What's Happening Downtown?

Killeen Daily Herald reporters Daelan Cheh, Kevin Limiti and Hamida Botchway sat down with downtown business owner and Main Street Board Chair Khandiese Cooper to discuss what's happening in Downtown Killeen, ongoing revitalization efforts and the vision for the district's future.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

This episode is sponsored by Big Sacks Tire Shack. New and quality used tires. Two locations in Kleene and one in Temple. Nearly 30 years in business. Got a flat, they'll get you back rolling.

SPEAKER_05 0:32

How y'all doing today?

SPEAKER_02 0:34

Pretty good. How about you? Great. Thanks for asking.

SPEAKER_05 0:37

Absolutely. The Kaleen, the Inside Clean podcast is about news, events, and politics here in the Fort Hood Kaleen area. And today we're going to be talking about the business in downtown Kaleen. Ms. Cooper, you're very much involved with what's going on in downtown. You tell me what got you involved in the in the first place?

SPEAKER_03 0:53

So I am one of the small businesses located in downtown Kleen. I officially opened June 30th, 2023. I happen to be one of the recipients of the COVID ARPA grant fund grant cycle that the city did. And so eight businesses were chosen to move their businesses downtown with a few stipulations on having to invest in the historic district for downtown Kleen. And so that's what got me involved in it. The things that have kept me involved in all the city things. I'm the president for the Downtown Kleen Merchants Association. So through that, my job is kind of being the liaison between the merchants and the city officials.

SPEAKER_05 1:34

Yes. And can you run me down with the Merchants Associate? Talk about the Merchants Association?

SPEAKER_03 1:40

Yeah, absolutely. So again, we're a nonprofit 501c3, and it's really just a business association. You know, when we're talking about as a collective, how do we continue helping, supporting one, each other, our own businesses? How are we communicating with city on like what it is in the revitalization process through downtown, whether it's infrastructure, whether it's safety, whether it's the events that are being held downtown. And so we're the thing that's going to continue to help the downtown area growing. And so through that, we have monthly meetings. We haven't had one. A lot of stuff has been emailed lately because one, it's like herding cats, trying to get business owners all in the same room together. And so, because again, we're all working our businesses, but the job is to be a neighborhood. Like downtown Clean is the one space that you can actually have where you can park your car, get out, and walk around and feel that community vibe. So, what I like being, if y'all know me, I'm a people person. So I go door to door, we check on all the businesses, we look out for each other. And with the implementation of having the downtown engagement unit, we have now a police unit that is also doing that same thing. And so it's really about creating an environment that residents can come in and they know who's there, what businesses are open, and how maybe they can be a part of the business growth downtown.

SPEAKER_05 3:02

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 3:08

So I love my favorite part, is kind of telling people the type of businesses that are out there, you know, besides myself, I have a photography studio. Obviously, our fan favorites down there are Wicked Apple, Southern Roots. They are definitely big staples in the community. But we have Aroma Cigar Lounge, we have Vita Roxy, we have Strikeout Wings, uh, we have Bezos Med Spa, we have Buenos Vibras Yoga Studio, we have Carter Control Performance Arts, we have High Performance, they are CrossFit Gym down there. Who else do we have? Pilates Bar. So we've got all the cute things that people don't expect to hear when you say downtown Kleene. Again, med spa's Pilates Studios, Yoga Studios, Hustle House Realty, Valor Lending, 633 Chiropractic, Barbecue Hub is down there, the eCenter is down there. So there are actually 80 operational businesses. I'm sorry, Let's E, Texas, Miss Josie. She'll get me if I don't mention her. But we have 80 businesses. There are 104 structures in downtown Kleen with 80 businesses operating in all of them. Um, and so my job on the community end is to encourage people to come down and support the downtown area. Because what a lot of people don't realize is as I'm having these conversations, people think, hey, the city needs to do this, the city needs to open this business. And then I get to tell them the city doesn't own downtown. The city only owns the structures that they operate in. There are no major developers that own downtown, we're all private individuals. So most of us are owner operated, and then there are a few that are tenant operated, but privately owned. So I tell people when you're coming down and supporting the small businesses, the events, the activities, using a vendor or anything like that, you're supporting your neighbor. You're you're supporting the growth of downtown. And so there's so much more that I could add to. And so I'm gonna let you guys ask me the question because I could go on a tangent about what all we have down there.

SPEAKER_05 5:05

Yes, um. And before I get to my next question, can you talk to you guys about business incentives in downtown Kalim?

