LCRA awards $21,045 grant for upgrades to Rochelle Memorial Community Center
Renovations will help historic building continue to serve community
Dec. 2, 2021
LCRA representatives present a $21,045 grant to the Rochelle Study Club for renovations to its community center. The grant is part of LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program. Pictured, from left to right, are: Betty Knutson, club member; Brenda Taylor, club member; Ann Moseley, club member; Maggie Sawyer, club fundraising chair; Linda Davis, club treasurer; Marilyn Waller, community center trustee; Gloria Barr, club member; Sara Myers, community center trustee; Margaret Draycott, community center trustee; Teresa Barr, club member; Phyllis Bolton, community center trustee; Mary Warren, club member; Martha Leigh M. Whitten, LCRA Board member; Lisa Folse, club member; Glenda Ranne, community center trustee; Helen Motz, club vice president; Cindy Willmann, club member; Rick Kemp, McCulloch County commissioner; and Steve Dyer, LCRA Regional Affairs representative.
McCULLOCH COUNTY, Texas – A $21,045 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority will help the Rochelle Study Club continue to renovate the 109-year-old Santa Fe Train Depot, which has served as the Rochelle Memorial Community Center since 1956.
The Community Development Partnership Program grant, along with $42,666 in matching funds, will allow the club to repair the building’s exterior walls and trim, add new interior window blinds and replace an aging water heater.
“The exterior is a wood-frame structure built in 1912 and is in need of major restoration,” said Phyllis Yeats, president of the Rochelle Study Club. “It was a train depot before becoming our community center. The club bought the depot in the 1950s and moved it to U.S. Highway 190 to serve as a community space.”
The grant also will enable the club to add a separate storage space on the property to store tables and chairs that are used during larger events. The additional storage will help with accessibility to hallways and emergency exits.
Yeats said the community center has been a gathering place for over 65 years and has hosted numerous events, including family gatherings, school functions, social events and intellectual improvement programs. Restoring the center will help the club continue to have an active presence in the community.
“The community center is open to residents and any nonprofit free of charge,” Yeats said. “It’s important for our community to have a place to meet and get to know one another. The new additions to the building will provide our residents with a comfortable space to gather.”
The Rochelle Study Club is committed to promoting community uplift through civic engagement. It supports public education events and other service organizations in the county through volunteer work, donations and fundraising. In addition to the work to be done with the help of the LCRA grant, the club has secured additional grants and donations to pay for other improvements at the center, including major electrical upgrades, new toilets, a refrigerator and a new roof.
The community grant is one of 32 grants awarded recently through LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program, which helps volunteer fire departments, local governments, emergency responders and nonprofit organizations fund capital improvement projects in LCRA’s wholesale electric, water and transmission service areas. The program is part of LCRA’s effort to give back to the communities it serves.
Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted in January. More information is available at lcra.org/cdpp.
About LCRA
The Lower Colorado River Authority serves customers and communities throughout Texas by managing the lower Colorado River; generating and transmitting electric power; providing a clean, reliable water supply; and offering outdoor adventures at more than 40 parks along the Colorado River from the Texas Hill Country to the Gulf Coast. LCRA and its employees are committed to fulfilling our mission to enhance the quality of life of the Texans we serve through water stewardship, energy and community service. LCRA was created by the Texas Legislature in 1934 and receives no state appropriations. For more information, visit lcra.org.
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