Details, timeline for new Port Arthur Health Department headquarters shared
Published 12:30 am Thursday, October 26, 2023
- Dr. Sina Nejad, left, and Corey Rawls, of Sigma Engineers, give the Port Arthur City Council a construction update on the health department project. (Mary Meaux/The News)
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Transforming a near 50,000 square feet facility into a cohesive building to house the city’s health department and its many services is nearing completion.
The former Texas Health and Human Services building at 5860 9th Avenue could see its completion at the end of November, according to Dr. Sina Nejad of Sigma engineers.
Nejad had other good news as well — the project is within budget and on time construction-wise.
A rendering of the outside of the health department. (Mary Meaux/The News)
Nejad recently met with health department officials, adding they are ready to start moving furniture into the new offices some time next month.
“With that said, we’re proud that we have been able to perform the project for you. I hope that this would be something that all of the citizens of Port Arthur would enjoy,” Nejad told city council members this week.
The renovated building features color coded hallways and lines on the floor showing direction. At the suggestion of Councilman Donald Frank, Nejad said he is looking at the possibility of having the outside directory display bilingual languages.
Nejad, along with Corey Rawls of Sigma, provided slides of the progress inside and outside of the facility, which includes areas for vaccination, employee service, laboratory, pharmacy, tuberculosis testing, vital statistics and more.
Sigma was chosen by the City of Port Arthur to design the new health department. Nejad said the cooperation they have received from the city staff, the city manager and the attorney is extraordinary, adding the contractor has done a fantastic job on the project.
Renovations on the $4.5 million project began in October 2022 after the city purchased the building in 2020. It was built in 1995.
The reason for the new location is due to Motiva’s purchase of the current location at 449 Austin Avenue.
Motiva also purchased several other buildings near the former health department as part of a downtown revitalization plan.
Sigma Engineers is also responsible for some other large projects such as Drainage District No. 7’s new building, the Sabine Neches Navigation District building and Sabine Pilots building.
