Commission approves cultural district designation for Georgetown

Photo by Courtesy

Left to right, Eric Lashley, director of the Georgetown Public Library and staff liaison to the Georgetown Arts and Culture Board; Jim Bob McMillan, deputy director of the Texas Commission on the Arts; and Gary Gibbs, executive director of the TCA, at the TCA board meeting Sept. 5.

Georgetown's application for a cultural district designation was approved by the Texas Commission on the Arts board at their meeting in Austin on Sept. 5.

A 40-block area of downtown is now one of 24 designated cultural districts in Texas, according to a news release from the city of Georgetown, including four new areas approved last Thursday.

"I felt good because we scored well on their ranking system," said Eric Lashley, staff liaison to the Georgetown Arts and Culture Board. "Georgetown had second highest ranking, which made us feel really good."

Each city was scored based on cultural assets they included in their application for the designation. Georgetown scored 930 points out of a possible 1,000, according to a release. Only Houston earned a higher total.

Application evaluators commented, "Georgetown's cultural assets are very rich and seem to be growing regularly. The city is building a great public art program and this will be important in attracting visitors and citizens to the cultural district."

The designation will be used as a marketing and tourism tool for Georgetown businesses, nonprofits and local government, according to a release. It will also assist the city in applying for grants from entities such as the Texas Cultural Trust Council, Lashley said.

"We could do specific projects at the Art Center or library," Lashley said. "The Palace [Theater] and [Williamson] museum would be eligible for grants, too. There are a number we could apply for."