Sure, Buying a Dallas ISD Portable for Cheap Seems Like a Good Idea Till You Try to Move It

No doubt, Dallas PD's million-dollar helicopter is the big-ticket item over on Lone Star Auctions -- bigger, certainly, than the donkeys, mules and potbelly pigs being sold off by Dallas County. (I'm gonna call this one "Groucho.") But I see the Dallas Independent School District's selling off dozen of portables...

By Robert Wilonsky

June 20, 2011

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No doubt, Dallas PD's million-dollar helicopter is the big-ticket item over on Lone Star Auctions -- bigger, certainly, than the donkeys, mules and potbelly pigs being sold off by Dallas County. (I'm gonna call this one "Groucho.") But I see the Dallas Independent School District's selling off dozen of portables -- the first time I can recall such a massive sell-off of the temporary school rooms.

The district's been adding them in batches over the last few weeks -- which reminded me of Ecological Community Builders's Zac Lytle and his plan to repurpose the portables as new homes in low-income neighborhoods. I also recall DISD spokesman Jon Dahlander saying "there are plenty of issues when it comes to moving them," like their weight and in-the-way power lines, for starters. Which may be why there are no takers so far. Not for any of 'em, even at the low, low price of $500.

Lytle says he's still hoping to give those portables a second life, even with the myriad issues involved in moving and abating the temp buildings. "We're doing all right," he said this afternoon when I asked for an update. And, yeah, he's keeping an eye on the bidding ... or lack thereof. "I doubt they'll see very many," he says, referring to the height, weight and likelihood of asbestos in the portables. And most of the portables, which come from all over the district, ain't in the best shape if you look at all the offerings on the auctioneer's website.

Stilll. DISD could sure use the dough -- gotta pay for those "extras" somehow, and Thursday the board will approve that budget.

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