Inside the Moon
The
Issue 676
Island Moon
The voice of The Island since 1996
March 30, 2017
Around The Island
Farmers Market A9
New Pier Lights A4
Art Show A2
Eagle Scout A2
Live Music A16
Free
Weekly
FREE
Lake Padre Area Development Plan Released
By Dale Rankin That roaring sound you hear overhead this weekend won’t be thunder, it will be jet engines from planes in the air show at the Naval Air Station.
The Pathway @ BareFoot Dunes
The pace of life on our little sandbar has calmed this week as the Spring Breakers have departed and most of the Winter Texans have gone OTB until next year. Traffic has been light, and fishing is reported good along Packery Channel.
BareFoot Dunes BareFoot Harbor
Gated Residential
Beach Access Road Work is almost complete on the new and improved Beach Access Road 3A at the end of Windward Drive. One of the changes at the intersection where the new road meets Windward is a four-way stop which drivers are still getting used to. Residents in the area report that most drivers are still rolling through the signs so if you drive through there keep an eye on approaching vehicles because they may not be accustomed to the change.
Marina Slips Fueling
Outfitters Restaurant
Lulu's Restaurant Campus BareFoot Crossing
Multifamily Site
Marina Town Homes
Schlitterbahn
IslandWalk Village
IslandWalk Canal
Developer Paul Schexnailder this week released plans for development around Lake Padre and for improvements on the west side of SPID around the Schlitterbahn waterpark. Some of the work has already begun. The plans are subject to change but show, in general, what the area will look like when completed.
One of the quirks about the new configuration at the intersection is that the residents at El Constante now have their own stop sign. They must stop in their own parking lot before entering Windward. Can you get a ticket for failing to stop in your own driveway…quien sabe?
Kleberg Cleanup Driving on the beach in Kleberg County has been treacherous of
Patrick Brown Burners Without Borders late due to deep soft sand. Cleanup crews reported that the Spring Break crowds left little behind in the way of trash and volunteers from the Burners Without Borders also held a cleanup last weekend that collected a truckload of items which organizer Patrick Brown said was mostly flotsam and jetsam rather than beach trash. The Burners have another cleanup scheduled in a few weeks.
Bridge funding delayed The Corpus Christi City Council on Tuesday postponed a vote on the final $4 million in funding for the Park Road 22 Water Exchange Bridge. District 4 City Councilman Greg Smith requested a delay in the vote because the bridge funding was contingent on changes in spending from the budget of the Island Tax Reinvestment Zone #2 which included a previously unannounced three percent annual increase in funds from the TRZ account to pay for patrols along Packery Channel which have been in place since 2005. The Island TRZ pays $90,000 per year for the patrol boats that were put in place to patrol Packery Channel but the boats are based downtown, a long way from Packery Channel. City staff said the increase was approved by the TRZ board in 2014
Around cont. on A4
Property Owners Meeting Saturday
By Dale Rankin
Members of the Padre Isles Property Owners Association will gather at Seashore Learning Center Gymnasium Saturday to elect two new members of the seven-member Board of Directors. The meeting follows an election earlier this month in which none of the candidates reached the necessary majority of votes. Four candidates are vying for two board seats, see the ballot and statements from the candidates in this issue. The POA board also announced Tuesday they will also consider the adoption of an amendment to Section 2.01 of the Bylaws to provide for the election of directors by a plurality vote, rather than a majority vote in future elections. The meeting is at 10 a.m. and the gym is located at 15801 SPID (Encantada and Park Road 22/ SPID). Other items on the POA’s monthly meeting Tuesday included:
Canal study Work has begun to take an Islandwide inventory of the 32 miles of bulkheads lining the 16 miles of residential canals. As the first step in
the process John Michael, of Hanson Professional Services, said that crews have photographed four miles of bulkheads so far. “The photographs will be loaded into a GIS system that will produce a living document that will catalogue photographs of bulkheads that can be viewed online by residents,” Michael said. “In the future residents will be able to go back and look at what their bulkheads looked like in years past to see changes.” The work is part of a thirty-two month schedule that will culminate with a bidding process for repairs to bulkheads.
