GEDC to raise flagpole downtown

GONZALES — At last Monday’s Gonzales Economic Development Corporation (GEDC) meeting, Gonzales City Manager Allen Barnes was in attendance to address the gathering and get an idea where the members wanted to go on a few outstanding projects.

Concerning Action Items 3-5 on the agenda, Barnes was seeking direction for himself and city staff on where exactly the three projects stood that GEDC had discussed earlier in the year. They were a beautification project for Hwy. 183/Water St., the erection of three giant flagpoles and a mowing/maintenance project on Hwys. 183 and 90A. 

Barnes was concerned that one project could be slowing down the others and that the public needed to see what GEDC was making progress on. 

“We need to do something,” Barnes said, for city citizens who do not want to see the organization simply “sitting on the sidelines.” He was hoping that they would either do the projects listed or move on to other actions.

Concerning the mowing and maintenance project on Hwy. 90A, Barnes said that should be easy because it was a concrete plan to implement. If GEDC were to take over right-of-way mowing from TxDOT — who currently only shreds that median twice a year — they would have to wait until after wildflowers go to seed after spring.

To be clear, GEDC is looking to start a mowing schedule for that area with regular, routine maintenance to beautify the strip and contribute to the “quality of life” aspects of the city. By comparison, TxDOT simply shreds highway medians, not taking the extra time to keep grass at a uniform height year-round.

The board agreed to move forward on submitting a request for proposal (RFP) that would allow them to see the economic impact of their idea. City council would have the final say on the RFP at their February meeting before becoming official. Board member James Ryan was the lone dissenting vote after 

several minutes of discussion about the financial impact the upkeep would have on GEDC.

As for the flag poles — which would display large Texas and Come and Take It flags with the notion that they would help attract visitors downtown from Hwy. 183 — the board settled on spending $50,000 to install a single flagpole on Texas Heroes Square. Its height would be in the vicinity of 85-125 feet.

Board member Tommy Cox reported that installing an 80-foot pole alone would run $20,000. The increased amount would cover any additional costs. City council had already authorized $120,000 in the GEDC budget to look at the poles. 

The proposal will now go before city council for a final say. Barnes was hopeful that if the proposal indeed passed that the flagpole would be operational by the time the Vietnam Veterans Wall Memorial makes a stop in town this March.

The greater Hwy. 183 beautification project was tabled until the January meeting.

The board also agreed to update its website in conjunction with what the City of Gonzales is planning for theirs. The proposal will now be submitted to the city council.

The new website would be provided by Saffire, who offer a vast improvement over the current site. GEDC President Genora Young said that it was a very user-friendly site and that they will be able to upload content as needed.

Barnes also said that the new site would be able to operate on mobile devices such as phones and tablets and that it could possibly replace the city’s current mobile app. 

The board entered into executive session to discuss real property as pertaining to the Lynn Theatre. 

Theatre operator Cliff Anderson had presented a proposal to remove every other row of seating in a remodeling effort. The board agreed to allow it, so long as each seat was inventoried, stored on-site and remained the property of the GEDC.

The board also agreed to hold a revolving loan workshop on Feb. 1 in council chambers. A proposal to suspend the Small Business Incentive Grant program was tabled until after that workshop.