Council considers upgrades to Hostess House

Lampasas City Council members on Feb. 8 discussed the details and scope of upgrades needed for the Hostess House.

Council members Delana Toups and Gordon Nelson were absent from the meeting.

Hendrix Consulting Engineers reviewed the property and compiled a report of suggested improvements to the Hostess House that vary in priority level.

The consulting firm suggested maintaining the building’s historic stone exterior but gutting the interior to restore the restore the building functionally and aesthetically.

The Hostess House kitchen and elevator are built for residential use, according to the report, and should be brought to commercial grade. The building also requires plumbing, electrical and mechanical upgrades.

The building envelope should be reinforced to cut energy costs, the report recommended.

City Manager Finley de-Graffenried requested council members’ input on the scope of the project before soliciting a proposal from Reliance Architecture, LLC for the project. Reliance Architecture constructed the water and wastewater department’s shop and lab.

Councilman Randy Clark said some aspects of the Hostess House are functional yet unattractive and ought to be restored.

“We need to restore and maintain it to a level the community can be proud of,” he said.

Clark said the city must be mindful to stay within budget, though.

Mayor Misti Talbert said the city has a duty to upgrade the Hostess House and make it usable, yet maintain its historic value and appearance. She said she does not believe the city should add a full commercial kitchen to the property.

Mayor Pro Tem TJ Monroe suggested city staff get input from local caterers to determine how the kitchen might be made useful for catering.

Councilwoman Catherine Kuehne said the city should work to “keep the historical integrity of the building, even if it costs a little more.”

In other business at last week’s meeting, Chief of Police Sammy Bailey presented the department’s annual racial profiling report, as required by state law.

“The Lampasas Police Department does not engage in racial profiling, nor do we have a culture of racial profiling,” she said.

Officers must record and submit information from motor-vehicle stops on the subjects’ race and ethnicity, and footage from officers’ body cameras is randomly reviewed by supervisors, Bailey said.

Anyone who feels unfairly treated by the Lampasas Police Department may file a complaint, she said, and the department will “take corrective action if it finds an officer engages in racial profiling.”

“Racial profiling is not tolerated by the Lampasas Police Department, regardless of statistics, law, policy,” Bailey said. “We have a much higher calling. We treat all people with dignity and respect, regardless of color.”

On another matter, the council voted to authorize the 2021 Spring Ho Festival for July 5-July 11.

During his city manager’s operational report, deGraffenried said a couple has asked to purchase from the city the monarch butterfly sculpture in front of City Hall. They said it was a “favorite symbol of their late daughter,” according to deGraffenried.

DeGraffenried said preparations for skate park and pavilion construction in Campbell Park are underway, and city staff received aerial photographs and survey information for the prospective sites.

Also at its meeting, the City Council voted to grant a specific-use permit to allow for an accessory dwelling at 8 Chris James Ave., which is in a single-family residential zoning area.

The Planning & Zoning Commission recommended approval of the project Feb. 4.

City Secretary and Permitting Technician Becky Sims said she received two letters in favor and two letters in protest of the accessory structure. Some property owners in the vicinity said they believe the accessory dwelling, which is 16 feet by 40 feet, is too large and might require city utilities.

Sims said the property owners plan to use the accessory dwelling to allow a family member to move in with them while retaining her independence, and that the city would not be responsible for providing utilities to the structure. The city could rescind the permit as necessary, Sims said.

Clark opposed the permit, while the remaining council members approved it.

Also at the recent meeting, Fire Chief Jeff Smith updated the City Council about the state of COVID-19 in Lampasas County. He said three people died of the virus recently, bringing the county’s fatality count to 24.

Many first responders have received their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, he said. Until vaccination sites in Lampasas County receive doses, Lampasas residents may be able to get the vaccine in Bell County, Smith said.

In other action, the council voted to:

• grant a six-month extension of the preliminary plat for the Hillside Acres Subdivision.

• select Langford Community Management Services to provide administrative services for the 2021-2022 Community Development Block Grant Program.

• approve the Civil Rights Resolution, Policies and Procedures for the 2021-2022 Community Development Block Grant Program.

• appoint the mayor and city manager as signatories on 2021-2022 Community Development Block Grant Program documents.