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361-949-7700 editor@islandmoon.com The Island Newspaper since 1996 Facebook : The Island Moon Newspaper

September 12, 2013

On Every Island a Little Rain Must Fall

Around The Island

By Dale Rankin editor@islandmoon.com The weather is good, the beaches drivable, the fish are biting, and the tourists have gone home. It’s hard to think of a better time to be on our Island. Last week there was even a sighting of Kingfish in the water around the harbor in Port Aransas. We ask you folks, what could be more better than that?

Reef delay Last week we told you about the beginning of construction on a reef in 73 feet of water about nine miles out from Packery Channel. Construction of the reef was to begin this week with the moving of more than forty tons of concrete material to the site by barge. That process has been delayed and the barge is now scheduled to arrive from Louisiana this weekend, with the haul to the site set for early next week. The reef is the first of three planned for this area and will provide a prime location for fishing and diving. Anyone who wants to become a part of the flotilla going out to watch the action can stay up to date on our Facebook page theislandmoonnewspaper. We will post a schedule there as soon as we know anything.

Thefts on The Island We continue to have more reports of thefts on The Island and from the looks of things the thieves are getting bolder. As we reported a couple of weeks ago they were driving around Island streets swiping Yeti Coolers off of boats and decks. Not content with the coolers they are now targeting the boats. Last week at the corner of Gypsy and Cuttysark thieves hooked up to a $40,000 Majek Illusion boat with a 225 horse Yamaha motor and drove off with it. The owners live out of town but had one of the most supposedly secure tongue locks available on the trailer. The thieves apparently took the time to remove the old tongue and replace it with one they brought along for the job. This is the latest in an ongoing series of thefts we have had since the Corpus Christi Police Department brass reduced the police presence on The Island. These reductions happen periodically and when they do it doesn’t take long for the thieves to catch on. The fact is that the police presence in the Bravo District, which The Island is part of, has been reduced and the thieves are reacting as expected. Labor Day also marked the removal from the beach of two additional officers assigned there during late hours throughout the tourist season after a woman was attacked and left on the beach on July 5 near the south side of Packery Channel. Those officers are now gone and the police presence on The Island at night has been reduced to the point that the thieves are getting bolder. The boat heist took place just before dawn and the fact that the thieves took their time in stealing the boat is an indication they were not afraid of being seen. Lock up your stuff folks. It looks like we’re on our own. Around continued on A3

Photo By Miles Merwin

Next Publication Date: 9/19/2013

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Year 16, Issue 491

It’s Official: $550 Million LNG Facility Coming to Harbor Island When finished will increase Port Aransas tax roll by almost 50% By Dale Rankin The Corpus Christi Port Commission on Tuesday approved the sale of a 254-acre tract of land on Harbor Island to Martin Operating Partnership, LP, for a price of $34,853.847.95. The land is inside the boundaries of the City of Port Aransas. The Tyler based company plans to develop the site for the handling and export of liquid natural gas which can be harvested from the Eagle Ford Shale in Central Texas at a cost of just over $4 per one thousand cubic feet (Mcf) and sold in China and other markets at over $20 per Mcf. . According to information provided to Port Commission members before their Tuesday meeting the land on Harbor Island, located across the ship channel from Port Aransas just north of the ferry landings, was formerly used by American Petrofina and Exxon as tank farm storage and shipping terminals for crude oil. Those two terminals were in existence before LNG continued on A3

Building a Better Dune

The dune maintainance program, referred to as notching, being used to build the dune structure in Port Aransas is proving a big success. As you can see from these photos the dunes there are higher and deeper than ever.

Seaweed is piled up along the beach.

This 254-acre site on Harbor Island will be the site of the new LNG facility. Port Aransas is across the channel at the top of the photo.

Where Are They When You Need Them? Police Making Their Rounds on the Island By Brent Rourk It was going to be a scorcher – 99 degrees plus heat index adjustment. What a day to do a ride along with the Corpus Christi Police on the island. From about 2PM until 10 PM I planned to get a closer look at what our law enforcement does on the island, what they look for and what they respond to. Would I melt in the heat? Would the officer be stern and dismissive? Would the officer be free to answer questions? Would it turn out to be an informative and eye-opening day? Would the patrol car have working air conditioning?

