Fund-raising kick off
Vision Downtown Lampasas! looks to build up coffers to defray costs associated with first-year projects
By LISA CARNLEY Staff Writer

PHOTO BY LISA CARNLEY Lampasas Association For the Arts Chairman Nancy Gray presents a check to Jim Rutland, chairman of Vision Downtown Lampasas! to kick off the downtown organization's fund-raising efforts. The group is planning a large-scale event this year to help with first-year projects.

Vision Downtown Lampasas! is on track with its plans for revitalization of the city's historical district, but committee members say raising funds is a key cog that will keep the wheels turning.

Fund-raising efforts have begun in earnest, and Jim Rutland, chairman of the VDL board and organizer of the Downtown Task Force, said 2007 was an active year in getting the process going.

Committees were formed, and they have started on projects specific to their individual groups.

VDL's first-year effort is to raise $25,000. That initial funding will help defray costs of gateways at major entrances to the historic downtown district.

"We know that after the city and Texas Department of Transportation finish the planned drainage project for Key Avenue they plan to come in with historic-era lighting down Fourth Street," said Rutland.

"We'd like to keep that focus and expand that to Second Street, and at some point look at tree plantings, benches and possibly even beautifying alleyways and parking areas."

Rutland said one of the unique items the committee is considering is painting wall murals on exposed building facades.

Nancy Gray, chairman of VDL's art committee, has identified 21 sites that could be painted, making a colorful way to brighten up the downtown area.

To kick off its fund-raising, VDL members have sent letters to business and property owners in the central business district requesting financial participation, since that is the area that initially will benefit, Rutland said. Positive responses already have come in, he added.

A broader fund-raising effort will come next, "because improvements are earmarked to benefit Lampasas as a whole," said Rutland. VDL next plans to hold a large-scale fund-raising event early this year.

The board also accepts donations at any time, which are tax-deductible, he noted. Checks should be made to PLI (Preservation Lampasas Inc.) with VDL on the memo line.

Lampasas Association for the Arts has made an initial donation of $500 to VDL, generated by a recent Christmas tree raffle, and Ace Hardware's Roland Schaub has given $1,000 toward paint for murals.

"We realize this is a long-term process, and we are just getting started. But we are determined to see it through, and we appreciate any help we can get," said Rutland. "This is for all of our benefits."

Mary Ann Severn, a fundraising committee member and native Lampasan, is excited about the impact VDL will have on the entire community, though there is a lot of work to be done, she said.

After moving back to Lampasas permanently two years ago, Mrs. Severn said she was shocked at the decline of the central business district. "I really wasn't prepared for what I saw," she said. "The downtown area has become a ghost of what it once was."

Retiring to Lampasas, Mrs. Severn was not sure she wanted to become involved in volunteer efforts in the community. She had been a part of boards and committees for 30 years, and was glad to have some time to herself.

"My concern for the community got the best of me," she said. After attending a workshop early in the VDL process, Mrs. Severn said she became committed to seeing Lampasas blossom and thrive once again.

"Lampasas is a hidden treasure. Look at some of the small towns around us that have made things happen, and that's what I want for us," she said. "I want us to become a regional economic and social destination."

Though the community has some blighted areas, revitalization is not an impossible task, she added. "If we take a team approach and all pull together -- not just for the downtown area, but for the entire community -- there is so much we can get done."

Mrs. Severn said she is enthusiastic about the spirit of volunteerism in Lampasas. "So many people have expressed a desire not to ignore what is happening but to work together to get it fixed. With the energy and efforts of people with a vision, we can turn this around."

The Fund-Raising Committee member, who also sits on the Lampasas Economic Development Corp. board, said a thriving job market is the best way to assure a community's success.

"I see it as two-fold: We need to develop job opportunities here that will support VDL efforts, but to do that we have to bring people here and provide a lifestyle and amenities they are looking for."

And people should know, she said, that VDL's target area is much broader than just Courtyard Square. "It extends and covers the entire historic district in central Lampasas because this project is going to benefit the entire town."

Mrs. Severn has a binder full of ideas on how to make Lampasas the best it can be. But many of those ideas take money, so she is concentrating her efforts on fund-raising for VDL.

Support from downtown businesses has been wonderful, she said, and Mrs. Severn expects that same type of backing from businesses across Lampasas' spectrum.

A structured membership program also is being planned that will offer differing levels of commitment for the entire community.

Another option is Public Improvement Districts, which administer assessment funds from property owners within specific zones.

The Incentives Committee also is working on a low-interest loan pool in conjunction with local banks.

The Fund-Raising Committee continues to seek every type of grant that fits with the VDL project. The level of funding is less this year than in years past, Mrs. Severn said, which will make loans and grants that much harder to come by.

Meanwhile, committee members continue to work behind the scenes to ensure that VDL moves forward.

"There is planning, decision-making, design, setting guidelines, inventorying properties -- all of which will pay off with results we hope to begin to see within the first year," she said.

VDL also is accepting in-kind donations of labor and materials to help build gateways.

"This is not going to happen by magic or by wishing for it," said Mrs. Severn. "We all have to contribute, either financially or as a volunteer, to make it work."

Fund-raising committee member David Whitis said he hopes VDL can reinvigorate historic downtown Lampasas.

"It is always a worthy cause to preserve history, but this project will also benefit Lampasas through increased commerce and tourism. Local contributions of both time and funds are going to be necessary to continue forward."

Other members of the Fund-Raising Committee include Jill Jones, Judy Hetherly, Jeffrey Villanueva and Jeanette Snell.