Lampasas’ recent receipt of GO TEXAN Certified Retirement Community status will attract retirees to the city and generate economic growth, city officials said Friday.

Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples recently announced that the Texas Department of Agriculture has selected Lampasas as a Certified Retirement Community. Lampasas, the first Hill Country city to receive Certified Retirement Community status, joins 23 other cities and seven counties in TDA’s GO TEXAN retirement program.

Lampasas’ $5,000 application fee covers the cost of advertising the city and its amenities for five years in a variety of national publications intended for retirees. Mayor Judy Hetherly and Lampasas Economic Development Coordinator Cherry Hargrove — who worked with a committee of Lampasas residents to develop the city’s application — believe that investment will benefit the local economy.

“It’s very important to me that we receive that designation,” Ms. Hetherly said of the GO TEXAN retirement community announcement, “because it’s economic development.”

The average retiree spends $42,500 per year, pays $3,000 in state and local taxes annually, and generates an economic benefit equivalent to 3.7 factory jobs, according to research cited by TDA.

Retirees who move to Lampasas also will improve the city’s quality of life, Mrs. Hargrove said.

“Retirees are great,” she said, “because they bring knowledge, and they’re great volunteers.”

Lampasas also has many assets that should attract newcomers, Mrs. Hargrove said. Along with committee members, the EDC coordinator identified several aspects of life in Lampasas — including the town’s low tax and crime rates, churches, schools, shopping destinations, historic preservation efforts and health care facilities — to emphasize in the application.

“They want to live in a place where they feel safe and where there’s a strong sense of community,” she said of retirees.

Hancock Park Golf Course, downtown murals, the Campbell Park sculpture garden and Vision Lampasas beautification efforts also appeal to those who consider moving to Lampasas, Mrs. Hargrove said.

“We feel like we have a lot to offer just here in Lampasas,” she said, although venues within 60 miles also counted in Lampasas’ favor on the GO TEXAN application.

Mrs. Hargrove thanked the committee that completed research for the Certified Retirement Community application. Members were Tim Angermann, Chris Ford, Mike and Kay Fox, Wayne Hickenbottom, Dianna Hodges, Robin Gradel, Cathy Kuehne, Mike and Barbara Mullican, and Shanda Subia.

“I couldn’t have done it without their help,” Mrs. Hargrove said.

In addition to the amenities committee members identified, Ms. Hetherly said continuing education classes to be offered at the Lampasas County Higher Education Center should help attract retirees.

City officials hope to recruit retirees from all parts of the United States. About 80 percent of retirees who move to Texas are not natives of the state, according to research cited by TDA.

“They come from all over,” Mrs. Hargrove said.

Ms. Hetherly noted that patrons at her antique shop have come from as far as the state of Washington, California and Arizona — often after learning about Lampasas on the Internet.

A profile and photos of Lampasas will be posted soon on the TDA GO TEXAN retirement Web site, www.retireintexas.org.

Recruitment efforts will target both civilian and military retirees. A report sent to city officials by retired Col. William H. Parry III, executive director for the Heart of Texas Defense Alliance, indicates that about one-third of Fort Hood soldiers intend to stay in Central Texas when they complete their military service. More than 60 percent would stay “if desirable employment were available,” according to Parry’s summary of the report.

The 2009 fourth-quarter report, which discusses Fort Hood Region Veterans Inventory Initiative Working Group survey results, will be available soon at www.hotda.org.

As part of the Texas Department of Agriculture retirement program, volunteers and city officials will work to improve conditions in Lampasas to make the city more attractive to retirees. Mrs. Hargrove is working on several “public-private partnerships,” the mayor noted, and the EDC coordinator also plans to identify ways to attract entertainment venues — such as movie theaters and bowling alleys — to Lampasas.

Attracting a public transportation service to supplement the HOP transit program also can help attract and serve new city residents, Ms. Hetherly said. Past discussions have involved a possible taxi service, said the mayor, who added that city officials may try to expand transportation opportunities through a public-private partnership.

“If Lampasas has a weakness, it is transportation. ...I really expect to see that void filled soon,” Ms. Hetherly said.

Four national retailers have expressed interest in opening stores in Lampasas, Ms. Hetherly added, although the mayor said finding suitable real estate for large retail developments has been difficult. When she attended a recent International Council of Shopping Centers event, Mrs. Hargrove noted substantially increased interest in Lampasas by retailers compared to previous years.

Ms. Hetherly also mentioned building a civic center and expanding the Lampasas Public Library as priorities for the next few years.

The application for Certified Retirement Community standing, Ms. Hetherly and Mrs. Hargrove said, is part of a broad plan to expand services and economic opportunities in anticipation of population growth. The mayor expects Lampasas to post a 20 percent population increase from the 2000 national census to the 2010 enumeration.

“We’re about to grow,” Mrs. Hargrove said.

“And we’re being more aggressive,” Ms. Hetherly added.