Issue 563
The
FREE
Island Moon
The voice of The Island since 1996 The only Island in Texas with more Sushi Bars than Gas Stations
Around The Island By Dale Rankin
Photo by Lorena Schmidtt
Free
Weekly
January 29, 2015
Cold-Stunned Turtle Release at PINS
editor@islandmoon.com
We learned a valuable lesson this week when dealing with aggressively territorial geese; or more specifically the aggressively territorial goose who rules the roost over at the Animal Rescue Keep in Port Aransas. Tony Amos was introducing us to the two hundred or so turtles who have been warming up there prior to release after being stunned by the cold water. As we walked through the bird pen he said, “Watch out for the white goose he can be a bit aggressive.” We had seen the white bird but in our lack of birdie knowledge thought it was a White Pelican. “We don’t have any White Pelicans here,” Tony said politely. The goose gave us the stink eye and flapped his wings as we went by but Tony settled him down and we entered the building where the turtle pool is but a few moments later heard a scream and looked outside to see Ms. Jan running across the bird pen swinging her purse and yelling like an old man trying to return soup at a deli. Tony dropped the turtle he was holding back into the water and said calmly, “She did all the wrong things,” and went outside to restore calm. Ms. Jan didn’t have to jump the fence but she had to give that goose a whack with her giant purse to make her getaway. No harm no fowl as they say. But man, that is one angry goose. Go up and volunteer some time at the ARK if you can. They take care of the sea critters who can’t take care of themselves; and one angry goose who can take care of himself just fine.
First Islander on the EDC The Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Corporation, along with the Board of the Port of Corpus Christi, are two of the most important planning groups in the Coastal Bend. The EDC serves as an advisory board to local governmental entities and includes several local business people, the mayor of Corpus Christi, county judges from Nueces and San Patricio counties, the Port Director, and the President of TAMCC. When new, big projects come to town the EDC is involved because it cuts across jurisdictional lines. A few years ago The Island got its first appointee ever to the Port Board in the person of Port Aransas resident Charlie Zahn. It was a milestone for The Island and Mr. Zahn’s presence there has already paid dividends for Island residents on several fronts. Then, on Tuesday the Corpus Christi City Council appointed the first Islander ever (at least as far as we can tell) to the EDC in the person of businesswoman Gabi Hilpold. As we all know when it comes to regional planning The Island often finds itself on the outside looking in, as is the case with the Plan CC which purports to be the guideline for area development through the year 2035 and includes planning committees for both downtown and the Southside but somehow forgets about The Island, the fastest growing economy in the area. As an Island business owner and Chairperson of the Island Strategic Action Committee until her resignation this week, Ms. Hilpold is well acquainted with growth issues on The Island and the best choice for the EDC that we could ask for. As we have said before, managing growth will be the biggest challenge the Island will face over the next two decades and having Islanders on the Port Board and EDC is a good place to start.
Bits and pieces The tables around the cozy fire at Snoopy’s have been a popular place of late with oysters aplenty. When
Around continued from A3
New Traffic Lane on State Highway 361 a State Priority Separate project provides $240,000 for Island traffic study By Dale Rankin The future of the Island’s road system had a good week with the advancement of two projects each aimed at preparing the Island’s road system s for growth through the year 2040..
Photos by Miles Merwin More than 1000 people turned out at Padre Island National Seashore Wednesday to watch the release of 221 turtles which were released back
into the wild after being cold stunned by the recent downturn in water temperatures in the Laguna Madre. Sea turtles don’t like cold water. Once
water temperatures reach the low 50s the turtles’ ability to cope shuts down and a semi-catatonic state known as Cold Stunned.
Turtles continued on A2
Schlitterbahn Financing Secure Tax Incentive Extension Going to City Council By Dale Rankin The Corpus Christi City Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to extend the deadline for $117 in tax incentives for the Schlitterbahn Upper Padre Resort. In preparation for the vote the project’s developers on Friday provided the city with a letter from the International Bank of Commerce stating that its Board of Directors on January 14 approved credit that “will be used to complete the project.” For the complete letter see Page A6 in this issue.
The council vote on Tuesday will be whether to extend the deadline for the project’s developers to meet the conditions of a 380 Agreement which provides $111 million in Sales Tax, Hotel Occupancy Tax, and Property Taxes and an additional $5 million in direct cash from the city’s Type A Board. That money is derived from sales tax and earmarked for economic improvement projects. So far $2.5 million of that money has been released to the developers of the project, Upper Padre Partners, L.P., and North PadreWaterpark Holdings, LTD, and was used primarily for infrastructure at the site however,
the final $2.5 million and the $111 million are contingent on the partners meeting the original construction deadlines approved in May 2012. That agreement required that the construction for the waterpark feature commence within nine months of the effective date of the agreement which was May 22, 2012. That deadline was met by the parks developers. However, so far the city has refused to guarantee the remainder of the tax incentives, the $111 million in performance-based tax incentives
Schlitterbahn continued on A6
6th Annual Barefoot Mardi Gras February 14 Register for Beach Parade and get tickets for the party The 6th Annual Barefoot Mardi Gras Beach Parade and party are set for Saturday, February 14 and the next event is the Fat Friday Kickoff Party at The Boathouse on Friday, January 30. That event will include an auction, raffle, prizes and live music starting on January 30 at 6 p.m.
Staging for the Beach Parade will begin at 9:30 a.m. and the parade starts at 11 a.m. We will publish the route in a future issue. The registration fee for the parade is $25. Trophies will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. Judging will be
District 32 State Representative Todd Hunter, who has been pushing for approval of the project for over a year, announced last week that the project is included in the TxDot list of priority projects for 2015. Inclusion in the list does not automatically mean approval of the project but greatly improves the chances of its approval by TxDot this year. Ricky Dailey, TxDot spokesman, said if the project is approved in Austin as expected it could be put out to bid by the end of 2015. “We will also look at putting in left turn lanes along the road where they are practical and needed,” Dailey said. “We will try to put them anywhere they can enhance safety.” Daily said money for the project would come from the state’s Rainy Day Fund and in conjunction with Proposition 1 which was approved by Texas voters last November. A hearing was held in Austin on January 20 on the state’s Unified Transportation Program which is a
Highway continued on A9
Inside the Moon
To register a float for the Beach Parade call 361-949-1400 Fax: 361-949-4612 or e-mail at info@ padreislandbusiness.org. A registration form can be mailed by snail mail to PIBA, 14493 SPID, A-313, Corpus Christi, TX 78418.
The Dogs of Barefoot Mardi Gras See Page A4 With photos
The first project is an $11.8 million undertaking that was placed on a list of high priority projects by the Texas Department of Transportation and which, barring any unforeseen obstacles, is expected to be approved by (TxDot) in early 2015. The project would add an intermittent passing lane to State Highway 361 between Beach Access Road 1 in Port Aransas and the SPID/Commodores intersection.
based on originality, creativity and theme reflection -trophies awarded at Briscoe King Pavilion following the parade. A trophy will also be awarded to the best decorated golf cart. The Barefoot Mardi Gras Party and Kings and Queens Ball is set for Saturday, February 14 with music by the Miss Neesie and the Earfood Orchestra from San Antonio who will rock the house with zydeco music
from 6 p.m. to 10 p. m. at the Veranda Restaurant at Schlitterbahn Upper Padre. That event will include Cajun food, raffle. The Earfood Orchestra has become a staple of the Barefoot Party since they played the first party six years ago. This year marks the first time for the event to be organized by the Padre
Fishing A7
Mardi Gras continued on A4
A little Island history
Fight to Save the Whooping Cranes
Sports A8
How it all began Editor’s note: Most of this account comes to us from the book Karankaway Country, written by Roy Bedichek and published in 1950. The Whooping Crane Festival will be held this year from February 19 – 22 in Port Aransas. The year was 1949 and out of the hundreds of thousand s of Whooping Cranes which once darkened the skies along the Texas Gulf Coast there were now less than forty left on the planet. A count of Whooping Crane population on the Texas Coast in the early spring of 1949 by naturalist C.A. (Bud) Keefer found but eighteen birds, fully half of the Whooping Crane population left in
the world. A study found that in the nine years prior to 1947 an average of 58 percent of the adult Whooping Cranes failed to make the migration to the Texas Gulf Coast from their nesting grounds in Canada, and that of the adults on the Texas wintering grounds that year sixteen did not raise young. The Whooping Crane population was in danger of being wiped out. The idea was hatched that something had to be done and a strip of Texas littoral on the 47,000 acres of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge was selected largely because it was
On the Rocks A7
an area favored by the Whooping Cranes for its fresh, brackish water. The fight to save the Whooping Cranes was on.
History continued from A5
Live Music A16
A2
Island Moon
Turtles continued from A1 The turtles are picked up by volunteers and taken to rehabilitation facilities such as the Animal Rehabilitation Keep (ARK) in Port Aransas where they are placed in tanks until they recover and can be released. On Wednesday about thirty vehicles caravanned from the ARK to PINS to carry the turtles to the release point. Officials said the number of Cold Stunned turtles this year has been about average for the winter season.
Scuttlebutt’s Superbowl Kickoff Party! Scuttlebutt’s Superbowl Kickoff Party! Saturday February 3rd at 3pm Happy Hour StartS at 3pm Saturday February 3rdbig at ScreenS 3pm WatcH tHe game on our 13 ! H appy H our S tartS at 3 pm call aHead Seating available W atcH tHecooking game on our 13 big ScreenSparty ! don’t Feel like For your SuperboWl ? call aHead Seating available let uS cater it For you!! don’t Feel like cooking available For your For SuperboWl party platterS pickup party? call 361-649-6769 F or more inFormation let uS cater it For you!! party platterS available For pickup Rack Ribs 100 Wing Sushi Platters call 361-649-6769 Fof or more inFormation
with Beans & Platters $65.99 Rack ofSalad RibsParty Book your Superbowl get Sushi Platters 100 & Wing Potato $77.99 with Beans & Free Beer & Wings! Platters $65.99 $24.99 + More! Potato Salad Call for more details $77.99 $24.99 + More!
