Los Fresnos Builds for the Future

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Los Fresnos Builds for the Future

The new City Hall in Los Fresnos, complete after a year of construction.
The new City Hall in Los Fresnos, complete after a year of construction.

Passing through or going through Los Fresnos isn’t what it used to be for this bedroom community along Texas Highway 100. This year alone, Los Fresnos, which brands itself as “A Community with Opportunity,” has taken some big steps when it comes to the way of providing better services to both its residents and those looking to relocate.

Two major projects are now complete in the city. One is for the benefit of the taxpayer; the other one for assisting people with medical and fire services. 

The latest project, completed in November, is a $3.2 million City Hall. It will make this 74-year-old city prepared for challenges in the next 70-plus years. Late 2018 saw the completion of a new emergency medical services/fire department. The two structures combine in size to 44,000 square feet. Looking at both complexes from the side of the highway gives the impression of not going through a town of just 7,000 residents.

The city council holds its first meeting in November at the council/court chamber room.
The city council holds its first meeting in November at the council/court chamber room.

“This the newest and one of the largest city halls in the Rio Grande Valley,” said Mark Milum, the city’s manager. “We built this facility with eyes toward the future.”

Besides housing 20-plus city employees, the City Hall is home of both the Los Fresnos Chamber of Commerce and the Community Development Corp. Milum said the building was constructed to add more footage. A door on the west side will serve as the main entrance for the city’s police department. The project will entail adding a whole new structure but will take several years before it happens.

That is the plan but funding is an issue at this point. To build the new municipal building, the city borrowed the money though certificates of obligation. It is already making payment on the debt.

Several residents describe the building constructed by D. Wilson of McAllen as a beauty. Among them are Manuel Abrego and Javier Mendez.

“We now have one of the biggest city hall and EMS-FD buildings in the Valley,” Abrego said with Mendez in agreement. “They are both beautiful facilities.”

Behind city hall is the $1.6 million emergency medical and fire services building. It opened in December 2018. 

According to a study prepared for CDC, there are than 23,000 people living within a five-mile radius of the projects. Other economic indicators put the median household income at $51,719 and a median age of 28.3 years.

The year-old EMS-fire department behind City Hall.
The year-old EMS-fire department behind City Hall.

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