Marble Falls museum gets $25K grant
LCRA and PEC representatives present a $25,000 grant to The Falls on the Colorado Museum in Marble Falls for major renovations. (Front, from left) PEC External Relations representative Jared Fields, museum board Chair Amanda Seim, LCRA board members Carol Freeman and Margaret Voelter, LCRA General Manager Phil Wilson, and LCRA board member Michael Allen; (middle, left) PEC External Relations representative Beth Koennecke, LCRA Regional Affairs representative Susan Patten, museum board Secretary Nancy Ebeling, and Lakeway Municipal Utility District General Manager Earl Foster; (back, left) museum board member Jase Sutton, PEC Community Relations manager Celeste Mikeska, museum board member Danielle Meredith, museum board Vice Chair Darlene Oostermeyer, and museum board member Robyn Richter. LCRA photo
The Falls on the Colorado Museum in Marble Falls recently received a $25,000 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority and Pedernales Electric Cooperative that will go toward a major renovation project.
The LCRA Community Development Partnership Program grant will be combined with more than $216,000 in matching funds from the museum to restore its historic home, the Old Granite School, including renovating and opening the second floor to exhibits on local history and culture.
“We’re restoring the original look of the building, so it’s going to look more like the original building, in addition to being more functional,” said museum Chair Amanda Seim in an LCRA media release announcing the grant. “At the same time, this is not just about preserving the building, it’s about expanding our capacity. There are so many people that come through and say they went to school here or taught here, and it’s wonderful that the building is put to use in such a meaningful way. This renovation is going to help us enrich the lives of the people in Marble Falls.”
In the past, The Falls on the Colorado has only been able to use the building’s first floor because of the poor condition of the second floor. The renovation project will make the second floor safe and usable as well as replace 29 upstairs windows with historically accurate versions and refurbish 28 downstairs windows to improve the building’s energy efficiency. Many of the museum’s windows were damaged during an April hailstorm.
Project plans also include upstairs space for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs and hands-on exhibits for youth, repairs to both sets of interior stairs, carpet replacement, and an accessible toilet.
In the media release, LCRA General Manager Phil Wilson said the planned renovations will help The Falls on the Colorado preserve the history of Marble Falls as well as promote lifelong learning through its new programs.
“Preserving local heritage is an important part of a vibrant community,” he said. “Recognizing and understanding your community’s past can play a vital role in helping determine where you go moving forward. LCRA is honored to be able to assist Falls on the Colorado Museum in these significant renovations.”
Museum Chair Seim said the LCRA/PEC grant will help push the renovation project across the finish line.
“The community has really come together for donations, but the contributions and support from LCRA and PEC are crucial to finishing this project,” she said in the media release. “Without them, we would be waiting a very long time to complete these important renovations.”
The community grant to the museum is one of 37 grants recently awarded through LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program, which helps volunteer fire departments, local governments, emergency responders, and nonprofit organizations fund eligible capital improvement projects in LCRA’s wholesale electric, water and transmission service areas. The program is part of LCRA’s effort to give back to the communities it serves. PEC is one of LCRA’s wholesale electric customers and is a partner in the grant program.
Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted in January. More information is available at lcra.org/cdpp.