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Construction of New Los Fresnos City Hall Begins, Hailed as Historic
- Updated: November 9, 2018
City, business and county leaders get ready to break ground of new $3.2 million city hall. Photos: Tony Vindell/LFN
by Tony Vindell/LFN
Construction of the new Los Fresnos City Hall has officially begun and the landmark event was described as a historical day for the city, its residents and Cameron County.
City, business and county leaders as well as concerned citizens met at the site on Monday, Oct. 29 in a ceremony to break the ground where the $3.2 million project is expected to be built by August of 2019.
“Wow, what a day! exclaimed City Manager Mark Milum. “We spent several years looking for the needs of today and of tomorrow.
The city bought the property after looking at a number of sites in town and it’s finally happening.”
He said the existing 5,500-square-foot city hall has served its purpose even though overcrowding in a limited space have made working somewhat uncomfortable.
In addition to the city workforce, the building has been housing the local police department where an office space was turned into a holding room.
ROTC-Navy from Los Fresnos school district attended the ceremony. Photos: Tony Vindell/LFN
‘We have truly maximized the space as much as we could,” Milum said. “This new building will last for years to come.”
The city manager said the new 11,500-square-foot city hall will have enough room to accommodate the Los Fresnos Community Development Corp. and the Chamber of Commerce.
That pleased the staff with both organizations as they usually ask for permission to use the restroom at Wells Fargo Bank or go across the street to the nearest convenience store.
Mayor Polo Narvaez thanked the entire city staff for working together toward common goals that will benefit everybody.
“Everything came together with everybody’s contribution,” he said. “We have been working on this project for more than five years.”
Narvaez said they have a conservative type of municipal government and like to keep it like that for the benefit of the community.
“I am hoping we can continue working together for the good of the city,” he said. “We have seen a lot of growth in the last ten years mostly without having to raise taxes.”
City Manager Mark Milum addressing the audience during the Oct. 29 ground breaking. Photos: Tony Vindell/LFN
Asked about the cost of the project, Narvaez said they obtained a good source of funding at a reasonable interest rate and the money will also allow them to improve some city streets.
Police Chief Hector Gonzalez said space at his department has been an issue.
“This is going to alleviate that,” he said, once the new city hall is built. “We are going to feel like orphans, though.”
Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino Jr. extolled the significance of building a new city hall, so did Carlos Cascos, former county judge and former secretary of state.