CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The demolition of the restroom facilities at Surfside Park is a welcome sight for residents who call North Beach home.
The bathrooms had long been considered an eyesore and at times visitors found the parking lot impassable due to flooding. 3NEWS spoke with residents who said the demolition of the building was years in the making.
The project brings much-needed upgrades to this part of North Beach. It was first approved by voters through the 2020 Bond Project.
"Why wouldn't I be smiling? this is a great improvement! Every day I wake up, hear the machines going and I get excited about it," said North Beach resident Ron Graban.
Graban's excitement stems from the fact that he used to be feet away from the unsightly bathroom and shower facility at Surfside Park that had been in disrepair for years.
He has also seen how high tide has even caused flooding in the parking lot.
"As someone who lives here, people come, they park in the mud, they slip and slide, the kids play in polluted water and they don't even realize it. Now it's going to be a much better presentation," he said.
Bob Catalano is also a North Beach resident and has lived next to the old facility for the last 25 years.
"They were very unsightly. This was one of the main entrances to the beach, and first impressions are important," he said.
The demolition was caught on video last week, paving the way for $6 million in improvements. A new restroom facility elevated to today's standards will be pushed further back from the beach. There will also be a new parking area.
As for the site where the restrooms and showers once stood, that will become a park.
Corpus Christi District 1 Councilman Everett Roy said the new design will be built with flooding concerns in mind.
"Hurricane specifications, this new design will be up on stilts," he said.
Roy said that careful consideration also went into the design when laying everything out on the table.
"We worked on the pre-engineering and the engineering, so once everything kicked in, soon as council voted on the design, engineering and cost, we were able to get started right away," he said.
The improvements are something residents like Graban and Catalano will have a front-row seat to.
"It's almost a dream come true because as you say, we've been talking about it so long so exciting, everyone has pushed to make it happen," Graban said.
Portable restrooms will remain in place until the project is completed in June 2024.
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