January 29, 2015
January 29, 2015
Island Moon
Moon Monkeys
Letters to the Editor Dotson
Mike Ellis, Founder
Hi Dotson Lewis, My husband and I are new residents of this glorious island and we love The Moon. As longtime board members and active volunteers and advocates for two prominent mental health organizations, NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (www.nami.org), and NEA-BPD, the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder (www. borderlinepersonalitydisorder.com), we would like to respond to your fine article on "Brain Scans Could Help Doctors Better Predict Your Behavior". I'm researching Dr. Gabrieli's work a little more and corresponding with others in brain research.
Distribution Pete Alsop Island Delivery Coldwell Banker Advertising
Thanks so much, Diane and Jim Hall
Jan Park Rankin
Island
Classifieds Arlene Ritley
Moon,
Design/Layout Jeff Craft Contributing Writers Joey Farah Andy Purvis Devorah Fox Mary Craft t Christiansen Jay Gardner Chad Peters Todd Hunter Dotson Lewis Ronnie Narmour Brent Rourk Dr. Donna Shaver Photographers Miles Merwin Jeff Dolan Mary Craft Ronnie Narmour Office Security/Spillage Control (Emeritus)
Riley P. Dog Publisher Dale Rankin About the Island Moon
The Island Moon is published every Thursday, Dale Rankin, Editor / Publisher. Total circulation is 10,000 copies. Distribution includes delivery to 4,000 Island homes, free distribution of 3,000 copies in over 50 Padre Island businesses and condos, as well as 600 copies distributed in Flour Bluff, 1,400 copies on Mustang Island and Port Aransas businesses. News articles, photos, display ads, classified ads, payments, etc. may be left at the Moon Office.
The Island Moon Newspaper 15201 S. Padre Island Drive, Suite 250 Corpus Christi, TX 78418 361-949-7700 editor@islandmoon.com Facebook: The Island Moon Newspaper
Where to Find The Island Moon Port Aransas Lisabella’s Restaurant
Sandpiper Condos WB Liquors Port A Arts
Stripes @ Beach Access Rd. 1A
North Padre
A Mano
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Whataburger
Spanky’sLiquor
Doc’s Restaurant
IGA Grocery Store
Isle Mail N More
Carter Pharmacy
Island Italian
San Juan’s Taqueria
Ace Hardware
Wash Board Laundry Mat
Texas Star (Shell)
Pioneer RV Park
Port A Parks and Rec Public Library
Snoopy’s Pier
Holiday Inn Jesse’s Liquor Scuttlebutt’s Restaurant Subway
Chamber of Commerce
Island Tire
Duckworth Antiques
And all Moon retail advertisers
Back Porch
WB Liquor
Woody’s Sports Center Shorty’s Place
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H.E.B.
Stripes @ Cotter & Station
Liquid Town
Gratitude Gift Shop Keepers Pier House Port A Glass Studio The Gaff
Whataburger on Waldron Ethyl Everly Senior Center Fire Station Police Station Stripes on Flour Bluff & SPID
The HGTV episode showing a couple from California looking at homes on our island should be entertaining. Do you think the show's producers will mention our pot-holed streets, our boat ramps in disrepair, our crumbling seawall, our littered streets, lots, yards, and beaches? Do you think they'll tell the buyers about our harsh climate that rusts or corrodes everything, or our property, windstorm, and flood insurance premiums that go up every year? Should be an interesting show. Regarding the Schlitterbahn project, I was slightly in favor of it initially. But now there are warning signs. The news that one of the three major investors wants his investment back after only two years into a ten year project is troubling to say the least. What does the investor know that we don't? Could it be that the project was badly oversold? Or is it that the project additions and extensions after-the-fact were illtimed? Or is it that the growth and attendance projections were over-stated? Or is it that the dramatic drop of the price of oil and gas and the resulting shut down of rigs and loss of jobs is the proverbial "canary in the cage"? Can the unimaginable happen, i.e. we are left with an unfinished canal that leaks onto PR 22 leaving long bodies of mosquito breeding water, and we are left with the biggest unfinished abandoned building and the biggest pile of construction rubble in south Texas? No sense asking any real estate agents about any of this. In their world everything is all sunshine and flowers all the time. They've never seen a building project they didn't like. To them growth is not the means, it's the end. Speaking of real estate folks, at times the POA Board membership seems to be dominated by them. Is that a good thing?
The cold weather a few weeks ago caused a fish kill in some of our canals. We have been cleaning them up as fast as we can get someone out in a boat, but sometimes the weather does not cooperate. If you live on a canal where there are dead fish, you can help by scooping the dead fish by your dock and putting them in your trash can. Dr. Russ Miget who does our water quality testing checked the conditions this week. Oxygen levels were up, in fact, higher than some of the readings during the summer. He did notice some algae growth and is checking that out. He explained that the fish die, lay on the bottom and then as bacteria grows, they “balloon” and float to the surface. The Board approved the parking lot repairs for the boat ramps at the Board meeting on January 27. Ramps will be closed when the repairs are being done. Please watch this space for notification as the contractor will give me about a week’s notice before proceeding. We had a lively Board meeting with several residents attending. I am sure Dale is writing more about the meeting. But, one of the issues a resident raised is that the POA doesn’t clean the gutters. Every property owner is responsible for keeping the gutters in front of their property, as well as the side if you have a corner lot, clear of all sand and debris. All of the water runoff in our subdivisions go directly into our canals. Leaving the sand and trash in the gutters means that stuff is going to end up in the canals. We also get complaints about the various papers thrown on the driveway of vacant houses, or homes belonging to weekenders. Instead of leaving them to blow around the neighborhood, or end up in the street, why don’t you organize a neighborhood litter pick up group. You could take turns so one person is not always picking up the litter. You could also move the trash cans back off the street for your neighbors who are not at home.
POA Referencing Mr. Nash’s letter, I think the POA should worry more about someone challenging their IRS “Non-Profit” status. With “Unrestricted Funds/Retained Earnings” of nearly $4,000,000, there must have been many profitable years with no distribution of those profits. Tom Drawert
POA
Rick Gangemi Full-time island resident
Winter Market Texas Market Guide announces its second event of the year. The 3rd annual Texas Winter Market II comes to the Aransas Pass Civic Center. The Civic Center is located at 700 W. Wheeler Ave. Aransas Pass, TX. Aransas Pass was chosen as the show site due to the great local shoppers and wonderful convention facility. It has also been said that a quality arts & crafts event would be most welcome in the area. Vendors from around the state will show items such as clothing, gourmet foods, jewelry, Texas handmade, art, gifts, metal art, wine, garden related gifts, and so much more. Texas Winter Market II will be held on February 14-15, 2015 and show hours are 9-5 Saturday and 10-4 Sunday. This event is open to the public. Admission to the show is $3.00; however, customers can save $1.00 on their admission by bringing a canned good or nonperishable food item (such as peanut butter, macaroni & cheese, rice, etc.) as a donation to the food bank. Admission is good for all days and kids under 12 are always free. Just a few booths remain available. For vendor or general information please call 888- 2253427. Texas Market Guide is your ultimate source for all things Texas. From boots to bluebonnets and beaches to peaches, two-step your way from the Cadillac Ranch to the white sands of South Padre Island. We've scoured all 268,601 square miles endeavouring to bring you the finest Texas has to offer. Whether you are searching for a new watering hole or just looking for a little Texas solitude, our members will satisfy all of your needs showcasing their services, wares and personal love for the great state of Texas. Texas Market Guide provides an unprecedented platform for Texans to share information, goods and services. This website puts the entire state and all it has to offer at your fingertips. The Texas Market Guide ... not just a website, a state of mind
The Bar Moon, It was a cold winters evening, the guest were all leaving O Leary was closing the bar When he turned and said, to the lady in red, get out you can’t' stay where you are. James
News from your POA
If any POA Board members still have visions of building the proposed Community Building or Rec Center, they need to read the Articles of Incorporation carefully, especially Article Four. The proposed building would be built on Billish Park, which belongs to the City of Corpus Christi, so the building would belong to the City. Article Four authorizes the POA to provide and OWN and maintain, etc. "common areas" including greenways, recreation areas, canals, bulkheads, parks, etc. etc. "...which shall be owned by it..." and located in the "above described subdivisions". So the POA has no authority to build the proposed Community Building or Rec Center because it would not belong to the POA and could not be a "common area" within the meaning of the Articles. Members, be aware that the Notice of Annual Meeting and Official Proxy recently mailed out by the Board fails to mention that such proxies are revocable. It says it authorizes your designated board member or your writein proxy to vote on your behalf anything at the Annual Meeting and any other membership meetings for the next eleven months, unless you write in a direction or restriction. If no written direction, it can be voted at the discretion of the proxy holder on any POA business during the next eleven months. Suggestion, if you cannot attend the annual meeting, and choose to submit a proxy, write on it that it is restricted to the election of directors at the March 14, 2015 Annual Meeting and is revoked effective upon the termination or adjournment of that Annual Meeting. The Board is required to give written notice of meetings and the agendas. Instead of blank check proxies, let’s make the Board seek our approval of proposed actions on a case by case basis. Bob Nash, Island
City of Port Aransas May 9 General Election Candidate Election Guides for the May 9, 2015 Port Aransas General Election are now available at City Hall, 710 W. Avenue A, Monday through Friday, during normal business hours. This Guide includes instructions and necessary paperwork for filing as a candidate in the May General Election for Place 1, Place 3 and Place 5 on the Port Aransas City Council. Candidates interested in running in the 2015 election may download a copy of the Candidate’s Guide 2015 from the City’s website @ www. cityofportaransas.org beginning Thursday, January 22. To be eligible to serve, a candidate must meet the following qualifications:
Island
(1) Shall be a qualified voter of the city.
