The Galveston County Daily News

Smart move? Is the vacant Lamar Elementary School in La Marque about to look smarter?

After two years of wrangling over lease issues, real estate investor Bob Greig is the new owner of the school, built 71 years ago.

La Marque Independent School District stopped using the building as a school in 1995. Neighbors around Delmar Drive and state Highway 3 have watched in dismay as the hard-on-eyes building sat empty.

The old school became a subject of dispute between Greig and the district in December 2007. Greig wanted to buy the school.

The district fought to protect its interest in the building and 9 acres of land upon which it sat. Bertram and Della Naschke deeded the land to the school district in 1936.

Greig contended the district was violating a clause in the deed that required the district to return the land to the Naschkes if the site was no longer used for a school.

Greig finally purchased the building from the Naschkes about two weeks ago.

Still, he hasn’t decided what to do with the property. Vandals have hit it pretty hard, he said. He could demolish parts of the building that are too far gone to repair, he said.

The gymnasium and auditorium, however, still are in relatively good shape, Greig said. Stay tuned.

Teeing up: Meanwhile, look in coming weeks for news about the 18-hole Lakeview Country Club, 1219 Palm St., in La Marque. Greig bought the 65-year-old course several years ago and closed it not long after. Stay tuned.

Road rave: Some readers are raving about the freshly opened Logan’s Roadhouse, 3160 Interstate 45 in League City Town Center.

“Logan’s Roadhouse has been packed since it opened,” a reader reported via e-mail. “It has a nice menu and decent prices. Great atmosphere. The baked sweet potato is excellent.”

Buzz encourages brief reader reviews of newly opened restaurants or even ones that have been around for a while.

Return of Joe’s? Will the Shack be back? Representatives of Joe’s Crab Shack told Port of Galveston officials Monday they planned to open an eatery at Pier 19 in the summer of 2010.

But whether it would be a Joe’s Crab Shack, or another concept, remained to be seen.

Joe’s Crab Shack has a lease with the port for the waterfront property. Hurricane Ike smashed up the restaurant, which has been closed at that location since the September 2008 storm. The 3502 Seawall Blvd. restaurant is open.

But rebuilding could be complicated and expensive. Before the storm, the restaurant building was 3 feet above sea level. To meet federal rules and city codes, the rebuilt restaurant’s first occupied level would have to be 11 feet above sea level.

Engineers are trying to determine whether the building and the pilings that support it could be used in a revival or whether a complete rebuild is required.

Earlier this year, rumors were flying that Hooters was eyeing the spot after the Hooters at 2227 Seawall Blvd. was destroyed by Ike.

You glow, ANICO: The famous green halo around the top of the American National Insurance building in the island’s downtown is glowing again.

Officials were waiting for hurricane repairs to the skyscraper’s facade before replacing some of the lights damaged by the storm.

American National adorned the top of the building with green lights in 2005 to mark a century in business.

Coming soon: What incentives will some condo developers give consumers to tour their properties? Which island downtown art gallery also will serve as an event venue? What new retailer has opened downtown? And which mainland car dealership is rolling out of business? Find out Thursday in Biz Buzz or check for updates in Buzz Blog, galvnews.com.