Corpus Christi City Manager Peter Zanoni on April 12 updated the City Council on a number of city operations, including the hiring of Robert Dodd as the new director of the Parks and Recreation Department.
“I’m honored and humbled to work for this great city,” Dodd said when he was introduced. “I want residents to be proud of our city, and I want visitors to come back.”
Zanoni then announced that work on the Oso Wastewater Treatment Plant is now complete, and the city will celebrate with a ribbon-cutting on Monday, April 18. The $25 million project replaced the 40-year-old headworks building.
Oso, the largest wastewater treatment plant in Corpus Christi, recycles 12 million gallons of water a day and serves over half of the city's population. Another city wastewater treatment plant, Whitecap, will soon undergo renovations with a recently approved $12.3 million contract.
“It’s hard to get excited about wastewater, but this is exciting!” Zanoni exclaimed.
Also noted at the meeting, Corpus Christi is now managing the 3,500-employee health district on its own after a separation from Nueces County on March 1.
On April 7, the Corpus Christi-Nueces County Public Health District hosted a free health fair in the auditorium at the Health District's new home, 1701 Horne Road. Coinciding with National Public Health Week, the fair introduced more than 15 partners that work with the city to improve the health of its residents.
“This was a first step in reaffirming better health outcomes and use of city dollars for health services,” Zanoni said.
The city manager closed his comments by recognizing 16 city employees who completed Process Improvement Training to remove waste and improve efficiency in the 15 city departments represented.