Splashpad, Playgrounds Now Open in La Grange
The City of La Grange continues to reopen facilities as the city emerges from the cornavirus shutdown. City Manager Shawn Raborn gave an update on the reopenings at the City Council meeting on Monday, June 8.
Summer camp at the Randolph Rec. Center began last Monday, June 1, with limited capacity. The City reopened park playscapes on Friday, June 5.
The public swimming pool opened on Saturday, June 6, with limited capacity and other COVID-19 protocols in place. The pool is open 9 a.m. to noon and 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday, and 3 to 7 p.m. on Sunday.
Raborn said city workers will be assigned to periodically disinfect playscapes, the splashpad and swimming pool, and there will be a staff person monitoring each of those locations.
The public library is open Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The number of public computers is limited for now due to social distancing requirements. The library has started its summer reading program. The meeting room remains closed. The library will continue curbside service Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Municipal court reopened on Thursday June 11. Raborn said the City completed the required COVID-19 operating plan which includes procedures to ensure the health and safety of everyone who attends court.
The police station lobby remains closed at this time. Citizens are encouraged to use the drive through window at the police station.
Raborn said the Locals Love La Grange Challenge will end on June 15. That program provides utility bill rebates to residential customers in exchange for receipts from shopping at local businesses.
In other La Grange council business
In other business from Monday’s City Council meeting, Council approved a request from Erich and Lauren Lehmann to encroach into the public right-of-way to install columns to support a new canopy on the square at 109 North Main Street.
The Council also discussed refinancing a certificate of obligation that the City took out in 2011 to pay for water system improvements. The current outstanding value is $4.42 million with interest rates ranging between 3 and 3.75 percent over the next 10 years. Raborn said refinancing could lower the interest rate to 1.4 to 1.5 percent. That would result in savings of $400,000 to $500,000 over the term of repayment, he said. Council authorized him to pursue the refinance deal. Raborn said he would work with the company Specialized Public Finance Inc. to find the best deal.
Also at Monday’s meeting, Council approved the following tourism funding requests, which will be paid out of hotel occupancy tax revenue:
• $2,470 to the Texas Quilt Museum, to be used for online ads on Facebook and Yelp;
• $7,500 to the Fayette County Sheriff’s Posse for advertising and promotion of the bull riding and rodeo event planned for Aug. 6-8;
• $6,000 to the Rotary Club of La Grange for advertising their annual Oktoberfest on the courthouse square;
• $8,000 to the City of La Grange for the creation of a “La Grange is Open for Business” magazine insert; the magazine will focus on the tourism market and what is available for visitors in La Grange.
Councilwoman Violet Zbranek, who also serves on the tourism committee, said the committee also considered a $14,400 request from Main Street to pay for two billboard signs. Main Street manager Stacy Norris said current trends show that travelers are looking for day trip destinations since the coronavirus shutdowns disrupted many people’s summer travel plans. She said the billboards could take advantage of the situation. The tourism committee tabled that request.