Page 6 - Senior Link Magazine Winter 2017- Online Magazine
P. 6

HONORING SENIORS

         Small Town Roots                                              to realize that    their designs, too.  And it

         BIG                    VISION                                 strong vision for   to pull it off, 20 years later,
                                                                                          takes a very patient person
                                                                       1) Delbert had a
                                                                       what was needed
                                                                                          increasing what was at one
                                                                                          time a total taxable value
                                                                       in Overton Park,
                                                                       2) he had control
                                                                                          of just under $28 million
                                  Delbert McDougal
                                                                       over everything
                                                                       that was going
                                                                                          projects with a value of
                                                                                          over $800 million.
                                                                       to be built in the   to private investment of
          by Stephen Moffett                                           300-acre-plus
                                                                       redevelopment      Delbert McDougal is that
                                                                       project and 3)     person.  However, he did
                                                                       I would rather     not do it alone.  He had
                                                                       stand and argue    help and support from his
                                                                       with a brick       lovely wife, Carolyn, and
                                                                       wall than to       a whole host of qualified
                                                                       try to change      people at the McDougal
                                                                       Delbert’s mind     Companies.  He had the
                                                                       on the location    backing of local banks who
                                                                       of a hotel.  The   funded the many building
                                                                       hotel, of course,   and land purchases.  He
                                                                       is now The         had the support of the
                                                                       Overton Hotel      City of Lubbock, and most
                                                                       and Conference     notably the Director of
                                                                       Center, which has   Business Development,
                                                                       come to be known   Rob Allison, who helped
                                                                       as the crown       create the North Overton
                                                                       jewel of Overton   Tax Increment Finance
                   e had been       to The Centre at Overton           Park.              District.  But, it was
                   driving around   Park, which was under                                 Delbert who oversaw the
         WNorth Overton             construction, and off to the   It takes a very rare person   entire project, negotiated
         Park for about thirty      right and a little farther   and a very special vision to   the various land purchases
         minutes when my host       away was the AT&T Jones    look at a 325-acre, blighted   with developers, and took
         pulled over and got out    Stadium.  “I think this    neighborhood and see a     all of the financial risk
         of his white Mercedes      is where the hotel needs   planned community with     associated with the project.
         Benz.  He walked over to   to be built,” he said.  My   parks, streetscape, single
         a locked chain between     reply was that it might be   family homes, multifamily   From our first meeting
         two short poles, undid the   better two blocks west,   housing, student housing,   in 2004 until the opening
         lock and got back in the   fronting on University and   retail shopping and hotels.    of the Overton Hotel and
         car.  We were looking at   directly across the street   It takes a very committed   Conference Center in
         a site covered with three   from the stadium.  “No,”   and passionate person to   2009, I had the pleasure of
         foot high weeds.  “Let me   he said, “we are putting   approach the City Council   getting to know Delbert
         show you where the hotel   a traffic circle right here   with the idea that, if they   quite well.  From a
         should go.”  He drove      (pointing between the site   would fund infrastructure   business perspective, as
         between the poles, through   and The Centre) and this   improvements, he would   we negotiated the land
         the weeds and into the     is where the hotel needs   purchase all of the        purchase for the hotel
         middle of the site.  “Let’s   to go.” We debated the   available real estate (over   property, I learned that
         get out.”                  virtues of the two sites.  900 parcels) and either    Delbert was a very smart
                                                               redevelop the sites or sell   and tough negotiator,
         As we stood in the middle   The year was 2004, and in   them to developers for   but I also learned that he
         of the site, we turned and   the end, Delbert was right!    projects.  He would control   was fair and clearly saw
         looked across the street   It did not take me long



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