Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Beverly Community Center director says group will reapply after lease ended July 7
Summary
At the Texarkana City Council meeting, Beverly Community Center director Christie Kendrick told the council her organization will vacate the city-owned building July 7 after its lease was ended; supporters urged the council to consider the center's community services.
Christie Kendrick, director of the Beverly Community Center and a representative of Amache Vision Corps, told the Texarkana City Council that her organization must leave the Beverly Community Center on July 7 after the city concluded the group had overstayed its lease.
Kendrick said she had participated in neighborhood association events and presented workshops on youth and senior programming. “We have overstayed our lease agreement,” she told the council, and added that the center’s programs have continued despite the lease situation. She said the center was not placed in the building until May 1, 2024, because of vandalism and related repairs, and that the original lease dates to 2018. Kendrick said she plans to file an appeal of the termination and will reapply for future requests for proposals to continue serving the Beverly neighborhood.
A supporter, Sean Dangerfield, spoke after Kendrick and described the center’s volunteer-driven services, saying the center feeds elderly residents and runs youth programs. “The center's really taken off now. It's doing some wonderful things,” Dangerfield said, urging the council to consider the community value of the group’s work.
Kendrick told the council she and her team are committed to continuing services for Beverly residents even if they must relocate programs to another site. “If we just have to move our services to another location, we will. But we will continue to work with the Beverly community,” she said.
The comments came during the meeting’s open forum; no council action on the Beverly Community Center lease was recorded during the meeting. Kendrick stated the group will seek to reapply during the RFP process and will file an appeal of the termination.
Council staff did not provide additional detail about the lease termination during the public comment period. The center’s lease start date (2018) and the May 1, 2024 occupancy date were given by Kendrick during her remarks. The city clerk confirmed no written speaker cards were received for other public hearing items at that time.
