The Wichita Falls City Council will consider allocating more money for the Memorial Auditorium overhaul, beginning the demolition process for a historic home and raising bus rates.
The council will meet at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday in the Seminar Room at MPEC, 1000 Fifth St. The meeting is open to the public and will be streamed live on the city’s Facebook page.
Councilors will consider tacking another $388,654 onto the $19.1 million allocated for renovation of city offices at the auditorium.
The agenda item said contingency funds for the renovation have been consumed by “unknowns and corrections” to the original project. Although the overhaul was initially limited primarily to the offices, the unknowns and corrections apply to the performance hall of the auditorium.
They would include increasing the fire sprinkler pump size, adding fire alarm devices in the performance hall and increasing the electrical capacity for lighting the stage. The item said the work is needed prior to a planned remodel of the auditorium.
The agenda said the additional money would come from interest earned on the city’s American Rescue Plan Act funds and from venue tax funds.
The offices’ renovation received the largest share of the city’s ARPA $29 million federal grant intended for recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of the city’s oldest homes is among 15 structures considered dangerous and scheduled for demolition. The 133-year-old Berry Brown House at 1400 Travis Avenue had fallen into disrepair over the years and was severely damaged in a fire on March 29.
Also on the demolition list is former Freedom Baptist Church at 3800 Shasta Drive which was badly damaged in an arsonist’s fire in September 2023.
If councilors pass the measure, owners of the properties would have 30 days to demolish them.
Councilors will also consider adjusting city bus rates to include substituting a $3.50 day pass for single ride tokens. Other rates would see increases ranging from $3 to $5.
Also on the agenda is:
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Price tag may grow for City Hall renovations, bus fare hike also possible at meeting
Reporting by Lynn Walker, Wichita Falls Times Record News / Wichita Falls Times Record News
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