Crews Working on $1.6M Reconstruction Project at East Beach
Post-Hurricane Ike Reconstruction of East Beach Pavilion to be Complete This December
GALVESTON ISLAND, TX – Galveston’s East Beach is in the process of receiving a major upgrade as the Galveston Park Board of Trustees anticipates it will complete a $1.6 million reconstruction project at the park by the end of the year.
The project includes reconstruction of the East Beach pavilion, which was destroyed by Hurricane Ike four years ago today. Crews broke ground on the project in late July and are on schedule to finish in December.
“We are extremely excited about this project and seeing yet another tragedy from Hurricane Ike being made into a positive for the Galveston community,” said Kelly de Schaun, executive director for the Park Board of Trustees. “The new pavilion is going to provide valuable amenities to our beach goers and tourists.”
The new pavilion will house public restrooms, park offices, and a small bandstand with an open deck area for picnic table seating. Directly outside the pavilion, a boardwalk will provide vending space to concessionaires for food, beverage and beach supplies. The pavilion project is being funded through a grant from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The design concept for the new pavilion was undertaken by Austin-based architectural and engineering firm Atkins. The Park Board awarded the construction project to the Galveston-based JW Kelso Co.
East Beach is managed by the Galveston Park Board of Trustees, which oversees the island’s beach maintenance and tourism development efforts. For more information on the Park Board, visit www.galvestonparkboard.org.
About R.A. Apffel Park (East Beach): R.A. Apffel Park, commonly known as East Beach, is located on the east end of Galveston Island and is named after a prominent Galvestonian who served as mayor from 1976 to 1978. It is Galveston Island’s largest beach park and has been in operation since the early 1980s. The park is the island’s only public beach where alcohol is permitted and is home to several annual events, including the popular AIA Sand Castle Competition. The park is open seasonally from March 1 to October 15 and welcomes more than 250,000 visitors annually. Park amenities include food vendors, volleyball courts, beach umbrella and chair rentals and stationed lifeguards during tourism season. On its north side, the park is bordered by the East End Lagoon Reserve, a city-owned nature reserve that is home to the endangered Piping Plover bird as well as sea turtles and other wetland species.
About Galveston Island: Galveston Island is a historic beach town located on the Gulf of Mexico just 50 miles from Houston. The island is best known as a vacation destination, offering 32 miles of beaches, a variety of family attractions, Texas’ premier cruise port and one of the largest and well-preserved concentrations of Victorian architecture in the country, including several National Historic Landmarks. Galveston Island is home to popular amusements such as, Moody Gardens and Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Waterpark, as well as a variety of museums and recreational activities from surfing to birding. For more information on Galveston Island visit www.galveston.com or call 1-888-GAL-ISLE.