Lakeway Civic Corp. has offered via a grant to reimburse the city up to $40,000 in what is being termed the Liebelt Cabin Restoration Project.
This past March, council members approved an estimate for $17,304.58 from Antique Timberworks of Fredericksburg to repair chinking, seals, rotted logs and to replace wood beneath the cabin's doorway. Chinking is the mortar, traditionally made from dirt or sand, applied between logs of a cabin to serve as a form of insulation.
At the time, Lakeway City Manager Julie Oakley reported that this quote was for urgent repairs and that other work, such as repairing the roof, would be needed. Thus, the city approached the LCC, which is a local trust fund managed by Lakeway property owners that dates back to 1965, as an alternative source of funding.
In voting to accept the LCC’s offer, council members pointed out that requests from LCC for annual maintenance of the cabin and, at some point, ensuring the cabin meets Texas Accessibility Standards would have to be considered by future council action.
This would likely be done each year as future councils approve the city budget, Council Member Keith Trecker said during the council’s July 19 meeting.
“I think if you put whatever it is into the budget for annual maintenance, it should be pretty simple,” Trecker said. “And it has to be approved every year anyway, so ongoing councils would have their input.”
LCC will reimburse the city as repair costs are incurred, Lakeway Communications Director Jarrod Wise said. Work on the cabin has not begun, he said.
Antique Timberworks estimates total repairs to the cabin at $38,720, according to city documents.
The Liebelt Cabin was built in 1869 and has sat on the grounds of Lakeway City Hall since 2011. The LCC trust fund, now totaling $1.4 million, is funded through a percentage of the sales of lots within the city, according to the LCC website. The original developers donated $50,000 to the trust fund, the website states.
