Chuck Webb moved to Riviera just a few years ago from Houston with his family to share his country roots.
“I grew up hunting in Falfurrias and fishing the bays so I knew what was down here. I wanted [my kids] to have a chance to be somewhat rural,” Webb said.
However, the closest fire station isn’t as close as they’d like.
“I think the EMS and fire station are great, but they’re ten miles from my house,” Webb said.
Kleberg County won a very competitive 5 million dollar mitigation grant that will be used to build a fire station in the Baffin Bay area in the empty lot right behind The Reel Baffin Bay Country Store by County Rd. 1142S.
“This will be 2 miles away so for us it’s great,” Webb said.
And with the growing area and extra visitors especially, when the weather gets warmer, a closer station is more convenient for everyone.
“Me being a staff here, we feel at ease that we are getting EMS out here knowing that we’re in the middle of nowhere. We lost two loved ones because it takes so long for the ambulance to get out here,” Riviera resident Tiana Martinez said.
The grant will also help fund renovations for the current Riviera station. County Commissioner for Precinct 3 Jerry Martinez said the long-standing station will be renovated, painted, and remodeled inside and out for both the fireside and the EMS side.
Commissioner for Precinct 1 David Ross said the county and the Ricardo Independent School District are also working on a deal to move the current fire station, which is right next to the school, across the street. The intention is to build a brand new fire station while also giving the school district an opportunity for more property for future building.
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