with bids due Nov. 20 and award planned for Dec. 8 (Resolution 42-25). City staff and project representatives provided a briefing on the project’s history, funding and anticipated schedule.

Why it matters: The demolition clears the site for construction of a new municipal complex and judicial center. Staff said the project is funded through a combination of insurance proceeds, FEMA replacement allocations and city capital funds.

Staff briefing and funding recap

City staff recapped the sequence that led to the current plan: an earlier cost comparison evaluated building a new courthouse versus purchasing and remodeling a vacant building. The city purchased the Kroger building and later received insurance proceeds. Following storm damage and insurance adjustments staff said the project was resubmitted to FEMA for a replacement project and was eventually approved for a larger funding amount. At the meeting staff recounted the following figures, given as an administration summary by staff: an original comparative project estimate of $6.3 million; insurance receipts and depreciation adjustments resulting in net insurance proceeds; and an overall FEMA replacement award that resulted in an available allocation of about $5.8 million toward the project after deductions noted by staff. Staff also said the city has earmarked slightly more than $4 million in its capital fund for building improvements.

Timeline and scope

Project consultants told the council the advertised demolition/abatement contract will be a 120-calendar-day contract. If award proceeds in December, contractual execution and bonding typically take about 60 days, and demolition/abatement completion is expected around May 2026 under the presented schedule. Consultants said final designs for the two new structures are in development: a municipal complex with roughly 24,000 square feet and a judicial center of about 14,500 square feet; both are designed with different vertical configurations and program requirements.

What the council authorized

The council authorized the public advertisement for sealed demolition bids (Nov. 20 receipt; Dec. 8 award). Staff and consultants said bid award and contract execution would precede demolition and that final construction estimates and contract documents will be presented to the council when available.

Ending

Council members expressed support for moving the procurement process forward and asked for continued updates as bids are received and designs are finalized.