Burnet County approves 'Rehabilitation' option for historic courthouse planning grant

Burnet County Commissioners Court on Feb. 10 approved Option 1 — Rehabilitation — for a Texas Historical Commission (THC) planning‑grant application for the Burnet County Historical Courthouse, selecting a county planning‑grant share of $496,236 tied to an estimated construction cost of $8,971,544. The motion passed unanimously, 5–0.

The court considered three options: Rehabilitation (retain the 1974 addition), Restoration with Basement (remove the 1974 addition but retain and extend the basement), and Full Restoration (remove all additions and return the building to its 1937 configuration). The court record notes THC eligibility concerns and competitive‑scoring risks if work focuses on 1974 portions; the Restoration with Basement option carried a higher county planning‑grant share ($913,366) while the Full Restoration option listed a $446,236 county share.

Burnet County Tourism Director Blair Manning and County Clerk Vicinta Stafford spoke during the agenda item; two community members (Earlene Zimmerman and Lela Gore) also addressed the court. The transcript records that those speakers participated in the discussion but does not include verbatim remarks in the minutes. The court adopted a preservation resolution and approved the Option 1 planning‑grant submission and associated attachments included in the agenda packet.

The court did not record additional conditions on the planning application in the minutes. The next procedural step in the record is submission of the planning‑grant application to the Texas Historical Commission under the approved option.