It was good news and bad news for Donley County last week when the Texas Historical Commission awarded a $2.3 million grant to help fund preservation work on the 1890 Courthouse.
While county officials were pleased the THC recognized the importance of preserving the Texas Panhandle’s oldest functioning courthouse, they say the grant was not at all what the county had applied for.
County Judge John Howard said the county had applied for a restoration grant to complete more than $4.6 million in needed repairs, specifically to address conservation of spalling sandstone and problems in one of the building’s masonry walls.
The county had pledged a match of $820,000 in its grant application, which amounted to an overmatch of 18 percent instead of the required 15 percent, in hopes of securing the necessary state funds to do the work.
But when the THC made its announcement last week, it awarded Donley an emergency grant, which requires a 50 percent match. In other words, the county would have to put up $2.3 million of its own money to get the state’s $2.3 million to complete the $4.6 million project.
“It all comes down to whether or not we were ‘fully restored’ in 2003,” Howard said. “We believe we were not because there was work that was not done.”
At the time of the original restoration two decades ago, several items – including the stone conservation, masonry repairs, and a fire suppression system – were deleted from the scope of the project to stay on budget.
THC, however, holds that Donley County was fully restored and is therefore only eligible for an emergency grant.
Howard says the county has 30 days to accept or reject the grant and says commissioners will consider the matter during their regular meeting next Monday.
The county has been putting money aside for this work for several years, so it has the $820,000 on hand. Howard said commissioners may consider scaling back the project and seeing if the state will match its $820,000.
The judge himself is reluctant to accept the grant as it was awarded because it would require an additional tax burden to borrow the funds needed for the match, and he says now is not the time for that.
He said the county could also reapply later if the Legislature allocated more money for the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program.
The THC last week awarded matching grants totaling $46,224,812 to nine counties to aid in preservation of Texas’ iconic historic county courthouses, including four grants for full restorations.
Donley, Duval and Refugio counties received Emergency Grants to address critical issues endangering these courthouse buildings and impacting their use.
Comanche, Kimble, Van Zandt and Willacy counties received full restoration grants. Castro and Gonzales counties received Planning Grants that will create planning road maps for future restoration work.
The 13th round of THCPP grants were made possible through a $45 million appropriation by the 88th Texas Legislature. An additional $3-4 million is anticipated in September 2024 from the Historic Infrastructure Sustainability Trust Fund.
The THC received applications from 31 counties requesting grant funding of nearly $150 million for projects totaling over $200 million. The agency determined grant awards by assessing 23 criteria including the building’s age, endangerment, historical designations, the project proposals, local support for the project, county revenue and more. This round includes a new scoring criterion, longevity. The new criterion provides points for previously unsuccessful applicants that recognize the county’s ongoing commitment to these preservation goals.
Emergency grant requests were scored based on seven criteria, while emergency requests for previously restored courthouses were scored on 14 criteria.
“The requests we received this year demonstrate both the counties’ enthusiasm and their need for the funds this program provides,” said THC Executive Director Joseph Bell. “We look forward to partnering with these nine recipients and preserving their real histories and authentic characters.”
Howard said Donley County appreciates the THC grant and the state’s recognition of the importance of the local courthouse, but he said commissioners will ultimately have to do what’s in the county’s best interests.
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