City Offices Move to Eighth and MLK Streets
The City of Georgetown Planning Department is moving to the historic Light and Water Works building at the corner of Eighth and MLK Jr. streets. The red brick building with the smoke stack that was built in 1911 was most recently home to the police department for 30 years. The Economic Development Department and some smaller departments moved to the building in November.
The Planning Department entrance is on the east side of the building addressed as 406 W. Eighth Street. The Planning Department will be closed December 30 – 31 and will open in the new location on January 4. The Permitting and Inspections Department is not moving, but will remain at 300-1 Industrial Avenue at the Georgetown Municipal Complex.
The Economic Development Department moved to the Light and Water Works building November 18 – 19. The department uses the west entrance to the building addressed as 809 MLK, Jr. Street. The Main Street Program, Housing Department, and Public Communications Department also moved to the new building in November.
The historic Light and Water Works building is part of the city building renovation project known as Downtown West. The project also includes converting the former library at 808 MLK, Jr. Street to a new City Hall and renovating the Communications and Technology Building at 510 W. Ninth Street to become the new Municipal Court and Council Chamber.
A programming plan for Downtown West, which determines uses that could fit in the buildings, was presented to the City Council on November 24 and adopted at the December 8 meeting. According to the programming plan, the two-story section of the Light and Water Works building would become open space with the interior second floor removed. This change would be part of a future phase of work not expected to begin until 2017 or later.
Design of the new City Hall and new Municipal Court and Council Chamber is scheduled for the first half of 2016 with construction to begin in the fall of 2016.
A new 144-space public parking lot on MLK, Jr. Street at Eighth Street is nearly complete and will open soon.
Georgetown on Top Christmas Destinations in America List
Georgetown was recently named a top 50 Christmas destination in America in a list published by Newsmax, an online news source. Georgetown is number 7 in the U.S. on the list and is the only Texas city in the top 19 places. San Antonio is number 20.
According to the article, “Newsmax has rounded up 50 of the very best places in America for you and your loved ones to visit this Christmas season—places that will etch themselves forever in both your memories and your hearts. Our list isn’t defined specifically by size or by number of visitors, but you’ll notice that each location’s unique, wholesome, and family-oriented events and activities help shape these rankings.”
In the number 7 ranking for Georgetown, the article cites Christmas festivities like “an annual window display competition between 18 stores for the most lavish Christmas show, and the 35th Annual Christmas Stroll through Georgetown Square’s Bethlehem Village, which is like a Christmas card come to life.”
Other special Christmas and holiday events in Georgetown include the annual Lighting of the Square event, Breakfast with Santa, the Blue Santa toy drive, holiday events at the public library, two holiday home tours, holiday concerts, and many other events by nonprofits and churches in Georgetown.
Lights on the Courthouse and on buildings and in trees around the downtown Square are on display through January 2. To find out more about the lights and holiday season in Georgetown, go to holiday.georgetown.org.
Breakfast Bites on Sheraton Georgetown Dec. 9
The next quarterly Breakfast Bites panel on December 9 will focus on the Sheraton Georgetown Texas Hotel and Conference Center, which is set to open next summer. Panelists will provide insights into the ways that the new 225-room four-star hotel and 30,000 square foot conference center will be a game changer for Georgetown tourism. Breakfast Bites is a quarterly business development event by the Georgetown Main Street Program.
The Breakfast Bites panel will include three key people involved with the Sheraton Georgetown Texas Hotel and Conference Center and its impact on Georgetown.
Lorena Chappell is employed by Starwood Hotels and Resorts as director of sales and marketing for the new Sheraton Georgetown Texas Hotel and Conference Center. Chappell has worked in hospitality for more than 22 years and previously was the director of catering and conference planning at the Four Seasons Hotel in Houston.
Jeff Novak is the founding partner for Novak Brothers, a real estate development firm. Novak Brothers and international real estate firm Hines are developing the Sheraton Georgetown Texas Hotel and Conference Center. Novak Brothers has developed more than $250 million in real estate projects with assets valued at more than $125 million including residential developments, multi-family, retail, office, and hotels.
Marie Woodard is the group sales and servicing coordinator for the Georgetown Convention and Visitors Bureau. Woodard has 26 years of experience in hospitality and tourism including 14 years as director of sales for the Kerrville Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The moderator for the panel is Laurie Brewer, assistant city manager for the City of Georgetown and director of the Downtown and Community Services Division.
The event on Wednesday, December 9 is from 8:30 to 9:50 a.m. in the Friends Room at the Georgetown Public Library, 402 W. Eighth Street. Breakfast snacks, coffee, and drinks will be provided. Networking starts at 8 a.m.
Attendees should pre-register by contacting Shelly Hargrove, Main Street manager, by 5 p.m. on Monday, December 7 at shelly.hargrove@georgetown.org or (512) 930-2027. Main Street is a program of the City of Georgetown Downtown and Community Services Department.
Lighting the Square Essay Contest
This year the student winner of an essay contest will help Georgetown Mayor Dale Ross and Williamson County Judge Dan A. Gattis flip the switch to turn on the lights at the Lighting of the Square on November 27. The annual lighting event is at 5:30 p.m. on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
Students in the third, fourth, and fifth grades are invited to write a short essay on the topic, “Why I am proud Georgetown has the greenest Christmas in Texas.” The essay topic recognizes the City of Georgetown’s green energy plans to purchase all of its energy from wind and solar sources by 2017.
Contest rules: Essays are limited to 75 words or less. Essays can be emailed to editor@wilcosun.com or delivered to the office of the Williamson County Sun at 707 S. Main Street, on the east side of the Courthouse Square. Essays are due by 5 p.m. on November 11. The essay contest winner will help to turn on the lights on the Square on November 27.
