Commission Calendar:

December 15, 2009 Commission Meeting, City Hall, 5:30 p.m.
January 5, 2010 Commission Meeting, City Hall, 5:30 p.m.

Main Street and Historic Sites staff met with Texas Historical Commission Project reviewer's last week at the Mize Department store to help facilitate the possibility of seeking the 20% Federal Preservation Tax Credit for the rehabilitation of the historic structure. The National Park Service and the I.R.S issue the credit. The THC acts as the local preservation agency for the National Trust to determine eligibility. Since the Downtown District was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008, many of our buildings downtown qualify for this complex yet rewarding economic development tool.

The City of Nacogdoches Facebook page now has 699 fans. The Nacogdoches Main Street page now has close to 1,000 fans. This social networking tool is the perfect way to reach populations such as students who may not follow traditional media such as the local newspaper. It also allows for near-instant feedback question and answers between citizens and staff.

Planning Director Larissa Philpot attended presentations by SFA's Forestry students regarding the timber on the vacant land at the airport. While these are student presentations, they are thoroughly prepared and will be an excellent tool for staff to refer to when studying the economic benefits of cutting the timber in 2010.

December's Planning and Zoning meeting falls on Monday, December 14th, the day before the City Council meeting on December 15th. This back-to-back scheduling occurs only once or twice a year, and has been the only drawback noted regarding the new, more efficient zoning case scheduling. This means that any actions taken at the Planning and Zoning meeting will be reported at the City Council meeting, and not prior to the meeting.

The December Planning and Zoning agenda contains a request for a specific use permit to operate a tattoo parlor at 910 South Street, and a request for a zoning change from B-2 to R-4 for properties in the 3100-3600 block of East Main.

Nacogdoches Main Street is working with the Chamber of Commerce to launch a new Shop Nac First initiative. Recommended by Jon Schallert we will begin a test pilot program in the next few weeks, placing approximately 20 informational boxes at select retailers. The goal of the program is to acquire a detailed database of residents and travelers who are interested in shopping in Nacogdoches and to keep them informed of specials, discounts and events.

Main Street staff met with a structural engineer this week to perform the assessment of the Annie Hoya Building on the square. Thanks to the generosity of the Texas Downtown Association for the grant to pay for the assessment. TOIGIO engineering should have the detailed report to us in the next few weeks.

Effective December 3, 2009, Suddenlink will be adding the following to the high definition lineup in the Nacogdoches area:

764 Disney HD
758 Animal Planet HD
756 TLC HD
745 TBS HD
753 FX HD
754 SYFY HD
755 USA HD
These channels will be available to current HD customers at no additional monthly charge. In addition, Suddenlink will also launch a High Speed Internet service December 18, 2009. Questions regarding these services can be addressed by Suddenlink staff at 936-564-6353.