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The
Island Moon The Island Newspaper
Island Area News ● Events ● Entertainment
March 8, 2012
Photo by Brent Rourk
The Island That Launches 50,000 Lobster Tans Every Spring Break
Around The Island
By Dale Rankin editor@islandmoon.com
Spring Break is upon us. Between the traffic on North Padre and the smothering police presence in Port A there is little wiggle room left for us locals. We hide in the Ski Basin, we repair to our decks and docks, we slide down to Kleberg County and hope for the best. We avoid the Stipes at SPID and 361 as Spring Breakers jam the aisles buying Slim Jims and beer. We avoid NoPac where strangers with pet snakes wrapped around their necks and lobster tans wander the sand telling us lurid tales of campfires run amok and cars stuck in the sand and eaten by the sea. Last year was the first time ever when the crowds at SH 361 and Zahn Road grew so large that cars were parked three deep on the west side of the road and police had to stop traffic to let them cross to the beach side. It was the second year in a row that police had to block traffic trying to get on the beach at Access Road 3 because the beach was so crowded there was no room left to park. We want to thank the local Bays and Estuaries Program for paying for the rolling dumpsters at the beach entrances. That’s where the couches and pallets full of nails go when people try to drive onto the beach with them. Without the dumpsters most likely the items that end up in them would have to be picked up on the beach after the fact. So take heart fellow Islanders. April is just around the corner when the weather is good and the Spring Breakers are home nursing the aftermath of their lobster tans. So far March has come in like a lamb and even if it goes out like a lion fair weather is just beyond the event horizon.
Another invasion As the momentum for development on The Island has picked up steam we are starting to see some reaction from carpetbaggers and locals alike. A couple of condo developments on The Island have recently changed their policy to allow for single-night stays rather than only in much long increments. It is a phenomenon also seen in the New Braunfels area near the existing Schlitterbahn park. Accommodations big enough for entire families to stay in one contiguous unit are at a premium.
Next Publication Date: 3/15/2012
Aquarius Project on Schedule, Packery Dredging Complete Editor’s note: Several projects on The Island are moving forward and some are nearing completion. Here is a partial list. Aquarius Street Extension. This is the completion of Aquarius Street from Dasmarinas to Commodores streets that was approved by voters in 2008. Construction began late last year and is progressing quickly. Here is a brief history of the project and an update. A construction was contract awarded by City Council in November Haas Anderson company for $1,303,865.60. Contractor began work on December 15, 2011. Construction time estimated at 170 calendar days for a June 2 completion, that date is still the target date and looks to be attainable. Currently crews are installing underground utilities. So far they have completed installation of Storm Water Pollution Prevention measures including underground pipes, are currently installing 16” and 8” water line. Have also installed and hydro tested 8” force main, and are currently installing 24” line. All underground work is expected to be done by the end of March as scheduled. At that time work will begin on the roadway itself. That work should take about ninety days.
Dredging was done by Apollo Environmental Strategies at a cost of $1,757,655.00. By early February 135,000 cubic yards of sand had been dredged from the channel and placed on Michael J. Ellis Beach in front of the seawall via a slurry line. The process was complicated by rocks along the bottom of the basin/channel due to movement by Hurricane Ike. By contract the dredge had to be removed by Spring Break. As of last week the contractor is demobilizing and removing the dredge pipe from the beach and is in the process of surveying the channel to see if the project goals have been met or if more dredging may be needed later in the year. So far 215,000 cubic yards of sand has been moved. Repairs to Gypsy Bridge. A problem with the Gypsy Bridge was found in July and a temporary steel plate was placed atop the southbound travel lane. A “bump ahead” sign was installed to alert motorists. The city is in the process of letting a bid for repairs but so far no firm timetable is set.
April 12
We welcome them and wish them the best. But the words of Mike Ellis do come to mind. He was fond of saying “There are many people who will help us eat the bread. But who was there to help us when we baked the bread?” Remember who helped us bake the bread.
Catch the Drum largely We’ve had several reports of late of big drum being caught in the Intracoastal hereabouts. And we mean BIG drum; as in 70-plus pounds. We ran a photo in the last issue of one of them but since then have had reports of at least two more of that size being pulled from the Intracoastal. English Mike caught a whopper on crab last week that almost sent him to the Fisherman’s Emergency Room after fighting it for an hour. It must be seasonal because we had the same thing happen last year about this time.