Island police assisting stranded motorist

Officer Altan And placed in notches in the dunes to create a higher and sturdier line of dune protection. The process involves removing a piece of the dunes – notching – and replacing it with the Sargassum weed which washes up and is collected in these piles along the beach. Over time the process builds a sturdy dune line with dunes higher than those they replaced. The system has been in use by the City of Port Aransas for several years now and is proving to be a good one. When the Big One hits the dune line is our only protection. The higher and the studier the dunes the better and notching system is producing both results.

Plans to Add 3700 Acres to PINS Moving Forward

Thankfully, the car was air-conditioned and offered comfortable seats and a cup holder, so I was duly prepared to complete the shift. Officer Altan Guzeldere arrived at my home at the pre-arranged time with a welcome smile and not even a hint of annoyance about having to cart around a civilian (who works for the newspaper no less) for an entire shift. We had briefly spoken on the phone a day earlier and I had spoken previously with Lieutenant Hooper

Update on Island Projects…

Schlitterbahn, Dog Park, New Water Line to The Island

By Dale Rankin

In the meantime the site is a dumping ground and shooting gallery

about the ride along. They knew I planned to write an article about my experiences so there were no secrets and we began the ride along. The shift began with a call, which would become more numerous as the evening slowly blanketed the island. We immediately answered the call; an alleged disagreement between surfers and fishermen. It must have dissipated prior to the officers arriving. Following that call Altan drove around the island, including the beaches, main highway, and neighborhoods, including dead end streets. As he deftly did Police continued on A8

1919 storm Changed the Shape of Mustang Island On September 14, 1919 the most destructive storm to every strike Corpus Christi made landfall. 287 citizens lost their life that day out of a population of 10,500. The second deadliest storm, Hurricane Celia by comparison had fifteen victims out of 204,000 Corpus residents.

By Dale Rankin Plans are moving forward to add 3700 acres of land to the north end of the Padre Island National Seashore. The land was purchased in the 1990s by the Texas General Land Office which now plans to sell it to the Texas Nature Conservancy which will in turn donate it to the National Park Service to be added to the existing PINS. The Island Moon first reported the story late last year and since that time negotiations have been ongoing between the GLO and the Nature Conservancy. A Conservancy spokesperson said this week that the money is available and talks are progressing. Once the transaction is complete a series of public hearings will be held to provide details on how the additional land will be managed by the Park Service. “This is a long process once the purchase is done and we begin going through the motions required by the Park Service,” said Buzz Botts, PINS spokesman. “But no news is good news. PINS continued on A5

Park ticket booths under construction Schlitterbahn. Crews have begun setting forms to run concrete for park buildings and attractions. Excavation work on the new canals west of SPID is nearing completion. Work continues on the main building at Padre Isles Country Club. Work is on schedule. Island Dog Park. The Island Strategic Action Committee (ISAC) on Tuesday heard from both proponents and opponents of building a new dog park in the existing Aquarius City Park. The project was put together by a group of Islanders, but the location at Aquarius Park is being opposed by some nearby residents. At the meeting POA Executive Director Maybeth Christiansen answered several questions which have been raised about the

Projects continued on A6

Red line is the Shoreline before the 1919 Hurricane; the Blue line is the post 1919 shoreline showing the sand moved by the storm. Almost all the fatalities were cause not by wind but a powerful storm surge and waves coming across Corpus Bay and destroying all but a few structures that were along the waterfront. Corpus in 1919 was a small town, built along the bay front from where Spohn hospital is to North Beach. There was no seawall or breakwater. Water Street was just that, built just a few feet above sea level and along the Bay. North Beach with an elevation of four to five feet above the water was a disaster waiting to happen. History continued on A6

A 2

Island Moon

September

12, 2013

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Send Travelling Moon photos to editor@ islandmoon.com

Island resident Joyce Skowronski took the Moon to Neptune Beach Club in the Hamptons, NY. This is a yearly trip with their sisters-in-law and friends and this year they celebratedDuane their 25th year of visiting the 65 Cell: (361) Ebert Hamptons.

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Preparing for the sale. Photo by Tara Haney During the month of September, local Cub Scout Pack 949 will be selling popcorn for their annual fundraiser. Look for them at Scuttlebutts on September 1st from 11-2 and 4-7. In addition to Scuttlebutts, look for Cub Scouts at CVS, Ace Hardware, Lowes, Saint Andrews Church, and The Island Moon Newspaper Market Days. Support these local Scouts as they raise money for all of their yearly activities, awards, and annual banquet. Scouting promotes self-confidence, life skills, and provides opportunities for boys to learn new skills. Make a difference and support Scouting.

