The Nueces County Precinct Five Constables Office is finally getting some long-awaited upgrades that will soon be complete.
"Interacting with the community, it is great especially with kids,” Sergeant for Nueces County Constable’s Office Precinct Five, Valerie Garza, said.
Garza said the best part of her job is being with the community.
Garza has been at the office for six years, but she said has encountered some setbacks along the way.
“Some of the things I would face is they would call me and say they are not able to make it in the building due to the A.D.A non-compliance,” Garza said. “Instead, we would meet them out in the parking lot, and we would just have our interviews, discussions, or whatever concerns in their vehicles.”
Work began back in February to make the building compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and make repairs and upgrades like new offices.
Garza said the old building often slowed down their work.
“We have officers who come in, and they have reports they have to do, and they have to wait for the other officer to finish,” Garza said. “So, it just takes time. If we had more room and computers, we could get that work don’t quickly.”
“We are all about serving our community better and looking for ways to improve our services,” Oscar Mendoza, Constable for Nueces County Precinct Five, said.
Mendoza said the project is expected to cost half a million dollars, and the main goal was the expansion of the office.
“I pitched the idea to the commissioner and the county judge, and they saw the same vision that I had for the department of making it bigger and making it better accessible to the public. It’s going to be a win, win situation for all involved,” Mendoza said.
Garza said with these improvements, not only will she be able to better serve her community, but she can also grow in her career.
“I am looking forward to staying here and finishing out my career,” Garza said. “I have maybe six more (years) to go, I love where I am at and I love my job, this is going to be a great place to maybe retire.”
Mendoza said the project is expected to be complete by May.
Once those changes are done, Mendoza said he will have an event where the whole community will be invited.
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