Conroe city councilmembers approved 14,000 square feet of space back in January of 2022 that needed remodeling more suitable for public use. In June of that year, the council okayed hiring PGAL out of Houston to come up with concept and design work for the project.
Following completion, the center’s first floor would have gained six offices, additional restrooms, a community space, a conference/boardroom and a canopied entrance. It would be utilized by the Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Conroe Economic Development Council..
Councilman Howard Wood said his first reaction to the new multi-million dollar estimate was “sticker shock.”
Councilman Harry Hardman said what the project entails has undergone change since the initial $500,000 estimate. He added that the Development Council and the Bureau would provide easy access on the first floor for the public.
CVB Director Sherry Morgan commented that she wanted a space where people felt at ease to visit and gather information and “get to know Conroe’s stories.”
Assistant City Administrator and Director of Finance Collin Boothe, said most of the money for the renovation project would be drawn from the city’s hotel occupancy tax fund. He said the fund’s coffers are holding around $2.5 million. He is comfortable with the “amount being drawn down.”
Executive director of the Conroe Economic Development Council, Danielle Scheiner, said there will be a March meeting of the Conroe Industrial Development Corporation to talk about giving approval to the development council’s part of $302,654.
No action is planned by the council until the development corporation has completed their meeting in March.
