LCRA, City of Shiner award $25,000 grant to Shiner Academic and Athletic Foundation

New HVAC unit in old Shiner High School gym will provide a safer, more comfortable atmosphere for community events

May 11, 2023

SHINER, Texas – The Shiner Academic and Athletic Foundation will install a new heating and air-conditioning system in the old Shiner High School gym, thanks to a $25,000 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority and the City of Shiner.
 
The Community Development Partnership Program grant, along with $13,500 in matching funds from the foundation, will create a more comfortable and safer environment for community events.
 
“People have shied away from hosting tournaments or events at the gym because there is no air conditioning,” Shiner Academic and Athletic Foundation President Robert Werner said. “We currently use old fans in the gym but still sweat. No one wants to sit in a gym when it’s over 100 degrees outside with nothing but a ceiling fan.”
 
The gym is located inside the original Shiner High School, which was built in 1938 and has never had air conditioning. The gym is used every day for youth volleyball and basketball leagues, high school sports practices, as well as theater plays and pageants.
 
The HVAC unit will allow the gym to be climate controlled and provide a more comfortable space for athletes and spectators.
 
On humid days the gym floor gets so slippery that it becomes difficult to stand on. The new system will prevent the floor from building up condensation, turning it into an unsafe, slippery surface.
 
“I saw my grandson play in a Little Dribblers basketball game and none of them could stand up,” Werner said. “They would slide 10 feet. It was like they were ice skating.”
 
He said that with the new HVAC and other recent renovations such as a new roof, paint and renovated restrooms, the gym will be able to host more tournaments and events, and that Shiner can once again be proud of the gym.
 
“It would have taken years for us to raise the funds to install an HVAC unit without this grant,” Werner said. “I can’t tell you how thankful we are to the LCRA.”
 
The Shiner Academic and Athletic Foundation estimates the gym renovations will be nearly complete by the end of the year.
 
The community grant is one of 34 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. The City of Shiner 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 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.

Media Contact
Clara Tuma
512–578–3292
[email protected]