SPEAKER_03 5:12

Yeah, so some of them are gone. But again, so the the major one that started the revitalization process was the ARPA grant. 234 people applied, eight businesses were selected. The initiative was that we had to re again reinvest into downtown. So the all of our funding had to go into the structure itself. So when I talked to a lot of people, and they're just like, oh, but you got this grant from the city, yada yah. I was like, Yeah, it's in the building. We couldn't use it for operational expenses, we couldn't use it for payroll, we couldn't use it for equipment. It had to go into the structure itself. So my building is actually 119 years old now. And so imagine what I found in that building to have to fix that. And what I received didn't cover it all. So a lot of us have put our life savings and applied for other grants outside of the city to make what you guys have been seeing happen in downtown really happen. So we had a capital improvement grant. So the first one is actually the facade grant. So facade grant, which any of the businesses downtown can apply for, it's a it's now a 50-50 split up to $10,000 for you to fix the exterior of the building. So if you want to paint the building, buy a sign, buy an awning, replace your doors, replace your windows, that is what the facade grant covers. So anything to beautify the exterior of the building. The next one was the capital improvement grant. And so that was a 50-50 split reimbursement, all of these are reimbursement grants, a 50-50 split up to $75,000. And so that's if you're replacing your roof, your HVAC, just anything structural, asbestos abatement, because again, these are 100-year-old buildings, which of course have lead-based materials in them. Um, so anything to fix the structure that costs obviously upwards of $50,000 to repair. The next one was the sewer lateral grant. And so think about how old the plumbing in these downtown buildings are. So what we're trying to do is, of course, bring more cafes, bring more diners, more restaurants, more bars to the area. And so now we're having to dig in the concrete. All of our plumbing is in the concrete. And so it was a 50-50 split up to $50,000 reimbursement grant for if you wanted to place any of your plumbing, your sewer lateral lines, grease straps. And so those are some of the opportunities that are available. It is a first come, first serve when you're doing that application, but it is something that each business owner, when they come downtown, they're automatically instructed to go talk to Kate. And Kate does an amazing job being super hands-on with all the businesses. I personally have helped people fill in, but there are no qualifications that you have to have. You just have to be in the downtown area. You have to submit three bids from contractors, and then you're able to choose the contractor within that range that the city approves. Um, and then the city walks you through Kate's department and code enforcement and inspections will walk you through what the process is and getting the work done. But the pot is empty, and so it starts the cycle for the facade grant starts back over in October. Um, so a lot of times when people are like, oh, they're giving out grants for downtown, I'm like, the big one y'all are talking about, one is gone. It was a one-time thing. But otherwise, you have to be located in the downtown area for any of the others. And so that's that process. And so we just kind of tell people, you know, give us some grace as you're watching the development happen. Because again, it's not like moving into a building on Elms Road or Clear Creek or on Stan Schluter. These aren't like ready-to-go buildings. A lot of these have been empty for 15, 20 years. And so it takes time and it takes permitting. And many of the buildings are out of code. And so it is a long, it took eight and a half months to renovate my building because everything that could go wrong did go wrong. But it's a journey that I absolutely enjoyed and one I get to help walk other businesses through just with the expectation. And then it's just again about getting the community to come out and support, saying, hey, this is a process, and just come out and be supportive of this journey. And then we need you to continue supporting so that we don't lose the businesses that are down there.

SPEAKER_04 9:31

I went down there a couple uh weekends ago, maybe three or four weekends ago, and there was this bookstore called, I believe it's called the Scarlet Page Page, right? And I mean, I was really impressed by it because it was so niche.

SPEAKER_02 9:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 9:45

You know, like I mean, I don't know really a big fan of romance, but like, uh, but I mean, if I was, that would be like the place to go. Right. And I'm sure like something like that could draw like people from outside of the neighborhood, you know?

SPEAKER_03 9:59

Absolutely. Yeah, Scarlet Page, and then her sister owns the business next door, the little playhouse. So she opened up an indoor playroom for kids kind of ages eight and under. So yeah, that's what we're starting to see. More coffee shops. Oh, the secret stop. Again, my brain will go down all the list of the business owners. I'll make sure I y'all get that list. But yeah, we're starting to find as we had that initial progression of the surgence of the businesses for those of us that got the grant. Then you started seeing people come and go, okay, what's down here? Okay, what's happening? And the buildings were at the time very affordable. So one of the other things I'm coming across is people like, okay, I want to buy a building downtown. And it was like, ah, there's probably only four buildings left for sale. So either you're gonna convince someone who has owned a building for like 20 years to sell, or we got a couple available for lease. But that's one thing we've been able to see is like the downtown that people expected or had a reputation for four years ago is not what you see today. And then as we continue to pour into it with community support, the events, more businesses, investment, the tours fund allocation, it won't be the same next year. And so that's what I love. People starting to see is the cute niche businesses, the gifted boutique, the vintage teacup room. Uh, you're starting to see all these really niche type businesses open because that's what we want our downtown to be, is locally grown, locally supported, mom and pop shop owners, antique Alley, Miss Vivian Bark owns that one. She was my, she was my Spanish teacher in the ninth grade. And so to be neighbors, you know, she's right around the corner from me is pretty awesome. But yeah, that's what we want people to see is more positivity coming into the area from the murals that are out there, from the statues and the heart statues that the clean creators have been responsible for. Like you're starting to see this transition of downtown that again, it wasn't that four years ago, and progress takes time. But it's been cool to be a part of like play a small role in helping my city grow again. I'm born and raised here. So getting to have a hands-on role in how it's growing has been really awesome.

SPEAKER_01 12:15

Do you know of any third spaces in downtown Clean?

SPEAKER_03 12:18

Say that one more time.

SPEAKER_01 12:19

Third spaces?

SPEAKER_03 12:21

What do you mean by third spaces?

SPEAKER_01 12:23

So, not businesses where you have to go in and pay. Just a place where people can go in and just be there with their friends and chill.

SPEAKER_03 12:33

There aren't any. And honestly, I don't know. Kind of you come across places like that when it comes to like restaurants with bigger spaces. What I what I tell people is yes, you can. So like there are dining areas like Vito Roxy, like Southern Roots. We have the library that's downtown, but we definitely want people to come and like at least buy buy a cup of coffee. Like, don't just come and take up space. But what we're loving is that we're seeing people wanting and intentionally coming to the downtown area and saying, okay, I found this cute little shop. And I think when you come into those spaces, you're understanding the small business owner that you're supporting. You're kind of urged to do it. Nobody pressures you to do it, but we definitely advocate for like support your local businesses, especially in this economy.

