The Record Newspapers - Hometown News For Orange County, Texas

Leader building, other property bought

Lamar State College-Orange will expand once more, as the Lamar-Orange Foundation signed paperwork Tuesday to purchase the old Orange Leader building on Front Avenue.

The offices were closed after Hurricane Ike and the newspaper has relocated.

Foundation Chairman Carlton “Corky” Harmon said some surrounding property was also purchased.

“There are other tracts of land working in the mill to expand the Lamar-Orange campus,” he said. “We need to thank [Leader Publisher] Eric Bauer for helping work it out. It was a long drawn out deal because of damage from the storm.

“We have the whole block. There are railroad tracks that run through it and we’re going to be taking those out.”

Harmon also extended thanks to attorney John Cash Smith, foundation vice chairman; and attorney Andrew Culpepper.

“They were instrumental in the title work,” Harmon said.

The foundation will donate the property to the college, he said.

The purchase price is undisclosed.

Plans for the new space will be announced later by either LSC-O or the foundation, Harmon said.