As COVID-19 cases rise, Granite Shoals City Hall remains closed
Workers are preparing one of the two buildings at Granite Shoals' Quarry Park for concrete to be poured June 8. The buildings are home to the multi-sports complex. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
Granite Shoals City Hall will not reopen to the public June 8 as hoped due to an increase in COVID-19 cases in Burnet County.
City Manager Jeff Looney noted that the county has 47 cases as of June 3.
Though City Hall remains closed, city staff are conducting business as usual, he added.
Residents can continue to pay water bills through the city website, by calling 830-598-2424, or by writing a check and leaving it and the bill in the dropbox located at City Hall, 2221 N. Phillips Ranch Road.
Looney said the city will continue working with residents who have lost wages due to the pandemic who can’t afford to pay their water bills.
“Call us, and we’ll do what we can,” he said.
City staff are also addressing street projects, keeping parks clean for use, and operating the water plant.
“Even though we’re closed to the public, we’re still working hard to keep our citizens safe and provide them with the services they’re used to,” he said. “Even though they can’t come see us, they can call us during business hours, and someone here will answer.”
While he wasn’t sure when City Hall would reopen to the public, he talked of a projected date of Monday, June 22.
Last month, Looney asked the City Council to empower him to make the decision on when to reopen city hall, which the council did. Mayor Carl Brugger and Looney equally decided that City Hall would reopen when COVID-19 cases in the city and county are on a decline.
Looney said he hopes that will happen in the coming weeks.
In other activity around the city, Landreth Construction crews are scheduled to pour concrete for the multi-sports complex floor on June 8.
“They’ll have fifteen people working on it the day they’re pouring,” Looney said.
The cost of the concrete project to the city is $110,000-$120,000.
In 2017, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department gave the city a $500,000 grant for the multi-sports complex.