New Construction • Remodel Room Additions • Decks • Windows • Doors No Project Too Small Let us know about any project you might be considering we’ll be happy to provide a free estimate
Justin Morgan (210) 846-2544
Terill Holliday (361) 442-0368
Did Ya Hear?
A3
by Mary Craft mkay512@aol.com or @padreeyelander on twitter
New Advertisers All Squared Away Construction is who you need for your room additions, decks, windows, doors and they say no project is too small. They offer free estimates. Call Justin Morgan at 210-846-2544 or Terrill Holiday at 361-442-0368
Business Briefs Rock & Rolls Sushi is now open where the Office Lounge once was near Surfside Sandwich Shoppe. They have a corner bar where you can watch your sushi being made, a large u-shaped bar, many dining tables and a bamboo walled patio. Cancun Seafood Restaurant across from American Bank should be open within two weeks. They have all the necessary permits and are putting finishing touches and installing TVs. They have indoor seating for 68 plus a separate bar area and outdoor seating on the side covered patio for 31. Barefoot Mardi Gras Party tickets can be purchased at the Schlitterbahn admission desk, all Island banks, the POA office and the Boathouse Bar & Grill. The party is for those 21 and over and will be held at the Veranda restaurant and patio on Saturday, February 14th 6 – 10 pm. The tickets are $25 if bought in advance and $35 at the door if they are still available. The second kick-off party will be held at the Boathouse Bar & Grill on Friday, January 30th at 6 pm. JB’s German Bakery is the only dog friendly restaurant on the Island. Enjoy dining with your pooch at their outdoor waterfront patio. The Island United Political Action Committee (IUPAC) is holding its first meeting of 2015 on Wednesday, February 11, 6 -7 pm at the Island Time Restaurant. Island Italian Restaurant, the oldest full service restaurant on the Island, will be closed for the national holiday known as “Super Bowl”. The restaurant has the only stone baked pizza on the Island and they deliver pizza, as well as, other items on the menu. Real Estate Broker/Owner Mary Melick has a new waterfront listing on 13854 Doubloon for $424,900. Call Mary at 949-7281 to schedule a viewing. Realtor Mike Raymor has a reduced waterfront 3 bedroom/2.5 bath home on 15341 Isabella for $359,900. The adjacent lot is $154,900. Kiwanis Bingo starts today at the Holiday Inn at 7 pm and will continue for the next five Thursdays. Ed the Beachcombers Restaurant in the former Marcel’s/Neptunes building in Port A will be opening Sunday February 1. The interior has been transformed with a nautical theme. They will be open for lunch and dinner. Scuttlebutt’s is offering some free beer and wings for those who reserve a table for Super Bowl Sunday. Call 949-6769 for more details. Dragonfly Restaurant is now taking reservations for Valentine’s Day weekend February 13th and 14th. The four course meal for two is $100. Call 949-2224 to reserve. The Veranda Restaurant has specials for College Men’s Basketball Game Day on Saturday, January 31st and for Super Bowl Sunday. They have buckets of 6 beers for $12 domestic, $15 import and $10 for Lone Star. Burgers with their hand breaded onion rings are $6.99. There are now six places to enjoy sushi on the Island: Island Time, the Barrel, Rock & Rolls, Bangkok Star, Scuttlebutts and Mikel Mays. As a side note, we also have three bait stands that sell raw seafood but you need to bring your own soy sauce.
Around continued from A1 the next cold front blows through go by and say hello to Larry and Pete. If you are heading up or down the SH 361 Landing Strip between Padre and Port A watch out for the Slow Movers. They are unfamiliar with the local custom of moving over to the shoulder to let the Fast Movers pass and on occasion have even been known to feed the seagulls out the car window. God bless them. Don’t forget that Barefoot Mardi Gras is now only two weeks away. It’s time to start hunting for your beads and get your tickets to the party at the Veranda on Saturday, February 14. (That’s right fellows, your choice for Valentine’s Day this year is made for you). Jim and Neesie Beal will bring their nine-piece zydeco band down from S.A. again this year, complete with a horn section; and as we all know you can’t go wrong with a horn section.
The next Mardi Grats Kickoff Party is at 6 p.m., Friday, January 30.
(2) Shall have resided for at least twelve (12) months preceding the election within the corporate limits of the city, including territory annexed prior to the filing deadline.
And don’t forget that the POA Annual meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 14, at the Seashore Learning Center Gym where board members for 2015 will be selected.
(3) Shall not, after notice of any delinquency, be in arrears in the payment of any taxes or other liabilities due the city. “In arrears” is defined to mean that payment has not been received within ninety (90) days from due date.
We’ll see you at those events. In the meantime say hello if you see us Around The Island.
Please feel free to contact City Secretary Irma Parker, at iparker@cityofportaransas.org to discuss any questions regarding this General Election.
Send letters to the editor to editor@islandmoon.com
A4
Mardi Gras continued from A1
January 29, 2015
Island Moon
Island Business Association and for it to be publicized off The Island. The added attention combined with the move from the Briscoe King Pavilion which limited the number of people to 400 to the Veranda at Schlitterbahn this year’s party will likely be the largest ever. Tickets are $25 in advance, $35 at the door and are available at all Island banks (1st Community, American Bank, Frost Bank and Prosperity Bank) the POA Office and at Boathouse Bar & Grill, and at the Veranda. In town, they are also available at Security Services Federal Credit Union on Everhart.
Letters to Riley The Barefoot Dogs of Mardi Gras All right you Stoopid Humans…Barefoot Mardi Gras is just around the corner and it’s time to start thinking about what the welldressed dog will be wearing this year. Here are some doggone good costumes from years past.
The event is a fundraiser for Big Brother Big Sisters of Corpus Christi and is being sponsored for the first time this year by the Padre Island Business Association.
Don’t forget to bring hotdogs and cats are okay too, Stoopid Cats!
A Day at the Nature Preserve
The Leonabelle Turnbull Nature Preserve in Port Aransas is a great place to spend an afternoon during the nice weather. But if you go watch out for the alligators! All photos by Steve Coons
Mardi Gras Schedule BAREFOOT MARDI GRAS BEACH PARADE The ONLY Mardi Gras beach parade in the State of Texas!! On Whitecap Beach from Access 4 to Bob Hall Pier Get your parking spot early and be ready for a great parade WE WANT YOU TO PARTICIPATE WITH A FLOAT. info@ padreislandbusiness.org Saturday, February 14 @ 6pm - 10pm KING & QUEEN'S BALL ** 21 and over ONLY ** LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL
Winter Beach Cleanup February 7 Six Coastal Bend beaches targeted for trash Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush is calling on volunteers for the 11th Annual Winter Beach Cleanup Saturday, Feb. 7 at six Coastal Bend beaches. The cleanup will take place from 9 a.m. to noon.
• North Corpus Christi Beach. Check-in is at the Texas State Aquarium, 2710 N. Shoreline Blvd. Contact Rosanna Gossett at 361-8811203 or via e-mail at rosanna.gossett@ texasadoptabeach.org. • Kid’s Place at Cole Park. Check-in is at 1526 Ocean Drive, contact Chelsea Craig at 361-946-3996 or via e-mail at chelsea.craig@ texasadoptabeach.org.
Friday, January 30 @ 6:00pm
Veranda Restaurant at Schlitterbahn Upper Padre
The locations participating in the Winter Beach Cleanup are:
FAT FRIDAY BAREFOOT MARDI GRAS KICKOFF #2
Cajun Food, Raffles, Zydeco Band, Beads, and a whole lot more!
• Mollie Beattie Coastal Habitat Community. Check-in is at the parking lot off Highway 361 near Packery Channel. Contact Teresa Carrillo at 361-882-3439 or via e-mail at teresa.carrillo@texasadoptabeach.org
The Boathouse Bar & Grill - corner of Leeward and Windward
$25 in advance / $35 at the door
Come join the festivities for drink specials, food, beads and lots of fun.
Tickets available at all Island banks (1st Community, American Bank, Frost Bank and Prosperity Bank)
Also a fundraiser for the event with auction items and door prizes. BMG benefits Big Brothers Big Sisters.
The POA Office and at Boathouse Bar & Grill. Aslo available at Security Services Federal Credit Union on Everhart
Saturday, February 14 @ 11am
Check our website soon for online tickets.
• Padre Island National Seashore, at the Malaquite Visitor Center, 20420 Park Road 22. Contact Buzz Botts at 361-949-8068 or via e-mail at buzz.botts@texasadoptabeach. org. • Port Aransas. Check-in is at Avenue G at the beach. Contact Deno Fabrie at 361749-0256 or via e-mail at deno.fabrie@ texasadoptabeach.org • Aransas Pass/Redfish Bay. Check-in is at Lighthouse Lakes Park, four miles east of Aransas Pass on Highway 361. Contact Richard Gonzales at 361-7797351 or via e-mail at richard.gonzales@ texasadoptabeach.org.
