The Hilltop Community Center has been a gathering place in the Annaville area for more than 80 years, serving generations of residents for events, meetings, and recreation.
For Edward Herrera, Director of Community Services Inland Parks, the facility holds personal significance.
“My children go there; my grandchildren go there. It’s a very good community site,” Herrera said.
However, time has taken its toll on the aging building. In 2024, Nueces County commissioners began discussing upgrades to the Hilltop Community Center.
Since then, the commissioners court has seen new faces, but the facility itself remains unchanged.
Precinct 1 Commissioner Mike Pusley said cost was the main reason progress stalled.
“The bids that we went out, actually before I came back, came in way too high above the funding we had available to do the project,” Pusley explained.
The original plan carried a $9.4 million price tag — a figure county leaders say is no longer feasible. Now, they’re working on a scaled-back version of the renovation.
“It will be a base project of the three main buildings that we’re most interested in getting done,” Pusley said. “The others would be offered as alternates in the process and if we didn’t have enough money to do that.”
On Wednesday, county commissioners conditionally approved a $10 million bid from SpawGlass Constructors to take on the renovation work.
Pusley said the original bid and planning went over budget, so the county will now work with the contractor to identify cost-saving measures and keep the project moving forward.
The updated plans focus on interior upgrades, including storm windows, new air conditioning systems, and improvements to meet ADA accessibility standards.
Pusley said discussions will continue until a financially viable plan is finalized.
“At the end of the day, what we are going to do is make sure we get this project done within budget,” he said. "If we can't get it done within budget, we're going to back off and look at a different option for the upgrades."
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