Clear Lake council to consider $250,000 grant for new Clear Lake Chamber building

CLEAR LAKE — Clear Lake’s City Council tonight will consider providing a $250,000 grant to the Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce to use for their proposed $2.3 million new facility at their existing location.

The existing Chamber building is about 50 years old and is undersized for the operational efficiencies and requirements of the organization’s present and future needs, and it also has a number of deficiencies such as an outdated HVAC system and accessibility.

Chamber CEO Stacy Doughan told the council at one of their regular meetings in August that a new Chamber building would better serve the public. “We want to make sure that we are welcoming our visitors in a way to who we are as a community and hopefully attracts them to want to be residents here in Clear Lake. We also want to enhance the work that we do, and networking and programming. We have some ideas for new programming. It would be great to have that space right on site for us to be able to execute that programming. We also want a place where we can engage potential investors and developers, a place where commerce can actually happen within our organization.”

Doughan says there’s many problems in the current building that could be solved with a new structure. “We want a welcoming visitors center with a modern image, a state-of-the-art board room with appropriate technology, networking and collaboration spaces accessible in safe facilities, dedicated event preparation space and offices to accommodate our growing team.”

Doughan says they have a fundraising goal of $2 million. “If individuals or businesses want to make contributions, whether it’s one-time gift or multi-year pledge, they can receive a tax-deductible benefit by donating through the Clear Lake Development Foundation. We’re also in a financial position now where we can put about a half-million dollars of our own Chamber money into the project. So we’re not coming and asking for 100% support, we’ve got skin in the game to make this project happen.”

The Chamber hopes to begin construction in the spring with it being completed by the summer of 2026. The Clear Lake City Council meets at 5:30 tonight at City Hall.