SPEAKER_01 13:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 13:21

But yeah, yeah. Southern Roots is a really good one. Vita Roxy, the Secret Stop is so adorable. It really gives you that vibe that you can sit and come and be comfortable. The bookstore Scarlet Page, you can go inside of there. And we're looking for anyone else, again, anyone else who wants to open up a business. You know, we've got a we've got a list that we created through the downtown advisory committee. Uh, so I was vice chair for that committee. I mean, it was really like the formation of getting, you know, the downtown merchants and the stakeholders buy into how else we can see as playing a role in that. And now you guys know through that we hit the mark of what we were trying to do with becoming a Main Street city. And so now it's now we're the Main Street board, and I sit as chair for that board.

SPEAKER_00 14:08

Hello, everyone. Jacob Brooks here, managing editor of the Kleen Daily Herald. You're listening to Inside Kleen, our way of bringing you deeper into the stories that shape the Kaleen Fort Hood area. We love producing this podcast and keeping it free for everyone to enjoy, but the truth is the local reporting that fuels these episodes requires real resources. Whether it's our daily print edition, our breaking news coverage at kdhnews.com, or this very podcast, community journalism depends on listeners and readers like you. By purchasing a digital subscription to kdhnews.com, you aren't just getting unlimited access to our reporting, you are directly investing in the reporters, video journalists, and editors who keep our community informed and hold our leaders accountable. Help us keep the the stories coming. Head over to kdhnews.com slash subscribe today to find the plan that works for you. You can sign up for less than a dollar per week. Thank you for listening to the Inside Clean podcast and thank you for supporting local news.

SPEAKER_01 15:17

Can you explain what a main street city is?

SPEAKER_03 15:19

Yes. We had a lovely six-hour training day uh last week. I mean, so the State Department came down and walked all of us as far as board members through, you know, what that role really is. And it's essentially ambassadorship. So if you guys knew a little bit about what the Downtown Advisory Committee did, it's that, but 2.0 with state resources. And so through the Main Street, there is a level that you like you have to reapply, you have to meet the criteria every year to maintain a Main Street city. And so we've actually seen certain cities in the community or in the state of Texas that have actually lost their designation for being a Main Street city because they didn't maintain certain uh rubric markers. And so through Main Street, it's one of those things where it's strategic economic investment with a focus on preservation. And so they are all historic designated cities. We are nationally registered city as far as our historic district, knowing that this was Camp Hood. And so there is a rubric that you have to maintain. You have to have a Main Street director. And so you guys know Kate Chizito. They say we get a bonus because not a bonus in money, but like we get extra kudos because we also have a Main Street coordinator. And that's Miss Kira Basket. And so she's the one that's been doing all of the festivals over the last year. And if you guys came down on Saturday to the Fourth of July festival, she did an amazing job with that event. And so there's certain criteria and rubric that you have to hit in revitalizing historic properties, maintaining architectural character traits, beautifying the area, creating open spaces, increasing your occupancy in the area and having as little lanes as possible. But again, like the goal is are you a city that is intentionally investing in your historic area? And so there are myself and is it six other board members, as well as obviously our main street director and our main street coordinator that are part of the main street.

SPEAKER_04 17:26

Are there any things that the board's gonna have to tackle in the near future, like to like solve any sort of issue?

