LCRA, City of Goldthwaite award $23,498 grant for improvements to golf course clubhouse

Popular meeting spot soon will get much-needed renovations

NOV. 8, 2024

LCRA representatives present a $23,498 grant to Goldthwaite Municipal Golf Course for renovations to its clubhouse. The grant is part of LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program. Pictured, from left to right, are: Ernesto Barrera, Cathy Byrd and James Crumley, golf course board members; Jett Johnson, Mills County judge; Carol Freeman, LCRA Board member; Chase Sides, golf course board advisor; Margaret D. “Meg” Voelter, LCRA Board member; Clinton Wesson, golf course manager; Marianne Gaspar, golf course board secretary/treasurer; Ross Wickboldt, golf course board vice president; John Palacio, LCRA Regional Affairs representative; Amanda Wood, Central Texas Telephone Cooperative customer service and marketing manager; and Kyleigh Drake, Central Texas Telephone Cooperative marketing associate.
GOLDTHWAITE, Texas – The clubhouse at the Goldthwaite Municipal Golf Course, which frequently hosts family parties, civic groups and community fundraisers, soon will receive both interior and exterior renovations, thanks to a $23,498 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority and the City of Goldthwaite.

The Community Development Partnership Program grant, along with $5,875 in matching funds from the nonprofit organization that manages the golf course, will enable the group to update a variety of clubhouse amenities, including adding new indoor and outdoor lighting, updated restrooms and a new water heater.

Marianne Gaspar, secretary and treasurer of the golf course organization, said the grant also will provide funds for new foam insulation, ceiling tiles, roof repairs and flooring.

“We host cross-country meets and tournaments for our school districts, and right now our facilities are substandard,” Gaspar said. “For one of the meets we had in the past year the school actually brought in portable toilets because they didn’t want to use the bathrooms in the clubhouse, so it’s a very needed update we’re making.”

Gaspar said the improvements will create a better and more functional meeting space for members of the community.

“Our golf course is member maintained, so the only funds we have are membership dues and then we rely on donations and sponsors,” Gaspar said. “Without this grant, those facilities are almost to the point where they would need to be completely closed down.”

The City of Goldthwaite owns the golf course. The Goldthwaite Municipal Golf Course nonprofit organization is responsible for daily maintenance and upkeep of the course and clubhouse.

The community grant is one of 37 grants awarded recently 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. The City of Goldthwaite is one of LCRA’s wholesale electric customers and is a partner in the program.

Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted in January. 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.

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Clara Tuma, Public Information Officer
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