Lake Helen finally has an update on repayment of the long-debated ECHO grant for the Creative Arts Café, located at 493 S. Lakeview Drive in the heart of the city. 

The Lake Helen City Commission agreed March 14 that the $156,000 grant would be paid back to Volusia County over a period of three years. The monies will be paid in increments of $52,000 per year, beginning in January 2025. 

The decision comes after multiple failed attempts to remain in compliance with the rules of the ECHO grant. 

“We tried … we didn’t have the staffing,” Mayor Vernon Burton said at the meeting. 

Burton was referring to problems with staffing in the historical museum in the building. The decision is a final resolution to the seven-year saga, and will leave the current managers, The Gems, free from fulfilling grant obligations.

The Gems are a group of 10 longtime Lake Helen families whose members are known for their volunteer work.