SPEAKER_03 17:32

Yeah. So a couple of the things that we discuss, and definitely once we and once I get to go ahead to to say more, but there's definitely some things I can let the community know about and things that we're gonna be actively doing in festivals, whether it's surveys, questionnaires, and really just getting the community's buy-in, is when you're looking at our downtown, how do you fix what we have? And that's one of the things we talked about in our board meeting. How do we focus on supporting who's currently there? And so it's what do the businesses down there need? What's going on in the structures that are there? How are we tackling the vacancy of some of the buildings that are still stagnant? We have a couple of properties that are owned by different people that they're just sitting there. Um, and so it's how are we tackling buildings that are out of code? How are we making sure that if I fix my building, that the building next to me that hasn't had any work done to it in 20 years doesn't affect the neighbors' buildings who are in doing the investment? So there's gonna be some stuff that we're gonna have to address when it comes to policy and ordinance with the vacancy stuff. How do we continue to support the festivals? Like, yes, the festivals are great for that day during now. How do we add and make sure that we're getting people to come back to the community and support the businesses? And really that comes from business support. You know, we're heavy advocates on if you've got 10,000 people in front of your door during a festival, be open, have signage, give a draw, give us incentive, do a raffle. Um, and so it's getting, you know, some life back into the business owners, taking it. I'm a big data collection person and not tracking anybody's information. But I'm big on if you see the exposure opportunity, how do you, as a business owner, take advantage of that? Because the city can only do what they can do. You as a business owner, you have to take that onus and say, I've got 13,000 people. We're we're waiting to see what the numbers look like. But if you guys came out to 4th of July, it was massive. Oh, I feel like we definitely hit the numbers past what the Crawfest festival was. And that amazing, that event went amazing. And so did Celebrate Kaleen. But it's how do we take that? How do we start putting out surveys to say what type of businesses do you want to see in the downtown area? Knowing the understanding that we're not Austin, but we don't want to be Austin. Like we want to have a Belton has a cool vibe, Saledo has a cool vibe, and you kind of go with what the structure that you have and then what our community can support. I mean, so when people say, like, this is what I want to see downtown, well, we're all small businesses. And so come be the thing that you want to see, and then let us find ways for us to help support you in that. Um, and sometimes it just comes from advocacy. And so we've gotten a couple of ordinances changed through my work with the downtown merchants association that helps make sure that as we're growing, that we're not forgetting about, you know, the businesses that are already there. Cause it, I need people to understand there is a difference between gentrification and revitalization. Revitalization, there are resources built for people who can stay in your space and grow with it. Some business owners, right now, you own your building and you might get priced out of it for your particular business, but you still own the structure. So, how do we make sure that you still maintain ownership of your property while helping the development grow? Heck, I went through a whole situation. I almost lost my building. That was fun because I'm a small business owner, I'm a photographer that opened up a build, a headshot photography business. And then two months later, AI headshots became all the craze. And so it was just like, I'm sorry, I just bought a building. How do we pivot through there? And so sometimes you don't know what you don't know till you find out what you don't know. And in a niche business like photography, in the world of, you know, everything becoming AI generated, you got to learn to pivot. And sometimes all it takes is one bad month. And so you have to find a way as a business owner to keep pushing, but learn how to pivot. Um, and so that's what we're trying to advocate for a lot of the businesses down there is how do we help support you while you're here? How do we potentially pivot you to a position that you still maintain ownership of your business? How do we increase the development that's happening that we're bringing ancillary things that will help add on to the thing? You know, we've got a brewery. Well, what I want a wine bar. So now I'm trying to, we're trying to now recruit. So that's one of the things that we're going to be talking about with Main Street is what are the things that we know our environment needs that will add to the progressive foot traffic that we want to have? Mixed use residential. If you own a property or you buy a property, we're looking for that upstairs living, downstairs shop. So if you are a mixed use developer, that's one of the things that we want to add. And then start to cushion out the feeder area where you've got the older apartments, the duplexes, the hotels that could become boutique motels, little things like that. And so it's kind of just reviewing other people's things and saying, okay, what fits? What other cities are Main Street that we can piece together? What resources do we have as a community? What can we get supported? What can we get invested? How do we help generate the continued progression? Because Temple, Temple is one of the cities that a lot of people kind of bring up when it comes to their Main Street status and how beautiful they became. That didn't help happen overnight. That that took 20 years. But the cool part about it is our director, super forward thinking, and our city got all of the documentation in order first. I had the opportunity to attend the planning conference for the state of Texas and Bryan College Station back in October, October, November. And that's one of the things that a lot of the Main Street cities out there were like that I got to brag on Colleen a little bit because I'm like, hey, we already did the tourist fund. We already have the first uh first street designation. We're going for Main Street. We have the comprehensive plan. We have a downtown director. We're hosting our events here. The back office work is done. Now it's just getting businesses and investors. And that's one of the things that a lot of cities are like, okay, kudos to you guys for being forward-thinking and having a council that supported it.

SPEAKER_05 23:56

Yes, I am.

SPEAKER_03 23:57

Said a lot. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_05 23:59

That was good. No, there's always that public conversation about a grocery store in downtown Kaleene. Can you talk about that a little bit?

SPEAKER_03 24:09

Just a touch. And so I I do my best not to appear to be a subject matter expert unless I'm the subject matter expert. Downtown, I got you. What I like to tell people, and and really the conversation that grocers had with the city of Kleene. I think of it, the city gets a bad rep for people saying, You're not giving me this. This is what we need. I mean, and not realizing that million, billion dollar grocery stores are not going to build a facility based on people's feelings. And what they said is essentially people aren't starving. This is just being as candid and blank about it. Because with all the technologies of DoorDash, Uber, Walmart does delivery, Sam's Club does delivery, HEB does delivery, uh, Family Dollar or Dollar General, and make sure I'm saying the correct name, all of their future locations have a grocery store aspect built into it. Down North Kleene technically is not a food desert. We have Deliciosos and we have Omart and we have the nutrition center here in the downtown area. And so food desert means that there's no food. A lot of people get wrapped up in that concept because they don't see a Walmart, because they don't see an HEB, because they don't see a Kroger's or whatever the case may be. But there is food that is available. There are grocery stores that are accessible. And with the access to delivery systems or even the hop is a dollar. And so what these grocers have said is we know that it would be convenient for people to have a grocery store there, but most major grocers don't build on other people's convenience. It's the logistics and the investment and the prop the land acquisition. It's the TIA reports, it's all the things that go into putting up a new location when data shows no one's starving. So you're getting your food. North Kaleen is getting food. It may not be convenient for them. But our chamber president, Mr. Ronnie Russell, and so I got to say our the chamber president, Mr. Ronnie Russell, you guys watched him do the footwork on really it kind of gave people an inside scoop on what the work actually requires to go recruit a grocery store to the community. And you got to see them say what their why was in saying, hey, like we need further investment in this because we're the ones putting our necks on the line for that. And so I think the city has done its job. You can't in tight, you can't, you can't make anybody open a grocery store. So what the grocers said, I want to say probably about two and a half years ago is here are the things that we would consider, would make us consider moving, opening up a new establishment in the North Kleene area. They said new homes. And so they're like, they need more rooftops. And people are like, okay, well, there's homes down there. They need more new rooftops because those people are currently getting groceries. So the grocers already said they want to see new infrastructure in the North Kleene, which is why the Rancier project is a part of the piece to revitalize the North Kleene area. So new rooftops, redeveloping infrastructure, and again, new development as far as on the economic side. That's why I was kind of bummed when residents voted down the building of the new City Hall building. And I think a lot of times people get wrapped up in their emotions of the city spending money. But think about how large our city is. Most cities, our size, have all their locate, all of their departments in one location. Imagine being a new resident in that city, and you've got to go to six different facilities to get the things that you need. And so I think watching how people were responding to voting for that bond, they threw, I'm gonna say logic out the window when they were just thinking emotionally, city council just wants a new building. Well, the time frame to build that facility and get everything approved, first of all, none of the council members that would have voted for it would be able to take advantage of it. That was a 10-year process. But that's what people don't understand in the governing side of the municipality is it happen it takes years to even start the process than to do the work to see the output. And so I think I need our clean residents to pay more attention to the council meetings, to go to the board meetings, to soak in information and actually read the agenda items so they can see, okay, what does it take? I think every resident should do this Clean Citizens Academy. I did that two and a half years ago. And you get to sit and unlearn and say, okay, this is how it actually works. This is how it makes sense. And so a grocery store in North Klein, yes, would be great, but there's a lot of work on the back end that has to be done before that happens. And I feel like our city can only do what they can do. At the end of the day, it's up to the grocery store to come. You can incentivize the heck out of it, but if they already gave you a list that says, this is what I need you to do, that list may take years to complete. And I feel like we've been doing all the things, and I say we I take things very personally, but like the revitalization of North Kleen is a part of that process. It's the thing that the grocers specifically say they needed. And so I like to take onus on like if you're a part of it, if this is your city, if you truly care about the quality of life, I think that's the trigger word everybody likes to use. You gotta get involved and you've got to take ownership. You've got to find ways to be a part of the conversation, the advocacy, being a voice, join a board, join a committee. I'm on three.

