Juice company eyes Industrial Park location

A juice company may be soon joining the list of producing businesses in Gonzales.
During the regular meeting of the Gonzales Economic Development Corporation Monday night, Robert E. Lee of Tropical Fusion said that he wants to move his business to Gonzales.  
“We are in the frozen and dry drink mix business, and also infuse water with vitamins,” Lee said. “Those are in some private schools throughout Texas and we have the opportunity and the funding from SBA, to do all 160 schools that use Sage Dining services.”
Lee explained that in the midst of his company’s growth, he is on the verge of losing his co-packer in San Antonio.
“It wasn’t our plan to build a plant for about another year or so, but these guys (we share a building with) are now doing business with HEB, and that has grown, so we have to leave,” Lee said. “So I would like your help because I am definitely interested in moving to the Industrial Park if you guys can work with us somehow.”
Lee is originally from Gonzales and wants to bring his business back to his home town.
“Our timing is very short, but we could possibly have enough inventory to cover us from September, when we have to move out, for about four months.”
Lee told the directors that he is hoping to find a new location or begin the process of building one, by the end of August.
“Can we move in and get some type of temporary hook-ups before the grant is funded?” Lee asked.
Kacir asked City Manager David Huseman if the city could help provide some infrastructure for Lee’s business.
“It depends on the quantity of water and the location of the facility,” said Huseman. “We’ll do whatever we can to help out, but we have to be careful on the funding part. Oftentimes on grants they will not fund anything construction-wise that happened prior to the grant being awarded.”
“My plan was to move the business here at some point, but this is just going to be sooner than we expected,” Lee said.
Lee said that he will be hiring 10 people  to work in the plant, over a two year span.
Grant writer Karen Kibbe gave a presentation to the directors about funding options for the Industrial Park Infrastructure Project.
“You’ve got two basic sources that small towns can tap into with some regularity - Texas Capital Fund and Economic Development Funds,” Kibbe said. “The Texas Capital Fund, however to do that one you must have a business willing to play ball. But it is grant funds, and you are leveraging the business investment to pay for it.”
GEDC requested Kibbe’s counsel on grant options for the group and the city.
Jackie Mikesh, Campus Manager of Victoria College of Gonzales, informed the directors that VC is planning to expand the Gonzales campus in the near future.
The presentation included a Power Point profile of the facilities expansion and master plan.
Victoria College Gonzales Campus had 198 credit students enrolled in Spring 2010. Two classrooms were added in Summer 2008. 180 non-credit students were enrolled during the fourth quarter 2009.
“These numbers do not represent our contract classes, which are classes that we set up with companies in Gonzales,” said Mikesh. “We’ve done contract classes with GVEC, Gonzales Healthcare Systems and Gonzales Manufacturing.”
VC Gonzales campus collaborates with Gonzales High School to offer students some advanced studies to help them earn college credits before graduation.
“We offer everything from Government to speech, day and evening classes,” said Mikesh. “Plus a great nursing program.”
Mikesh said the campus employs about 30 people.
The expansion plan will address critical needs such as more office space and classroom space for construction trades and science labs.
 “We have great computer labs, but what we don’t have is a place to teach the hands-on construction and technical trades,” said  Larry Garrett, Executive Director of Planning Assessment and Special Projects. “We want to offer welding, HVAC, core skills for construction, electrician, carpentry, plumbing, pipefitting and millwrighting because we feel that there is a demand for these skills in Gonzales.”
According to Garrett, the existing science lab only holds twelve students.
“So we’re proposing in our master plan to increase the size of the science lab to hold many more people,” said Garrett. “We don’t currently have the space to teach things like microbiology, but with a larger lab we can include more classes and students.”
Garrett said one of the goals of the Gonzales campus is to give students from the area as much of their prerequisite work done locally, before they have to start driving to the main campus or another college.
In other business, GEDC discussed a modification to the agreement with Lynn Theater owner Cal Collins.
Collins, who closed the Lynn Theater in March citing repairs as the reason, is delinquent on several months of loans payments to GEDC. The directors made a deal with Collins in June, that a second chance would be offered to the theater owner, if certain terms were followed. Those terms included having the theater open for at least 30 weeks out of the calendar year, showing movies and live performances.
They also agreed that the theater had to be re-opened within 60 days from the date of the agreement.
“They told me that they are very happy with the faith that you have shown in them, and that you are willing to help them make this work,” said GEDC director Carolyn Gibson.
However, Collins requested a modification to the original agreement, stating that he wanted the freedom to make changes to the interior and exterior of the property.
“Mr. Collins wants to do everything he can to make this work as a business,” said Gibson.  “And since this was a covenants also agreed to by City Council, he asks that it also be sent to City Council to be removed.”
Director Jim Logan asked if it was specified in the agreement that it would remain as a movie theater.
“Yes, that is in the agreement,” said Gibson. “There are some things that he’d like to do to increase seating room downstairs. I’d like to see us give him every opportunity make it succeed as a business.”
“He has mentioned to me that he wants to take the birthday party room out to allow for more seating, and improve some other things inside, but he has not told me of any plans to change the exterior,” said Kacir during the meeting.
“I don’t like it. What if he decides to take the Lynn sign down?” Asked Logan.
“It’s a management situation, allowing him to manage his business,” said Gibson.
“I think we should leave it (the agreement) the way it is,” Porras said. “He owes us so much money, so how can he afford to make improvements or change anything?”
“He should not be able to do anything to the exterior of that building unless he comes before the city council or you,” said Barbara Hand, Director of Gonzales Chamber of Commerce. “Especially since its on a main street in downtown.”
“If he’s asking for it (exterior) to be excluded, to me that means there’s something going on that we don’t know about,” Porras said.
Ultimately GEDC voted to modify the agreement to allow Collins to make changes inside, but specified that no alterations are to be made to the exterior.
The theater is scheduled to re-open this Fall, in time to show the new Harry Potter movie in November.