Bari Bear Bari Bear was part of a large litter of puppies born in a drainage ditch on Navigation Drive. Fortunately they were found and rescued by someone who worked nearby. She is about 9 months old now and has been spayed and up to date on all shots. She appears to be possibly a mix of Australian Shepherd and Border Collie and is extremely smart. Bari Bear loves everyone and every animal she meets and sees them all as playmates. This girl loves to run, play with toys, belly rubs and to be near her humans. She is very affectionate and it is hard to keep your hands off of her because she is so soft and has the most beautiful thick coat. It's so easy to fall in love with this precious girl! She would love to be part of an active family who has a yard for her to play fetch in and having a playful brother or sister would be a special bonus!
The Winter Beach Cleanup is one of three all-volunteer seasonal cleanups coordinated through the Adopt-A-Beach program of the Texas General Land Office. Most trash found on Texas beaches is left there by litterbugs. Since 1986, Adopt-A-Beach volunteers have picked up enough trash to fill a line of dump trucks 90 miles long, making it one of the most successful volunteer programs in the nation. Volunteers record data on the trash to learn more about the causes of marine debris and to help mitigate pollution along Texas’ 367 miles of coastline. The Texas General Land Office’s AdoptA-Beach program is funded primarily by private contributions. To help out, or for more information, call the Adopt-A-Beach program at 1-877-TXCOAST or visit our Web site at www.texasadoptabeach.org.
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January 29, 2015
A5
Island Moon
History continued from A1 Oldest living bird species The Whooping Crane is the tallest bird in North America and its survival had long been assured by their distinctive call which can be heard up to three miles away. They are among the rarest of all cranes and among the oldest living bird species on the earth. Their height of five feet gave them the vantage point to see danger approaches across the flatlands along the Texas Coast and their sevenfoot wingspan gave them ample ability to escape danger. This is evidenced by the fact that in the thousands of kitchen middens left behind by the Karankawa Indians between Galveston and The Island, among the tons of oyster shells not a single bone from the Whooping Crane has ever been found. For the Karankawas there was no reason to chase a Whooper when oysters couldn’t fly. When the explorer Rene La Salle arrived on the Texas Coast near Cavallo Pass on Matagorda Bay in 1684 he saw massive flocks of Whooping Cranes so thick that at first he thought they were clouds. The bird’s distinctive sound is also related to its size. The Whoopers’ weasand (throat) is a wind instrument five feet long with half its length coiled about the bird’s breast bone with a reverberating voice box located near
the lower end of the trachea. By 1949, in a stretch of saltwater marsh along Mesquite Bay a lone Whooper had selected ad defended his “territory” and spent the entire winter there. Park manager Bob Allen fenced a 150 acre area with hog wire eight feet tall and two birds were brought in on loan from the National Audubon Society and the Audubon Park Zoo of New Orleans. No naturalist of that generation had ever witnessed the courtship, mating, nest building and brooding of a pair of Whooping Cranes so a thirty-foot observation tower was built where two of the greatest crane authorizes in the world, Dr. Lawrence H. Walkinshaw of Sand Hill Crane fame and Robert S. Allen, the authority of Whoopers, began observing the birds.
Pete and Joe One of the birds under observation was named Pete. Pete was found tangled in a barbed wire fence in Nebraska where he had been wounded and left for dead until he was found by a boy on a bicycle. He had one eye shot out but a surgeon was able to save him and he was pinioned into an enclosure owned by the Nebraska Rod and Gun Club where he lived for fourteen years. Sightseers fed him and he survived but his feathers became soiled and the parasites on his body made life less than thrilling for Pete the Whooping Crane. Across the country in Louisiana another crane was caught in a muskrat trap and named Joe. Joe was placed in an enclosure and like Pete his feathers lost their luster. Life was not good for Pete or Joe described as “two bedraggled specimens – Joe, doleful and forlorn, and Pete, one-eyed and seeming ancient. “ The hopes of the survival of their species were pinned on these two unlikely candidates.
Amorous predilections There were many unknowns. First, the sex of neither of the birds was known as there were no bird anatomists. Their respective ages were unknown, although it was known that Whoopers normally lived about forty years, and no endangered species of birds had ever been successfully bred in captivity in spite of many attempts. It was known the birds had bred in Louisiana but it was not known if the Texas Coast contained the correct elements for their amorous predilections. But the Texas Coast was where their protectors had a place for them in the wild so Joe and Pete made the move to the refuge and were placed in their new home for a dismal betrothal which began with both birds droopy, listless, and rarely whooping. Soon a third Whooper arrived who had been unable to follower his peers on the migration north. He had been living with another crane nearby but now, left alone, was brought into the enclosure and given the now politicallyincorrect name of Old Crip due to his maladies. Old Crip was the largest Whooping Crane any Refuge employee had ever seen. Old Crip’s arrival sparked a turf war between him and Pete and soon enough Old Pete won the fight and the suspicion that Pete was in fact a male was seemingly confirmed. In spite of Joe’s name his gender remained in doubt. So the future of the species was hanging on three birds, all of undetermined sex and one of which was in exile. The good news was that the two birds who had spent years in solitude began to thrive. According to Bedichek their “plumage had grown lustrous and their bearing more stately, their ‘territorialism’ more vindictive, their dances more lively, spontaneous, and joyful.
by Dale Rankin When I heard of plans by the Padre Island Property Owners Association to move forward with a $2.3 million community center my first reaction was, “That’s going to be their Stamp Act.” For the historically challenged, the Stamp Act was an attempt by King George III to force American colonists to use paper embossed with a stamp which had to be purchased from the English crown. The idea was to pay for British soldiers in America; the result was the formation of the Sons of Liberty, a Revolution, and finally a mini-series this week on the History Channel.
National Attention The national press kept tabs on the birds “wedding, nuptials, and courtship” as the Associated Press, Audubon Magazine and others came calling. Then, finally, on May 5, 1949 AP reported “Two eggs and the nest of two captive Whooping Cranes were found.” Eggs meant one of the birds was female and Pete was promptly renamed Petunia. Joe acted maleish preening himself and plunging at deer and snakes which happened by. Ornithologists from far and wide flew in along with famed nature photographers the Cruickshanks. Orders went out on the observation tower to maintain quite which Crane nesting seemed to require. Before long the birds became rock stars. Then it all came crashing down. At 5:30 a.m. on the twenty-third day of incubation witnesses saw Joe picking at the eggs. Shortly after, both birds walked a few yards away and did a brief dance then both approached the watchtower together, which they had never done before.
Roy Bedichek
Stuff I Heard on the Island
“Their reliance on natural food and outdoor surrounding was turning them back into wild birds. In spite of protocol to the contrary Mrs. C.A. Keefer feed the birds once per day and soon enough they were eating food out of her shirt pocket.
Examination of the eggshells showed them filled with a yellow residue sticking to the inside surface; there was no indication either had ever contained an embryo. Walkinshaw, the Sandhill Crane expert on site, said about 30% of the bird’s eggs are infertile and in spite of Joe’s maleish behavior and Petunia’s female proclivities it was known that birds deprived of association of the opposite sex frequently reversed sexual behavior. Things got more confused when a few days later Petunia tried to mate with Joe and Joe didn’t seem to mind.
Old Crip returns Then three months later Petunia died. Joe wailed from 1 a.m. until daylight in a long monotone wail not normal to the species. Whoopers mate for life but have been known to re-mate following the death of their mate. Joe missed his/her mate. A postmortem found that Petunia was in fact a male. Hence Petunia became Pete and Joe became Jo. Meanwhile Old Crip had been living in solitary grandeur in a great march at the lower end of Blackjack Peninsula about ten miles away. He was now brought in to keep Jo company. Old Crip was thought to be a male but that was just a guess based on his measurements. The experiment to breed two old bedraggled cranes, sex unknown, two thousand miles away from their normal breeding grounds was in trouble. But it had proven a few things; in a natural environment, with natural food, the freedom of a large enclosure, and the whooping
The community center idea and the Stamp Act don’t have a lot in common, but they do have one thing; both brought about a reaction which led to a focusing of grievances amongst their citizenry. Since the announcement that the community center plan was first published here about a little over a month ago this office has had a steady stream of complainers about most everything POA; not just the community center but trash in vacant lots, damaged bulkheads, questions about why certain non-POA employees are receiving monthly checks, the bidding process for POA jobs, lack of communication with dues-paying members, lack of dredging in some canals and why the POA investment fund which has $6 million in it is making only 2% per year. Nothing about stamps but something about just about everything else.
a spate of recent deadly car wrecks on the JFK Causeway and County Commissioner J.P. Luby had Jersey Barriers placed between the lanes of the causeway which was then barely above sea level. The hurricane waters backed up behind the barriers until it pushed them over sending a wall of water through the canal system which obliterated the Gypsy Bridge and the Cruiser Bridge which disappeared completely, and took out 500 feet of bulkheads on Cruiser. The POA Board had to issue a Special Assessment to pay for the repairs which spawned a backlash which led to Article 9 of the Articles of Incorporation which is still in effect today and limits board spending to 20% of the money raised annually through dues. POA now raises about $1.5 million each year meaning the board has about $300,000 at its discretion with the remainder going into the POA reserved funds. The current board has determined that a floor of $6 million is necessary to be set aside for emergency bulkhead repair. But there are 32 miles of bulkheads on The Island and the cost to rebuild them in case of a major storm is between $600 and $1000 per linear foot, depending on who you listen to. You can do the math. What is clear is that $6 million won’t begin to cover it. What is not known is exactly how much is actually needed and an actuarial study is probably in order.