Padre Island Showcase Don’t forget the first Padre Island Showcase Around the Island Continued on A 4
Crews are making good progress on the Aquarius Extension project. Subsurface work is almost done and work has begun on the roadway.
Packery Channel Dredging and Beach Re-Nourishment. Dredging in the Packery Channel began in late 2011. The dredging was the first major re-dredging of the channel since its construction in 2005 and was due to sand deposited by Hurricane Ike.
Projects Update Continued on A4
We also hear that an investor from up Austin/ San Marcos way has bought into the Fairway Condos over by the Country Club in a large way. It’s the first of the carpetbaggers who will be coming our way once development plans on The Island firm up.
Year 15, Issue 413
Update on Island Projects
Alternative Water Supply to the Island. The city is currently conducting studies to determine the best way to bring a new water supply line to The Island. Since the 1970s when development began on The Island the sole source of water has been a line which runs parallel to the JFK Causeway and supplies both North Padre and Port Aransas. According to city documents
Examples of traffic on the Island during spring break
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Public Meeting Set for Park Road Water Exchange Bridge and New Island Canal By Dale Rankin The City of Corpus Christi has scheduled a public meeting to provide information on the construction of the Proposed Park Road 22 Water Exchange Bridge and adjacent canal which would connect the planned Schlitterbahn Waterpark and Resort and Beachwalk development with the Island canal system, Lake Padre and the Gulf of Mexico. Along with the bridge the meeting will cover plans by Developer Paul Schexnailder to dig a new 5,647-foot canal that would connect the north end of the existing Cruiser Canal (behind the German Bakery) to the new development and through the bridge to the Gulf of Mexico. The entire development would run from Commodores on the west, across what is now the Padre Isles Country Club and continue on east of SPID into Lake Padre. The proposed bridge would allow for boats and water from Packery Channel via Lake Padre to reach the existing Island canal system. The project was approved by voters in a 2004 bond election but funded only at $1.4 million. Currently the City Council has agreed in principle to fund the bridge but has not specifically voted to do Bridge Continued on A 4
Dredging is complete at Packery Channel. The beach has been greatly widened by the dredge sand just in time for Spring Break. The beach at the south end of the seawall is now wide enough for traffic to get past the abutment that sticks out toward the water.
Dates Set for Primary Election Cycle
As ordered by the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, San Antonio Division, the 2012 Republican and Democratic Primary Elections will be held May 29, 2012. Per the Court’s Order, the runoff for the May 29, 2012 Primary Election is scheduled for July 31, 2012. The Court’s Order can be found at www.sos.state.tx.us. “I am pleased Texas voters and candidates now have certainty when the 2012 primary and runoff elections will be held in Texas,” said Secretary of State Hope Andrade. “I urge all voters who want to make their mark on Texas by casting a ballot in these critical primary elections to verify they are registered to vote, by visiting www.VoteTexas.gov. Texans who are eligible, but not yet registered will find the necessary information directing them how they can become registered voters.” Additional key dates in the 2012 Primary Election cycle either included in the Court’s Order or the result of the Order: CANDIDATE FILING PERIOD
April 14, 2012 EARLY VOTING PERIOD PRIMARY ELECTION
FOR
May 14, 2012 – May 25, 2012 RUNOFF ELECTION July 31, 2012 VOTER REGISTRATION FOR RUNOFF ELECTION
DEADLINE
(If not a previously registered voter) July 2, 2012
DEADLINE TO MAIL MILITARY AND OVERSEAS BALLOTS FOR RUNOFF ELECTION June 16, 2012 EARLY VOTING PERIOD FOR RUNOFF ELECTION July 23, 2012 – July 27, 2012
March 2, 2012 – March 9, 2012
For more information on Texas elections and voter registration, please visit www.VoteTexas. gov.
PRIMARY ELECTION May 29, 2012 VOTER REGISTRATION FOR PRIMARY ELECTION
DEADLINE TO MAIL MILITARY AND OVERSEAS BALLOTS FOR PRIMARY ELECTION
DEADLINE
April 30, 2012
Scuttlebutts Pie Eating Contest