CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — On Tuesday, Jan. 14, Corpus Christi City Council unanimously approved Victory Building Team to to be the contractor that will build the city's Southside Police Substation.
Victory Building Team submitted the lowest bid of the three contractors. Last month, they were also selected to build the Northwest Police Substation in Annaville. Police Chief Mike Markle said it's an exciting time.
“You’ll notice that these two substations, Northwest and Deep South, are both next to high use parks. So, you’ll have some ancillary benefits there, protection in the parks," he said.
The near 7,300 square foot Southside substation will be on two acres of land next to Del Mar College Oso Creek Campus and the newest police academy. It will sit across from Bill Witt Park. Thanks to an agreement with Del Mar College, the city didn’t need to purchase any land for the substation.
The project will cost about $5.8 million, but money voters approved in Bond 2024 will alleviate that cost. Voters also approved money in Bond 2022 for the design of the police substation. Chief Markle said the station will benefit the officers and the residents as well.
“Some of the places our officers had been working out of for years, nothing more than a room, a rally station if you will, where they collect car keys and go. And, there’s no accessibility to the public, there’s no interaction, there’s no way for you to stop by and get a report, directions, help. And, all that stuff adds synergy to our ability to serve this community," Markle said.
The reason Corpus Christi Police Department wants these substations is to be closer to the high density areas. Markle said their purpose is not because of increased crime but increased population.
With Corpus Christi expanding in the Southside and London areas, Markle said they’re vital acquisitions, but he’d like to see one more in the Bay Area.
“That’s the ultimate goal to move to a five-district model where you have better response times, better coverage, better interaction with each part of our community,” he said.
According to the city's plan, construction on the substation would begin in March and finish by July 2026.
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