March 19, 2025

The Lockhart Freedom Act Quarterly Report, Fire Station No. 1 remodel, and the Purchase of Property for an Indoor Recreation Center were discussed at the March 18 City Council meeting.

Back row (L-R): Councilmember at-large Brad Westmoreland, District 1 Councilmember Juan Mendoza, District 4 Councilmember Jeffry Michelson, District 2 Councilmember John Castillo

Front row (L-R): Mayor Pro-Tem Angie Gonzales-Sanchez, Mayor Lew White, Councilmember District 3 John Lairsen

Upcoming Meetings

Planning & Zoning Commission – March 26

Lockhart Freedom Act – Quarterly Report

The Lockhart Police Department presented the first quarterly report as required by the Lockhart Freedom Act. These reports include data on misdemeanor marijuana possession offenses, including:

• Total arrests and citations issued,
• Estimated personnel hours dedicated to enforcement,
• Demographic breakdowns of individuals charged (age, gender, race, and
• ethnicity).

This report provides transparency on enforcement practices will be presented to the City Council on a quarterly basis moving forward.

Below are the arrests and citations related to misdemeanor marijuana enforcement between November 5, 2024 and March 6, 2025.

Fire Station No. 1 Remodel Update

The City Council approved roof improvements to be included in the scope of work for the Fire Station No. 1 remodel. This includes removal of asbestos roof tiles and replacement of the bell tower roof.

Studio Steinbomer, the contracted architectural firm for the project, will move forward to complete the construction documents and coordinate with the Construction-Manager-At-Risk (CMAR) to develop a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP.) Exterior improvements of the project will also be reviewed by the Lockhart Historic Preservation Commission.

Once the GMP is determined based on the revised scope of work, it will be brought back to the City Council for final approval. Construction of the project will begin shortly thereafter.

Park Pavilion and Swimming Pool Rental Fees

City Council approved updates to the rental fees for park pavilions and the swimming pool. The new rates are listed below.

The new rates are effective immediately and will be implemented with the use of online reservations and rentals, which can be made on this website: https://www.rec.us/lockhart

Purchase of Property to Create an Indoor Recreation Center

City Council approved the purchase of a property located at 120 W. MLK Jr. Industrial Blvd. for conversion into an indoor recreation center.

The City’s Lockhart Looking Forward Comprehensive Plan and Parks, Recreation & Open Space Master Plan identified the need for an indoor recreation center as a community priority. The property includes an existing theater building with accessibility from US 183, adequate parking, and ample interior space. A preliminary acquisition and conversion plan was discussed, highlighting site details, renovation plans, staffing needs, and long-term community benefits of an indoor recreation center with multipurpose banquet and meeting spaces.

Potential recreational programming includes:

The next steps are to finalize the purchase and sale agreement, procure a design professional, and develop concept renderings.

City Manager’s Report

Downtown Revitalization Project Update Meeting

Fifteen attendees, including downtown stakeholders and business and property owners, received a presentation from City staff and the City engineer about completed work at the March 13 Downtown Revitalization Project Meeting. The presentation included how the City coordinates the project’s construction schedule, community questions, information about tools and resources about upcoming work, and an overview of how the project is moving forward. City staff informed business owners about these key takeaways:

• Project started in September 2024.
• Project is at the six-month mark, 25%.
• Project is more than three months ahead of schedule, with a new anticipated completion date of May 25, 2026. The previous completion date was Sept. 3, 2026.
• Some utilities that are being updated and replaced date back to 1917.

Attendees were able to take a look at project exhibits and received QR stickers for windows, which link visitors to Downtown Revitalization Project website. Moving forward, weekly email updates will be sent directly to business owners who signed up for distribution list.  A “Frequently Asked Questions” or FAQ list will be created after gathering and compiling attendees’ questions.

Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) Board Accepting Funding Applications

The City began accepting 2025 HOT funding applications on March 3. The application deadline is March 21. A first review of applications is scheduled for April 3 with the HOT Board. Notice of the meeting will be posted on the city website. The first round of Board recommendations will be presented to City Council on April 15.

Lockhart Fire Push-In Ceremony

A push-in ceremony for the new Quint ladder truck will be held on Friday, March 21 at 11 a.m. at Fire Station No. 2, 1911 Borchert Loop. The push-in tradition dates to the early days of firefighting, when firefighters would have to push truck back into garage after a call.

Lockhart Teen Donates Bench to Library

Xavier Schulke built and donated a wooden bench to the Dr. Eugene Clark Library. The bench was built in just one weekend and is now located on the second floor of the Masonic Building. A plaque, with Xavier’s name and date of donation, will be placed on the bench.

Splash Pads Opening Soon

The Splash Pads are scheduled to open for the season on Tuesday, April 1.

City-Wide Spring Clean-Up

The City-Wide Spring Clean-Up is taking place on Saturday, March 22 starting at 7 a.m. Republic Services will collect bulk items at the curb as long as they are placed there before 7 a.m. This service is free to Lockhart residents.

The service excludes large appliances that contain Freon, hazardous materials, tree limbs, and more. A full list of accepted and excluded items is located on the City website at https://www.lockhart-tx.org/page/article/655.

Coffee With a Cop

Lockhart Police will host the next Coffee With a Cop on Tuesday, April 15 from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at Walmart, 1904 S. Colorado St. The public is invited to meet with Lockhart Police for conversation, coffee, and breakfast treats.

First Courthouse Nights of 2025

The first Courthouse Night of the year is scheduled for Friday, April 18. on the Caldwell County Courthouse Lawn. The free event begins at 7 p.m. Country/western music artist Ellis Bullard will begin performing at 8:30 p.m.

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ATTENTION: This is a recap of the highlights of action taken at the March 18, 2025, Council meeting. The complete agenda can be found by visiting: City of Lockhart, TX (lockhart-tx.org).