September 12, 2013

Island Moon

Around continued from A1 Give our mail men a break Island dogs are on a roll this week when it comes to chasing our Island mail men. Two attacks have drawn blood. Keep an eye on your dogs – including Riley P. Dog who got into the act this week – and help lookout for our mailmen. It’s weird; the dogs don’t seem to care about FedEx or UPS guys – just the postal service. Go figure. Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds…but Island dogs, now that’s another story. On August 20th, the Island’s PIPPs Chapter of the Corpus Christi Red Hat Society held their monthly luncheon at Applebee’s with a dice game, door prizes and great service. After lunch, the gals watched the movie “The Butler”. Katie Clark and Mary Leja were our hostesses.

Get ready! We know it’s early folks but it’s time to start thinking about getting ready for La Posada. The art contest is already underway and the parade will be here before you know it. The recent rains are going to be a boom for the local mosquito population, so everybody get ready to do the Skeeter Dance. We’ll see you at the Island Moon ArtWalk on Saturday, September 21. In the meantime say hello if you see us Around The Island.

Casino Night Coming to Port Aransas

By Brent Rourk Get ready to have an amazing evening of fun on Saturday, September 14th at the Port Aransas Community Theatre (PACT) as Casino Night promises to entertain everybody in grand fashion. The doors open at 6:30 P.M. and close at 10:30. You will not want to be late for this one On the extensive venue will be Vegas Style Live Entertainment, Belly Dancers, Comedians, Music and a visit from Elvis, all on stage. For those who fancy themselves as card players and lucky at the gambling tables there will also be Texas Hold ‘Em, Red Dog, Blackjack, and Roulette. With admission every entrant will be given a supply of chips to begin their gambling. Food and drink will be available for purchase. Take a chance at winning some terrific raffle items. In addition, a one night stay at a casino will be given away.

Member Padre Island Business Association

Are you a magician? A musician? If you would like to be part of the entertainment during Casino Night, then contact Ashley Knotts at ashknotts@gmail.com. If you are interested in becoming a dealer for the evening, then contact Ken at kwy1962@gmail.com.

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The

ON THE WATERFRONT

PortA

132 W. Cotter St.

LNG continued from A1

the Port was created and as such were exempt from any franchise requirements or tariff obligations. The Port acquired ownership of the two terminals in the early 1990s for possible future use but more importantly to ensure that any subsequent use would be subject to our standard Port tariffs. All oil storage tanks and pipelines have been removed, and the property has been remediated to industrial standards. A gambling ship operated from the area in the early part of the last decade, however, lack of rail service and poor highway access have historically limited the uses for the property. Once Martin takes possession of the site the Port will begin receiving tariffs on goods moving over the Port boundary “This is a great deal for the Port of Corpus Christi, the City of Port Aransas, and the economy of the entire Coastal Bend,” said Port of Corpus Christi Port Commissioner and Port Aransas resident Charlie Zahn. “When the area between Harbor Island and Portland is completely developed it will mean $16 billion for the local tax roll.” The current total tax roll for all of Nueces County is just over $15 billion. The total tax roll for the City of Port Aransas, now at $1.2 billion, will grow immediately by the $34 million purchase price of the land, and eventually by the entire $550 million in investment planned by Martin. Martin has neither requested nor received any tax incentives from the City of Port Aransas or Port Aransas ISD. After discussion with officials from the City of Port Aransas, Martin agreed to design provisions that will prohibit light or noise from the facility reaching across the ship channel to Port Aransas. Under the new arrangement the Port will receive approximately $2.5 million annually in tariffs from the new facility. The existing barge docks located on Harbor Island generate daily traffic of 300 trucks in and out of the gate. Under the new contract the trucks will be replaced by a pipeline which will move the Eagle Ford production to the site for export by water. A separate deal finalized earlier this year will bring $14 million in improvements to the railroad system serving the Port and Harbor Island. In February of this year, the Port signed an agreement with Martin Resource Management Corporation (Martin) to allow them an opportunity to evaluate the property for a proposed project. Martin paid the Port the sum of $175,000 for a six-month evaluation period. Martin owns an adjacent terminal on the channel to Aransas Pass that is also exempt from our Port tariffs. This terminal has traditionally been used as a supply depot for the offshore drilling and production platforms.

