A Brownwood Municipal Development District board action was ratified Tuesday morning by the Brownwood City Council, approving a Downtown Retail Opportunity Program grant to the Texas Funco Building, LLC, for a building located at 101 Fisk for $10,000.

The new owners of the former Texas Funco Building will be developing a new rentable, retail space as part of their overall project. This space will be in addition to the restaurant space that will be developed in the same building.

BMDD Executive Director Ray Tipton said during the meeting the restaurant will be a second location “from a different town more than three hours away. They reached out more than a year and a half ago and we showed them several downtown buildings.”

Tipton said the owner will spend over $300,000 in renovations on the building, which will house three businesses – a restaurant, the upstairs business with a side entrance on Baker, and the current barber shop that faces Baker.

The buildout for this space will include a new separation wall, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and flooring. The new space will be approximately 1,200 square feet This part of the building also includes the old barber shop location, which will remain intact, but will get some exterior renovations.

Under the Downtown Retail OpportunityProgram, in addition to the base $25,000 incentive, additional grant funds can be added for creating multiple rentable spaces in the same building – much like the old Ranger College recently completed.

Since this project has already been awarded $25,000 through the BIIP program, staff recommended another $10,000 for this part of the project for the creation of new rentable, retail space. A tenant has not been secured for this smaller location at this time.

Also Tuesday, the City Council:

* Ratified BMDD Board action to approve a Building Improvement Incentive Program (BIIP) grant to Solstice Investors Group, LLC for a building located at 220 Center Avenue in an amount approved by the BMDD board.

A new investment group recently purchased the Advantage Office Supply building located at 220 Center Avenue. They have been in the process of a multi-phase remodeling project on the building. The first phase was asbestos abatement, which has been complete. The next phase will include roof replacement and HVAC replacement. Both the roof and HVAC units are old and at the end of their life expectancy. They will also be working on a few other interior improvements of the building. Total improvements are estimated to be between $50,000 and $60,000. Currently, Advantage Office Supply is operating at a temporary location, but plan to move back into the building upon completion of the improvements.

* Ratified BMDD Board action to approve a Building Improvement Incentive Program (BIIP) grant to BMSM Investments, LLC, for a building located at 705 W. Austin in an amount approved by the BMDD board.

BMSM Investments, LLC, is purchasing the car wash located at 705 W. Austin and plans to make improvements to the facility. Improvements include a new roof, trim for both front and back canopies, new paint to the exterior brink, new sheet metal on the exterior vertical walls for the equipment rooms, and new LED lighting for security. The estimated costs for the improvements on this project are $37,500.

* Ratified BMDD Board action to approve a Building Improvement Incentive Program (BIIP) grant to Plaw Investments, LLC, for a building located at 1103 Clements in an amount approved by the BMDD board.

The owner of the building at 1103 Clements is securing a new tenant for the building – XO XO Nail Lounge. This will require a complete interior remodel, which will include new interior walls, plumbing, electrical, and flooring. The estimated costs for the improvements on this project are $80,224.

* Ratified BMDD Board action to approve a Building Improvement Incentive Program (BIIP) grant to Robbin Townsend for a building located at 303 N. Fisk in an amount approved by the BMDD board.

The owner of the building located at 303 N. Fisk is working on some remodeling which includes roof replacement, updating some electrical and plumbing, and replacing carpet in part of the building. This building is home to a commercial office space and massage therapy. An application for similar work on this building was submitted and approved in 2021, but the owner sold the building and did not move forward with the remodeling, so that agreement has expired. The total estimated costs of this project is $26,585.20.

Also Tuesday, the City Council voted to award the City’s bank depository contract to Citizens National Bank for three years beginning January 1, 2023, with two renewal options of one year each.

The Council also authorized City Manager Emily Crawford to sign an office lease agreement for U.S. Congressman, August Pfluger. Congressman Pfluger currently has office space leased in Brownwood City Hall and would like to renew the lease. The term of the lease is from January 3, 2023, through January 2, 2025. This coincides with the constitutional term of the Congress to which the member is elected.