Bastrop, Texas Events, News & Stories

Bastrop, Tx–On Nov. 17 the Bastrop Economic Development Corp. board approved three new $25,000 building renovation grants while voicing concern about the grant program’s direction and future. More “mega-grant” grant requests will face the board in December, said BEDC President Joe Newman,

The grant program began with a $5,000 limit aimed at paying up to half the cost of street-front improvements, a “facade grant” effort, but earlier this year the board began offering “mega-grants” to help support for extensive restoration work on downtown historic buildings. Three such grants had been approved before Monday’s meeting.

Three more were approved, with some reluctance, this week. BEDC board president Gary Guiterrez suggested that the large grant requests may have “gotten out of hand.” He suggested all such applications should be considered only two or four times yearly, a process which would almost certainly leave some applicants “disappointed” if their projects did not rate at the top of the list for the period.

Board member Gary Schiff said the board should set an annual dollar limit on the renovation grants and limite how many projects can be funded.

Board member John Creamer called for a “scoring system” for evaluating renovation grant requests.

Board member Pat Crawford voiced concern about supporting projects which largely involved roof repairs and installation of modern heating/air conditioning equipment. “We should look at the impact” of projects on the attractiveness of downtown, she said.

Bastrop Mayor and BEDC board member Terry Orr said the grant program has helped spark “a boom downtown” even as he agreed on the call for a set annual grant program budget and, perhaps, quarterly grant awards.

The BEDC program has helped spart downtown renovations, said Schiff. “Now we have some momentum and more interest,” he said.

New grants approved this week include projects for 913 Main St., 920 Main St. and the east half of the building at 931 Main, formerly home to the Gin-U-Wine Oyster Bar. Crawford voted against the grant for  913 Main, the 1887 Prokop Building.

Bastrop, Tx–The city’s Main Street Program, overseen by the Texas Historical Commission, took three top awards last week at the joint annual convention of the Texas Main Street Program and Texas Downtown Association in Temple.

The big awards were for Bastrop’s eight-day 175th birthday party in the summer of 2007, an event marking the anniversary of the city’s official establishment as a municipality by the Republic of Mexico in 1832. Also honored was the restoration of the Main Street building housing Baxters on Main, a popular restaurant in the 900 block of Main St. The renovation effort, recreating the structure’s 19th century appearance, was supported both by the Main Street Program and the Bastrop Economic Development Corp.

Bastrop and Elgin, 17 miles to the north, were also recognized for their Main Street Program efforts as part of the national Main Street revitalization efforts. The awards come in Bastrop’s second year as a Texas Main Street city.