 "Photo: Karl McDonald")
Saws buzzed, hammers pounded and paint rollers glided as members of a local church gave the former Chester's nightclub a facelift.
The bring-your-own-beer bar closed its doors after the June shooting death of Kevin Brown, which involved an Austin Police Department officer. APD Chief Art Acevedo fired Sgt. Michael Olsen in November for excessive use of force. Olsen appealed the decision.
Vox Veniae, an Austin church, signed a five-year lease for the East Austin property in November. Since then, volunteers have gathered on nights and weekends to transform the building into a positive place, said community Pastor Weylin Lee.
"The center itself is not necessarily a church; it's actually going to be a community center building," Lee said. "We're kind of redoing the floor, kind of redoing the walls, making sure all the electrical is up to code. The main thing is just cosmetic, making the space a lot more open and inviting."
Some volunteers said they hope the center will aid the community.
"Instead of sitting at home or going to the lake or something, I think this is worth my time to come out here and do something that benefits the city and this community as a whole," said Glen Lam, a UT alumnus and electrical engineer. "I'm hoping that people will come here to actually use it. We're more than welcome to let anybody use this building for whatever event that they want to hold."
Lee said the renovations should be complete in February and activities will begin in May. The church financed the operation through donations.
Lead Pastor Gideon Tsang said the church was launched two years ago and grew out of a college ministry set up by the Austin Chinese Church. Young professionals and college students comprise most of the church's congregation, he said.
"Hopefully, I think [the center] will bring some healing to the community," Tsang said. "Where it's kind of a safe haven for the community to develop, whether its skills, education and whatever types of resources."
The surrounding community backs the change, said Christopher Johnson, the city liaison for the McKinley Heights Neighborhood Association.
"We're embracing it," Johnson said. "We need something that's viable and compatible to the neighborhood. It's long overdue."
Lee said the group appreciates the support from the community.
"A few members of the neighborhood association have been coming by pretty regularly, just finding ways that they can help us out," Lee said. "Overall, the neighbors and just the people that live in the area are very excited, I think, about what it will become."
Johnson said ideas for the center are still being tossed around, but he mentioned the possibility of installing a computer lab.
"It's going to be a venue to have different objectives, not just one-sided objectives, if you will," he said.
The neighborhood had opposed the after-hours bar since it opened, Johnson said.
"From day one, it was not compatible to this neighborhood with the loud music, the blaring music, cars parked illegally and the debris left on the street," Johnson said. "I was on the bandwagon saying, 'Listen. This is not going to be conducive. Something is going to happen here.' It was just a matter of time before something transpired. This wasn't the first tragedy." Johnson said he is glad the building will be reborn.
"Kevin Brown's death brought something positive out of it," he said. "Unfortunately, something tragic had to transpire to get this. I've met with the people of the institution, and they have our best interests at heart."
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