Corpus Christi Caller-Times | Alexandria Rodriguez | October 12, 2019
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GREGORY — More than two years ago, Hurricane Harvey ripped through Rockport and the Coastal Bend. Gregory, a small town outside of Portland in San Patricio County, is still recovering, Mayor Celestino Zambrano said.
Friday, the town took a leap toward recovery and future growth.
A new Gregory Volunteer Fire Department and Gregory Municipal Complex will be constructed. The complex will house City Hall, the Police Department and a community center, Zambrano said.
The two structures, which will be side by side, were made possible by a $5 million donation from Chiyoda Kiewit Joint Venture, a construction contractor for Gulf Coast Growth Ventures, said Ben Bentley, Kiewit’s executive sponsor for the joint venture.
“Where it’s located, it’ll be the heart of the city. We’ll have a children’s park and then across the street, the complex,” Zambrano said. “The city of Gregory suffered a lot through Harvey we lost our fire station.”
The current City Hall building, on West 4th Street, houses both City Hall and the police department. It’s more than 40 years old. The fire department is nearby on Ayers Street.
The city came to Gulf Coast Growth Ventures, which is building a plastics manufacturing plant nearby, about the need for a new building. The building is anticipated to be complete in about two years.
The site of the buildings will be between Ayers and Alamo streets, renderings show.
“We don’t have enough room here for our council meetings,” Zambrano said. “The police department took a little section. We’re growing. This is the answer.”
