Governor Greg Abbott announced that the state is building a Texas Military Department base camp in Eagle Pass, Texas. (Kusan photo)
EAGLE PASS, Texas (KXAN) – Texas plans to spend more than $140 million to build and initially operate a base camp for soldiers stationed along the border with Mexico, according to records obtained Friday by KXAN. It is said that
A purchase order from the Texas Department of Military Affairs provides a more detailed look at the cost of an 80-acre facility currently under construction in the Eagle Pass border area, the epicenter of tensions between state leaders and the federal government over immigration enforcement. was provided. . Gov. Greg Abbott announced the base camp plan at a news conference a week ago, saying only that the cost would be “minimal.”
Records show the state awarded the contract for the project to Team Housing Solutions, a New Braunfels-based company. According to the purchase order, the state expects total construction costs to be $38,529,140.45.
Basecamp operating costs in that case are estimated to be $14,553,212 per month. The initial contract is scheduled to run from Feb. 8 to Sept. 7, and Texas is expected to spend $101,872,484 during that time to continue the contract.
The purchase order provides that the state has the option to renew the one-year contract twice after an initial seven-month period, potentially adding to the cost by hundreds of millions of dollars.
Abbott and other state leaders said the new facilities can house up to 1,800 soldiers and could be expanded to sleep 2,300 if “the state's needs soar.” Stated.
construction schedule
The company contracted to build the “Forward Operating Base” has provided a clearer timeline for construction, according to a presentation shared by the Texas Department of Military Affairs.
The first phase of the project is expected to be completed by April 25th. At that time, his eight modular dormitories, each with 34 private rooms, will be open. Six “executive trailers” with five bedrooms each will also be available to accommodate people at that time, which should bring the number of beds to 302.
Plans also call for the completion of one command center, one first aid facility and one temporary laundry trailer in the first phase.
Vendor presentations show that construction is occurring in a total of six phases, with each milestone of May 30, July 5, August 11, September 15, and October 22 resulting in at least 300 beds. Beds are shown to be available.
According to the plan, the base camp will also include a fitness centre, an outdoor sports area covered by a pavilion and a helipad.
Regarding the 80 acres of land on which the project will take place in Eagle Pass, the order states that Team Housing Solutions “has entered into a six-month lease agreement with the landowner for the purpose of purchasing the property.”
State leaders acknowledged last week that the massive project is moving forward as the number of reported illegal immigrants has declined. Abbott noted that the number of railroad crossings has fallen to 1% of what was reported just a month ago. They blame the decline on the state's border security efforts, including the state's promise to install more razor wire along the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass.