Sponsored by PACT and the Port Aransas Kiwanis, Casino Night will cost $20.00 in advance or $25.00 at the door. PACT is located at 2327 Hwy 361. Call 361-749-6036 for ticket information or to purchase tickets in advance for $20.00 go to www.brownpapertickets.com or Everything Beach Boutique at 600 Cut off Road, Port Aransas, TX (hours are 10-5)

Coastal Bend benefits fair Sept. 21 for Texas veterans

On August 16, the Port received one bid from Martin Operating Partnership in the amount of $34,853.847.95 for all 253.898 acres on Harbor Island. Martin deposited $1,000,000. Tuesday’s vote by the Port Commission was the final step in the process of Martin taking ownership.

Officials from the Texas Veterans Land Board will be on hand to provide information on state programs including land, housing and home improvement loans as well as Texas state veterans cemeteries and nursing homes for veterans. Joining them will be representatives from the Texas Veterans Commission, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and local Realtors and lenders specializing in veterans loans. Veterans wishing to discuss pending claims with VA officials should bring pertinent case information, including claim numbers if available. For more information on the benefits fair, please call Jim Mickler at 512-417-3757.

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The property had been listed for sale since 2011. Martin did its due diligence on the deal and the Port delivered five bid packets to potential bidders earlier this year. The bid specifications required a minimum bid price of $34,850,000 cash with no Port financing and stated that the Port would reserve all littoral rights belonging to the property. Bidders were required to submit a certified bid check in the amount of $1,000,000 with their bid.

A free “come and go” benefits fair for Texas veterans will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, September 21, at the Solomon Ortiz International Center, 402 Harbor Drive, Corpus Christi, 78401. The fair, targeting all Texas veterans in the Coastal Bend is one of several throughout the state.

BACK PORCH

For more information on benefits available only to Texas veterans, such as veterans cemeteries, nursing homes and low-interest land and home loans, call 1-800-252-8387 or visit www. texasveterans.com.

Frank Brogan, Managing Director at the Port of Corpus Christi said that Martin has been in discussions with federal regulators for the required permitting to begin constitution. Aside from the Martin development TPCO American, a Chinese-owed company which manufactures rolled pipeline is currently building a $1 billion facility in Gregory, and in April the Port signed a lease with voestalpine (sic) Texas Holdings, LLC., as the anchor investor for the development of the Port’s La Quinta Trade Gateway. The Austrian company leased approximately 475 acres of upland property and about 11 acres of submerged land for an initial lease term of 50 years with two 15year options. voestalpine will construct the Hot Briquetted Iron (HBI) plant and a 1,060-foot long high-performance dock on the easternmost portion of the PCCA’s waterfront, capable of unloading iron ore pellets and loading HBI. The Port also has an agreement with the Italian M&G Group for a resins plant which will produce two main products, PET (polyethylene perephthalate) and PTA (purified terephthalic acid) and will ship an estimated 14,000 rail cars each year. This is an exciting time for the Port of Corpus Christi and the entire region.” Brogan said. “We currently have contracts signed that will bring $16 billion in new development to the Port.”

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A 4

Island Moon

Building a Farley Boat

Keep Your Fingers Intact

Editor’s note: This is the latest in a series by Joe Calvey, Sr. about building a Farley Boat at the Farley Boat Works in Port Aransas.

must wear a respirator or quality dust mask and rubber gloves. The bottom surface of the boat must first be free of any bumps or clumps of

By Joe Calvey, Sr.

Photos available for download at zenfolio.com/joecalvey Go slow while reading this because just like entering a no wake zone eventually boat building slows down and we have now entered the slow zone. Since the last week of July my teenage son Joey and I have been at the Farley Boat Works in Port Aransas building a wooden skiff the type of which has been built along the Texas coast for nearly 100 years. Unlike the popular Farley Boat planters that decorate Port A homes and businesses our boat is made out of Mahogany not concrete.

Fingers and bones intact Early on our physical and mental fatigue was masked by excitement and adrenaline. Each morning during the first couple of weeks we arrived at 7 a.m. to work before the oppressive summer heat filled the tin roofed open-air building. Some nights we returned after dinner to work well past dark-thirty. Some nights the mosquitoes didn’t show up. We made great progress each day and couldn’t wait for the next day to begin. Eventually something had to go wrong. Fortunately when misfortune hit no one lost any fingers, no bones were broken and the woodwork wasn’t adversely affected. Though my days as a US ARMY photographer are long behind me I still look for that great shot. Throughout the boat build I have photographed the events as they took place.

Shop Mascot Marlena anything so sand the wood smooth then wipe off all the residual dust.

