A groundbreaking ceremony in Weslaco was held this morning for a Texas Department of Public Safety's new regional office.
The 110,000-square-foot complex will be built on the 20-acre site with plenty of space for growth.
The land, located on FM 1015, was given to the state by the City of Weslaco and the Weslaco Economic Development Corporation allowing the department to enhance public safety.
The facility will house the Administrative Headquarters for DPS Region 3, which spans from Del Rio to the north, east to Uvalde down to Corpus Christi then south to Brownsville.
Departments that will be included in the facility are:
- Texas Highway Patrol Division
- Texas Rangers;
- Aircraft Section
- Criminal Investigations Division
- Intelligence & Counter Terrorism
- Emergency Management Division
- Information Technology
- Victim Services
- Crime Lab
- Law Enforcement Support Division
There will also be a separate facility for a driver's license office.
Weslaco Mayor Buddy De La Rosa said the city was happy to provide the land.
"They selected the area because of our central location to the Valley and also the closensess to the troubled areas," he said.
According to the mayor, the Weslaco regional office should be finished by July 2011.
The project cost over $40 million in construction.
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