City courts television company

By LPR Staff
Editor/POST-REGISTER

The Lockhart City Council agreed last week to help a California-based closed-circuit television manufacturer secure a grant to build a warehouse in Lockhart.
Northern Video Systems hopes to expand their business into Texas from California, and has shown interest in constructing a 15,000 square foot warehouse and distribu

tion center in Lockhart Industrial Park. The company plans to finance the expansion with a Texas Capital Fund Real Estate grant in the amount of $750,000. Under the program, the City of Lockhart would apply for the grant, but Northern Video Systems would be responsible for repayment of the entire award. Additionally, as a condition of the grant award, Northern Video would be responsible for creating and maintaining permanent, full-time jobs.
According to a release distributed by the city”s economic development director Sandra Mauldin on Wednesday, Northern Video Systems hopes to create 57 jobs in Lockhart over a three-year period, and have the facility open by the spring of 2007.
In other business, the council also decided to apply for a Community Development Partnership Grant through the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) for the development of the skate park addition to Lockhart City Park.
During previous meetings, the council committed at least $60,000 to the skate park project, working in connection with local fundraising groups.
According to Assistant City Manager Vance Rodgers, the city will be able to move forward with the project more quickly if LCRA awards the grant, which includes stipulations for a 20 percent local match. Some of the matching funds can be calculated in the form of in-kind contributions of labor and services.
Ten local organizations were notified that the City of Lockhart will assist them with funding for the next fiscal year.
After much discussion about the allocation of funds, the council opted to fund the same organizations they did last year, at the same levels. However, they did add an allocation for the Community Health Coalition of Caldwell County.
The organizations that will receive funding are: Caldwell County Medical Assist Team – $3,000; CARTS – $4,000; CASA of Central Texas – $1,000; Combined Community Action Homemaker Program – $1,800; Combined Community Action Senior Nutrition Program – $4,500; Hays-Caldwell Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse – $1,000; Hays-Caldwell Women”s Center – $2,000; Lockhart Area Senior Citizen Center – $3,400; Caldwell County Christian Ministries – $1,450; and Community Health Coalition of Caldwell County – $2,500.
In brief council news:
The council adopted a budget and tax rate planning calendar. The council will be attending and televising budget workshops for the next several weeks before finalizing the budget in September.
One citizen approached the council to thank the city for its quick response to complaints about broken glass in a parking lot near Lockhart High School. The citizen mentioned that LHS marching band students had to practice their marching around the glass, and a concerned citizen called the city to borrow a street sweeper. Evidently, within minutes, the street sweeper responded and cleaned the lot.
The council made appointments to various boards and commissions.
The Lockhart City Council meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month in the Glosserman Conference Center of Lockhart City Hall at 7:30 p.m. City council meetings are also televised on Time Warner Cable Channel 10.