Presidio County has commissioned an appraisal of the Bull Barn after its current tenant, Ballroom Marfa, expressed interest in buying the county-owned property, but officials say no decision has been made to place it on the market.
The Presidio County Commissioners Court approved an engagement with Valbridge Property Advisors on July 8 to appraise the Bull Barn and a separate county-owned parcel near Ranch Road 1112, also known as Golf Course Road.
County Attorney Blair Park said Ballroom Marfa communicated its interest in purchasing the Bull Barn to Precinct 4 Commissioner David Hisler. Park said she did not know when the county was first approached or which Ballroom representative initiated the discussion.
Ballroom Marfa currently leases the property from the county.
“The County is considering issuing requests for proposals for sale of property owned by the County,” Park said in written responses to questions from the Big Bend Reporter. “However, the decision whether to actually sell property would be made in commissioners court after the RFP has closed and the bids have been reviewed.”
Park said the county would not be required to accept any proposal and could reject all bids.
The June 29 engagement letter calls for Valbridge to appraise two properties: about 5 acres east of Ranch Road 1112 and the Bull Barn property, described in the letter as about 10 acres with improvements at 43326 Ranch Road 1112.
The county agreed to pay $5,000 for the two appraisals, including $3,000 for the Bull Barn and $2,000 for the separate tract. Valbridge said the reports could be completed within three to four weeks after the county authorized the work.
The appraisals are being conducted by Brett E. Weatherbie, a senior managing director with Valbridge’s San Antonio and Austin offices. Weatherbie is a state-certified general real estate appraiser and holds MAI and AI-GRS designations from the Appraisal Institute.
Park said she contacted about 10 appraisers before finding one who was licensed to perform commercial appraisals and had the capacity to take the assignments.
Under the county’s adopted procedure for selling real property, commissioners must obtain an appraisal of a property’s fair market value and establish a minimum bid based on that appraisal before completing a sale.
The county must also publish notice of its intent to sell on two dates. The second publication must occur before the 14th day preceding an award. The notice must identify the property and explain how sealed bids or proposals may be submitted.
Park said the Bull Barn appraisal remains pending. No sale RFP has been prepared or approved.
“The appraiser’s fair market value will set the minimum bid price, as required by law,” Park said.
Park said her only discussion with Ballroom Marfa Executive Director Vance Knowles involved informing the organization that the county had authorized an appraiser to enter the leased property. She said she has not discussed a proposed price, transaction terms, conditions or timeline with Ballroom.
Park also said Ballroom Marfa has not received or been promised an opportunity to review a potential solicitation before it becomes public.
Any proposed RFP would first be placed on a Commissioners Court agenda and become publicly available, Park said. If commissioners authorize the solicitation, the county would publish notice as required by state law.
The county has not determined how proposals for a Bull Barn purchase would be evaluated.
Park said the criteria could resemble those used when the county solicited proposals to lease the property in 2025. That RFP assigned 40% of a proposal’s score to price, 30% to proposal details and terms, and 30% to the bidder’s financial condition.
The 2025 lease solicitation established a minimum annual rent of $12,000 for an initial 20-year term, with automatic five-year renewal options. It required the tenant to maintain the property, obtain insurance and hold at least one free public event each year.
The lease also provides for automatic termination and reversion to the county if no qualifying public event is held during a fiscal year or within 365 days of the previous event. It prohibits assignment or subletting without the Commissioners Court’s written approval.
Park said the existing lease would remain attached to the property if it were sold. A purchaser would become the new landlord, and the appraiser is accounting for the lease in determining the property’s value.
Ballroom Marfa has already provided a public benefit by bringing events to a building that had sat vacant and unused for decades, Park said. Any additional claimed public benefit from a purchase would depend on the plans submitted by a bidder.
Park said commissioners could appoint a committee to review and rank eventual proposals. Such a committee could conduct its evaluation outside a Commissioners Court meeting before making a recommendation publicly to the court.
The Commissioners Court would retain final authority to accept a bid and approve a sales contract.
Park said she was unaware of any professional or financial connection between Ballroom Marfa and county officials, employees, attorneys or advisers involved in the process. Anyone found to have a financial conflict would be excluded from evaluating the proposals or voting on an award, she said.
County policy allows commissioners to impose restrictions, conditions and limitations on a sale and to reject any or all bids. Park said no such conditions have yet been drafted for the Bull Barn.