The Lighting of the Square essay contest is sponsored by the City of Georgetown, Williamson County, The Williamson Museum, and the Williamson County Sun.
This year the lights in the trees and on buildings around the Courthouse Square are sponsored by Georgetown Utility Systems. Georgetown is set to be one of the first cities in the U.S. to be powered by 100 percent renewable energy from wind and solar plants in West Texas. Williamson County is contributing to the lighting costs with funds raised from donations.
Collectible Ornament Sale: Southwestern Cullen Building
A limited-edition collectible brass Christmas ornament featuring the historic Cullen Building at Southwestern University is now on sale. The cost of the ornament is $20, tax included. The ninth annual ornament sale is a project of the Georgetown Main Street Program.
The Cullen Building was constructed between 1898 and 1900 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Romanesque limestone building at Maple Street and University Avenue is a landmark in Georgetown.
Known over the years as Old Main and the Administration “Ad” Building, the Cullen Building was renovated in the 1970s and again in 2012, and is now home to University administration offices and a number of classrooms. The building was renamed the Roy and Lillie Cullen Building in 1977 after funds from the Cullen Foundation of Houston enabled the university to complete the first major renovation of the building.
Cullen Building ornaments can be purchased at the Visitors Center, 103 W. Seventh Street or at the Art Center, 816 S. Main Street. Only 325 of the limited-edition ornaments are available. Ornaments typically sell out each year. Payments by cash, check, or credit are accepted.
All proceeds from the ornament sale fund Main Street projects and Façade Fund Grant Program.
Downtown Low-Down Meeting October 14
Come find out about upcoming City projects and event updates at the next quarterly Downtown Low-Down meeting on Wednesday, October 14.
The informal meeting starts at 8:30 a.m. at Roots Bistro, 118 W. Eighth Street. Coffee and light breakfast snacks will be provided. There will be updates from City staff on:
- Parking lot at MLK, Jr. and Eighth streets: construction update
- Second Street utility and streets project: construction update
- Downtown Parking Study
- Downtown projects for 2016 (including Downtown West)
- Best of Georgetown, TX
- Art Center and Library events
- Historic Resource Survey update
- Holiday hours campaign
- Ladies Nite Out on Nov. 19
- Shop Small Spree on Nov. 29
- 2015 holiday events
- Downtown sales tax trends
Also, find out about new businesses in the downtown district that have opened or are under construction.
Finally, the Main Street Advisory Board will take a photo to promote the Shop Small campaign. The photo will be taken at 8:15 a.m. before the meeting. Plus, everyone gets a pirate eye patch for the photo!
If you plan to attend, please RSVP by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, October 13 to Jackson Daly at (512) 931-7679 or at jackson.daly@georgetown.org.
Living Uptown in Downtown: Breakfast Bites on Sept. 16
Many of Georgetown’s Victorian-era commercial buildings on the Square included shops and offices on the first floor and apartments on the second floor. While a few second-floor residences remain, a new generation of downtown residences is emerging.
The Breakfast Bites panel Living Uptown in Downtown on September 16 will profile projects that offer residential living in Georgetown’s downtown district. Breakfast Bites is a quarterly business development event by the Georgetown Main Street Program. A number of downtown residential developers will be on the panel:
Sam Pfiester is a local developer who is planning a new residential town home project on the north side of the downtown area. Pfiester also is a partner in Monument Café and El Monumento, two restaurants in the downtown area. Sam and his wife Rebecca also live in the Old Town area near downtown.
Kent Collins is the developer of the 400 Main Street project, which is a redevelopment project that includes four townhomes and four single-family residences on Main Street on the north side of downtown.
Robert Choi is a partner in Tamiro Plaza, a multi-story commercial development on the north side of downtown that includes offices and two restaurants: Nancy’s Sky Garden and Uptown Social. A new phase of Tamiro Plaza will include residential units.
Justin Bohls is the owner of Union on Eighth, an event center on the east side of downtown in the former Conway Transmission shop. Justin and his wife Katy also live in an historic home in the Old Town area near downtown.
The moderator for the panel is Laurie Brewer, assistant city manager for the City of Georgetown and director of the Downtown and Community Services Division.
The event on Wednesday, September 16 is from 8:30 to 9:50 a.m. in the Friends Room at the Georgetown Public Library, 402 W. Eighth Street. Breakfast snacks, coffee, and drinks will be provided. Networking starts at 8 a.m.
Attendees should pre-register by contacting Shelly Hargrove, Main Street manager, by 5 p.m. on Monday, September 14 at shelly.hargrove@georgetown.org or (512) 930-2027. Main Street is a program of the City of Georgetown Downtown and Community Services Department.
Vote for the Best of Georgetown, TX in September
Where’s the best place to take kids in Georgetown? Where is the best lunch spot? The best dessert? The best wedding venue?
During the month of September, vote in the online poll for the Best of Georgetown, TX with 42 categories for local businesses, attractions, services, and activities in Georgetown.
Voting starts on September 1 and ends on September 30. Vote online at Bestof.Georgetown.org. Each ballot must include at least 20 categories.
The top three winners in each category will be announced on First Friday on November 6 at 6:30 p.m. at Union on Eighth Street at 224 E. Eighth Street. The list of winners will be posted at Bestof.Georgetown.org.
Winning businesses receive window decals as well as certificates showing their award and category. In addition, the business name will be listed on the 2015 winners flyer at the Visitors Center and on the Bestof.Georgetown.org website for one year. Winners will have access to the Best of Georgetown 2015 logo for use in their websites and printed material.
The annual Best of Georgetown, TX contest is sponsored by the City of Georgetown Convention and Visitors Bureau.
