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Athens to receive Texas Music Friendly designation; EDC reports completed projects and retail visitation data
Summary
Tourism staff reported a Texas Music Friendly designation will be presented during the Fiddler’s Reunion, Sky School and Flight School projects received certificates of occupancy, Boot Shop awaits reimbursement, and a Placer.ai report showed 1.1 million visits to the retail node over 90 days.
The Athens Economic Development Corporation received multiple tourism and development updates at its March 24 meeting.
Tourism & Marketing Manager Darin Hamm said representatives from the state will be onsite during the Fiddler’s Reunion to present a Texas Music Friendly designation to Athens; if awarded, Athens would be the 93rd city to receive the designation. Hamm also reported a new promotional video has logged more than 50,000 views and is active on the city’s Facebook page.
Development Services Director Alan Anderson reported that Sky School obtained its certificate of occupancy and moved to the completed project list. Cardinal Estates held a ribbon cutting and is beginning home construction. Ms. Meredith reported JLS Holdings’ Flight School completed its project and received its certificate of occupancy; incentive receipts are being processed for reimbursement. Boot Shop (Marsha Head grant) has completed its project and received a certificate of occupancy but reimbursement is pending submission of receipts.
Ms. Meredith also highlighted workforce and market intelligence initiatives: ETCOG opened a teacher externship slot for Athens High School teachers to develop work‑readiness curriculum, and a Placer.ai report showed 1.1 million visits to the retail node over the last 90 days (172,000 distinct devices, average ~6.5 visits per device), with Fridays and Saturdays the busiest days. Staff said the data can help businesses better understand customer origins and shopping patterns.
Next steps: staff will continue to process reimbursements and incentives, promote the Texas Music Friendly designation during the Fiddler’s Reunion, and provide periodic downtown property status updates.