Enforcement activity In the past month POA officials have written a total of 293 citations for violation of aesthetic rules, levied $1600 in fines, opened 221 new cases, and report a 45% compliance rate once tickets are issued.
Island construction There are currently 170 construction projects underway on The Island including 90 houses, 15 of which are on waterfront lots, and 80 of which are on dry lots.
Time to Whoop it Up!
The Island Foundations Annual Gala Fundraiser “Whoop it Up” will be held Saturday, April 1, at the Veranda at Schlitterbahn.
The event kicks off at 7 p.m. with live music, special auctions, and light appetizers. It is the major fundraiser for the charter schools on The Island and all proceeds benefit Seashore Charter Schools on The Island.
Air Show This Weekend!
The skies over The Island will be lively this weekend as the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels headline the Wings Over South Texas Air Show at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi. The April 1-2 air show is free to the general public and parking is available close to the midway with easy access onto the base with the South/Main Gate opening at 8:30 a.m. The midway along the NAS Corpus Christi sea wall will open at 9 a.m. There will be static displays along the sea wall, as well as food and drink booths and other vendors selling everything from aviation pins, to T-shirts, ball caps and more. There will also be car clubs on display and a Kid Zone with
It’s a chance to have a good time and support the Island schools at the same time. The schools now have 529 students at three schools from prekindergarten through eighth grade. Their goal is to raise $500,000 to begin construction on new classrooms for students in kindergarten, and 1st and 2nd grades. Tickets are available at the organization’s website at IslandFoundation.com.
Mayor Endorsement Forum April 10
The IUPAC will hold its endorsement night for candidates in the May 6 city Special Election on Monday, April 10 at 6:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn. All registered Island voters are encouraged to attend and vote. The candidates will be given an opportunity to address the crowd and at the end of the night the votes will be tallied. Bring your voter registration card with you to speed up the process. You must be registered by April 6 to vote. Early voting takes place April 24-May 2, and Election Day is May 6. The IUPAC was formed to unite the approximately 7200 Island voters behind candidates in city races.
Air Show cont. A4
A little Island history
Seashore Charter Schools: The Early Years
Editor’s note: This weekend is the Whoop it Up fundraiser for Seashore Charter Schools. In recognition of the schools and the good work they do we run this history of the schools. By Colleen McIntyre and Barbara Beeler
It takes a community to educate its children, and Seashore Charter Schools are an embodiment of this concept. Twenty-one years ago the first community organizational meeting was held in Katie Howell's living room. After trying unsuccessfully to pass a bond election to bring an elementary school campus to the island, they took matters into their own hands. Someone read the poem IF....and discussed what the community could create” IF” – “IF” we had small class sizes, ”IF” we had individualized instruction, “ IF” we worked across
the curriculum, “IF” we had multiage classes,” IF” we focused on character and social skills, “ IF” we had the parents involved…..
The dream began with a small group of Island residents: Peggy Shirley, Belinda Stump, Debbie Lichtenberger, and Luis Villarreal. Luis' children never even attended a Seashore school. Jimmy Driver was first CEO/Principal of Seashore Learning Center which opened its doors in 1995 as a private school with 15 students, grade pre-k through third grade, and one teacher, Lori Hernandez, in an old convenience store building. The first year was spent writing a charter to be awarded one of the twenty 1st generation charters authorized by the Texas Legislature. The charter was written to develop a mixed age program for our students with strong cross curricular activities.
The opening of the first Seashore school. Students wore uniforms. Some island residents may still remember seeing kids in the bright dolphin print shirts, royal blue jumpers, and khaki shorts around the island. When charter was approved, the Island Foundation
purchased the old Dairy Queen and opened as a public school K-4 in 1996 and moved the preschool to Island Presbyterian. Construction
History cont. on A4