Sackey Park to shrink as Corpus Christi adds fence, gate to protect city fleet

“We have been vandalized, equipment has been stolen,” said Juan Rivera, the city’s interim director of asset management.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Many of the services you use employ some sort of heavy machinery—from roadwork to brush pickup.

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Which is why Corpus Christi leaders are shrinking Sackey Park, by little over an acre, to boost safety after repeated crimes and vandalism targeted fleet vehicles next door at the Civitan Center.

“We have been vandalized, equipment has been stolen,” said Juan Rivera, the city’s interim director of asset management.

He said the Civitan Service Center has seen repeated crime over the years—especially catalytic converters being stolen from vehicles.

A situation he said they hope to solve with the Enclave project.

“Actually secure the Civitan Service Center with a fence,” he said.

Rivera said the Sackey Park reduction only affects unused land, adding that its close proximity to the Civitan Center makes it an easy target for theft.

“At any given time has over 200 vehicles that go through there daily for services, some remain overnight parked in open lots, open areas. So, anyone can just drive up and see the parking lot filled. At the fleet department of vehicles that are just easy access,” he said.

Rivera said the Civitan Center is an industrial hub, holding millions in city equipment—items that aren’t easy to replace.

“From the moment the vehicle gets approved by the city council, that vehicle arriving at our lot here to be employed by a department can take up to two years,” he said.

Corpus Christi At-Large Councilman Roland Barrera says incidents like these are what motivated the decision for police substations in key areas throughout the city.

“We have one over at West Guth Park for the Northside, we’ve got one on the further Southside, and so we’re just looking at all these locations that way we can have more police presence,” he said.

Rivera said it comes down to protecting taxpayer dollars.

“What we don’t want is to allow easy access to that equipment. If we can prevent it, we would like to prevent it for the city,” he said.

Rivera said the project will add a chain-link fence around the Civitan Center, plus an electronic gate that requires employees to buzz in and out to access the area. He adds that the project is complete in terms of design, and now the next step is to begin the bidding process.