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Growth leaves Station Freeport short of room
Published October 17, 2009
SURFSIDE BEACH — No, the U.S. Coast Guard has not begun leasing out space at Station Freeport to beachgoing mobile home owners.
The handful of portable buildings that have appeared this year on the grounds help provide additional space at the search and rescue hub, which has seen staffing more than double in recent years.
While station members say the personnel increase puts more people on the water protecting Freeport-area waterways, locker and mess hall space is at a premium.
“It can get a little tight in here,” Station Freeport Chief Petty Officer Robert Garris said.
Station Freeport opened in 1991, providing modern living quarters for staff members and replacing the original Lifeboat Station that opened on the island in 1887.
But with the construction of Freeport LNG, a liquefied natural gas terminal on Quintana Island, and increased vessel traffic in the Freeport Ship Channel, the station built to house about 27 people now has 63 inhabitants.
To account for the additional people, there has been some internal remodeling of the 7,000-square-foot station, Garris said.
The wall between the second-floor recreation room, which has a big-screen television and couches, and dining hall has been knocked out to provide more space during lunch, Garris said. Before that, members had to eat lunch in shifts.
Also, screens have been set up around a lower-level breezeway, where staffers have moved workout equipment, Garris said. The workout equipment formerly was inside the building.
The portable buildings create additional storage and classroom space, Garris said. Before, members who could not grab a seat had to stand during long training sessions when the classrooms were inside the station.
Bunk beds have replaces single beds in the living quarters so they can house four people per room, Garris said. Officers work 48 straight hours before getting two days off in rotation.
Coast Guard brass have noticed Station Freeport is packed to the brim and have plans to “right-size” the building to accommodate the growth in personnel, but that could take several years.
Until it happens, residents can expect at least one more portable building to appear on-site in the future, Garris said.
Also, the mess hall kitchen has been tabbed for a renovation to better accommodate the additional mouths at meals, Garris said.
“We’re making do,” he said.
With the heightened manpower it takes to shutdown the waterways when a massive LNG tanker is chugging into the harbor, Garris expects to get probably a couple more people, but no more.
The extra hands on deck do come in handy during an emergency.
“Of course, I wish people were not in danger when they go out boating,” Garris said. “No matter how safe a person thinks they are, accidents always happen.”
Station Freeport is one of the Coast Guard’s Texas search and rescue stations, with eight vessels at the ready. Other Houston-area Coast Guard outposts include Air Station Houston at Ellington Field and Station Galveston on Galveston Island.
Nathaniel Lukefahr covers Surfside Beach for The Facts. Contact him at 979-237-0151.
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