On August 25, 2017, the eye of Hurricane Harvey passed directly over Aransas County leaving destruction in its path. The Aransas County Courthouse and City of Rockport City Hall were damaged beyond repair. Shortly after the storm, both Aransas County and the City of Rockport put a plan together to build new facilities at one location known as the Downtown Anchor Project. The plan was, and remains, to build a new County Courthouse, City Hall, community building, plaza, and ample parking.
Today, the Downtown Anchor Project is underway and many critical steps are complete. The new 46,000 sq. ft. Courthouse and the 28,000 sq. ft. City Hall were designed by PGAL Architect and Architexas. The Construction Manager Agent assisting Aransas County and the City of Rockport is Broaddus and Associates, Inc. Teal Construction has been selected as the successful bidder to construct both the Courthouse and City Hall.
The other elements in the Downtown Anchor Project, will make the area more usable and citizen friendly. The 4,700 sq. ft. community building is intended to provide meeting and event space for many organizations and citizens. The plaza is designed to be the focal point of the Downtown Anchor. This open space between the buildings is where citizens and guests can sit and enjoy the sun and fresh air and can be utilized for outdoor events.
These modern buildings and spaces are designed to meet all of the requirements in current building codes and to the appropriate energy and windstorm standards. To protect the new buildings from the risk of flooding, they will be built at a greater height than the previous facilities. These facilities will serve the County and the City of Rockport for the next 60 to 75 years.
Funding sources for the Aransas County Courthouse portion of the Downtown Anchor Project include grant funds through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, insurance proceeds from the loss of the old courthouse, and tax notes.
The community building, plaza, and parking lot will be funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development through the Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery Program. The grant will be administered by the Texas General Land Office.
The groundbreaking for the Downtown Anchor Project is finally in our sights. Many people have contributed their efforts to get us to this point, including the architects, engineers, construction manager agent, and Aransas County and City of Rockport staff. It will be exhilarating to watch this project come to life. Please join us for the groundbreaking celebration on Thursday, April 28, 2022 at 10:00am at 302 N. Live Oak St., Rockport, Texas.
