Addition of swimming pool at issue in agreement allowing Harbor Bridge construction

An agreement integral to moving forward with construction of the new Harbor Bridge appears to have hit an impasse, and appeals for federal intervention were extended.

A letter sent Tuesday to the Federal Highway Administration asks that the agency requires the city to include construction of a swimming pool as part of mitigation for the new Harbor Bridge development, according to the document provided by Citizens Advisory Board chairman Lamont Taylor to the Caller-Times.

The board represents the Hillcrest neighborhood. It was formed following a Civil Rights complaint alleging the bridge’s path would disproportionately impact the historically Black and Hispanic subdivision.

Taylor said his aim is to “talk with (FHWA) about the city and benign neglect, by providing what they want versus what the community wants,” he said, referencing a disagreement on whether pool construction is required under an agreement brokered between local, state and federal authorities that settled the Civil Rights complaint, enabling the project’s advance.

A municipal pool once located at T.C. Ayers Park, but was closed in 2019 and later demolished as part of construction of a loop at IH-37 and Coke Street, officials said.

The city’s past and current actions are compliant with the agreement, said City Manager Peter Zanoni, asserting that officials are committing to more improvements than were laid out in the agreement.

“We have recommended above and beyond the bare minimum (in the agreement),“ he said. “Because we have interest in redeveloping the areas around the bridge and the community that needs new investment, that has been lacking in investment.”

Currently, the proposal that will be recommended does not include a pool, Zanoni added.

It had been thought last month that the city and the board were nearing an agreement – the city at the time was pushing for a sign-off on the proposed plans by the end of June to prepare for upcoming budget talks, slated to launch July 25.

It’s estimated that improvements at four area parks would cost about $14 million, Zanoni said.

About $6 million is currently available, meaning the upcoming budget cycle is when it would be determined how to cover the difference.

A recently revealed city proposal showed extensive improvements to the four parks – including T.C. Ayers Park, the former Washington-Coles Elementary School site, Dr. H.J. Williams Park and Ben Garza Park – among its varying elements new or revamped walking trails, play equipment, sports areas and shade trees.

The current proposal does not include the requested swimming pool at T.C. Ayers Park, but instead a splash pad.

City officials have asserted a pool would not fit within the budget – the cost of building it running about as much as the entire budget for all four of the parks, Zanoni said.

Taylor has disagreed, saying earlier this week that a pool could be funded by reallocating some of the money planned for economic development elements at the former Washington-Coles Elementary School site.

The proposal, he has said previously, was a product of the city and contractor who drafted it.

When brought to a citizens advisory board subcommittee, it was rejected in a 4-3 vote, Taylor added.

The board, in its letter to FHWA, has requested that it review the city’s design plans – throughout the process – specifically at 60%, 90% and final completion.

An additional $1.2 million contract approved by the City Council is intended to finalize designs.

Both Taylor and Zanoni have said the legal documents outlining the agreement back their cases.

Some of the other documents – when looked at as a whole – don’t appear completely clear on instructions.

A record of decision shows a requirement of a municipal swimming pool being enhanced with specific items, such as resurfacing the pool and a new pool changing facility.

A voluntary resolution, meanwhile, states T.C. Ayers Park and H.J. Williams Park must be maintained for 24 months once the document was signed, according to records.

Signed in 2015, it states the advisory board, FHWA and TxDOT would then meet “discuss and propose next steps.”

The city resurfaced the swimming pool and operated it for two years, Zanoni said, satisfying the requirement. The agreement does not say the pool must continue past that point, he asserted. The parks improvements must be in place by December 2025.

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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Harbor Bridge parks plans in question after swimming pool dispute