A little history
Then came an MMD
The Padre Island POA is said to be the largest of its kind in Texas. It is an anomaly among such associations because it was born as a private corporation and went through a bankruptcy. The original Island developers formed the organization before The Island was part of the city. The developers knew the county and later the city could not be trusted to maintain the canal system and the idea was that the POA would maintain the canals and bulkheads and not much else. When the investors went bankrupt the POA was leaderless and it floundered for a few years until Westinghouse bought out the original investors and some of the largest landholders on The Island withdrew their property from its control. The POA became an amalgam of more than twenty neighborhoods each of which must vote separately on any item put before POA members and its original Articles of Incorporation collected dust until they were injected into the discussion over the community center.
To combat this problem the board two years ago formed a Municipal Management District which now owns the Island bulkheads. The reason is that in case of a big storm an MMD can apply for 1% Federal loans stretched over thirty years to repair bulkheads, the POA which is a private corporation cannot. When FEMA makes loans it prefers to loan to organizations which put up matching earnest money; hence the $6 million reserve.
5000 properties 4600 owners
What is abundantly clear is that for the first time in a long time people are paying attention to the POA and its budget. Being on the board is a headache-inducing, non-paying job which not many Islanders have stepped forward to fill. Those who have done so deserve a thank you from the rest.
The POA’s decision-making process is a cumbersome hodgepodge of rules which have been glommed onto the original Articles of Incorporation (more on that later) which require approval of two-thirds of all members to amend. This has proven to be a real problem. POA property owners get a vote for each piece of property they own meaning that there are 5000 separate pieces of property and 4600 property owners; this means all property owners are not equal when it comes time to vote. And a Non-vote is considered a No vote which makes getting to a two-thirds majority a real problem. A few years ago when there was clearly not enough money in the POA accounts to repair the bulkheads in case of a hurricane, it took a door to door campaign to produce enough votes to establish the two-tier dues system which exists today with a high monthly fee charged to more recent property buyers. There simply was not enough votes to raise dues for everyone.
Then came a hurricane In 1980 when Hurricane Allen put more than five feet of water on The Island there had been
With the reserve money unencumbered for bulkhead repair the long-standing desire to build a community center in Billish Park was moved forward. Whether it was sufficiently vetted by POA members prior to approval is moot at this juncture. The board has said it will not move forward without a recorded vote of the members. Where we find ourselves is with a board which cannot spend the money it takes in each year because of Article 9, even if the money is needed for an emergency such as rebuilding bulkheads.
The POA is going through growing pains as The Island’s population expands. We have reached a critical mass where its rules and methods are undergoing scrutiny as never before. That is a natural process and the discussion is a good one to have. What is needed now are volunteers to help relieve the load on the board. If you have found yourself complaining about the POA lately here’s a suggestion. Use some of the complaining time to volunteer to help the board. Go to PIPOA.net or call 361 949-7025 and see what you can do to help. We don’t need a revolution to follow our Stamp Act, we need evolution and that means a transparent POA which produces open and honest debates followed by good decisions; and friends, that takes a whole village, or in this case a whole Island.
Library Book Sale Saturday, February 7.................... 9 am - 5 pm Sunday February 8.................... 9 am - 3 pm
Port Aransas Civic Center 710 West Avenue A
Whooping Crane Range of other cranes around, nesting behavior could be induced even in the weatherworn personage of Joe and Pete. If that could happen in one enclosure with older birds, what was to prevent it from being successful in multiple enclosures with birds in their prime? It was starting to look like maybe this could work. School children across the county became familiar with Whooping Cranes and through the fall and winter of 1950 Jo and Old Crip fed peacefully in their enclosure; a new Refuge manager arrived and fed them “vitaminized ” food and another Whooper was brought in from Louisiana. Life went on.
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Success! Then on April 22, 1950 it happened. Jo and Old Crip were reported nesting, an egg was laid; the country’s newspapers hoped for two but one was still front page. Print and radio stood by for a hatching time then on May 26 newspapers got the headline they had been waiting for “The First Whooping Crane Ever Hatched in Captivity.” “The sex is not known,” the Refuge manager was reported as saying,” nor is anyone sure just when the bird was born. But it was two days ago that the routine of the nest underwent a radical change. Jo took over the sitting. Before that she and her crippled mate had alternated.” The thirty eighth Whooping Crane in the world was dubbed Rusty from his dingy buff color. Whooping Cranes could be bred in a way that could restore the species. What had begun as a longshot idea between two naturalists had become reality and the danger to the species brought on by humans could be reversed by humans within the confines of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. The rest is history.
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A6
Port Aransas Home Tour This Weekend
The 27th Annual Port Aransas Garden Club Home Tour is set for Saturday 31 January Nine homes will be featured this year as the club presents an eclectic array of historic cottages, beach front resort living, new home construction on both the Gulf and Bay sides of the Island. Get your “Glimpse of Island Living” while enjoying a wonderful lunch and/or dinner at one the many restaurants in Port A, give yourself some time to browse our many fine shops or just relax after you’ve toured with a walk on the beach. Raffle Baskets, silent auction items along with complimentary hot coffee and teas to accompany fresh homemade cookies and sweet treats are all at the Community Center. Auction items include paintings by local artists and weekend get-away packages are offered along with baskets that include everything one needs for entertaining, a day at the beach, the ‘tools’ for the do-it-yourselfer’ and other great surprises. Tickets are 1 for $1.00 or 6 for $5.00. Winners will be notified shortly after the close of tickets sales at 4:00 PM and you will need to pick-up your winning items from the Community Center by 5:30 PM. Tickets are on sale now via our website www. portaransasgardenclub.org using PayPal or in Port A at Gratitude 361 North Station Street, Mustang Island Art Gallery 2222 Highway 361 or Cinnamon Shores rental office 5009 Highway 361. Tickets for morning Bus Tours, leaving from the Port Aransas Community Center at 408 North Alister, at 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM are $25.00 p/person. Afternoon self-guided tour is from 1:00 PM till 5:00 PM and tickets are $20.00 p/person. After checking in at the PA Community Center you will receive your Map and Brochure. Those on the Bus tour are welcome to continue on the afternoon self-guided tour to visit the additional homes.
January 29, 2015
Island Moon
‘Church Basement Ladies’ Coming to PACT
Schlitterbahn continued from A1 which the park developers only receive once the park opens, and the remainder of the $2.5 million in Type A funds which are the only actual money the developers will received as part of the tax incentive package. Under the agreement the Type A money will be repaid to the city once the park is open.
A Comedic Look at a Rural Church in the 1950s and 60s
According to documents included in the City Council agenda for the past week which listed the extension of the incentives as a Future Item, in order to be in compliance with the tenets of the original tax incentive package the waterpark must be complete by February 22, 2015; a deadline which developers will not be able to meet. A clause in the original agreement allows the City Manager to approve an extension of the date for compliance and the Tuesday vote, if approved as recommended by city staff, would extend that deadline, and other benchmarks in the park’s construction, to September 30, 2015.
By Brent Rourk After a successful and memorable run of Sex, Sin, and the CIA at the Port Aransas Community Theatre, PACT will offer a dazzling musical comedy as Church Basement Ladies takes stage next Thursday. This entertaining play will elicit lots of laughter as it leads you through a year in the life of several church personalities. The play revolves around 4 ladies who work in the basement of a Minnesota church where they prepare food for church functions, and along the way they attempt to solve the problems facing their community and world. Down to Earth and inviting, the play presents 4 different personalities who deal with each other, current issues, and recipes while preventing a few catastrophes and disasters. Along the way they make every effort to keep the pastor in line and on course.
The city contends that in order to be in compliance with the condition in the tax incentive package the waterpark must be open and the newly constructed main building be finished on the outside. Park developers contend they have met the conditions of the incentive package since the park was partially open in the summer 2014 season and point out that the size of the project has doubled since construction began as the size of the building increased from 17,000 square feet to over 100,000 square feet and 90 hotel rooms have been added.
Church Basement Ladies is directed by Larry Stotts, an experienced PACT director who has several plays to his credit. Playing at PACT on Thursday, Friday, and Saturdays; Feb 5,6,7,12,13,14,19,20,and 21 starting at 7:30 PM. It will also play on Sundays; Feb. 8,15, and 22 starting at 2:30 PM. Check http:// www.portaransascommunitytheatre.com/ for tickets or call 361749-6036.
The document presented to the council states: “The extension does not require any payments from the City. This is still a performance based agreement where the Developer must complete construction and open the various parts of the project and pay the taxes before any incentives are refunded.”
Police Blotter
Winter Beach Cleanup February 7
Police crack theft ring in Port Aransas Port Aransas Police on Friday arrested two people on charges they were part of a theft ring which had been stealing purses and other items from patrons in local nightspots. Police served a warrant for sale of methamphetamine in a trailer at the Beachway RV Park and arrested Deborah Elmendorf and Christopher Redman . They found 1 gram of methamphetamine inside the trailer they also found $8000 worth of stolen power tools. The tools that were stolen from a contractor in previous weeks, forcing him to close down his business. Port Aransas police say they do anticipate more arrests coming from this raid
Six Coastal Bend beaches targeted for trash Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush is calling on volunteers for the 11th Annual Winter Beach Cleanup Saturday, Feb. 7 at six Coastal Bend beaches. The cleanup will take place from 9 a.m. to noon. The locations participating in the Winter Beach Cleanup are: • Mollie Beattie Coastal Habitat Community. Check-in is at the parking lot off Highway 361 near Packery Channel. Contact Teresa Carrillo at 361-882-3439 or via e-mail at teresa. carrillo@texasadoptabeach.org
Contractors beware January 26 2:30 PM 7500 Miriam Valley Court Burglary
• Padre Island National Seashore, at the Malaquite Visitor Center, 20420 Park Road 22. Contact Buzz Botts at 361-9498068 or via e-mail at buzz.botts@texasadoptabeach.org.