Medieval torture devices Farley Boat Works stores its fiberglass on a pull roll and keeps a large pair of shears sharp. Pull the fiber glass over one half of the boat from stem to stern. Get the other side cut and set it aside. Mix up some two part epoxy and pour it on the fiberglass and start spreading it evenly with paint rollers. Next grab the rollers that look like medieval torture devices and start pressing down. Then repeat on the other side of the boat. You are trying to saturate the fiberglass and making certain there are no air bubbles trapped below the glass. After soaking and rolling the epoxy deep into the weave of the fiberglass and folding the glass cloth around the corners of the transom and around the stem go clean up for dinner. Curing time for this stage is 24 hours.

Smells bad and burns you

Shop Manager Darrell Lynn mixes gel coating Rick got away Rick Pratt, for whom the boat building school within Farley Boat Works is named, took off on his electric bicycle with a 10 horse power outboard in the grocery basket at the rear of his bike. Seeing a great shot I grabbed my camera, ran towards the open shop doors, slammed my right shin into the boat trailer’s steel tongue, hopped on one foot trying to regain my balance, went horizontal, fell chest first across the outside retaining wall, tossed my camera a dozen feet then slammed my face into the bramble patch of dirt. Rick got away. You will just have to take my word for it that it would have been a great shot.

There will be another coating of epoxy with a filler applied to fill in the weave of the glass and another 24 hour waiting period. A note about two part epoxy. It gets hot and solidifies as you use it. It can get hot enough to burn you in the mixing tub. Once that happens you have to discard it and use a new batch which is why one person is mixing while the rest of the team is applying. Epoxy smells bad and it turns out I am allergic to it. I will be using a full length Haz-Mat body suit next time. After waiting the requisite 24 hours then sanding the bottom surface smooth we began the gel coating process. Mix apply wait. First one day, then another as we waited for the gel coating to clear. This gave us time to clean the shop and play fetch with shop mascot Marlena a beautiful two year old Boxer whose human is 95 year old Bubba Milina. While building our boat we were joined by Wayne and Wendy Shack of Albany, Texas who were building a boat to auction off to raise money for researching the cure for muscular dystrophy. Like me Wayne owns a company hundreds of miles away. Both of us struggled with the decision to either answer our cell phones or cut them in half on the table saw.

Catastrophic failure None of us had any experience with gel coating and it did not go well. In the words of Shop Manager Darrell Lynn “We had a catastrophic failure.” The gel coating on one of the two boat’s bottom dried while the other was still tacky. Gel coating has an anaerobic curing process and adding heat or air to try and speed up the curing process doesn’t help. So we waited yet another 24 hours.

Wendy Shack is building a boat to raise money for muscular dystrophy research.

That’s when the boat build went haywire. We began cleaning off the green waxy build up that indicated the gel coat was cured with Acetone. In the process the Shack’s boat lost a lot of its gel coat while ours inexplicably lost a small amount. Next week we will explore how the boat’s bottoms were salvaged and how when all else fails at Farley Boat works somebody throws a BBQ party into the mix.

As if the bloody golf ball size knot that immediately appeared on my shin wasn’t enough we began fiber glassing the bottom of two skiffs soon there after but not before Joey had to return home to San Antonio to begin working on a film project and begin his senior year of high school.

September

12, 2013

Choices for Canal Living Below 300K

by Mary Lou White 361-960-9460 marylou@baxterbrooks.com What transpires when a Buyer enters the office and wants to live on a canal with a boat dock and has a budget that allows only choices up to $300,000? Most Buyers want a detached home, but those are dwindling fast. Currently, there are seven homes in that category. All are less than 1750 square feet in size and built before 1997. It helps to put this in perspective. In the United States, as a whole, the high 200’s will allow the purchase of a large and well appointed house. Of course, there are exceptions of dramatic difference, in California, Florida and the Upper East Coast, which is why we probably do not live there and also why our properties look very attractive to buyers from these areas. To combat this problem, the original developers placed pockets of multifamily units dispersed throughout our single family neighborhoods. Normally, a multifamily unit will give you the same amenities, at a lower price point. The trade off is having neighbors share at least one common wall.

regarding their monthly mortgage payments. Coastal taxes and insurance payments reduce their ability to qualify for the home they were envisioning. However, as with life, we often have to step back, regroup and plan a new strategy to accomplish the goals we have set. Where there is a will….there is a way! Be thankful that Padre Island has several options to allow waterfront canal living. Most other communities, around Corpus Christi Bay, do not offer this level of choice, at this price point. Being informed is a good thing….

