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November 18, 2009

GO TEXAN application nearly complete

By Nathan Straus

nstraus@jacksonvilleprogress.com



Jacksonville is nearly ready to send off the final draft of its application for the GO TEXAN Certified Retirement Community Program, city officials said Wednesday. If approved, the application would open several benefits for the city.

Peggy Renfro, Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce president, said the application is in its final phase. The 100-page document is being looked over for any stray errors.

“We’re adding community pictures,” Renfro said.

Scenes from well-known Jacksonville locations like Love’s Lookout and events like the Tomatofest will make it into the final draft.

According to Renfro, the document has already gone through one round of editing.

“Hopefully, this week we will get to review the final copy,” she said.

Lacy Matejka and Stacy Boyer of “Picture This” in Jacksonville are both working on the final draft, Renfro said.

Matejka, an embroidery specialist, said she expects the final draft to be edited and completed within a few weeks.

“This looks like it’ll be the last edit,” Matejka said. “It’s a strong version.”

She also said two copies of the final draft will be sent to the state for final review. One will be the hard copy and the other will be an electronic copy. Matejka said one of the versions is required, while the other can help speed the process along.

Renfro said the document is the final product of all the volunteers working together to combine information into a single paper.

“Our goal is to find out if we’ve been approved by the time of the chamber banquet on Jan. 19,” Renfro said.

Matejka said she thinks the document has a good chance of landing Jacksonville a certification as a retirement community.

“We have a lot to offer as a retirement city,” Matejka said.

Renfro said the Texas Department of Agriculture handles the GO TEXAN certification process.

According to a GO TEXAN brochure, benefits of becoming a retirement community include also becoming a part of a statewide marketing campaign to attract retirees and tourists.

In addition, positive economic and social impacts in the community will happen and there is a potential for an additional 1.5 jobs per senior household added.

Any community wishing to showcase itself as a retirement location and tourism destination is eligible.

Potential retirement communities are considered based on community desirability assessment indicators such as emergency medical services, local housing, employment opportunities, performing arts, sports at all levels and personal safety.

A study by the North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement ranked Texas second in the nation as a popular retirement destination, according to the brochure.

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