LCRA, Bluebonnet Electric Co-op award $50,000 grant to Rockne Community Recreation Center

New baseball field lighting will improve visibility, increase safety for players and fans

Nov. 6, 2025

BASTROP COUNTY, Texas – The Rockne Community Recreation Center soon will upgrade its popular community baseball field with new durable light poles and LED lights, thanks to a $50,000 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority and Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative.

The community grant, along with $21,888 in matching funds from the recreation center, will pay to replace damaged wood poles and add energy-efficient LED lighting to increase safety at the fields, which host a number of community leagues and events throughout the year.

News of the grant comes at a good time for two reasons. First, the center is preparing to celebrate its 50th anniversary. And almost as important, the center needed to find a way to stop area birds from damaging wood poles at the field, creating a concern that heavy winds might cause the poles to topple.

“Some of the existing wooden light poles are more than 40 years old,” said Al Bauer, Rockne Community Recreation Center member. “Woodpeckers have actually pecked holes in the existing poles, which have caused a few to break off. Replacing them with metal or concrete poles will ensure the improvements we make are longer lasting.”

The center hosts both youth and adult baseball/softball leagues, as well as an annual BBQ cookoff, a fish fry, Easter egg hunt and other events.

Paige Cox, community center vice president, said the improved lighting will allow the organization to extend its playing hours, which is needed as interest in outdoor recreation and league play continues to grow.

“Our fields have seen generations of families participating in community leagues, and as we approach our 50th anniversary in 2026, receiving this grant feels particularly meaningful,” Cox said.

“These improvements will ensure future generations can enjoy the same sense of community, pride and tradition that RCRC has built over the past five decades.”

This is one of 41 grants awarded recently through LCRA Community Grants. These grants are awarded twice a year as part of LCRA’s effort to give back to communities in its wholesale electric, water and transmission service areas. Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative is one of LCRA’s wholesale electric customers and is a partner in the Community Grants program.

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.

About Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative

Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative is one of the largest electric cooperatives in Texas and has been serving its members since 1939. Bluebonnet serves more than 143,000 meters and owns and maintains 12,700 miles of power lines, located across more than 3,800 square miles within 14 Central Texas counties. Bluebonnet’s service area stretches from Travis County to Washington County, and from Milam County to Gonzales County. For more information about Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative, go to bluebonnet.coop and follow the co-op on Facebook and X/Twitter.

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