CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The city plans to spend nearly $400,000 to install artificial turf and other renovations at the Bill Witt Aquatic Center, less than a year after the facility opened as the city's first outdoor municipal pool in more than 50 years.
The aquatic center opened last May, funded by a voter-approved 2022 bond totaling $12.2 million.
According to state documents, the nearly $400,000 project will replace existing grass with turf between the pool deck and perimeter fence, add a concrete mow strip, and install a foundation for a storage unit.
City leaders say the change addresses drought conditions affecting the area.
"So it was originally planned as sod as part of the design. Like I said, as we got into the drought stages it was converted into turf in order to avoid utilizing water unnecessarily and we wouldn't be able to do it anyway as part of the drought restrictions," District 5 Councilman Gil Hernandez said.
The city is also taking water conservation measures at the pool itself. In a 2025 interview, Parks and Recreation Director Robert Dodd explained the facility uses special additives to reduce water loss.
"We are very, very mindful of the drought conditions that we're in. We add a solution to the water that eliminates evaporation by 50 percent. It's a food grade, so it goes in there," Dodd said.
Hernandez said the nearly $400,000 will come from the original bond that funded the aquatic center. He explained that the contractor initially quoted the city higher than what they were willing to pay, which is why the turf wasn't installed when the center first opened.
According to documents, the project is expected to start on April 1 and be completed by the end of April 2026.
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