Loyola Beach upgrades continue

Stillness and tranquility is what one may find on a weekday morning down at Loyola Beach.

Over the past four years, Loyola Beach, which is east of Riviera has been slowly getting upgrades.

“It’s been a real fast-paced year. We’ve done upgrades to our pavilion, boat ramp, fishing pier…” Kleberg County Judge Rudy Madrid said.

As Riviera slowly grows with more local businesses as well as many summer tourists, the county is keeping up to speed with changes.

Kleberg County paid for the changes through two environmental grants: The Texas Parks and Wildlife Grant and the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act.

“As a kid, I would go to Loyola Beach and spend a lot of my Easters and birthday parties there, but it kind of got old on us. It got run down. Picnic areas were outdated, the park was outdated, so I said you know what, how can we bring a quality of life project to Kleberg County at no cost to our taxpayers,” Madrid said.

Madrid said during COVID the county felt the natural thing to do for the people was to build a park to breathe clean air and get away from the more populated areas.

A new self car wash and new restrooms were also added to the area, along with the county building a new RV park on the Riviera Beachside.

The Reel Baffin Bay Getaway, a local business, also joined the growing movement and built rentable cabins for families looking to stay for the weekend and make a trip out of their visit.

“This is a hidden jewel, it’s a natural beach, these are good folks. We want people to have a nice, affordable place where they can bring their family and have a good weekend,” Madrid said.

The county has also applied for a grant to build a new boat ramp at Site 55. Madrid said the changes are still not over. Next on the upgrade list will be a new park and a new fire station less than five minutes from Loyola Beach.

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