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On Oct. 11, 2019, the city of Gregory announced that they had received a $5 million donation from CKJV (Chiyoda & Kiewit Joint Venture), who is also a construction contractor for Gulf Coast Growth Ventures (GCGV), to build a brand new emergency services and municipal complex. The complex will house the Gregory fire department, city hall, community center and more.
As of right now, the building itself will cost $3.2 million with $16,000 of construction permit fees tacked on by the San Patricio County.
Flood Plain Manager Patrick McGinn along with Gregory Mayor Pro Tem Odilia Reyes asked county commissioners last Monday if they would accept a flat fee of $1,000 for all permits instead of the $16,000. Court documents stated that they requested the fee because, “ ... the normal fee would be more than they can afford as a small municipality.”
Reyes added, “We are very, very excited about this project and this is a very important part of our efforts to revitalize Gregory and grow our economy.
“We are looking forward to sharing our community center with all of San Patricio County but in order to spread our donation as far as possible we are asking the county to consider waiving the permits.”
While the permits were not waived, commissioners did agree to the $1,000 flat fee which would cover any county expenses.
The new complex will take the place of the small, more than 40-year-old city hall and police department complex that Gregory currently has. The complex will be located across from Children’s Park in Gregory.
There is currently no time line for the completion of the project but when the project was announced, before the COVID-19 pandemic, it was to be opened by late 2021.