YEDC: Irvine Street parking lot improvement update

The Yoakum Economic Development Corporation provided updates on the parking lot improvements on Irvine Street at the May 20 meeting. The parking lot is across the street from YK Deli and the shopping center. The YEDC owns this parking lot.

“We needed to move the ADA handicapped spots closer to the ramps,” Executive Director Genora Young said. “Where they’re located at now, we just moved them up to the center parking area which gives them access to the sidewalk. They are almost equal distances to those handicapped ramps on either end of the sidewalk. After that was done, we contracted with someone to finish the parking lot. The total to upgrade the parking lot and make it look very nice for the Tom Tom Festival and summer events was $1,450.”

The YEDC Financial Report was also given by Director of Finance Debbie Gray.

“Sales tax is doing wonderful,” Gray said. “Projection wise, if things keep going the way they have been, we will exceed the budget. It will be the best ever that the YEDC has done for sales tax. The budget is also looking good, Young is doing a wonderful job at keeping things within budget on her expenses.”

Updates were also given on the YEDC’s new website.

“I’ve completed all the utilities information including water, wastewater, solid waste, transfer station, and the city electric,” Young said.

Young gave the information to the website’s developers Eisenberg and Associates.

Other items on the agenda include:

• It was reported Navy’s Place, the new restaurant expansion of YK Deli, is expected to open in June. It will offer more Asian cuisines.

• The YEDC is entering its budget season and is anticipating what the coming year may hold according to Young.

• The next YEDC meeting is changed and scheduled for Tuesday,  June17 at 8 a.m. There, the YEDC will schedule its middle of year joint YEDC and City Council meeting.

• The YEDC has all of the required documentation for the Yoakum Bulldog Beautification Project grant. This is an ongoing project the Student Council at the Yoakum Independent School District is doing. This project consists of sprucing up the school.

• Several grant applications were tabled for a future meeting.