Georgetown Citizens Academy
Community Services
Barbara Hallmark, Council Board member, attended the ninth and final session of
the Georgetown Citizens Academy, which focused on community services including
the Library, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Parks and Recreation. A
short presentation was also made by a representative of the Georgetown Main
Street Program (previously reviewed under Management Services - Economic
Development).
Randy Marrow is the Director of the Community Services Division.
Library
Under the leadership of Eric Lashley, the library is
basking in its 50,000 square foot venue with an operating budget of $1.8
million. Founded in 1966 when Georgetown's population was 6,000,the first
library quarters were located at 806 Main Street. After a move to the building,
which housed the current City Council in 1970, the support for the library
continued to grow until it became a city department and moved to 808 MLK in
1987. The 2006 $9.8 million bond election provided funding for the construction
of our current facility.
In addition to housing for a vast number of books, tapes and DVDs, the facility
also includes other functional areas, which are:
The Red Poppy Coffee
Shop
Texas History Room
Community rooms (4,000
sq. ft.in which 900 community meetings
have
been held.)
Bookstore
Study and classrooms
Photo Galleries
There are 20 full time and 4 part time staff employees. Two non-profit groups,
Friends of the Library and "YES", assist in making services and
programs available.
Programs and Servicesoffered include (among others):
Computer classes
Public access to
computers 6,000-7,000users per month)
Website where requests
for book purchasesand requests to place a book
on hold may
be made
Download of video and
music selections
Online resources - legal
forms, audio books
Children's programs
Writers College
Oral histories of local
families (developing)
Reproduction of
photographic and digital images
Convention and Visitors Bureau
Cari Miller, who serves as Manager of Tourism for the
City of Georgetown, is in charge of the Georgetown Convention & Visitors
Bureau (GCVB). The mission of the GCVB is to encourage the community's economic
success through promotion of Georgetown as a tourist destination,
preserve and enhance the cultural heritage and unique character of the
community, and attract conventions and group tours to maximize the financial
impact of tourism on the community.
A major point was made that the
Hotel Occupancy Tax, which amounted to $440,581 for the current year, funds
this service. There is no funding through the City's general operational
budget.
Activities of the Bureau include
erecting billboards, development and publication of a Visitor's guide and other
handouts, maintenance of a local events calendar, andmaintenance
of the GCVB section of the City's website.
There are currently two locations to
serve visitors:
7th and Main is the
primary location and is staffed during business hours
(16,00 visits this
year)
Wolfe Ranch
Georgetown Main Street Program
The Main Street program has a staff of four, funded by the Economic Development
Department. The Main Street Program works closely with the Community
Services Department. Its focus is the preservation of historic Georgetown.
A representative of this group briefly explained the manner in which they
operate through partnering with various groups to promote and preserve the
appearance of "Downtown Georgetown". They are authorized to
award 50% of the cost (up to $10,000) of exterior work on storefronts (incl.
roof and foundation work and 50% (up to $500) for signage.
Refer to Management Services,
Economic Department, for more information.
Parks and Recreation
This program, founded 18 years ago, is under the direction of Kimberly
Garrett. Its offices are located at 1101 N. College Street. Staffing for
the Parks Division consists of 17 with an additional threeseasonal
employees. The Recreation Division has a staff of 16 full time, five part time,
and 90 seasonal personnel.
The Department has received five
major State and National awards for its programs, facilities (Trails), and
planning (Garey Ranch master plan).
It operates on 2008 budgets of
$2,220,892 for parks and $3,085,302 for recreation.
The Parks Division is responsible for the maintenance of 831 acres of improved
areas including 29 improved parks, sport fields, playgrounds, trails (6.2
miles), Downtown Square, public restrooms, three cemeteries, trash pickup and
special projects.
A dawn to dusk curfew policy was
adopted to curtail vandalism in all parks where there is no lighting.
The primary recreational facility is
the Recreation Center, which is currently undergoing major renovation and
expansion. The 18,000 sq. ft.facility, originally
built in 1995 at a cost of $1.8 million,is being
expanded to 64,000 sq. ft.as a result of the passage
of the 2004 $10 million bond issue. An Open House is scheduled for
January 31, 2009 to celebrate the completion of the expansion. Immediately
thereafter, renovation of the existing facility will begin.
Other major recreational
facilities/programs include:
McMaster Athletic
Complex
Youth and Adult Sport Leagues
Youth Camps
Adventure
Programs
Special
Events
Tennis Center - 11 lighted coourts
Skate Park
Bark Park
Garey Park
This article concludes the reports
on the Georgetown Citizens Academy-Community Services. We hope you have
found the series to be interesting and informative.
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