SPEAKER_04 30:00

Yeah, I mean, um this is just anecdotal, but I know a lot of people, you mentioned that Killeen is not Austin, but a lot of people from Austin, at least, have moved out to Killeen to escape like the increasing like costs. And I think that's the same for like a lot of cities. Like I I used to live in New York City and I lived in Brooklyn and Flatbush, and my sister just moved to Harlem. Oh, no kidding, yeah. I mean, yeah, Harlem is another one, like it's also being very gentrified right now.

SPEAKER_03 30:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 30:33

But like I think that what I was thinking is when like artists like kind of like the way they thrive, it tends they tend not to be like, you know, having a lot of money and stuff like that. They tend to happen to just be living in an area that can support this. I'm kind of interested in seeing how like the poet laureate thing works and works out, like and anything that the arts commission is doing. I mean, how do you feel about those things and how it could impact you in downtown Kleen?

SPEAKER_03 31:00

So when it comes to the downtown Kleene area, I feel like, again, native Kaleen. We have so much talent in the area. Again, another one of the downtown businesses, Ms. Tony Ringold, who owns Space Create over on Avenue D.

SPEAKER_05 31:19

Also a member of the board, too.

SPEAKER_03 31:20

Yeah, so she's also Main Street board member and she sits on the Tours Fund. So that's that's one thing I love about you know our downtown business owners. When we when we were asked to be a part and just be a voice, we took it very personally. So a lot of us sit on boards because we want to know how do we take part? Like you own a piece of your city, you want to know where those conversations are being had. And the arts commission is definitely a part of that process in okay, what are all the different departments doing when it comes to is everybody on the same page when it comes to the development of the area? Again, we have the Clean Arts and Activities Center. So you're finding ways of attracting who your demographic is. And like you said, we have a lot of residents that are coming from the Austin area. Now, those individuals, they may have been priced out of the area when it comes to cost of living, but they can afford clean. And we're in that weird bubble where you want to elevate what we have without outpricing yourself so that people, but so it's a give and take. It comes from some community support, it comes from true collaboration. What it really is is creating the environment. And so that's what we're doing in the in the downtown areas. How are how are we creating an environment where, again, the city of Kaleen, we have a music-friendly designation? And so it's, are we supporting that? Are we feeding that? Yes, ma'am. Are we feeding the thing that helps keep people in the bubble? And so I feel like this is a very artist-friendly environment. It's just going to come from people supporting each other. And so that's why we tell people join the boards. Artists can join the arts commission board. You can join the music-friendly board, the music city board, I'm sorry, and start attending meetings. And I feel like the more people actually go into the rooms that the conversations are being had, the more people start to feel apart and the more uh holistic the transition and the development is. When you have it as to where it's just city officials doing the work, then it may be, it may feel a little bit more logistical and governmental without the touch and the care that it needs. That's why I love our Main Street board, it has artists. We have business people. So there are two representatives from the clean chamber, well, representative from Clean Chamber of Commerce, Miss Melissa Flores, our pres president of the IBCC, Mr. Ronnie Russell, is on the board. And then we have our artists who are Daniel Watkins, who owns Yokai Tattoo Studio on Gray Strength, and then Tony Ringold, who owns Space Create. I mean, then you've got, we've got a salesperson. If y'all have never met the guy on the core on Avenue D, his name is Josh Pemberton. Um, and he runs a Salesforce team. He is a sales trainer, and so he's hardcharging, ready to fight. He tackle, he likes to tackle projects. Um, and then we have Dustin Evans, who is the owner of Southern Roots Brewery. And so, like, we really tackled in a holistic, and then there's me. And and I'm nothing to sneeze at. Like, I feel like I'm pretty dope. And so, like, we really have people who have a skill set and an excitement and a passion that covers everything that you would need for Main Street board. And that was the cool part about our training day was that the Texas estate team said, y'all really covered all your bases with the board members. Like, you really have people that'll think economic development, you have people that'll think marketing and promotions, you'll have people who will think sales and recruiting. Like we really have that. And then again, the downtown city staff from with Kate Chizeito, the relationships that she is building with the other entities from and the State Departments, like she does not get enough credit for the work that she does. And then now we've got this enthusiastic firecracker in Kira, who she sees every obstacle as a challenge and she has come out swinging. Um, so I feel like what we need now really is community support. We should have a hundred people. If we have 13,000 people at that festival, I need to see 13,000 social media posts. Like we have to start taking pride in what we do have. We know there are things in our city that need to be fixed. And so what I don't like is always thinking that there has to be something underlying if information isn't shared. Maybe you're just not in the rooms. Some things take time to roll out. Um, and so I encourage people to go to meetings, ask questions, build relationships. Some of the kickback I kind of always get, like it feels like I'm always a cheerleader for the city. I'm from here. I'm gonna cheerlead for my city. But I've built relationships that if I see something, if I have a question about something, I can call. Not saying that I have any sway on anything, but I don't have to berate anybody on a dais. I don't have to make an angry social media post. I have the relationship that I can call and say, hey, why'd y'all vote for that? Hey, this is what I think. And we're as residents, we're able to read the agenda items prior to. So you can really ask questions, but you have to take it upon yourself to be the person that is in the room that has the character and conduct that people want to relate to, approach to, have a conversation with, good, bad, ugly, or indifferent. I mean, I feel like that's been the thing I try to focus on is I'm always gonna be supportive, I'm gonna be uplifting, I'm gonna correct something if I see it. But I'm I'm like, I'm a mother hen when it comes to things I put my hands on. I mean, I think that's as individuals, we should all be doing that. How do we take on us and how do we uplift what's going on?

