By Mary Cantrell
mkcantrell@bigbendsentinel.com
ALPINE — Nonprofit organization Alpine Community Projects, founded in June 2021, now has a brick and mortar location following Tuesday’s City Council approval of a lease agreement for the use of a building at 205 E. Sul Ross Avenue.
The 1891-built structure is commonly referred to as the old Sunshine House Senior Center, but it was originally built as a school house and has also served the functions of a hospital, Border Patrol station, Sul Ross dormitory and offices for the Soil Conservation Service. The building is currently owned by the city and has been vacant for some time.
The city will lease the space — for $1 a year — to Alpine Community Projects for 12 months beginning June 1, with an optional renewal. The space is to be utilized for nonprofit and community engagement activities. “The tenant does have responsibility with general cleaning, beautification, minor repairs and the payment of utilities,” City Manager Megan Antrim said. “We will make sure to continue the structural repairs, pest control, HVAC maintenance, parking lot upkeep and the removal of city property prior to turnover.”
“In my view, this is a no brainer,” Mayor Catherine Eaves said. “I mean, the building’s sitting empty. We have somebody that can use it, and it will help the nonprofits.”
Alpine Community Projects, a volunteer-run entity, initially focused its community improvement efforts in three main areas — lack of childcare, lack of a recreation center and lack of elder care — but has since broadened its mission.
Board member Kirsten Moody told The Big Bend Sentinel this week that the nonprofit is looking forward to having a physical location that can help serve as a social space, bringing people together to work on various initiatives. “I feel like we’ll be able to get more traction with a location where we can have our supplies and create the space for the meetings the way we want to have, whatever variety of meeting that is,” Moody said.
Many of the board members who grew up in Alpine also wanted to see the historic building brought back to life. (Councilmember Rick Stephen’s question: “Has Rocky Racoon been evicted?” speaks to the building’s current state.) While budget constraints will not allow them to tackle interior updates, the nonprofit intends to beautify the landscaping, “tidy things up and make it welcoming,” Moody said.
It will not utilize the back structure, which has fallen into disrepair, nor a kitchen, which was not included in a previous remodel and could be dangerous, according to Antrim. When asked by Councilmember Darin Nance whether the city might consider utilizing historic tax credits — that will soon be made available via a national historic district designation — for building improvements, Antrim said “there’s a lot we could do,” and the expenditure of hotel occupancy tax (HOT) funds for such a project has been previously discussed.
Moody said there is also a possibility that the building, which they are referring to as the old school house, could be utilized by other local nonprofit organizations also in need of public space. “Once we get in there and really get a feel for the space, it is possible that with city approval, that we would be able to maybe help other groups that need the same kind of things that we do,” Moody said.
Alpine Community Projects is pursuing several avenues for positive community change, including ideas like a summer children’s program that came out of the 13 Ways to Kill Your Community conference held in January, city economic development, and elder care. The organization has obtained financial feasibility and market studies about the establishment of an assisted living facility or nursing home, and is in the process of developing a separate nonprofit organization to hopefully carry that concept across the finish line.
They are also working with the Texas Historic Commission on its inaugural “First Street Initiative,” designed to enable communities to learn more about downtown revitalization and historic preservation. Big Bend area residents are invited to participate in an online downtown asset survey for Alpine as a part of the program.
“Patience and persistence” is key when addressing the systemic issues plaguing Alpine, Moody said, but the group is making strides in identifying problems and the right people to solve them. “We’re really at the point where we’re going to be able to do a lot more,” Moody said. “We’ve been setting it up and relationship building, and I feel like we’re in a good place.”
To fill out the downtown asset survey, visit alpinecommunityprojects.org/first-street-survey