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NaNoWriMo Camp A6 The Island Moon Published by Island Moon Publishing, LLC 15201 S. Padre Island Drive Ste. 250 Corpus Christi, TX. 78418 editor@islandmoon.com (361) 949-7700
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The
Island Moon The Island Newspaper since 1996
Island Area News ● Events ● Entertainment
June 28, 2012
The Island where the 4th of July Parade is on the Main Canal, not Main Street
Around The Island
By Dale Rankin editor@islandmoon.com
We’re having a heatwave A tropical heatwave The temperature’s rising It isn’t surprising Because we’re having a heat wave It’s been an active week weatherwise. First a heatwave swooped in from the tropics and brought some scattered rain followed by a high pressure system that took away the breeze and pushed temperatures into the three digit category and also swelled the water in our canals to dock drenching levels for more than a week. While that was going on we played chicken with our first storm of the hurricane season and fortunately, Tropical Storm Debby decided to make a northward turn after clearing the Florida Straits and drop her rain on the Florida Panhandle. A few of the early tracking models had her headed our way but the remnants of the Tropical Wave pushed her away. Debby did push more water up onto our beaches and into our canals and also created some dangerous rip currents along our shores but she also brought beautiful blue water to our beaches the likes of which we hadn’t seen since 2010 when the upland drought stifled runoff and brought the same. The blue water brought the tourists and the beach along the Michael J. Ellis Seawall was as packed with people and cars as we have ever seen. Weekend traffic along SPID seems to get thicker every week as we approach the heart of the tourist season and the traffic count of 26,000 vehicles per day as counted by TXDOT seems like it may be a tad on the low side. Fortunately there haven’t been any more sightings of the Department of Public Safety officers doling out the road tax to seatbeltless drivers, maybe it’s been too hot for them.
Schlitterbahn update No changes to report in the progress of the Schlitterbahn Resort and Waterpark. Discussions between the developers and the bankers continue as details are worked out, while design plans and permits are simultaneously being worked on. No decision has yet been made on when/if the golf course at Padre Isles Country Club will be shutdown for construction. Look for groundbreaking no later than August and from what we hear the ceremony will involve lots of kids and shovels. We’ll see you at the Fourth of July boat parade. In the meantime, say hello if you see us Around The Island.
Friday, July 6
First Friday Reception Features Book Signing by Moon Writer Devorah Fox Devorah Fox will be on hand at the July First Friday at the Port Aransas Art Center to sell and sign copies of her Novel– The Lost King, a National Novel Writing Month 2010 winner, Devorah has written for television, radio, magazines, newspapers, and the Internet. Publisher and editor of the BUMPERTOBUMPER ® books for commercial motor vehicle drivers, she is also developer of the Easy CDL apps for the iPhone. She has written test preparation guides for Barron’s Educational Series, Inc. and edited books for Techni-Com, a Canadian publisher, as well as several novels. Born in Brooklyn, New York, she has lived in Port Aransas since 2005. Secretary of the Rockport Writers Group, Fox writes the “DeeScoveries” blog at http://devorahfox.com and column for The Island Moon. She wrote her first novel in the third grade and has written several more since. The Lost King, a literary fantasy, is her first published work of Author Continued on A4
Next Publication Date: 7/5/2012
Year 15, Issue 429
Discharge South Padre Island Fires a Shot Across Our Bow From Whitecap Wastewater Treatment Into Island Canal System Exceeds State Allowed Standards In the ongoing contest between North and The sign is rather cryptic in its language Padre Island to be THE Padre Island there THERE’S ONLY ONE SOUTH PADRE AND by 27,000 Percent South is a new weapon. Last week this billboard was IT’S NOT NORTH. Seems like that would be Citywide system under EPA investigation
By Dale Rankin In the last test taken of the water discharged from the Whitecap Wastewater Treatment Plant into the canal system on The Island the levels of the bacteria Enterococcus exceeded state approved maximum levels by 10,246%. The maximum level of the bacteria allowed under state standards is 35 parts per 100 milliliters of water. According to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) the last test taken of the discharge at the Whitecap plant on March 31 of this year was 9208 parts of Enterococcus per 100 milliliters of water, 10,246% higher than the level considered safe by TCEQ standards.
posted by the South Padre Island Convention and Visitor’s Bureau at the intersection of highways 77 and 37 where southbound tourists make the decision on whether to continue down 37 to North Padre or detour south on Highway 77 and head for that other end of the Island.
rather evident to most drivers since we’ve never claimed to be South Padre.
