By Elaine Marsilio
Corpus Christi Caller-Times
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Two local school districts, Del Mar College and the Corpus Christi International Airport have teamed with city officials to seek federal grants for the construction of disaster shelters.
Calallen and Tuloso-Midway independent school districts are among those who are working with the city to gain funds for domed structures to be used by first responders for emergency operations during a natural disaster, such as a hurricane.
During day-to-day operations, the domes could be used as school gymnasiums, auditoriums, training facilities or instructional spaces .
The Federal Emergency Management Agency grant program called the Texas Safe Shelter Initiative provides funds to help build safe rooms for use by first responders during a natural disaster.
The program was created in 2010, after the disaster declaration for Hurricane Ike, to construct disaster shelters in coastal communities, said Katherine Cesinger, communications director for the Texas Department of Public Safety.
During a disaster, the domes also likely would serve residents who are designated by the state and county as special needs, or those in hospitals or assisted living centers.
The program requires entities such as school districts to partner with cities or counties for the project. There are 10 Coastal Bend entities among 54 applicants in the state, Cesinger said. In addition to Corpus Christi, Nueces and Kleberg counties also applied, as well as the Texas Education Agency, according to DPS records. The application deadline for funds has closed, Cesinger said.
Last year Woodsboro Independent School District opened a $2.4 million, 18,900-square-foot multipurpose dome that has been dubbed a prototype for shelters in coastal Texas.
The dome, in Refugio County, provides the 500-student district with its first air-conditioned gym that also can be used by first responders, such as police and fire officials, in a disaster.
Superintendent Steven Self said other school districts have visited Woodsboro ISD to see the dome while considering applying for FEMA grants through the Texas program.
He said the dome helps cut the district’s electric costs by about $500 per month.
District officials offered special events, such as assemblies, in the dome this year, Self said, adding that election officials hope to host voting there next year.
“It’s worked out almost perfectly for us,” Self said. Corpus Christi Fire Chief Robert Rocha, who oversees the city’s emergency operations center, said a matching grant would help the city provide such a facility for a series of employees who need to remain in town to work during a storm.
“It’s a critical program,” he said.
Some entities said they hope to hear by as soon as this summer whether they are to be awarded grants, which can range from about $1.8 million to about $2 million. Others say they may hear about potential awards in the fall.
The program would reimburse entities for 75 percent of the cost of building a safe room.
Shelters likely could be built within one to two years, state and local officials said.
Applicants that are awarded funds can demolish existing structures in hazard-prone locations, restructure facilities to better protect them from disaster and build shelters. Officials applying for the grants have said they hope to build facilities constructed to withstand up to 200 mph winds and cover between 5,000 square feet and 20,000 square feet.
Tuloso-Midway ISD hopes to build two domed structures - one at Tuloso- Midway High School and one at Tuloso-Midway Intermediate School - totaling about $3.5 million, including $2.6 million in federal funds.
In day-to-day operations, the high school facility could be used as an activity center where the Navy Junior ROTC students can practice, athletes can play sports, and school officials can hold special events, said district consultant Ricardo Rodriguez, of REM Consulting Group.
During baseball and softball season, the high school dome could be used for concession stands or dressing rooms, he said.
He said the plan complements the district’s existing bond program to upgrade district facilities and construct a new high school baseball field.
Information about Calallen ISD’s dome was unavailable last week.
The airport site would serve as an air evacuation and aircraft rescue training facility for local public safety academies and statewide officials during day-to-day operations, said John Hyland, the airport’s public safety chief.
During a disaster the city-owned facility could help air evacuate special needs individuals while also serving first responders, he said.
“It’s centrally located for recovery after a storm,” he said, adding the airport is one of the highest locations in the city at 44 feet above sea level.
Del Mar College officials said the facility they hope to have on the West Campus would be used day-to-day as a training facility, particularly for public safety students and city emergency center operations personnel as well as oil field companies that contract with the college. College President Mark Escamilla said a facility such as that could help expand emergency services training and would align with the college’s existing public safety curriculum. It would make room for training that isn’t commonplace around the state, he said.
The facility’s estimated $2 million construction would cost the college about $600,000, said Lee Sloan, the college’s vice president for administration, finance and student services.
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