A handful of Geary city officials and residents gathered at City Hall on Monday evening for the first meeting of the reconstituted Geary Economic Development Authority, which aims to attract new businesses and industries to the town.
The Geary City Council voted in April to vacate the GEDA board and install Mayor Bobby Allen and then-Clerk Amy Wood to the body. Allen and Wood were joined Monday by Tatum Harrall, Kim Lewis, Greg Lewis and Lupe Hernandez, who all agreed to join he GEDA board as well.
The organization is still looking for more members, Wood said after the meeting.
“I have lived here for 20 years,” Wood said. “I really love my town, and I think there’s plenty of opportunity here. We have a good group of people that want to see good things happen, and this is where we’ve all chosen to raise our kids. We are not ready to watch our town disappear.”
Wood said the City Council dissolved the old GEDA board because “it had just kind of been stagnant for a while.”
“So we’re just trying to find some new people that want to be involved,” she said, “and hopefully we can bring some new businesses to town.”
During the Monday meeting, attendees discussed what kind of businesses they’d like to see and who else might be interested in joining. The board members agreed that businesses like a laundromat, bar and grocery store would be welcome additions to the town.
Wood said any Geary residents or business owners who want to get involved with GEDA can learn more by contacting her or Allen, or by simply coming to the next meeting. GEDA will meet again on Monday, July 12 at 6 p.m. in City Hall, 115 S. Broadway.
“We’re going to be looking for more people that want to join, and more business owners,” Wood said.