The Mayor and City Commission have approved to fund a new combined public safety building to house Rio Grande City Police and Fire Departments. The new complex would replace existing facilities and accommodate the future expansion of personnel, increased equipment and several new fire trucks and patrol units. The project is estimated to cost $6 million.
“We are investing in this multi-million dollar project that will accommodate our future growth, make a positive impact on our city and enable us to support our law enforcement in our community,” said Mayor Joel Villarreal.
In addition, Rio Grande City Police Department will add advanced radio encryption to its security tools. This will guard sensitive police radio communications from the public, and/or criminal organizations and ensure safety concerns ranging from possible suspects tracking police activity, location and personal information when officers run traffic stops.
“The RGC Police Department has been working out of the same building since its commencement in 1995 and Mayor Villarreal and the City Commission have worked to make it possible for the City to build a state of the art Public Safety Building that will be the new home of the Rio Grande City Police Department and the Rio Grande City Fire Department, “ said Chief Noe Castillo, Rio Grande City Police Department. “I am very excited for this is new chapter in our growing City and I am very proud and honored to be a part of it.”
The Rio Grande City Fire Department will use its current location as substation and add several new fire trucks to the fleet that have a combined total carrying capacity of over 3,000 gallons of water.