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Residents urge city to use $1M Waffle House gift to create a Lake Avondale legacy fund
Summary
Staff recommended moving the $1,000,000 Waffle House donation into the capital fund for Lake Avondale repairs; a public commenter suggested creating an endowment/legacy fund to generate sustainable maintenance revenue instead of spending the gift on one‑time projects.
City staff told the board the revenue side of the capital fund now includes a proposed $1,000,000 donation from Waffle House and identified about $1,000,000 of proposed rehabilitation at Lake Avondale for path, stormwater and landscaping upgrades. Staff said the Waffle House donation was proposed for legacy purposes and that the capital program recommendations show a one‑to‑one offset between those monies and planned lake upgrades.
During public comment, a resident proposed an alternative: rather than spending the $1,000,000 on immediate upgrades, the city could place the gift into a Lake Avondale legacy or endowment fund to generate annual income for long‑term maintenance. "What if the community and the board of mayor and commissioners created a Lake Avondale legacy fund with that Waffle House gift...to help maintain Lake Avondale for decades to come," the commenter said. Staff and the DDA chair acknowledged the city and DDA are allocating substantial downtown infrastructure funds and said further analysis and options will be considered as the capital program moves forward.
