BRENHAM CITY COUNCIL TO CONSIDER RESOLUTION ADOPTING DOWNTOWN LIFE SAFETY GRANT PROGRAM

  

The Brenham City Council will act on a resolution on Thursday to potentially adopt a life safety grant program for downtown property owners.

During a work session last month, councilmembers learned about the program and its intent to provide property and business owners in downtown with financial assistance to construct improvements needed for compliance with Texas Accessibility Standards, International Fire Code and International Building Code.

The goal of the grant program is to encourage investment in downtown buildings, which could lead to vacant or underutilized buildings becoming occupied.  If approved, the program would have a maximum of $120,000 available to allocate in the current budget cycle, with grants being awarded on a reimbursement basis up to $60,000. 

Also at Thursday’s meeting, the council will hold a public hearing and vote on the creation of a reinvestment zone for commercial tax phase-in, concerning property at 207/209 East Main Street.  Brenham Main Street Holdings, LLC seeks to refurbish the second floor of the building with the goal of moving the Moorman/Tate law firm from the first floor and modernizing the space while keeping the building’s historical character.  The total capital investment is estimated at $2 million. 

In other business, the council will:

• Take up two change orders to the 2021 professional services agreement between the city and Quiddity Engineering, LLC for the Brenham Family Park.  City staff says the proposed change order is an increase of $42,067 and is to cover costs that have either exceeded the contract amount or have been added to the scope of work that was not originally accounted for.
• Vote on purchasing station alerting software and equipment for Brenham Fire Station No. 1, Brenham Fire Station No. 2 and the Washington County 911 Communications Center through the Houston-Galveston Area Council cooperative purchasing program.  The projected total is $193,355.
• Hold an executive session to consult with an attorney concerning the Brenham Municipal Airport, its operations and services, and associated matters.  No action is scheduled to be taken.

The council will meet Thursday at 1 p.m. at Brenham City Hall.

Click here to view the agenda packet for Thursday's meeting.