A 28 year old male construction worker called Corpus Christi Police after his tools were stolen while he way laying tile in a house under construction.
• Port Aransas. Check-in is at Avenue G at the beach. Contact Deno Fabrie at 361-749-0256 or via e-mail at deno.fabrie@ texasadoptabeach.org
The male victim told officers that all his work tools were in the garage and he was in the bathroom using a hand tool. He said he came out to cut some tile and someone had taken his saw and several of his drills. He said the garage door was open while he was working inside. The victim estimated the value of the property to be $1300.
• Aransas Pass/Redfish Bay. Check-in is at Lighthouse Lakes Park, four miles east of Aransas Pass on Highway 361. Contact Richard Gonzales at 361-779-7351 or via e-mail at richard. gonzales@texasadoptabeach.org. • .North Corpus Christi Beach. Check-in is at the Texas State Aquarium, 2710 N. Shoreline Blvd. Contact Rosanna Gossett at 361-881-1203 or via e-mail at rosanna.gossett@ texasadoptabeach.org. • Kid’s Place at Cole Park. Check-in is at 1526 Ocean Drive, contact Chelsea Craig at 361-946-3996 or via e-mail at chelsea.craig@texasadoptabeach.org. The Winter Beach Cleanup is one of three all-volunteer seasonal cleanups coordinated through the Adopt-A-Beach program of the Texas General Land Office. Most trash found on Texas beaches is left there by litterbugs. Since 1986, Adopt-A-Beach volunteers have picked up enough trash to fill a line of dump trucks 90 miles long, making it one of the most successful volunteer programs in the nation. Volunteers record data on the trash to learn more about the causes of marine debris and to help mitigate pollution along Texas’ 367 miles of coastline. The Texas General Land Office’s Adopt-A-Beach program is funded primarily by private contributions. To help out, or for more information, call the Adopt-A-Beach program at 1-877-TXCOAST or visit our Web site at www.texasadoptabeach. org.
Ellis Memorial Library Book Sale
The Ellis Memorial Library Annual Book Sale & Silent Auction will be held on Saturday, Feb. 7th from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on Sunday, Feb. 8th from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. in the Port Aransas Civic Center, located at 710 West Avenue A inside the City Hall complex.
Cinnamon Shore to host their first annual Winter Festival STOMP to kick off its Foundation on Saturday, January 31st
Officers are still investigating this case, and no arrests have been made.
Business owners beware January 25
12:20 AM 200 Naval Air Station Drive Forgery
Live Music, local food and art for sale, wine tastings, bourbon and whiskey tastings, face painting, dancing, cigars and hot cocoa are some of the activities that will be happening under the heated white tent in the Cinnamon Shore Town Center on Saturday, January 31st.
Counterfeiters have been passing fake bills around the city for several weeks. The latest incident was at 240 NAS Drive when a man came into the store and tried to use a fake twenty dollar bill to pay for merchandise.
Cinnamon Shore is a master planned new-urbanist beach community that is the first of its kind on the Texas Coast. It has reached a point in its growth and success to launch their charitable organization, The Cinnamon Shore Foundation, a giving fund, which was formed by its founders to bring to the local community and various outreach programs, the culture of the organization. The Foundation mission is “to impact the lives of others through giving”.
The store clerk, at the Stripes, told officers that a white male about 5`9” to 5`11” tall, weighing 135 to 145 pounds came into the store and attempted to purchase some items with a the bill. When the store clerk told the suspect that the bill was a counterfeit he quickly left the store. Officers will review store video surveillance in an attempt to help them identify a suspect. At this time no arrest have been made.
All proceeds of this first event will benefit The Helping Hands Food Pantry in Port Aransas, which provides food, personal care items, diapers and a medical fund to the local school nurse. It also supports the weekend backpack program to kids in need in Port Aransas.
13500 block SPID 10:20 p.m. Jan. 26 Driving while license suspended
Police Calls
14300 block SPID 1:32 a.m. Jan. 25 Injury assault with hands and feet
The proceeds will also benefit the Port Aransas Art Center in their quest for their new center. Tickets are available for StompWinterFestival.com
purchase
online
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14800 block SPID 11 p.m. Jan. 23 Unauthorized use of a motor vehicle
www.
15100 block SPID 7:30 p.m. Jan. 24 Unauthorized use of motor vehicle
Other activities in the area and in Cinnamon Shore on the same day, is a guided home tour, or self-guided home tour coordinated by The Port Aransas Garden Club. For more information www. portaransasgardenclub.com
15300 block SPID 9:37 a.m. Jan. 25 Gasoline theft 15500 block Dyna 6 p.m. Jan. 26 Burglary of a building 15600 block Cuttysark 8:30 p.m. Jan. 21 Theft $1500$20,000/Aggravated assault with al deadly weapon 15100 block Leeward 1 p.m. Jan. 26 Unauthorized use of a motor vehicle
The entire Civic Center will be full of affordable adult and children’s hardback and paperback books, videos in DVD and VHS format, audio books on CD and cassette, music CDs, vinyl LP’s and magazines for sale. Typically, there are about 10,000 items for sale. Volunteers work one week prior to the sale organizing and arranging the books into specific subject categories for easier shopping. Fiction lovers will find books arranged alphabetically by author.
Send Letters to the editor to Editor@IslandMoon.com
All proceeds from the sale benefit the library.
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January 29, 2015
A7
Island Moon
Backwater Adventures On the Rocks
By Joey Farah
By Jay Gardner
Farah’s Fishing Adventures
The Low Before the High yourself in tune with the surroundings will let you fit into the rhythm of the symphony rather than crash the party. There has been many many boats filled with trophy fishermen from near and far all competing for a spot that is supposed to be the “honey hole,” let your imagination drift and find a quiet spot to slip in and enjoy the real reason you hunt big trout. To be a part of that symphony she belongs to. The beach has been amazing and for many this is the best time of year to fish with your toes in the sand. The pompano and sheep head are in close already with the warming temperatures. Ghost shrimp are by far the best bait. Our local Island hardware store has the best “ghost shrimp suckers” to catch them. Small hooks work best and the high tides bring the fish in close to the shore. The sheep head have been all over Bob Hall and Horace Caldwell as well as the surf side of the jetties. We are not out of the winter hole yet but it sure feels good to have some sun and know that we are over the hump and on our way to spring.
here are some nice trout from the King Ranch Shoreline taken with soft plastics Recent extreme low tides have caught everyone’s eye. This time of year when fronts blow from the West water is pushed out away from the Texas Coast and drops our tides out
Last spring I was blessed to spend some time filming a fishing show with Majesty Outdoors and our Island’s own Bill Blodgett. Bill and his wife started a television show and outreach program that connects fatherless teenagers to the great outdoors through hunting and fishing. Our show will start off the sixth season for Majesty Outdoors Television, The great day of catching, learning, and friendships made on that day with our beautiful young guest Julia Tatom will make you grab your rod. Even more take a young angler fishing with you. We made it happen with black drum, redfish, and big trout all in high winds. TAKE SOME TIME TO WATCH THIS AWSOME LOCAL FISHING SHOW THIS WEEK! The show airsSundays 6; 30am/ Destination America Sundays 6; 30am/ Texas Channel Sundays 7pm/ Texas Channel Tuesdays 9; 30am/ Pursuit Channel
those big bull drum are in the ICW this week
Fridays 5pm / Pursuit Channel’ Saturdays 1; 30pm/ Pursuit Channel
to an annual low. This is also a time here in the Laguna Madre’ that the slightly warmer water from the shallow flats is drawn out into both the open waters of Corpus Christi Bay and the Gulf. When wintering fish stocks feel this warm current they move towards it. We have and will see a migration of gamefish and small minnows back into the area. The shorelines of the King Ranch will be full of trout and fishermen in the weeks to come. These fish will move back and forth from the shallow sand pockets to the deep water grass lines out in the open water. Anglers can find great fishing from the boat and/or wade Stalking the shallows with a quiet foot and hunters eye is fishing with soft plastics. Years producing some of this years best big trout. ago when boats were practically void from the water in these I’ll be in San Antonio this weekend for the big months we found monster trout most every day boat show, stop bye and say hello if you go up. along the beaches. Back on the water all next week hunting big In the morning fog we could see no more than trout down south, Follow our Hook-up’s on a hundred yards from the boat, we stayed close Facebook at Joey Farah’s Fishing Adventures. to the bank. Long Black shapes darted out from Keep those lines tight and your hooks sharp! the dead grass piled along the edge of the shore, so we brought the skiff down to a crawl. I stood in the boat glaring down into crystal clear water only to see the large eye of a trout appear as it circled us. Her back and spots blended her body into the background but her eyes locked on to mine and I knew she was watching me. Her body was thick and robust and she glided effortlessly, keeping a distance between us. As I reared back to cast she darted, when the plastic worm hit the surface only her eyes moved. She slowly moved out of sight. As we poled along the shoreline we started to have more and more encounters with numerous big trout. Some of them haunt me to this day. I did learn many of the lessons I still live by today and try to make others understand. These are that the large mature speckled trout that are number one on so many anglers’ lists are an older and wiser fish. Fishermen are nothing new to them, and many have learned their lessons before. Keeping
Tides for Corpus Christi (Bob Hall Pier) January 29- February 4, 2015
Day
High /Low
Tide Time
Height in Feet
Sunrise Moon Time Sunset
Th
29
Low
4:49 AM
-0.5
7:17 AM Set 2:50 AM
29
High
2:19 PM
1.2
6:07 PM Rise 1:58 PM
F
30
Low
5:44 AM
-0.6
7:16 AM Set 3:44 AM
30
High
3:06 PM
1.3
6:08 PM Rise 2:48 PM
Sa
31
Low
6:35 AM
-0.6
7:16 AM Set 4:35 AM
31
High
3:43 PM
1.3
6:09 PM Rise 3:38 PM
Su
1
Low
7:21 AM
-0.6
7:15 AM Set 5:22 AM
1
High
4:13 PM
1.2
6:10 PM Rise 4:30 PM
M
2
Low
8:02 AM
-0.5
7:15 AM Set 6:06 AM
2
High
4:34 PM
1.2
6:10 PM Rise 5:22 PM
Tu
3
Low
8:38 AM
-0.5
7:14 AM Set 6:47 AM
3
High
4:46 PM
1.1
6:11 PM Rise 6:14 PM
3
Low
10:33 PM
0.7
W
4
High
1:12 AM
0.8
7:14 AM Set 7:25 AM
4
Low
9:10 AM
-0.3
6:12 PM Rise 7:05 PM
4
High
4:54 PM
1.0
4
Low
10:53 PM
0.7
Take a look and make your own decision. In the guide, the left track is ocelot, and the right track is bob cat (the middle one is a lynx, highly unlikely that there would be one of those around.)
