By C.J. Vetter
BUDA – The Buda City Council recently approved the creation of a new art commission with the goal of helping develop the local art community.
The new commission will allow the city access to state grants designed to boost the cultural uniqueness of communities throughout Texas alongside other benefits, such as organizing and directing local art projects.
Art has always been a vital piece of Buda’s history, and programming for it has been worked on since 2017. The topic of an Art Commission for the city had been circulated about previously by other boards, such as the Mainstreet Advisory board. The desire for the inclusion of art was also included in the comprehensive and master plans.
“It’s something that all of our tourism initiatives have been working towards but really departments that have been working on it started in 2017,” said Lysa Gonzales, Director of Destination Services. “So we’ve been slowly bringing all that together, with partners like Inspired Minds Art Center, that’s really helped us get that extra push that we needed to be able to establish an arts commission.”
The art commission will cover dance, music and other forms of art in response to the growing rise in talented groups and individuals around Buda. The Inspired Minds Art Center partnered with the city of Buda in 2019 to begin fostering the art community, which eventually evolved into the new Art Commission’s creation.
“We’ve got a few dance studios here. We’ve got theater companies. It’s really just a given that we’d have an arts commission to help steer policy and find grant money for funds,” said Sinead Whiteside, co-founder of the Inspired Minds Art Center.
The newly formed commission will begin accepting applications in the following months. For information, visit https://www.ci.buda.tx.us/414/Board-Commission-Application-Process.
Bonds authorized in Buda
The assessment for further downtown expansion and authorizing the issuance of bonds were also approved on May 3.
The presentation on the Phase I Downtown Build-Out assessment was led by Buda Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) President Jennifer Storm and was passed by the council. The goal of the assessment is to perform a survey to show the possibility of future development. If shown feasible by the survey, more shops, office space and restaurants could be constructed on the east side of main street.
“So, essentially, our first step was here in phase one, which showed us where all the boundaries were as far as the railroad tracks, the road, and things like that. Sort of superficial boundaries,” Storm said. “So my first thought was is it even worth the play, right? Like could the building be big enough to make it worth it, and the short answer to that is yes.”
Other items on the agenda included the issuance of bonds worth $41 million of general obligation bonds and $8 million in certificates of obligation. The $41 million was part of the 2021 election bond voted upon last year. In addition, they issued a specific use permit to Longhorn Rentals.
For more information, you can visit www.ci.buda.tx.us/89/Agendas-Minutes-Archives.
