LCRA awards $5,000 grant to Melvin Community Center
Community center to replace decades-old carpet with new vinyl flooring
June 1, 2023
LCRA representatives present a $5,000 grant to the City of Melvin for repairs to its community center. The grant is part of LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program. Pictured, from left to right, are: Josie Castillo, former Melvin mayor; Michael L. “Mike” Allen, Margaret D. “Meg” Voelter and Carol Freeman, LCRA Board members; Marelina Brown, Melvin mayor pro tem; Marlinda Davis, Melvin city secretary; and Steve Dyer, LCRA Regional Affairs representative.
The Community Development Partnership Program grant, along with $600 in matching funds from the city, will help provide a safer, more welcoming gathering place at the Melvin Community Center.
“The carpet is worn-out and it’s coming off,” said Marelina Brown, Melvin mayor pro tem. “If someone wears heels, they could get caught in it and an accident could happen.”
Brown said the city wants to preserve the community center for future generations.
“The building is 75 years old and is deteriorating,” Brown said. “With proper repairs, our residents will be able to enjoy this space now and in the years to come.”
The community center has been a popular venue for decades for meetings, birthdays, baby showers, weddings and other functions. The center is also open to people from surrounding communities including Brady, Eden, Paint Rock and Lohn.
“Whatever the residents need, we try to provide the community center for them,” Brown said.
She said that getting money to make repairs seemed almost hopeless at one point.
“We kept hitting a brick wall whenever we applied for grants,” she said. “I screamed in joy when we got this. ‘We did it,’ I said to myself, ‘we finally did it!’”
Brown said she felt moved when she heard the good news because she knows what the grant will mean to the community.
“With these repairs, we hope to keep stepping forward in our little community and create a sense of pride within our city and among our residents,” she said. “We are blessed to continue to support our community with the help of organizations like LCRA.”
The community grant is one of 36 grants awarded recently 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 LCRA’s effort to give back to the communities it serves. Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted in July. More information is available at lcra.org/cdpp.
About LCRA
The Lower Colorado River Authority serves customers and communities throughout Texas by managing the lower Colorado River; generating and transmitting electric power; providing a clean, reliable water supply; and offering outdoor adventures at more than 40 parks along the Colorado River from the Texas Hill Country to the Gulf Coast. LCRA and its employees are committed to fulfilling our mission to enhance the quality of life of the Texans we serve through water stewardship, energy and community service. LCRA was created by the Texas Legislature in 1934 and receives no state appropriations. For more information, visit lcra.org.
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