But maybe the sign can do some good anyway. Every Spring Break we have visitors who
Sign Continued on A2
Packery Channel Improvements Progress Report
As we reported previously, discharge from the Whitecap plant has exceeded state allowed levels 27 times since 2009. The figures for sampling at the plant provided by TCEQ this week show that the discharge has exceeded state allowed limits eleven times since January of 2010 with the highest level being 24196 parts of Enterococci -27,087% higher than the maximum approved level – in August of 2011. The results of tests for 2009 have not yet been made available. The Enterococcus bacteria thrives in oxygen depleted water. Oxygen levels in the Island canal system are monitored by the POA and when necessary aerators are installed to increase oxygen levels. The total number of violations at the Whitecap plant since 2010, provided to the Moon by TCEQ are as follows: The middle number is the parts of the bacteria per 100 milliliters of water, the state standard calls for no more than 35 parts per 100 milliliters. Sewage Continued on A4
The Barrel is Open for Business City’s first wine and tapas bar opens on The Island The Island is getting its first wine and tapas bar. Trish and Garrett Frazier who opened Black Sheep Bistro in 2009 are expanding and are now opening The Barrel wine and tapas bar right next door. “Corpus Christi doesn’t have anything like this,” Trish said. “It’s a sort of old meets new design.” The interior of the Barrel, located in the Palm Bay center on SPID, is unique with custom made furniture, a high-tech Natura water purification system, a Spanish inspired tapas menu, and a full selection of fine wines put together by manager Romeo Amaral.
By Dale Rankin In 2003 when the Tax Increment Finance Zone was formed to capture tax revenue from new construction around Packery Channel six projects were approved by the City Council in that area (Note: contrary to popular belief these projects were not voted on by voters but only by the City Council after voters approved $10 million in city matching funds to build the channel. Those funds augmented those provided by the Federal Government in an earmark attached to an unrelated funding bill by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison). The TIF has historically raised between $3 million and $7 million per year in tax on new construction inside the TIF. The following is a list of the Six Pack project which have been completed and a list of those yet to be built. The next project is $129,813 to provide lighting at the parking lot on the north
13th Annual 4th of July Boat Parade and Block Party It’s time to break out the red, white, and blue bunting and decorate your boat for the 13th Annual 4th of July Boat Parade & Block Party Plus.
Garrett and Trish Frazier “Islanders have a new place to relax with their friends in a quiet atmosphere,” Garrett says, “and to hang out before or after dinner at Black Sheep. We saw an opportunity to give Islanders another option for a night out without having to go into town.” The Barrel Continued on A4
The parade will kick off at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, July 4, in the canal at the Padre Island Yacht Club and make its way through the canals, going past the judging station at 13762 Three Fathoms where the party will be at the homes of Harald and Ann who began the parade after a couple of years of tough weather during the annual La Posada
side of the channel. That work is scheduled to begin by the end of 2012.
PHASE 1 - Restroom Facilities at Seawall Parking Lot (Complete)
PHASE 2 - Packery Channel Improvements (95% Complete) a) Packery Channel Parking and Overlooks b) Navigational aides-Day markers
PHASE 3 - Restroom Facilities at Packery Channel PHASE 4 - ADA Ramps to Jetties PHASE 5 - Northside Pavilion PHASE 6 - Administration & Maintenance Building
PHASE 7 - Parking Lot Improvements at Jetty Ramp $540,000 $2,800,000 $ 100,000 $2,066,000 $290,000 $1,050,000 $715,000 $879,000 $8,440,000
1st Annual Cardboard Boat Race
A Cardboad Boat race is being planned for July 4th and is hosted by Bev Hoffman, the Padre Isles Yacht Club Cruise Director. The rules of the race and construction of cardboard boats are listed below.
A Sign up sheet is at the Club with a copy of the rules below it. The race will begin around 4:30 and Auggie Wagner will be the race starter and judge. Come join in on the fun, but most importantly enter the race w/your very own cardboard boat! Rules for Cardboard Boat Race To be held off the PIYC docks.
Official Rules:
The only materials to use for building your boat: Paper, cardboard, duct tape, adhesive, water based paint. Parade Continued on A4
Race Continued on A4