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Lago Vista weighs grant-funded community center that could double as FEMA disaster shelter
Summary
Council liaison said the city’s grant writer has developed floor plans and FEMA specifications for a proposed community center; to pursue a FEMA-capable grant the city would likely need about 12,000 sq ft, and staff identified city-owned parcels near the police station and library as possible sites.
City leaders and ADAC members discussed a proposal to pursue grant funding for a community center that could also function as a FEMA disaster facility.
"I basically said, Britney, we want a community center that can act as a FEMA disaster center as well," the council liaison told the committee, describing the grant writer's work to assemble multi-source grant strategies and floor plans that incorporate FEMA specifications.
Staff noted that City Hall measures just under 8,000 square feet and would be too small for some FEMA programs. "In order to go after FEMA funding, it would have to be 12,000 square feet," the council liaison said, adding that the larger FEMA-capacity option could correspond to grant programs that might cover $12 million to $15 million on the top side.
Committee member Don Jondrope presented TCAD parcel information for city-owned land adjacent to the police station and library, saying two parcels (property IDs provided to the board) measure about 3.8909 acres and 1.29 acres respectively—roughly six acres together—and recommending the site because the city already owns the land.
Members discussed trade-offs: retrofit of existing smaller facilities versus building a larger FEMA-eligible center; grant writer work to assemble multiple matching grants so local tax dollars would be minimized; and the option to have the EDC play a central role in pursuing grants. The council liaison also stressed transparency in grant reporting and indicated the need to coordinate whether the city or the newly forming EDC should lead applications for specific grants.
No formal action was taken; staff said they will continue coordinating with the grant writer and provide committee members information as it is developed.
