What Happened:

A motion to approve a budget amendment up to $400,000 from the Hotel Occupancy Tax Excess reserve fund addressing the convention center property damages sustained in the unforeseen, severe storm of May 9, 2023.

The motion was revised to $300,000 depending on the Texas Wind Insurance Association (TWIA) inspectors’ approval and requested for staff to review TWIA recommendations.

Why it matters:

On Monday night, the City Council called an emergency meeting due to the storm damage to the SPI Convention Center (SPI-CC). Schwartz noted that roofs need immediate fixing since the weather is unpredictable.

“We have to deal with this quickly because we’re expecting more storms,” said Schwartz.

According to the City’s agenda, the Convention Center sustained significant damages. As the weather radar continues to show bad weather for the rest of the week, the City is fixing the base foundation and installing a new roof.

Despite the $400,000 budget amendment, CVB Director Blake Henry requested emergency funding of $300,000 to protect the SPI-CC.

What now:

While the City filed insurance claims, Spaw Glass and Noble continued to assess the Convention Center property in time for this weekend’s fishing tournament.

Sam Saldaña, a representative at Spaw Glass, notified that the company was already on the property cleaning up debris.

The City did not include any contracts or insurance claims in the agenda available for the public.