Wednesday, October 2, 1996

Musgrave to outline plans for southern downtown Abilene By DOUG WILLIAMSON
Business Editor

Developer/entrepreneur Kenneth Musgrave will announce his acquisition of NationsBank Tower and plans to revitalize the southern part of downtown Abilene today.

Musgrave sent letters to local civic leaders this week inviting them to the news conference at 10 a.m. at the tower in the 500 block of Chestnut.

"The purpose of the news conference is to publicly announce the largest and most ambitious project that Abilene has seen to date," he wrote. "It not only compliments the continued revitalization of the downtown business district presently in progress; it helps meet the needs of all Abilene. The NationsBank property is just a portion of the overall plan."

Musgrave said he hopes "to draw the community together and smooth over some of the rift" experienced in recent actions on downtown revitalization.

He declined specific comment about his plans, but in a telephone interview Tuesday, Musgrave described them as "very ambitious."

"I hope this is a community effort to put Abilene, Texas, on the map for something in addition to Dyess ... something else for people to know us for," he said. "It will give us something to really market."

Musgrave said "a vital part of the package" is the NationsBank building, which he has been trying to acquire for some time. Last year, he proposed purchasing the building and leasing the first three floors to the city to be used as the public library.

"I hope people don't think I am trying to acquire as much of the city as I can," he said. "I'm not."