Padre Island Real Estate Ticker

The Degree of Closeness A duplex is the term for two housing units sharing a common wall. These are also called “semi-detached” homes in many areas of the country, Canada and Europe. Even though it is not an especially common form of construction, in this part of the United States, it is a huge component of the housing market in the North Eastern part of the US, Canada and in Northern Europe. We have an entire street of these waterfront units along one side of Cruiser, with a few located elsewhere, on the Island. If we reach the point, that waterfront single family homes are no longer available below 300K, these duplexes will gain a more prominent position, in the marketplace. Since 1 January 2010, only 5 single duplex units have sold, one is pending sale and two are actively for sale. However, when both sides of the waterfront duplex are for sale, to one buyer, that pushes the price between 300K and 399K. Four of those have sold since 2010 and one is currently for sale. This option would be very attractive for Buyers who want to share a home with a relative, yet have individual living spaces. In most cases, these units pay their PIPOA dues and taxes just as single family homeowners pay theirs. HOA dues may or may not apply depending on how the Builder set up the maintenance issues.

True Communal Living Townhomes represent the next level of attached housing that share two common walls, except for the end units, in the row. Our first three years in The Netherlands were spent dwelling in a “row house”, then we lived on our boat for two years and finally rented a 300 year old farmhouse, on a dairy farm, for the final year, before returning to the USA. There are several areas on Padre Island that have townhomes located on canals. These seem to be very popular, due to the fact that many of these units are located on large open canals, with long range views, over the water. However, at this point, Homeowner’s Dues come into play. Common areas and exterior maintenance must be funded by all the homeowner’s. Once an HOA is involved, short term rentals then become an option, if a certain percentage of the homeowners agree. Our Island has a few condominium complexes that also provide boat docks and slips. Thereby, allowing waterfront access to as many budget options, as possible.

Creating Dreams for Island Homeowners

Multi Family Units For Sale For $329,900 and $1,100,000

Commercial Properties For Sale From $60,000 to $12,000,000

190

Padre Island Lots For Sale

Parcels on a Canal or Water From $99,999 to $595,000

131

Parcels not on the Water From $29,900 to $675,000

204

Padre Island Residences For Sale

Attached Homes For Sale From $45,000 to $509,000

Detached Homes on the Water From $262,500 to $2,200,000

Detached Homes not on the Water From $152,900 to $359,000

407

Total Properties For Sale on Padre Island

Lots or Land Closed in August 2013 From $36,000 to $550,000

Multi Family Unit Closed in August For $850,000

42 2013

Residences Closed in August From $37,500 to $765,000

Mustang Island Real Estate Ticker

The Education Process I always dread the look of disbelief and even shock that covers the face of a new coastal buyer, who has just arrived and must face the facts of “Coastal Pricing” and the second learning curve,

Boat Slip For Sale For $35,000

Multi Family Units For Sale For $599,000 and $695,000

Commercial Properties For Sale From $125,000 to $3,000,000

177

Mustang Island Lots For Sale

Parcels on a Canal or Water From $109,000 to $1,500,000

153

Parcels not on the Water From $40,000 to $3,400,000

226

Mustang Island Residences For Sale

164

Attached Homes For Sale From $79,500 to $895,000

Detached Homes on the Water From $479,000 to $1,349,900

Detached Homes not on the Water From $195,000 to $2,400,000

421

Total Properties For Sale on Mustang Island

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Lots or Land Closed in August From 35,500 to 285,000

33 2013

Residences Closed in August From $93,000 to $1,100,000

since 1987

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Break with the past Fiber glassing the bottom of a wooden boat might seem like a break with the past. But 100 years ago there were no power saws or sanders or lights in the shop or air conditioning or espresso machines. In keeping with the past there is still no espresso machine and the work shop is always hoping for a cool summer breeze. These boats are built to use here on the Texas coast. Protecting the mahogany bottom of the boat from damage is prudent. Head over to the bulkhead at Charlie’s Pasture or Packery Channel and watch what floats by. It’s not what you see floating on the surface that damages boats. It’s what is just under the surface of the water that you don’t see that tears them up.

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September 12, 2013

Moon Monkeys Mike Ellis, Founder

Letters to the editor

Island Moon

Flour Bluff ISD Historical Marker Dedication

Cat

Distribution Pete Alsop Island Delivery Coldwell Banker Advertising Jan Park Rankin Patrick Kelliher

Thanks Again,

Office

Deb and Mark Stedorro

Lisa Towns

The Ferryman

Classifieds Arlene Ritley

Your out-of-town reader who caught a typo in a mid July issue of the Island Moon and pointed out that ferry’s is not the plural of ferry is correct up to that point. However, it’s not ferrys, either, which is the astute reader’s version of the word. Maybe the person who sent him the paper with the first typo could also let him know that the actual plural of ferry is spelled ferries.

