CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A significant tribute to military service is taking shape at Corpus Christi's bayfront. Sherrill Veterans Memorial Park Military Monument Installation Project is underway. However, delays have left a large portion of the site fenced off and residents asking when the area will reopen.
The centerpiece of the first phase of the project is bringing in a restored United States Army Bell Huey helicopter, which will sit atop a 15-foot steel pedestal in the park’s southeast corner. The steel pedestal has been placed at the park as restoration efforts continue.
Construction began earlier this year as part of a long-term vision to revitalize the space and better honor local veterans.
“There’s so many programs that go on down there,from July Fourth, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, that we want them to be proud,” said Robert Dodd, Corpus Christi Parks and Recreation Director.
On December 3, 2024, the Mayor and Council awarded a $715,000 contract to Marshall Company Ltd. to transport and install the helicopter at the park, located at 222 South Shoreline Boulevard. The project is funded through the voter-approved 2024 Parks Bond.
While the first phase of the project was originally scheduled to wrap up by June, Dodd now estimates the helicopter will be in place by late summer 2025, weather permitting.
“It’s a long process, but we’re going to make sure we do it right,” Dodd said. “Probably in the August timeframe. They’ve been working really, really hard.”
The helicopter monument will be flanked by two 26-foot-long concrete walls displaying the park’s name in LED-lit signage. In the evenings, the area will be illuminated to highlight the helicopter, and a new 8,200-square-foot path made of colored concrete pavers will allow visitors to walk around the installation.
The monument is the first feature included in the Sherrill Veterans Memorial Park Master Plan, designed by Turner-Ramirez Architects and approved in March 2023. Other monuments and shading features are in the plan.
Once the monument is settled in, Dodd said park enforcement patrols will be increased to protect the it, and maintenance on the helicopter will likely be handled through contracted specialists.
“Veterans mean so much to our community, they mean so much to our nation,” he said. “We want to make sure we honor them and give them the credit they deserve.”
This helicopter display is just one piece of a much broader vision for the park. Future plans include the installation of the six-ton sail of the USS City of Corpus Christi, though no date has been set for that phase of development.
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Contact Veterans In Focus reporter Michelle Hofmann at Michelle.lorenzo@kristv.com
