Bob Hall Pier's restaurant and concession construction area is on track to be completed by October, according to Nueces County Commissioner Brent Chesney, who says the project remains on budget.
"The restaurant and concession, and I would anticipate sometime in October everything should be finished up. And again, it's on track. It's on budget," Chesney said.
The county will soon begin searching for an operator to run the restaurant once construction wraps up.
For first-time visitor Luke Hrabal, the news was welcome.
"That would be amazing because like I said, I was just in South Padre Island and I fished a similar pier in South Padre Island that actually has a restaurant on it so it's really convenient having a restaurant," Hrabal said.
Chesney also addressed access challenges at the pier, saying new road work is expected to begin within the next couple of weeks.
"We really didn't want to do the roadwork until the big trestle was gone, and then it takes a little while after that to get it mobilized, but that should start in the next couple of weeks," Chesney said.
On the topic of admission fees, Chesney said the county gave the public more time than originally promised before beginning to charge.
"We have given a lot longer than the 90 days. We told people 90 days. Then we go back to the pricing, and it's been a lot longer than that. We're still charging prices from 20 years ago. It's pretty cheap still to get on," Chesney said.
Admission is currently $3 to access the pier, with an additional $4 per fishing pole. Seniors, active military, and disabled veterans pay reduced rates. Children 12 and under get in free, and frequent visitors can purchase annual passes.
For Jack Payne, who has fished the pier for more than 4 decades, the fees are not a concern.
"I don't care. That's, that's, that's fine. Somebody's got to pay for it," Payne said.
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