Design/Layout Jeff Craft Contributing Writers Joey Farah Devorah Fox Mary Craft Maybeth Christiansen

Anne Weatherill

Jay Gardner

Dog Park

Todd Hunter Danniece Bobeché

It concerns me that some have the erroneous ideas that dog parks are loud, smelly and an overall inconvenience and will be an eyesore. Some think that their property values will decrease. I am wondering where they are getting their information?

Ronnie Narmour Brent Rourk Dr. Donna Shaver Photographers Miles Merwin

I have been visiting dog parks around the state and have found that dog parks are quiet and cleaner that other parks. They are not smelly and have found them well maintained.

Jeff Dolan Mary Craft

None of the parks I visited were adjacent to residential properties, however I did run into 3 different people that were visiting from Arizona, Colorado & Kansas who had dog parks in their neighborhoods and not only did they buy because of the park, some saw a increase in their home value! Office Security/Spillage Control Riley P. Dog Editor/Publisher/Spillage Control Supervisor 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 Pioneer RV Park Stripes @ Beach Access Rd. 1A

Port A Glass Studio The Gaff Wild Horse Saloon Tarpon Ice House

North Padre

Miss K’s Catering & Bistro

All Stripes Stores

Amano

Whataburger

Felder Gallery

Doc’s Restaurant

Island Woman Boutique

Snoopy’s Pier

Coast Club Coffee Waves Moby Dicks Spanky’sLiquor IGA Grocery Store Port A Business Center Carter Pharmacy

CVS

Isle Mail N More Island Italian Ace Hardware Holiday Inn Texas Star (Shell) Jesse’s Liquor Padre Isles Country Club

San Juan’s Taqueria

Scuttlebutt’s Restaurant

Wash Board Laundry Mat

Subway

Port A Parks and Rec Public Library Chamber of Commerce Duckworth Antiques Back Porch Woody’s Sports Center Shorty’s Place The Flat’s Lounge Giggity’s Stripes @ Cotter & Station

Nueces County Commissioner Joe McComb and retired FBISD teacher Karen Howden unveil the historic marker. The Texas Historical Commission has recognized Flour Bluff Independent School District as a significant part of Texas history by awarding it an Official Texas Historical Marker. The designation honors Flour Bluff ISD as a important and educational part of local history. A dedication ceremony to commemorate the event will be held on September 10, 2013 at 9:30 a.m., 2518 Waldron Road, across the street from Flour Bluff High School, Corpus Christi, Texas. Speakers for the dedication will include Anita Eisehhauer, Chairman of the Nueces County Historical Commission, and Joe Kelley, Superintendent. A subject qualifies for a marker if two basic criteria are met; historical significance and age. Historical significance is established by reviewing its role and importance in local history, and the age requirement depends on the topic. Awareness and education are among the best ways to guarantee the preservation of our state’s history. “The significance of this marker shows how long Flour Bluff ISD has been an important and vital part of the local community. We are very excited and appreciative to have this for our school district” says Joe Kelley, Superintendent of Schools. Longtime established families in the Flour Bluff community, former superintendents and board members, the mayor and local dignitaries will also be in attendance for the dedication services. After the dedication there will be refreshments in the future FBISD Historical Museum.

PINS Continued From A1

I am concerned that some seem to think that some things are a higher priority like the kids parks should have a preference although they already have safe places to play, dogs have none. I know that there is absolutely a harmonious solution that will be met with consideration and compassion for all. More information about the proposed dog park can be found at http://www.padreislanddogpark. com/ Thanks Drew Stevens

Send letters to editor@islandmoon.com

Things are moving and we look forward to being able to expand PINS.” Meanwhile, shooters are using the portion of the GLO land for target practice as seen here from the thousands of shotgun shells that dot the landscape at his sport just north of the existing PINS boundary. Others are using the site as a dumping ground.

