Newsletter received from Chad Huckaby – P.O. Box 631595 – Nacogdoches, TX 75963 – Email: huckabyc@nactx.us
Chad Huckaby – Mayor Pro Tem
FALL FUN IN NACOGDOCHES
I’m grateful to you for the opportunity to serve on your City Council and to members of the Council for asking me to serve as Mayor Pro Tem for the past two years. It’s an honor to help lead a city that has so many exciting things going on. This month the Old Town Rig Down has once again brought visitors to our downtown from all over the country. This unique event, organized by the Massey Rose Foundation, benefits our community in numerous ways and kicks off a long list of fall activities in our downtown. Your city works with organizations to prepare for street closures and logistics that help make these major downtown events so much fun.
NORTH STREET / TXDOT PARTNERSHIP
After hearing input from the city and residents regarding the Lloyd Street intersection with North Street, TXDOT is partnering with the city on a more comprehensive traffic study for North Street. This study, along with a federally funded look at pedestrian and bicycle connections between Austin Street/SFA and downtown create an opportunity to consider the possibilities of North Street as a gateway connecting SFA, downtown businesses and neighborhoods. It’s partnerships like these that make it possible for the city to look into the future and plan for coming development without shouldering all of the planning and execution costs.
MOVIES AND MORE
The City Council has approved an economic development agreement supporting ICON Cinemas planned renovation of the former AMC Theater on North Street, bringing a first-class theater back to Nacogdoches. Also approved is a study to examine lodging demand and the feasibility of a downtown event venue as well as a look at potential investment needs and opportunities to attract private development. The goal is to collect data that can help guide future tourism and downtown economic-development decisions.
PLANNING AHEAD, CUTTING COSTS
When voters approved the city bond proposals, it allowed the Council to begin work on infrastructure construction that ultimately will accommodate future growth and save the city millions of dollars in repair costs. Just a few of the on-going projects are modernization of water and waste water operations, planning for long-term landfill capacity and rebuilding much of the Lanana and Banita sanitary sewer system.
LEVERAGING OUTSIDE DOLLARS TO SAVE LOCAL TAX DOLLARS
The City Council has also been able to leverage state, federal and grant resources to help conserve local tax dollars. In addition to federal and state funding for the North Street studies, which requires no local match, the city has pursued up to $5.7 million in federal funding for construction at the airport as well as a Texas Community Development Block Grant for street improvements. It is these kinds of forward thinking efforts that are allowing our city to move forward on projects that otherwise would not be possible.
