SHAMROCK, Texas (KAMR / KCIT) – In a post by the Shamrock Volunteer Fire Department on February 12, 2020, the day the town’s community center burned down, officials said, “Shamrock lost a very much of its history “which Morning.

“When we received the call there was a very heavy load of smoke coming from every window and door of the building, we attempted two interior offensive attacks but retreated due to the intense heat,” the message read. “A few minutes after entering, the fire evacuated from the north side, then from the front of the building. We went into defensive mode and started protecting the surrounding buildings. Once the fire cleared the roof at the back of the building, it took less than two minutes for (a) total roof collapse.

The post ended with officials saying “We know it will be rebuilt bigger and better than before.” With the upcoming November election, Shamrock city officials are aiming for just that, with voter approval.

In the next election, residents of Shamrock will decide whether or not to issue $ 2.59 million in bonds “for the purpose of designing, building, improving and equipping a civic center,” the ballot reads. Before it burned down, the community center hosted numerous car shows, gun shows and special events, including the city’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

Troy Potts, City Manager for the Town of Shamrock, said that due to rising construction costs, the new building project is expected to cost around $ 4.79 million, of which $ 2.2 million will come from 2020 Fire insurance money. If passed, the interest and the depreciation portion of the city’s tax rate would increase by 25 cents, raising the overall tax rate from 62 cents to 87 cents.

Potts said the city has moved forward with plans for the project, hiring an architectural firm and a construction management company in Amarillo. The designs for the new building, as well as the construction cost estimates, came from these partnerships with the two companies.

In addition to some of the same amenities as the previous community center, Potts said he hopes this new facility will become a centralized location for Shamrock Town services.

“We are planning to have a large banquet hall, of course, just like the old facility. We’re also planning to have breakout rooms, smaller meeting rooms for businesses (if) they need a nice place to come in. Then we hope to add new offices to the town hall in this building, ”he said. “We hope that with the Town Hall being part of the building and attached to it, we can, you know, monitor the building a lot better. We plan to use one of the subcommittee rooms as a city council meeting room… Just create a multi-purpose facility instead of a large banquet hall or something like that.

If the link passes, Potts said the city would receive the funds in mid-March, with construction of the new facility beginning in April 2022. Potts hopes the new building will be constructed by the St. Patrick’s Day celebration in March 2023.

Potts pointed out that a bond election, and a subsequent tax increase, is the only way to pay for a project like this. He hopes the community will want to have a centralized location for events, as they did before the community center fire.

“We are optimistic that the bond election will pass. It’s hard to estimate, you know. There is hindsight on Facebook, town halls, you know. There were very positive remarks and then there were negative remarks, which is what you’d expect, ”Potts said. “I mean, nobody likes to see their taxes go up, you know?” They are worried. All we can do as a city is try to spread the facts and information that we have that are known to be correct and factual and allow people to make an informed decision. “

If the link doesn’t go through, Potts said the city will continue discussions about a backup plan.

“There is nothing solid in place. It took 18 months for the city council to collect all the data from the community and the committee that was formed. They went through several sites, several building designs, ”he said. “That’s the design we’re promoting right now and, you know, if that doesn’t work out, then all we’ll have is the insurance funds and we’ll have to come up with a different plan, probably a smaller one. building. “

How to vote in this election

Early voting continues through Friday in Wheeler County for residents of Shamrock. Individuals can vote at the following locations:

• Wheeler County Clerk’s Office, 401 Main Street in Wheeler
  • Thursday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Friday 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
• Shamrock Town Hall Annex, 116 West Second
  • Thursday and Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Tuesday, election day, residents of Wheeler County will vote by constituency. Individuals across the county will be able to vote at the following locations from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.:

• Venues 1, 2, 10: Wheeler Girl Scout Hut, 306 S. Canadian St. in Wheeler;

• City 3, 4: Commissioners’ Hearing Room, 401 Main Street in Wheeler;

• Wards 5, 6, 8: Shamrock Town Hall Annex, 116 West Second in Shamrock;

• City 7, 9: Shamrock School (former commercial office – south end of school) 100 S. Illinois in Shamrock.

For more election coverage for other communities across the Texas Panhandle, visit MyHighPlains.com.