Downtown gallery requests UEA matching grant for three‑phase renovation

Laura Cutler, a downtown business owner, asked the La Porte Urban Enterprise Association on a night when the board met in annual session to consider a special matching grant to fund a three‑phase renovation of her historic downtown building.

Cutler told the board that she and her partner, Thaddeus, have been in business downtown for about 20 years and bought the building in 2007. She said the building lacks safe stair access to the second and third floors and that the upper floors have no heat, air conditioning or electrical service. “Both that front second floor and the third floor have no electric, no heat, no air, no staircase,” Cutler said.

Cutler outlined a three‑phase plan with internal infrastructure work first, followed by front‑entry demolition and a new storefront door with an enclosed staircase, and then work to open and finish the third floor. She provided phase cost estimates of $42,800 for phase 1, $72,800 for phase 2 and $92,800 for phase 3 (total about $208,400 in the figures she supplied) and said she was requesting a 50/50 matching grant from the UEA. Cutler said the association’s typical 50/50 grants are capped at $10,000 a year, which she said would make the project take about 10 years if that cap were applied.

Board members asked about timing and quotes. Cutler said some interior contractors (HVAC, basic electrical, drywall) are available now and that some exterior contractors for the staircases have year‑long waits; she said parts of the work can be done with contractor labor plus “sweat equity” from the owners to reduce costs. “Most contractors … for the staircases … have, like, a year, year and a half away,” she said. She also said the owners would accept inspections, submission of canceled checks or other documentation if the board preferred that verification of completion accompany payments.

Bert Cook, a UEA board member, spoke in support of Cutler’s project and said developers who have received UEA grants previously have been “terrific partners and have fulfilled all of the promises that they’ve made.” Mike (board member) said the project type—interior renovations to expand downtown commercial uses—aligns with recent UEA priorities. Mary Ann (board member) and other members discussed phasing the funding so that the association would award support per phase rather than fund the entire project up front.

No formal motion or vote to award a grant to Cutler was recorded in the transcript. Board members discussed using a development agreement, inspections and staged payments if they approve a special grant. Cutler said the work would be commercial space for studios and offices (not residential) and estimated the upper floors could provide about six artist studios and generate roughly $4,000 per month in rent when occupied.

Clarifying details from the discussion: Cutler presented contractor/quote information for doors and glass from Meyer Glass and Phoenix Glass; she said some finishes (mud, paint, some interior electrical) could be completed by the owners to lower contractor costs. She proposed January 2025, January 2026 and January 2027 as phase start dates, noting January is typically slow for gallery business. The owners asked the board to consider a 50% match across phases rather than the typical $10,000 annual cap.

The discussion ended with the board agreeing they could work through a development agreement and inspection process if they chose to support the project; no approval or dollar amount was recorded in the transcript.