CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The exterior of the American Bank Center will soon be getting a $2.4 million facelift this summer.
The improvements project is funded by the city's Capital Improvement Program funds and the Type A sales tax.
Construction is expected to begin in June.
"I think that it is going to make a big impact, relative to the amount of money we're spending on it," said Jeffery Edmonds, the director of engineering services. "It's going to be a significant upgrade to the appearance of the facility."
Out of 56 contractors that downloaded the city's project plans, Edmonds said the Corpus Christi based company, Barcom Construction was the only company to bid on the project.
RELATED: Thomas J. Henry in Corpus Christi to make formal naming rights offer for American Bank Center
"Our policy is to award to the responsible contractor that submits the lowest bid. In this case, we only had one bid, but this is a contractor that we know well, and they've done a great deal of work for the city, so we are confident moving forward with that one bid," he said.
Edmonds says the plan is to enhance the exterior's aesthetics by revitalizing the center's infrastructure to accommodate new landscaping.
"We have some slopes that are too difficult to maintain. We have some areas where we're experiencing erosion, some areas where we're experiencing ponding up against the building, so this will be a complete update to the landscaping around the building."
The effect of the 2021 freeze is another reason for the enhancement project.
"After the freeze, there was a lot of damage to the irrigation system. We had a lot of pipes that were frozen and broken in the irrigation, so that's part of what's going to be addressed"
The project will include adding new irrigation systems that will conserve water around the arena, convention center, and Selena Auditorium's east and west side.
Once construction begins, the project is expected to be completed anywhere between six and eight months.
For a more information on what the project entails, click here.