Tow Community Center gets $20K grant for emergency shelter revamp
LCRA representatives present a $20,846 grant to the Tow Community Center Association for upgrades to enable it to serve as a disaster relief shelter. Pictured (from left) are Llano Chamber of Commerce administrator Tony Guidroz, association board member Tim Hackney, board President Gloria Buchanan, board Vice President Dave Hooge, LCRA board member Margaret Voelter, association board Secretary Kelly Whited, board Treasurer Paul Norman, board member David Gibson, and LCRA Regional Affairs representative Susan Patten. Courtesy photo
The Tow Community Center Association can now install a generator and make other upgrades to the facility so it can serve as an emergency shelter for residents thanks to a $20,846 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority.
The Community Development Partnership Program grant, along with $8,857 in matching funds from the association, will pay for the purchase and installation of a generator and a new heating and cooling system, according to a recent LCRA media release about the grant. The center also will add commercial-grade appliances and use industrial heating tape to safeguard its water well and the connected pipes.
Association board Treasurer Paul Norman said the harsh conditions during Winter Storm Uri in 2021 sparked the push for upgrades. Once the improvements are made, Llano County officials will be able to designate the community center as a safe place for approximately 100 area residents displaced by a natural disaster or other type of emergency.
“When I got the email about the grant, my first reaction was to jump up and down and shout, ‘Hooray, we’re going to get it!’” said Norman in the LCRA release. “This is going to let us get out and get busy rounding up these things we need to have a safer, more reliable place ready for when it’s needed.”
He said the center needs the upgrades before it can serve as an emergency shelter.
“Right now, if the power goes down, we’re in trouble,” Norman added. “If our water source freezes, we’re in trouble. This grant allows us to attack three essential things: heating and cooling, power and lights, and reliable water.”
The new commercial-grade kitchen will benefit anyone staying at the center during an emergency as well as people attending a social or community event held there.
Located close to the western shoreline of Lake Buchanan, the Tow Community Center occupies a building that once served as the original schoolhouse before it was moved during the construction of Buchanan Dam in the 1930s. The center has since been expanded and is now the site of family reunions, weddings, church services, arts and exercise classes, and more events.
For many residents of Tow, Buchanan Lake Village, and Paradise Point, the center is a primary location for social activities. Thanks to the planned upgrades, it will also provide safe harbor if needed, Norman said.
“When we had that big freeze in 2021, we were so ill-prepared for it,” he said. “That told us we needed to make a push to become a designated disaster relief station. It was definitely a wake-up call. We’re so thankful to the LCRA for getting involved in this project. Without this financial boost, we would not be able to get this done.”
The community grant is one of 45 grants recently awarded 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 the river authority’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.