Chamber seeks donations for Kingsland Community Hall renovations
An artist's rendering of the Kingsland Community Hall after proposed renovations take place. The Kingsland/Lake LBJ Chamber of Commerce is trying to raise $225,000 to complete the renovations and upgrade the venue for the community. Courtesy image Kingsland/Lake LBJ Chamber of Commerce
The Kingsland/Lake LBJ Chamber of Commerce is fundraising $225,000 to complete a full renovation of the hall at Kingsland Community Park, 155 Lions Park Road. The chamber is turning to the community for money as the park receives no government/public funding.
The Kingsland Hall is a meeting place for the lakeside community that has been in the midst of a makeover since the major flooding of Lake LBJ in October 2018.
To learn more about donating and how to help, visit the chamber’s website.
“The final piece of redoing that whole park is remodeling that building that has been there for years,” Melody Yanniell, former president of the chamber, told DailyTrib.com. “It’s been my passion for my past three years as president.”
Yanniell recently stepped down as president of the chamber, on Nov. 12, but has overseen all of the work done on the Kingsland Community Park over the last three years.
The only consistent funding the park receives comes from $5 to $10 dollar boat ramp use fee. Otherwise, funding has to come from the chamber, grants, or donations.
The hall is traditionally used by the Kingsland community for parties, meetings, and events.
The chamber has drawn up plans for serious upgrades, like the addition of a patio, but much of the funds will be used to overhaul infrastructure, like adding a new roof, upgraded air conditioning, and electrical work.
The chamber has already added restrooms and picnic tables to the park on its own dime, and received a $25,000 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority to upgrade the hall, but more is needed to get all of the proposed work done.
The park is entrusted to the chamber, it is not county owned, so there is no public funding or tax money funneled into its maintenance and upkeep. The chamber is solely responsible for maintaining and upgrading the park and its facilities.
If the hall improvements were completely dependent on the boat launch fees, Yanniell said it could be several years before any renovations were completed.