The Board of Directors of Brownfield Industrial Development met on Monday, May 22 for their regular meeting. There was a lengthy agenda facing the board. A quorum was present, even though two members were unable to attend.
Following the routine business of the day, the board heard from Texas Vine Country. TVC actually bought land from BIDCorp in 2019. Then COVID hit. The group is finally able to get things going now and had a presentation about their plans for the future and what they hope to bring to Brownfield and Terry County.
TVC will be a grape-crushing facility and they have plans to continue to grow. The initial facility will have the capacity to process approximately 750 tons of fruit. “With our vineyards (FermForge) bringing roughly 5,000 + tons of fruit into the market as they reach maturity, other vineyards will also increase our capacity to capitalize on the abundance of amazing local Texas fruit,” was the statement from the company.
After reviewing their plans and discussing needs, the board voted to offer TVC $49,500 in incentives at this time.
The board also heard from Terry Duncan and Tony Isaacs regarding the Brownfield Basketball Tournament to be held on December 7-8 in the new BHS Gymnasium. This is a new tournament and could likely add considerably to the economy of Brownfield and Terry County. President Steve Carter stated, “This is a win-win for Brownfield. It will be a win for BISD and the civic clubs as they bring the teams in, and it will be a win for the economy of Brownfield during the tournament. We have seen an increase in local spending during softball tournaments. This should be the same.” The board did agree to be a sponsor of the tournament, as it will impact the local economy. BIDCorp does have the ability to use some of the budgets for sponsorship opportunities.
Another big item on the agenda was the replacement of two outgoing board members. Steve Carter has served his time limit and must go off for at least one term. Pam Brock elected not to serve again, as she has other things occupying her time right now. There were four names nominated. Each of these candidates was talked with. Two declined at this time but were interested in serving perhaps at a later date. The other two did express interest in being on the board. Those two were Randy Anthony and Diana Jaramillo.
Randy, who grew up in Brownfield, has had a successful business in Brownfield for many years and has experienced much growth. He has proven himself to be a wise businessman and will be a great addition to the board.
Diana is the owner of She’Brews Coffee. She started her business in a portable building and is currently preparing to move to a larger permanent building, still on Lubbock Road. She has been in business for nearly three years and has proven herself as one who recognizes the market and works hard to meet what the market is demanding.
These two names will require the approval of the City Council at the June 1 meeting. Director of BIDCorp Gina Kelly stated, “We are so excited to bring these two highly qualified individuals onto our board. They have the knowledge and experience to be great board members. We are looking forward to working with these two individuals.”
The Board also looked at the BIG Grant program and discussed the need to raise the amounts in the Grant to match the rising cost of construction and materials. This grant is a scored grant and the amounts of matching funds go up as the score goes up. The amounts are currently $10,000, $5,000, and $2,500. The board voted to raise those amounts to $15,000, $10,000, and $5,000.
The possibility of a new housing development was discussed. BIDCorp does own some land in the residential area, however, BIDCorp’s hands are a bit tied as far as what is legal for them to do in housing. The board voted to go ahead and pursue a means to legally make this housing development happen. The City of Brownfield and the City Attorney are working with BIDCorp to try to make this happen.
The land owned by BIDCorp is adjacent to Waco Street, along Cedar.
A Lemonade Day will be planned in July for area kiddos to learn more about retail and what it takes to see a profit. There will be more information about this forthcoming.
The next scheduled meeting of BIDCorp is on Monday, June 19.
