Renovations nearing completion on Chamber of Commerce building

Monday, 20 February 2012 by Matthew Girard

The Belton Area Chamber of Commerce building is nearing completion of its renovations.The Belton Area Chamber of Commerce's "facelift" is nearing the final stages as construction crews are busy giving the chamber its new look.

The chamber is still located at 412 E. Central Ave., but when the renovations are complete the building will be more functional for the staff.

BACC President and CEO Stephanie O'Banion said the staff is eager to move back into the building.

"We are just so excited to have this and be able to be the 'front door' to the community," O'Banion said.

One of the key features of the renovations for the staff is having more room for storage of pamphlets and other marketing materials.

"The floor plan allows us to have a lot more storage," O'Banion said. "The offices will be a little bit smarter, but it will be a benefit for us."

The new-look chamber will also feature a conference room with projectors, a work station (for copier machines, etc.) and a tourism office.

The intent of the renovations, which O'Banion said have been about 10 years in the works, was to open up the Visitor's Center portion of the building.

Along with providing more space for the Visitor's Center and general storage, the renovations will include making the building Americans with Disabilities Act compliant and the façade will look similar to Belton's City Hall.

The cost for the renovations is expected to not exceed $200,000 and is expected to be re-opened in the spring.

O'Banion also said the chamber is working with the city to improve the area located at the back of the building.

"I'm really excited about the back entrance of the building because that is where most of the traffic comes from," O'Banion said. "We plan on working with the city to upgrade the parking lot located near the rear entrance and to make the area more visitor friendly."

Above all else, O'Banion said she hopes the renovations will make a better first impression to visitors of Belton.

"We are known for that Texas hospitality and our people that work here certainly dish out a heavy dose of that to any visitor that comes through the door, but also to have a facility that reflects that will be very exciting," O'Banion said. "It will give us a little more space to show off our community to visitors."

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