City to fund improvements at Lampasas Business Park

In a unanimous decision Monday night, the Lampasas City Council allocated $971,000 in recovery funds to construction at the Lampasas Economic Development Corp. Business Park.

In a workshop session preceding the regular meeting, members of the Lampasas EDC spoke in favor of the Business Park Roadway and Utility Improvement Project.

The project will include water, drainage, sewer and roadway improvements.

The EDC board owns the park and sought city financial support for the project. The roughly 165- acre business park is within a mile from arterial highways U.S. 281 and U.S. 190, and has U.S. 183 frontage.

In a lengthy discussion on Feb. 7, city staff told the council the base bid for the project came in at $2.13 million, and an add-on alternate roadway project was quoted at $610,800.

The alternate includes east-to-west roadway extension to U.S. 183.

“It’s with full confidence I tell you that this is one of the most important items on the agenda,” said Misti Talbert, EDC board president.

“Your EDC board believes in this project. We’ve discussed every option up and down.”

Talbert said the city received $1.98 million in recovery funding through the American Rescue Act, and the cost of adding a water and wastewater system to the business park is estimated at $971,000.

In the regular session that followed Monday’s workshop, deGraffenried specified that these funds do not affect water or wastewater rates for Lampasas citizens and do not affect the normal operating budget of the city

Signed into law in March 2021, the American Rescue Act provided $362 billion in funding for state and local entities.

Municipalities that are Community Development Block Grant recipients received a larger share of the population-based funds, according to the National Association of Counties.

“I do believe those funds could be used for this project, and I don’t know of any other project you could use that money on that has the potential [return on investment] as this project does,” Talbert said. “We have no more commercial development property in Lampasas; that business park is it. That’s a smart way to spend your money these days.”

The park isn’t generating any revenue on property taxes but has the potential when developed, Talbert added. More businesses also mean more jobs within the city and the potential for population growth in Lampasas.

“We always talk about controlling the growth and be smart about what we do, and that right there is an opportunity for the council and EDC to work together on EDC land to do that for the city,” she said.

Talbert added that the EDC is pursuing commercia development rather than residential development in order to provide an ongoing source of revenue for the city, but she hinted that residential development could be inspired by the business park project.

“There are neighboring property owners that are also aware of the need for housing, especially if we bring in a significant amount of jobs,” Talbert said.

The EDC president also discussed the possibility of medical offices, retail spaces entertainment businesses and other options for the business park.

Councilman Randy Clark spoke in favor of the project adding that development of an alternate roadway to access the park would simplify truck traffic and “induce TxDOT to maybe make some changes out there on the speed limit, to the possibility of an acceleration, deceleration o turning lane.

“I think once it starts, it will continue to grow, and I don’t see any disadvantages at this point,” Clark added.

Councilwoman Catherine Kuehne also expressed her support for the project.

The City Council voted unanimously to allocate recovery funds from the American Rescue Act to pay for the water/wastewater infrastructure construction in the amount of $971,196.

EDC staff said that once it begins, it will be a year-long construction project.

The project awarded a bid on Wednesday.

According to EDC Executive Director Mandy Love Walsh, the bid was awarded to Gage & Cade Construction, LLC.

“Gage & Cade is the company currently working on Third Street,” Walsh told the Dispatch Record.