A renowned real estate developer in Southwestern Louisiana and Texas, Jerome Karam of Houston really comes to his own with projects that involve remodeling, renovating, or completely converting old facilities, buildings, or large properties for new uses. Having started his professional career as a lawyer, Karam soon came to realize that his real calling lies in the field of real estate development.
That he was not wrong in this estimate has been proven time and again as he took up challenges that others hardly dared to and subsequently made good of those undertakings, too. Repurposing of Falstaff Breweries and the Mall of the Mainland count among Karam’s most outstanding achievements. Both projects bear testimony to Karam’s passion for taking up difficult challenges. But apart from his professional achievements, Jerome Karam is also popular for his philanthropic activities. As an individual, he believes in giving back to society and it is this trait of him that has endeared him to many communities in and around North Galveston County.
The New League City Educational Facility
And it is likely that due to this popularity of Karam as a responsible member of the society that he was recently given the responsibility of building and financing a new educational facility located in League City in the Greater Houston area.
The new educational facility will serve as a satellite campus for College of the Mainland and will replace the North County Learning Center, the college’s existing facility for a majority of its dual credit enrollment students. The lease of the existing facility expires in August 2021 and the new facility is expected to be ready for full-time operation by that time.
The proposed new facility, erstwhile a school, is located at 1411 W. Main St., right next to the United Methodist Church of League City. The church property is owned by Mr. Karam and it is he who has, on the behalf of the College of the Mainland, acted as the negotiator for the lease of the current school property.
Thanks chiefly to Mr. Karam’s enthusiasm for the project, the plans for renovation and turnaround on the lease have moved rapidly since the board members of the college expressed their interest in the new facility. It must also be noted that no tax revenues or bond money will be used for building this new facility. Instead, all expenses, including personnel, utilities, and lease will be funded directly through fees and tuition generated at the new campus of the college.
Notably, the new learning facility will also serve as a revenue generator for the college. The main reason for this is that students of League City will be required to pay higher tuition fees since the location of the new facility does not fall within the College of the Mainland’s taxing district. The college spokesman Mr. Bob Wright said that the added income generated from this initiative will help the college expand programs and services on their main campus.
On the other hand, once the new facility becomes operational, students from the northern part of the county won’t have to travel far to receive their education. So, even when they will need to pay slightly higher tuition fees, they will eventually benefit from the building of the new facility. Not only students from League City, Kemah, and Friendswood would benefit from this relocation, but even those residing along Interstate 45 would find it convenient to enroll at the new facility.
In other words, the new project looks like a win-win situation for all parties involved. And both the College of the Mainland and Mr. Karam should be congratulated for taking up this new project.