SPEAKER_04 36:59

I mean, I think it would be nice if more people came to like the city council meetings, you know, instead instead of like the same people every single day. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 37:07

Look, I'm the type of person, I'm like, if you didn't vote, I don't want to hear it. If you don't come to meetings, if you're if you're spitting out assumptions, I don't want to hear it. Because yeah, for years. And and Kevin, you know, I was at council meetings, and this is when, this is before they uh made it once, you know, every other week. This is when there was a council meeting every Tuesday, and before they put the timeline on how long it could be. I was at council meetings every week for two and a half years with my child, my baby. Like he grew up in that building. And so, yeah, I mean, we should have people. If you're riled up on social media, that means I should see you at the council meeting on Tuesday. And same thing with school board. If if you're that upset on social media, you gotta go to the school board meetings, you gotta go sit on the shack, you know, team. You gotta go volunteer at the schools, you gotta go mentor at the schools. And and that's just the kind of person I am. Like, I want to see you do the work before I see your words.

SPEAKER_05 38:10

Right. Anything else that y'all wanted to add before we close out?

SPEAKER_01 38:14

I want to kind of go back to the downtown stuff. Why do you guys think that people don't shop at downtown businesses? Okay.

SPEAKER_03 38:25

So, rightfully so, downtown has a reputation that it has to get out of. And so that's one of the things people, a lot of people think we're delusional. We're not, but you have to be a little delusional if you're a dreamer. Being a small business owner is literally the definition of insanity because you will put in 80 hours a week and hope that you generate revenue. And so a lot of businesses, their hours are based on when they feel like they might see foot traffic. And so that's why I say I need the community to come out and support. I'm gonna keep fussing at the business owners on the back end. I just need y'all to show up. And if you're showing up and we're seeing the foot traffic, then it will encourage the businesses to say, okay, I see that there's an opportunity. Because I will say there's a lot of business owners who have been down there for 15 years. So they have gone through the cycle where there was nothing, where the downtown area had 30% occupancy. And so they're a little disheartened and they had to go find revenue elsewhere. And so a lot of people don't know what's in the area. And so that's what we're gonna be working on with Main Street, is and I I am a very, if I tell people you open, you better be open. I have a very pleasant way of bossing people around. But it's from it from an encouraging side and saying, hey, we can't encourage the community to come out if your doors are unlocked. And if you don't add some vibrancy to what you're doing, people get so it's like when you get blind scrolling, like you almost become invisible. So when people are coming downtown, if they're used to that door never being unlocked or an open sign not being in the window, you might be in there. But if there is nothing visual that changes, you know, the perception from people who are coming downtown, they almost stop looking in that direction altogether. And so that's why you've got foot traffic at Southern Roots, Vito Roxy, Strikeout, Wicked Apple, Let's Eat Texas. I'm not a business that generates foot traffic. That's why I do the footwork. But like you've got the businesses that'll bring into foot traffic, Bezos Aesthetics, and the Pilates bar. The Pilates bar has great foot traffic, but people will start becoming blind to those empty spaces. And so it's gonna come from us encouraging business owners, but then also the support the community coming out and supporting them and then advocating to feel and attract other things into the space. And so it takes time because obviously, if I go in my building and I turn on my lights or I bring my employees to work and I don't generate any revenue that day, it's gonna kind of alter if I do it again the next day. Um, and that's why I tell people community support is the thing that will change everything about downtown. And then we'll start to see, okay, I could see my business in the building. I've already got six emails from people from Saturday's festival. Like, I saw a building on the corner. Do you know how much that is? And so that's the thing that will continue is everything that we're doing. Now we just need the community to keep on coming out and supporting it. Like we'll do the footwork and we'll do the logistics. And the city staff for downtown is amazing. From Miss Wallace to Kate to Kira to Brian, like we've got an amazing team putting in the work. They've got a new employer, her name is Maria. And so, yeah, we're just asking for this, the community to just keep coming out and support, find a reason to come down there, find one thing, and then say that good thing. Negativity spreads seven times faster than positivity. And so, like, we continually need people to just keep finding one good thing to love about your city. And again, even from the downtown perspective, about your city, period. From Parks and Rec does an amazing job putting on things for the community, for the kids. I mean, so find something to pour your passion into.

