City of Portland, TX Leisure and Entertainment District Venue Rails

As part of a transformative project for the Leisure and Entertainment District (LED) located in the City of Portland, Texas, a state-of-the-art multi-level venue was built with a restaurant and with space for gatherings to welcome all ages and interests. The rails lining the staircase and the upper-level balcony were galvanized to reduce the total lifecycle cost and because the turnaround time provided by the galvanizer met the demands of the development and project teams. Because Portland is a beach city, galvanizing has also afforded superior corrosion performance as the best protection against saltwater.

To revitalize the historic Old Town area of Portland, Texas, the city led a project to develop the Leisure and Entertainment District (LED) which is a multi-use space that includes a state-of-the-art indoor facility with a restaurant and space for gathering catering to all ages and interests. There is also a family-friendly play area with water features, a climbing rope tower, and a large outdoor space perfect for hosting concerts. The initiative to build the LED was approved by Portland voters in 2022 and has recently opened to the public. When developing the multi-level venue space, developers sought a cost-effective solution to protect the rails used on the stairs and on the upper-level balcony. Because of the proximity of the steel to the Gulf of Mexico, they elected to hot-dip galvanize the posts, runners, and channels that would go into the rails. Galvanizing extends the lifespan of the steel and the galvanizer was able to work quickly to meet the short lead times needed to carry out the project. The fabricator for the project said the following, “Galvanizing for exterior work is durable and reasonably priced. Our clients and the end user are typically happier with galvanizing than when we paint or prime the carbon steel because galvanizing will keep the rust and corrosion away much longer than any of the alternatives.”