The Dam Center has received help from churches and chambers of commerce. It will need even more to rebuild.
INGRAM, Texas — The Ingram Dam is a hotspot for outdoor recreation in the City of Ingram. People walk, fish and even slide down the dam for fun.
Right across from the dam is a shopping center called “The Dam Center.” On July 3, they had a Domino’s pizza, a hair stylist, an ice cream shop and an arcade that was just about to open.
Then the July 4th flood happened.
Between six and seven feet of water crashed into the center’s businesses. The building’s structure survived thanks to its concrete walls but the inside of every business was ruined.
“There were four to six inches of mud in the units,” owner Steve Edelstein said.
Everything in the building had to be removed. The interior walls, the ceiling, the insulation, electrical components and even the brick face was pulled out to deal with the water damage inside.
Edelstein then faced two immediate issues.
First, he needed to get a permit to rebuild a property in the floodplain. That permit could have required the owner to raise the whole property four feet, which Edelstein didn’t see happening. Fortunately, according to City of Ingram ordinances, the owner does not need to raise the building if the cost of the rebuild does not exceed 50% of the value of the building.
Edelstein was able to get a permit without raising it.
The second issue is money. The owner believes it will cost around $400,000 to rebuild The Dam Center. They only have $120,000 so far but that’s enough to get started.
“We’ve been blessed. The West Kerr Chamber of Commerce has helped us. The Kerrville Chamber of Commerce has helped us. The Kerrville Bible Church has helped us,” Edelstein said. “We’ve been blessed to raise the money that we have. We do what we can with what we have.”
Church volunteers are also helping clean the building out. On Monday, a team from the Bulverde Methodist Church was on site.
“We are just here to be the hands and feet of God to serve in any way we can. Ever since the flooding we’ve been coming out every week or two,” Associate Pastor Hannah Hedgpeth said.
Still, The Dam Center only has about a third of the funding it needs. Edelstein said he knows he will get tenants back in the building if they can get the walls, windows, doors and basic electrical work in place. Right now, he’s just grateful for the help and taking it one day at a time.