Deadline looming for big Willacy County Courthouse renovation project

RAYMONDVILLE, Texas – The old Willacy County Courthouse waits for the go ahead for a renovation project once the financing is taken care of.

Rebuilding the historical landmark structure, built in 1923 and listed in the National Register of Historical Places in 2017, will be a monumental task expected to cost some $17.5 million.

But the cost could rise significantly if the project is delayed.

That said, the commissioners’ court has been approving and filing document after document to beat a Dec. 31, deadline.

County Judge Aurelio “Keter” Guerra said he is sure they will be ready to sign the required documentation within a month with the Texas Historical Society.

THS awarded the county a $10 million grant this past summer to renovate the three-story courthouse that served as the county seat up to February of 2015.

Since then, the structure has sat idle, though the county kept some records inside the building dubbed as haunted by some townspeople.

The county is now scrambling to come out with $4.5 million to finance the project and will borrow the remaining $3 million.

In other words, they do not want to incur a bigger debt.

Guerra said they have enough funds to undertake the project and will look into other ways to come up with the remaining funds until all means are exhausted.

The county has taken several steps to be debt free and if they don’t go ahead with the renovation project, things could be more expensive in the coming years, he added.

For example, three of the county’s major expenses have been tackled, giving the county more room to work with.

They are the county jail and two detention centers.

The county jail is a $400,000 a year expense and the county is to get $2.5 million per year for the next five years from a prisoner contract with Hidalgo County.

In the meantime, the clock is ticking for the courthouse renovation project.

“We got the grant back in August and we asked for an extension to accept it,” Guerra said, referring to the last day of this month. ”Once we accept, we are committed to it.”

The commissioners’ court has approved an Austin-based company – Limbacher & Godfrey Architects – for the renovation project and must approve bringing in an owner representative for the project.

“We are in good financial shape,” the county judge said. “We are sure we will be ready by the end of this month.”

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