Downtown LG Updates

A few other items of interest came out of last Tuesday’s public workshop meeting over the Downtown La Grange revitalization grant.

During the conversation at the meeting last Tuesday, La Grange Main Street Manager Caleb Parks spoke about the City’s public parking lot just off the Square at the corner of S. Washington and W. Crockett St. That lot contains about 40 parking spaces. However, a large sinkhole has formed in part of it. In addition, visitors may not be aware of the parking lot due to a lack of signage.

“In the upcoming year, a project we’re looking at is going through and redoing the lot on S. Washington,” Parks said at the meeting.

There is another parking lot with a gazebo at the corner of Colorado St. and N. Washington St. It’s often used by the public, but the property is privately owned. Parks said the City is working on a formal agreement with the property owner to designate it as a public parking lot.

One of the downtown business owners at the meeting last Thursday said the City needs a protected pedestrian crosswalk at the intersection of Washington and Travis streets. In an interview with the Record, City Manager Jack Thompson said he has been in talks with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to improve that intersection. He said any changes to Travis St. require TxDOT cooperation since the road is a state highway.

Texas Department of Agriculture awarded the City of La Grange a $1 million grant to pay for improvements around the Courthouse Square. The City has faced some opposition over the potential loss of parking space in downtown. The first design concept would have removed 37 parking spots. After hearing from the public, the City modified the design. The latest concept unveiled at the meeting last Tuesday would result in a loss of just eight parking spots.