SPEAKER_01 42:24

Yeah. I agree. Appearance is very important. Because there's some buildings I'm like, I'm not sure if that's open or if it's abandoned.

SPEAKER_02 42:30

Right.

SPEAKER_01 42:31

But I think it would be interesting if it was open. And I I don't want to take the chance and go up and regard that it's not open.

SPEAKER_02 42:38

Right.

SPEAKER_01 42:39

But there are some really cute cafes that I have gone to.

SPEAKER_03 42:42

We got a couple more coming. Yeah. There's actually an anime store that's going to be opening on the corner of see there we go. So again, like we're finding those things that it's really like what are the hobbies? Like, what are people's interests? What are the social groups that are here in the community? Like, that's the type of downtown that we can build on. Uh so yeah, there's an anime store that's gonna be opening on the corner of Avenue D and A Street. So Spartan Energy used to be inside of there. So they've pulled their permits to start doing their work. We've got another cute coffee shop antique store that's supposed to be opening. Who else?

SPEAKER_04 43:19

Yeah, well, this is inside baseball for uh KDH News, but I am constantly talking about anime in the office.

SPEAKER_03 43:27

I'm telling you, and and it is a it is a social network opportunity. I found out there was this, and I'll say this real quick. There was a guy when I first opened up my building, eight o'clock every night, seven o'clock every night, he would park in front of my building. It was starting to creep me out because it'd be random. Everybody else's clothes. I like when I get to lock my door and just do my work, I don't have to answer the phone. And but it was every night he would park horizontally in front of my building. And so at one point I was just like, okay, I gotta figure out what this is. Is. And so I opened the door, waved at his window, and he rolled it down. I was like, hi, just not being nosy. I said, I just have to ask, is there a reason why you keep parking in front of my door? I said, it's just kind of throwing me off. And he was like, Oh, I'm sorry. He was just like, he's like, I always find the very rare Pokemon in front of your building. And I go, huh? And he was a Pokemon Go. And I didn't know, I didn't know it was still a thing. You know, I had Pokemon cards in in middle school. And if I'd have known it was still gonna be a thing, like you know, Burger King used to give them out in the meals when we were kids. If I'd have known Pokemon was stay gonna stay as popular as it is now, I had a binder this thick. Really? Full of, ah, I collected them. I was into Dragon Ball Z and all of that in school. I'll still watch Inuyasha to this day. And shout out to One Piece. But I had a stack, but he said he would always come across the rare Pokemon in front of my building at this time. And he was like, is it okay if I say it? I was like, you're good. Now I know that there's a reason. But yeah, there are social clubs that people, you know, cater to where it's just like, okay, if you've got something quirky, whether it's bougie, quirky, anime, whatever the case may be, we've got this adorable tea room on Avenue C. We want people to bring the things that they're passionate about downtown.

SPEAKER_05 45:24

So I think for me, now this is back in the day, because Miss Cooper, you can attest to this on the downtown.

SPEAKER_02 45:32

Did you just call me old?

SPEAKER_05 45:34

No.

SPEAKER_02 45:34

Oh, he said back in the day, and then I can attest. Go for it.

SPEAKER_05 45:38

Well, now, oh, I'm saying now I'm at downtown almost every day. Right. Don't miss a beat. I'm always out there looking at something, being nosy in somebody's business. But off of that, way back then, when I was younger as a kid, it wasn't what it is now. So, of course, you know, I have my mom saying, Yeah, don't be out there. I have friends that grew up out there saying, Yeah, I was, I'm glad I moved up out of there. But it's funny because here we are now, and I'm giving them like y'all not gonna believe what downtown's become. They're like, you're lying. I'm like, people are out here at 10 a.m. just walking around, but they're just walking around, taking a photo right with the clean sign.

SPEAKER_02 46:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 46:20

Something as simple as that. And then you have the secret stop that's opened up, which is raised sandwiches. And then the Lottie's bar that's always going through and through. I mean, we had covered that when it first opened and it had nonstop traction then, and it continues to have the traction now. So I think, like you said, Miss Cooper, the misconception it had because of what it was years ago, the community has to be a out of that mindset of it's still that way. It's not, it's changing. It takes time. Yeah, yes, but it's not, it's nowhere near what it used to be.

