Blue Bonnet News www.bluebonnetelectric.coop Blue Bonnet News Service 7/31/2010 7:02:20 AM us=en <![CDATA[Bluebonnet and LCRA Award $14,000 Community Development Grant to Cedar Creek Schuetzen Verein for Renovations to Carmine Hall]]> newslist.aspx?itemID=56  

For Immediate Release:                                           Contact: Will Holford or Barbara Turner-Gerhart July 9, 2010                                                                                  (512) 332-7955 or (512) 308-7508
 
Bluebonnet and LCRA Award $14,000 Community Development Grant to Cedar Creek Schuetzen Verein for Renovations to Carmine Hall
 
By Devin Wenske
 
CARMINE - Thanks to a $14,475 community development grant provided by Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative and the Lower Colorado River Authority, the Cedar Creek Schuetzen Verein can begin renovations on Carmine Hall.
 
There are two proposed capital improvements planned for the nearly 100-year-old hall. An old, wooden roof that covers the outside food preparation area will be rebuilt and the inside acoustical tiles in the ceiling will be replaced.
 
The hall, which is booked almost every weekend, is used for many community events from weddings to displaying antiques during the semiannual antique fair. Funds donated by Bluebonnet several years ago made it possible for a new kitchen to be built, allowing the hall to accommodate large events and gatherings.
 
“Before we got that money from y’all, we had that little bitty kitchen over there that you could barely turn around in,” said William Marth, treasurer of the Cedar Creek Schuetzen Verein. “Now we can cook for hundreds of people. Everyone in this community has either been to or held an event at this center.”
 
Since the hall is a center of activity for the small community of Carmine and surrounding area, the projected repairs funded by the grant will help keep the hall updated and accommodating.
 
“Bluebonnet is proud to be a part of the Community Development Partnership Program,” said Mark Johnson, Bluebonnet Community Representative. “The grants allow us an opportunity to really help these organizations that are vital to the communities we serve.”
 
The grant awarded is one of several given through LCRA’s 2010 Community Development Partnership Program, of which Bluebonnet is a partner. The program provides economic development and community assistance grants to cities, counties, volunteer fire departments, regional development councils and other non-profit organizations in Bluebonnet and LCRA’s electric and water service areas as part of their concerted effort to give back to the communities they serve.
 
Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative is one of the largest electric cooperatives in Texas and has been serving its members since 1939. Bluebonnet serves 80,000 meters and owns and maintains 11,000 miles of power lines, located across more than 3,800 square miles within 14 Central Texas counties. Bluebonnet’s service area stretches from Travis County to Washington County and from Milam County down to Gonzales County. For more information about Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative go to www.bluebonnetelectric.coop and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
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