The weather this past week was absolutely gorgeous. Of course I was chained to my desk and wasn’t able to get out and do anything about it. The sea water temperature at Bob Hall had bounced all the way up to 63 as of this writing, but of course by the time you’re reading this, we’ve gotten another cold front and returned back to the doldrums of winter. People were using the sacred “S” word (spring) like it was already upon us. I’ll make sure and text those folks by say, Sunday and ask how that’s working out so far while we enjoy balmy 44 degree temps at night.
The CCA-Corpus Christi Banquet is rapidly approaching on February 26th, which is right around the corner. I’ll do a shameless plug for your support loyal readers. Please make plans to join us that evening, drop me a line at
I just got an email that Gabi is stepping down as the chair of the ISAC committee. She has been a great chair for the past several years that I’ve been on the committee, and she will be missed. Hope we’ll see you around the Island, Gabi.
James Clark sent me a picture of a cat track the other day. No, I don’t mean Fluffy the neighborhood stray, I’m talking about something a little bit larger and more native. Seems he was bombing around the ranch on the last day of deer season and came across a bit of mud that had a great impression of a track. Native cats (bobcats, ocelots, jaguarondi’s) are typically nocturnal and very secretive. You rarely ever see one, but the easiest way to get proof is by getting a good track print impression. I learned this when doing work down on Laguna Atascosa; I would find a drainage area, pond, or other depression, and search the edge for tracks. I even carried around a small amount of plaster of paris that way when I found a track, I would mix a bit up and pour it over the track. Let it set for a bit, and then voila! You have your own track you can take home and put on the mantle with the rest of your seashells and trinkets. Or maybe that’s just me, LOL. In any event, he found a track and took a pic and sent it to me. (and yes, that’s a spear point next to it that he found and placed for scale). Now, I’m not a professional mammologist by any stretch of the imagination. It’s likely a bob cat, however I think there may be enough of a case that the track *could be* an ocelot. The area that James hangs out in is known for ocelots, so the animals are there.
jaygardner@scientist.com and ask how you can take part in this worthy cause. And for the rest of you, we’ll see you for the 20th Annual Big Shell Clean up on that following Saturday the 28th. Say hello when you see me downtown at the American Bank Center, or at the clean up On the Rocks, err, On the Sand.
W illiam a. T hau iii, P.C. “F ormer U.S. N avy L awyer ”
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COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL Saturday January 31st Games Starting @ 11:00 A.M.
Tides of the Week
We bombed up to Houston last weekend to check out a show (James McMurtry, I highly suggest you check him out) and also see the folks. I hadn’t been to their new place since they moved in some 6 months ago, and it was a little passed time. They have a nice place there in Tomball/Spring area, and seem to be enjoying it. While the back yard was nice, it didn’t have any salt water in it…They seem to be enjoying it though.
Moon Visible
67
76 84 91 95 98
99
WEEKEND GAME DAY SPECIALS Beer Specials Bucket of 6 Bottled Beers....$12 Domestic $15 Import Lone Star Spectacular (Bucket of 6 - 16oz. Lone Star Cans) $10 Quarterback Specials Happy Hour Pricing All Weekend Nachos Blitz Refried beans and cheese topped with of chicken or fajita Full Order $7.99 1/2 Order $5.99 Linebacker All Hamburgers/Cheeseburgers accompanied by our own hand-breaded onion rings ... $ 6.99 50% Off On All Appetizers & 25¢ Wings During The Big Game Sunday February 1st
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A8
January 29, 2015
Island Moon
SPORTS Diamond In The Rough
Sports Talk-Special to The Island Moon Moon Exclusive Super Bowl Officials Assign Bill Vinovich to Referee By Dotson Lewis Special to the Island Moon Dotson’s Note: The NFL usually announces the Super Bowl Referee about a week before the game; and does not reveal to the public the names of the rest of the crew until the day before the game. The reason for the secrecy is another story, but knowing that you Moon Monkeys are used to being ahead of the game, here is some inside information for you. Also, I have included a couple of updates on “Deflategate.” Are we having fun yet?
Any speculation about wrongdoing or potential penalties is just that — speculation. It will be very interesting to see what the NFL concludes and if the league will adopt any changes in who is custodian of the balls between official inspection and the time that ball is put into the game.
Bill Vinovich will be the referee heading the Super Bowl officiating staff on Feb. 1 in Glendale, Ariz. The assignments were officially
The NFL issued a statement January 23, 2015, to provide information on the investigation into whether the Patriots intentionally deflated footballs in the AFC Championship Game against the Colts.
NFL releases statement on deflated footballs issue
By Andy Purvis Special to the Island Moon As a kid he would rather spend his time on a ball field instead of at the mall. You can’t read a book and learn how to play a sport. He believed you needed to play the game and watch the game being played. You should be able to walk into any park with the scoreboard covered up and know which team is winning by watching how they are playing. I can’t imagine how many games this fellow has seen. As he grew older, he became a symbol of what’s good about the game of baseball, and he would rather play catch than sleep. As a former American League All-Star pitcher, this guy could bury his
Twins against the Royals. It was the first onehitter ever thrown in the Metrodome in Minnesota. Schrom and his Twins got the win, 2-1. In 1986, Ken would find himself in Cleveland with the Indians. He started off his season with a 10-2 record and was selected to the American League All-Star team which beat the National League 3-2, at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. His 1986 All-Star jersey is one of his most prized possessions. Ken would finish the year 14-7. In 1987, Ken tore his shoulder
THE STATEMENT IN FULL:
NFL Officials Positions given to the crew on January 14th. Vinovich worked the Divisional Playoff game between the Ravens and the Patriots January 10th. Each of Vinovich’s crew members worked a Divisional Playoff game, but no more than three appeared on the same crew. Officials in the Super Bowl must be ranked in the top tier as determined by the vice-president of officiating, Dean Blandino. Accuracy percentages are a large part of the ranking scheme, but Blandino indicated there are other factors he considers. In addition, past practice has allowed officials to be selected who have not gotten an assignment, but are near the top rank at their positions.
The crew that has been confirmed for the big game is: Referee: Bill Vinovich #52, 10 years in the NFL, is an accountant, formerly was an NFL Officiating Supervisor; Bill Shuster, Umpire #129, 15 years in the NFL, is an insurance broker; Headlinesman: Dana McKenzie, #8, 7 years in the NFL, a claims adjuster; Line Judge: Mark Periman # 9, 14 years in the NFL, is a teacher; Field Judge: Bob Waggoner #25, 18 years in the NFL, a retired probation officer; Side Judge: Tom Hill #97, 16 years in the NFL, is a teacher; Back Judge: Terrance Miles #111, 7 years in the NFL, is a quality control manager. Replay Officials: Mike Wimmer; Replay Assistant: Terry Poulos. Alternates: Referee: Carl Cheffers; Umpire: Fred Baynes; Linesman: Rusty Baynes; Deep Wing: Barry Andnerson; Back Judge: Todd Prukop. Supervisor: Garth DeFelice; Observers: Dean Blandino & Al Riveron.
