Moving the school administration building away from downtown this last year was not a move in the right direction, he said.

“Moving the school administration away from downtown does not send a great message to your citizens at large,” he said.

Finkle said the city’s chamber of commerce and the EDC should move their offices downtown in a show of support for downtown development.

IEDC recommended the establishment of a Downtown Revitalization Organization that would be a public-private partnership.

The city should also develop a downtown revitalization plan, take aggressive marketing efforts, increase downtown housing opportunities — perhaps Lamar student housing to start with — attract retail activity and improve quality of life.

There should be a destination restaurant or hotel/motel, Finkle said.

“I can see a lot of these things are doable now,” Mayor Deloris “Bobbie” Prince, said.

District 1 Councilman Jack Chatman Jr., whose district encompasses the downtown area, said he had hope that the project could be accomplished.

“As you ride through Port Arthur, you can see the light now. There have been many cities that have had to revitalize their downtown, and we can revitalize ours,” Chatman said.

City Manager Steve Fitzgibbons said the city was already embarking on some of the recommendations such as demolition’s and purchasing property. Funding for the downtown project, he said, could come from monies the EDC has pledged over the next three years and possibly from a Neighborhood Stabilization Grant. The minimum amount to apply for stabilization grant is $5 million.

Port Arthur voters in May approved a proposition allowing the city’s EDC to spend a portion of its budget — $750,000 annually for a period of three years — to help redevelop downtown. The monies are generated from 4A sales and use taxes.

Though there is no guarantee Port Arthur will receive the Neighborhood Stabilization Grant, Fitzgibbons said combined with the EDC funds, downtown Port Arthur could be on its way to redevelopment.

skoonce@panews.com