SPEAKER_03 46:58

And so there's a term for it, it's called social engineering. So again, the the reputation of downtown was rightfully so. That it it it deserved the bad rep that it had. And so people are constantly, you know, oh, I wouldn't be caught dead down there. You know, it's super late. I've been, I celebrated my three-year anniversary uh July 1st. And there were times where I've been in my building at two o'clock in the morning. It's quiet. We don't have a ton of issues. Like, yeah, we were having, like, naturally so, you're having break-ins. But that comes from people just being interested in what's inside. And it was really people breaking into the buildings that were being renovated because they knew there were there were tools in there. But all of them were businesses that had no lights, no cameras, no exterior lights, no trespassing signs. And so, but when we ended up getting the downtown engagement unit again, 16 officers dedicated to downtown, who they literally stroll like beat cops. Like it's super cool. It's this really fun vibe. Now they have, you know, ATVs and and electric bikes, but like, and all the officers know all the businesses and they come in, they walk past, we'll see them. And at night they're checking door handles to make sure if you're not in there, that your door is locked. Now I'm terrible about not locking the door, but I'm inside my building. I mean, so they always pop in like, hey, just checking in. I'm like, I'm good to go. But like we have that vibe, and I tell people, you know, where they're just like, oh, I would, I, I wouldn't come downtown. I got to read the police scanner. But if you guys check the reviews on any of the events, there's never been a single incident, you know, at these events. We feel safe, we still feel protected, we feel supported. And again, our neighbors, we are all tapped into each other's cameras. And so if something does happen, we can pull up a camera and we can find the person. Like I got to watch the real-time crime center actively track down the person that broke into a building because we got we're sharing cameras. We're like, okay, this is where the car went. Within six hours, they found the person. And so it's, and again, we're all close neighbors. If I was I'm borderline neighborhood watch down there, nothing happens that I don't know about it because I know like we have to intentionally watch out for each other. So if I know that a business owner is closed on a Thursday and there's someone standing outside their door, kind of hanging out in the back of their building, I'm calling. Hey, check your camera. Do you know this person? Or if I'm strolling, hey guys, can I help you? Are you guys looking for anything? Like, we really are neighbors downtown. And so I just encourage everybody what you thought downtown was or what you knew downtown to be, it's not that. And so come out and come check it. If I need to personally give you a tour, and I tell people that all the time, especially on social media, I was like, stop by my building and I will personally give you a tour. And we'll go when the sun drops. But it's it's beautiful. I love what I get to see happening um in the area. And so I just want the rest of the community to come out and support it.

SPEAKER_04 50:04

Yeah, I mean, I don't think Killeen is a bad neighborhood at all. I mean, like a lot of people say that, but I don't really I've never felt unsafe living here. I mean, I I mean, granted, I haven't lived here as long as some of the people here, but I mean, I will have lived here for years at the end of this week, so so I mean I just never never really never really had any issues with like that. I mean, Kaleen's like a military town, and I guess Fort Hood and kind of supports Kaleen and vice versa. But I mean so like I guess that makes it like somewhat of a transient community. But the thing is, like, like we were talking about before, like people are coming in to the city and you know the population is only just gonna keep growing.

SPEAKER_02 50:50

That's correct.

SPEAKER_04 50:50

So like I don't see that like changing unless some kind of catastrophic event happens, God forbid. So like, you know, I mean, I really don't see I really see it as a very big possibility that that things are gonna like really begin to move into downtown. But I think it's gonna I think I think it's gonna take like a few years, maybe even 10 years. That's kind of my guess. It's 10 years.

SPEAKER_03 51:13

And and there are ways to, you know, there's there's ways to expedite again what we currently have. But when it comes to okay, what's the infrastructure things that are gonna have to happen? Ranseer project is going to take years. And so there's gonna be some moments where people are going to hate what they see happening, but it's a part of what has to happen. Um, and I think the more that people figure out, like, okay, what's happening, what's being developed, is there a way for me to play a role in that? Well, you know, when we're talking about businesses and what's being developed or what big company is coming into the area, I say, okay, this might get approved. And these are conversations I have. You know, I'm a planning and zoning commissioner. And so I'm like, okay, this fits the comprehensive plan. This votes well for what the area is zoned for. They're like businesses in the same area. Yeah, I'm gonna vote for this. But I tell people on the back end, do you have a business that could play a part in what this is? If you are a lawn care company and you see anything being posted about a new development happening, go find out who owns that development. Come to planning and zoning and go get that contract. They're gonna need their grass cut every two weeks. If you're a sprinkler company, if you're a cleaning company. So I think the more that people in residences we are a very heavy small business city, the more that we actually look into how I can play a role and whether it's volunteer, community advocate, city board, elected official, business owner, support system, whatever it is, find out how to play a role in what's happening because growth has to happen. Like you said, people are coming into the area, they're getting priced out of Austin. So we know that more apartments are going to happen. So we can't throw a tangent every time an apartment is requested to get built. People love coffee shops. We can fuss all we want about how many coffee shops do we need, but when do you ever see a coffee shop empty? Same thing with the car washes. People complain about the car washes, but when do you see a car wash empty? Yes. And you got to think about the logistics on the coffee shop, what there were on the car washes. If there are 160,000 people here, so that's an average of 80,000 homes. The average individual has at least two cars, so that's 160,000 cars. You have Fort Hood, Harker Heights, Nolanville, and Coppers Cove. And we have the majority of coffee, we have the majority of the business structures here, which means on transient level, we almost have 300,000 cars passing through the city of Kleene on a regular basis. When was the last time you saw an empty car wash during business hours? And the answer is never. They're used. And somebody's not going to spend millions of dollars in building a car wash if they didn't do their research and the market analysis to open it. Now, yes, can you put a halt on how many? Yes. I I think 27, I think we're good now. Yeah. That's my personal opinion. I think 27, we're good. But but you think about all the types of businesses that are out here. And so again, we know development's happening. We know more housing areas are gonna be requested to be built. So, what can we get the developers to put in? Because we need them. You may not see it now, but when Austin continues to grow, we're gonna see that flood. When Fort Hood soldiers retire here on purpose, you're going to see more off-post living. And so, again, it's about how do you play your part?

SPEAKER_05 54:46

Absolutely. I like thank you for coming in, Ms. Condiz Cooper. What you have said was very helpful today. And I hope that the listeners who listen to this podcast so we get an understanding of what's going on in downtown clean and the revitalization and what is going for. So, my name is Dalen Che with the Clean Daily Herald. I'm here with Kevin Limity, I'm Ada Botchua. And once again, this was Condiz Cooper talking to us today as our guest. Hope you have a good morning, good afternoon, and good evening.

SPEAKER_03 55:13

Thank you for having me.