“Deflategate” Updates --Walt Anderson’s crew checked all footballs before AFC championship game. --The crew followed standard procedure to prepare footballs for the game. The past few days have featured media frenzy where the New England Patriots are accused of deflating the game balls to better suit quarterback Tom Brady in the wet weather. The NFL is investigating the matter. By rule, footballs need to be inflated to between 12½ to 13½ p.s.i. Two hours before the game, the officiating crew checks the footballs provided by the teams. Each team provides 12 footballs to be used when their team is on offense. If the forecast calls for foul weather, each time provides 24 balls to use. The officials test the air pressure and weight of each ball, adding or subtracting air until it meets the specifications. Each crew marks the ball with a special symbol unique to the crew. Ron Winter used to stamp each approved ball with a snowflake, while Gene Steratore labels each football with the initials of his significant other. The imprimatur of Anderson’s crew is an interlocked WA. After each ball is checked in, the bag is returned to each club’s representative and the team has custody of game balls from then on. The NFL employs someone to have custody of the “kicking balls” at all times, but the teams are responsible for their own supply of game balls. The next time the official sees the scrimmage ball is| when they toss itFont in to play. 3.5” x 2.5” Maximum Size:
“Our office has been conducting an investigation as to whether the footballs used in last Sunday’s AFC Championship Game complied with the specifications that are set forth in the playing rules. The investigation began based on information that suggested that the game balls used by the New England Patriots were not properly inflated to levels required by the playing rules, specifically Playing Rule 2, Section 1, which requires that the ball be inflated to between 12.5 and 13.5 pounds per square inch. Prior to the game, the game officials inspect the footballs to be used by each team and confirm that this standard is satisfied, which was done before last Sunday’s game.” “The investigation is being led jointly by NFL Executive Vice President Jeff Pash and Ted Wells of the law firm of Paul Weiss. Mr. Wells and his firm bring additional expertise and a valuable independent perspective. The investigation began promptly on Sunday night. Over the past several days, nearly 40 interviews have been conducted, including of Patriots personnel, game officials, and third parties with relevant information and expertise. We have obtained and are continuing to obtain additional information, including video and other electronic information and physical evidence. We have retained Renaissance Associates, an investigatory firm with sophisticated forensic expertise to assist in reviewing electronic and video information.” “The playing rules are intended to protect the fairness and integrity of our games. We take seriously claims that those rules have been violated and will fully investigate this matter without compromise or delay. The investigation is ongoing, will be thorough and objective, and is being pursued expeditiously. In the coming days, we expect to conduct numerous additional interviews, examine video and other forensic evidence, as well as relevant physical evidence. While the evidence thus far supports the conclusion that footballs that were underinflated were used by the Patriots in the first half, the footballs were properly inflated for the second half and confirmed at the conclusion of the game to have remained properly inflated. The goals of the investigation will be to determine the explanation for why footballs used in the game were not in compliance with the playing rules and specifically whether any noncompliance was the result of deliberate action. We have not made any judgments on these points and will not do so until we have concluded our investigation and considered all of the relevant evidence.” “Upon being advised of the investigation, the Patriots promptly pledged their full cooperation and have made their personnel and other information available to us upon request. Our investigation will seek information from any and all relevant sources and we expect full cooperation from other clubs as well. As we develop more information and are in a position to reach conclusions, we will share them publicly.” Dotson’s Note: Walt Anderson is from Houston and is a good friend. I first met Walt when he started officiating sub-varsity games back in the seventies. By working very hard at the craft, Walt advanced rapidly through the ranks. He worked up through high school varsity, small college, the Southwest Conference, the Big XII and NFL. In addition to being an NFL Referee, he is the Big XII Coordinator of Football Officials. He Refereed the Super Bowl in 2012. I know that Walt and his crew would never knowingly allow anyone to violate any rule. Your suggestions, comments and/or questions/ concerns regarding “Moon Sports Talk” are appreciated. Call the Benchwarmers 361-5605397 weekdays, Mondays thru Fridays, 3-6 p.m. or contact me. Phone: 361-949-7681 Cell: 530-748-8475 Email: dlewis1@stx.rr.com
30 pt
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pitches in the bottom of the box. He had four right-handed pitches that could embarrass you. With a fastball, curve, slider and changeup, he had many ways to sit you back down. At times he pitched like home plate had eight corners. He just lived at their knees. Now he spends his time here with us. You could say he’s our “diamond in the rough.”
Hooks President Corpus Christi Hooks’ President, Ken Schrom, is one of a kind. If he had never played ball, if you had never heard his name and you passed him on the sidewalk one day, you would turn around and look. I’ve known Ken Schrom for over 20 years and I’ve never heard a bad word spoken about him. Ken loves hearing the vendors hawking peanuts, beer and popcorn at Whataburger Field. He loves the sound of the ball popping the catcher’s mitt. He loves the fairness of the game, the colors, the smells, and the feel of the ball in his hand. He loves that he never grows old at the ballpark. He also loves how the ballpark gets quiet when the game is on the line. You will find Ken at game time standing on the concourse greeting folks, shaking hands and watching baseball. Kenneth Marvin “Ken” Schrom was born on November 23, 1954, in Grangeville, Idaho. Ken Schrom was a heck of a high school athlete. He was selected All-State in baseball and basketball and All-American in football at quarterback. All total, Ken earned 11 athletic letters. In 1973, after high school, Ken was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in tenth round, but decided to attend the University of Idaho on a football and baseball scholarship. Schrom dreamed of becoming an NFL quarterback. In fact his favorite player of all time is Bart Starr. “I got in trouble more times than you can imagine because I wrote the #15 on everything I had, including new school clothes,” laughed Schrom. Injuries steered him toward baseball. Ken was later chosen and signed by the California Angels as a pitcher, in the 1976 amateur draft. Ken was traded in 1980 to the Toronto Blue Jays and debuted against the Kansas City Royals as a reliever, on August 8, 1980. Ken would again be traded and become a starter and spend 1983-1985 with the Twins. In 1983, Ken recorded a 15-8 win-loss record and was selected the Twins’ Pitcher of the Year. On June 26, 1985, Ken threw a one-hit game for the
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labrum which required surgery. His last game occurred on October 3, 1987. Ken pitched over 900 innings in seven years in the Major Leagues, for three teams (Twins, Indians, and Blue Jays), and won 51 games while losing the same number. He struck-out 372 batters and hit 25 while earning a 4.81 ERA.
El Diablos Schrom spent the next 16 years in the front office of the El Paso Diablos of the Milwaukee Brewers’ organization. El Paso is where I initially met the Diablos’ owner, Jim Paul, and Ken Schrom. Ken, his wife Cindy and the kids left El Paso and joined the Hooks in 2003. Ken was selected the Texas League Executive of the Year in 2005. He became the President of the club in 2009. He was inducted into the University of Idaho Sports Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007. Ken is a fine man, a good friend and a heck of a baseball guy. He was also kind enough to write part of the foreword of my newest book. In his spare time, you can find him winning money from his friends on the golf course, or fishing somewhere quiet. Did you know that in the past ten years, 56 of our very own Hooks’ players have joined the Houston Astros? Ken Schrom just announced that on April 2, 2015, the Astros will make their third trip to our fair city to take on their Double-A club known as the Corpus Christi Hooks. This is to be a homecoming for some, as there are 17 former Hooks’ players on the current Astros 40-man roster. The game will be played at Whataburger Field with a 6:05 PM start. Ken Schrom and I hope to see you there. Andy Purvis is a local author and radio personality. His newest book “Greatness Continued” in now available to order online at bn.com, Amazon, Google Books, Bookamillion, etc. You may also purchase all three of his latest books at the local Barnes & Noble Book store in Moore Plaza. All three books are also available in e-book format, Kindle, Nook, Apple I Pad and Kobo. Please visit www.purvisbooks.com for more info and leave a message in the guest section. You may also contact him at purvis. andy@mygrande.net and don’t forget to listen to Story Time with Uncle Andy on Tuesdays 5-6 PM and Dennis & Andy’s Q & A Session each Thursday night from 6-8 PM on ESPN 1440 KEYS.
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The Travelling Moon Gets Around
A9
Island Moon
First Friday for February a Tip of the Hat to Whooping Cranes Fest First Friday at the Port Aransas Art Center for Februrary will be a tip of the hat to the Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce Whooping Crane Festival. The event is February 6th 5:30-7:30 at the Art Center, 323 N. Alister in Port Aransas. The theme for the show which kicks off at the event is Hearts for Arts and features a Silent Auction which from January 31 through just in time for Valentine’s giving! The First Friday Reception Includes Live Music, Refreshments, and is open to the public. The exhibit is held in conjunction with the Port A Chamber’s Annual Whooping Crane Festival.
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The new gambling boat in Port A, The Aransas Queen has pushed its maiden voyage to late February or early March. Photo by Miles Merwin
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Lola's Biggest Redfish Ever! 31 inches caught on a 4 inch worm on 10 lb. test line on King Ranch shoreline south of the Power Plant. Caught on January 25, 2015
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Highway continued from A1
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ten-year development plan which came about due to the approval of Proposition 1; it was in that process the SH 361 project was approved. TxDot officials will accept public comment through February 20, then TxDot officials will be presented with draft projects, for a final vote on February 26. The project would be officially approved at that time and with final in-house approval in April when the funds would be appropriated. The second project that saw approval during the past week is called the Padre Island Mobility and Access Management Study which is programmed into the city’s Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for Fiscal Year 2015. The total cost of the study is $240,000 with $48,000 of that from city funds and the remainder from the state. The scope of the project is planning the Island roadway system out through the year 2040 and, if approved in time, will include vehicle counts in the busy tourist season of 2015. The 2015 may be the last chance to get a traffic count unencumbered by construction of the new traffic lane on SH 361 and construction on the SPID/Park Road 22 Water Exchange Bridge between Whitecap and Commodores which is expected to begin construction in autumn of 2015. According to District 4 City Councilwoman Colleen McIntyre the study will include Park Road 22, State Highway 361, the potential Regional Parkway which will eventually connect Yorktown Road in Flour Bluff to The Island near Sea Pines, and an implementation plan for each of those items. McIntyre said the study is expected to take about nine months to complete and could start as early as spring 2015. She said the next step in the process is an Advanced Funding Agreement between the city and TxDot. In the past few months McIntyre, Island Strategic Action Committee Chairperson Gabi Hilpold, and Mayor Nelda Martinez have been pushing the Metropolitan Planning Organization to conduct a traffic study/plan after a recent push for a traffic light at the SPID/Aquarius intersection brought to light the absence of thorough and up to date traffic numbers for the Island’s busiest roads. It was though their efforts that the funding for the study was secured.
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A10
Island Moon
January 29, 2015