City of Bellaire staff reveal new details for Public Works facility

About the project

In an April 6 City Council presentation, Assistant City Manager and City Engineer Beth Jones and Jeff Gerber, CEO of PGAL Inc., described the current site plan for the building.

According to the site plan, the new Public Works building will include:

• Work stations for various city employees, including the Parks, Recreation and Facilities Department
• Areas for the police department, such as an evidence processing area
• A classroom space that can be used for trainings
• Single-use restrooms and showers for staff working in the field

Additionally, the 2.5-acre lot will have space for covered parking, a laydown yard and a police department impound lot, the presentation showed.

Budget explained

As of April 6, Jones said the price has increased from $14.7 million to $16.35 million due to the relocation of various staff equipment and facilities into the building.

According to the presentation, the funds come from certificate of obligation bonds sold for purchase and funds appropriated in the 2025 and 2026 fiscal year capital improvement projects budget.

As of April 6, city officials expect to start construction on the building in October and finish in September 2027.

What they’re saying

Despite the increase in budget, Mayor Gus Pappas still supports the project.

“The way I’m looking at it is it’s going to give us more flexibility with some of our other facilities,” he said. “While it might be an increase, we might really save ourselves a lot of money later on.”

Jones also added that other facilities, such as the recreation center, are “bursting at the seams.”

“I think we've converted a copy room into somebody's office and the break room into another person's office,” she said. “Being able to alleviate some of that burden is helpful.”