UVALDE — The Lower Colorado River Authority has awarded a $100,000 community grant to El Progreso Memorial Library to support facility upgrades aimed at expanding educational, cultural and community services in Uvalde County.
The funding will support the library’s Next Generation Project, an effort to expand and modernize the facility that has served the community since 1903. The LCRA grant will be combined with more than $2.6 million raised through private foundations and individual donors to transform the library into a modern community hub focused on learning, cultural preservation and connection.
Planned improvements include construction of a new meeting room with a teaching kitchen, expansion of museum and archives space, an updated teen makerspace, upgraded security systems, and an outdoor interactive learning area for children.
The Next Generation Project also includes development of an oral history and soundproof recording studio designed to capture and preserve local narratives. Expansion of the Virginia Wood Davis Archives will allow the library to safeguard family histories, private collections and other historical materials documenting the region’s heritage.
“The Next Generation Project is about creating spaces that help our community preserve its stories and discover new ones,” Library Executive Director Tammie Sinclair said. “Expanding the archives and museum will give us room to protect and showcase local history while creating flexible gallery space that can host traveling exhibits.”
The expanded museum will enhance exhibits focused on the area’s farming history, ranching legacy and cultural heritage while providing adaptable space for traveling exhibitions. Updated facilities will also support programs such as Lego club, cookbook club, nature-based learning activities and makerspace programming.
El Progreso Memorial Library has long served as a gathering place for the Uvalde community. Following the May 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School, the library functioned as a community center where residents gathered to share memories and process grief. The expanded archives will include the Los Angelitos de Robb collection, which honors the victims and documents the community’s response. “El Progreso Memorial Library has been part of Uvalde for more than a century,” LCRA General Manager Phil Wilson said. “It is a place where people come together to learn, to remember and to move forward. This expansion will help the library serve Uvalde for the next century.”
The award is one of 41 grants issued through the LCRA Community Grants program, which distributes funding twice annually to nonprofit organizations and local governments within LCRA’s electric, water and transmission service areas. As part of the program’s 30th anniversary, LCRA is awarding two special $100,000 grants during the current fiscal year.
Applications for the next grant cycle will be accepted in January. More information is available at lcra.org/grants.
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