La Porte approves $210,871 in reimbursements for Bela Largo public improvements

The City of La Porte on Feb. 18 approved reimbursements totaling $210,871.19 tied to public improvements at the Bela Largo facility. Staff said the payments cover work recorded by the redevelopment commission and inspected by the city’s engineer.

Bert Cook, representing city staff, told the board that $134,150.62 will be paid from American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds and $76,720.57 from a county‑restricted redevelopment fund (SEG 254–263). Matt Hagenow, attorney for the county redevelopment commission, confirmed the documents were recorded and staff recommended issuing checks so public improvements could be reimbursed (SEG 287–291). Mayor Dermody and others praised county‑city cooperation on the project and said the facility appears nearly ready for public tours (SEG 270–277; SEG 292–296).

The board moved, seconded and approved the reimbursements by voice vote. Staff said Bela Largo (facility name spelled variously in the transcript) is expected to be a community resource when it opens; payment approvals allow the city and county to close out the public‑improvement obligations (SEG 293–299). Officials declined to provide a further breakdown of line‑item costs during the meeting.

Next steps: finance staff will issue the checks and record the reimbursements as required; the redevelopment partners will continue to coordinate tours and the project’s opening schedule.