The Corpus Christi City Council was back to work on Jan. 11, its first meeting of the new year.Courtesy photo

The Corpus Christi City Council was back to work on Jan. 11, its first meeting of the new year.Courtesy photo

The Corpus Christi City Council held its first meeting of the year on Jan. 11. Agenda items included outlining MLK Day of Service Events, giving a pothole repair update, addressing wastewater lift station upgrades, approving the purchase of pedestrian safety devices, and assigning funds to 14 city park upgrades.
Replacing two wastewater lift stations located on Morgan Avenue and Wooldridge Road will cost $5.5 million, the council learned. Funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, upgrades include electrical work and replacing pipes, valves, and all pumps.
“These repairs are pushing technology forward, going in hand in hand with moving our city forward,” said Mike Murphy, chief operations officer for Corpus Christi Water Utilities.
Construction will begin in early March and is expected to be completed in about 14 months.
“We are grateful for the funding made available to the city of Corpus Christi from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021” Mayor Paulette Guajardo said. “We are committed to use these funds for eligible purposes such as investing in wastewater infrastructure and strengthening capital projects throughout the city.” 
The Corpus Christi Public Works Department will improve school zone safety by installing flashing beacons in 22 school zones with high traffic volume. 
“The goal is to help make Corpus Christi as safe as possible for drivers and pedestrians,” Councilor Ben Molina said. “Proper and visible signage is one more step towards that goal.” 
Additional pedestrian safety installations include 43 flashing LED signs and other warning, speed limit, and school zone signs. 
The City Council also authorization the purchase of playground units and shade structures for 14 city parks. A total of $3.5 million was approved for park improvements in a 2020 voter-approved bond initiative. For this project, $459,744 was assigned to fund the equipment. The remaining funds will pay for design and installation.
The project replaces older shade structures, provides a rubber fall zone, and adds ADA-compliant paths to the playground units. 
Parks selected for improvements are Academy, Brookhill, McNorton, Cuiper, Sam Houston, Sherwood, Temple, Douden, Retta, Windsor, Brandywine, Brighton, Captain Falcon, and Crossgate.
The park improvements will begin in March with anticipated completion in May.