Adopt-A Beach Set for Sept. 28 Every year, beachgoers leave tons of trash on Texas beaches. And even more washes up from the Gulf of Mexico. That’s why Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson is issuing the call for an army of volunteers of all ages to help keep our beaches naturally pristine and safe for all to enjoy at the Texas General Land Office Adopt-A-Beach Fall Cleanup. “We’re looking for a few good Texans to help keep our beaches litter-free,” Patterson said. “Join us on Sept. 28, for an enjoyable, memorable event to clean up our coast.” Volunteers may register at check-in sites between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013. (St. Jo Island and I-45 Estuarial Corridor volunteers must register in advance.) Most of the 29 sites will provide cold drinks, hot food and fun activities immediately following the cleanup.

litter from the beach. Data collected from previous Adopt-A-Beach cleanups played an important role in the passage of an international treaty (MARPOL Annex V) restricting the dumping of plastics in the world’s oceans. In 1991, the International Maritime Organization prohibited the dumping of trash, except for finely grounded food scraps, into the Gulf of Mexico. Shell Oil Company is the lead sponsor for the 27th Texas General Land Office Adopt-ABeach Fall Cleanup – one of the most successful all-volunteer efforts in the nation. Other sponsors include HNTB, Apache Corporation, Cameron International Corporation, Cheniere Energy, Flint Hills Resources, Halliburton, Schlumberger, and the Ocean Conservancy. For more information call 877-TXCOAST, visit www.TexasAdoptABeach.org, or “like” the Texas General Land Office Adopt-A-Beach Program on Facebook.

Now in its 27th year, 446,000 Adopt-A-Beach volunteers have picked up 17 million pounds of litter from the Gulf Coast. To participate, register at www.TexasAdoptABeach.org. Volunteers should wear closed-toe shoes, a hat and sunscreen. They will be provided with data cards, gloves, pencils and trash bags. Those who can’t make it on Sept. 28 will have a second opportunity later this fall. A competitive, four-wheel drive excursion, cleanup and treasure hunt – the Adopt-A-Beach Cleanup Expedition – is set for Nov. 2 at Padre Island National Seashore. And year-round, anyone may donate to Adopt-A-Beach online at www. TexasAdoptABeach.org. Sponsorship levels range from $25 to $25,000, tax-deductible. The cleanup does more than simply remove

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Liquid Town Whataburger on Waldron Ethyl Everly Senior Center Fire Station

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Stripes on Flour Bluff & SPID

Club News The Island Moon provides this space for Island organizations. If you are a member of a club and want to get the word out about your events and/or projects send them along and we will get them in. Be sure to include a brief description of what your organization does and a contact person for those interested in joining. Send the info to editor@islandmoon.com and we will include it. Or call us at 949-7700.

Moon We wanted to thank you for printing the notice regarding our missing cat, Rocky, a few weeks ago. Sadly, we didn’t have any response. This being the Island, we weren’t too hopeful. Stoopid coyotes. Please let us know what we owe the Moon for the notice. We really do appreciate your help. As it happens, this past week we adopted a tiny kitten from the good Guardians Rescue people. The rest of his family had been euthanized. Our new boy is doing well and really enjoying his hot dog flavored kitten chow. We thought Riley would want to know that.

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PIDOG. PI Dog Group (PIDOG). A group of Islanders is working on setting up a dog park for our 4-legged friends and in the process have started a dog group so dog owners can find more opportunities to play with their pups. If you’re interested in joining the dog group you can call Bev Hoffman at 949-7551 or sign up on the website. Speaking of the website, you can learn more about the park as well - just head over to: www.PadreIslandDogPark.com. IUPAC (Island United Political Action Committee): Maximize representation of Corpus Christi residents on Padre and Mustang Islands in area government by promoting and supporting, by the endorsement process, proactive and unified voting in non-partisan races and other issues and referendums put to public vote. Contact Persons: President – Linda A Walsh lawalshva@yahoo.com 361-445-7999. Secondary Contact Person: Member – Brent Hess, bhess0604@gmail.com. 361-774-0089. Meetings: Open to the public, meetings are held the first Wednesday of each month. Coming up: October 14th 7:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. at the Seashore Middle Academy (SMA) gym. Todd Hunter will present the Constitutional Amendments that we will be voting on in November. He will also discuss HCR56 – Cruise ship industry in South Texas and HCR59 – Water Desalination. Council Member Colleen McIntyre will discuss all of the city bond issues that we will be voting on in November. P.I.E. Padre Island Enrichment Club, Inc. Mission Statement: To enrich the lives of residents on Padre Island (women) through social activities and community involvement. Motto: “Bloom Where You Are Planted” On September 13th the program will be Larry Running Turtle who will present the Native American spiritual path. He is the author of the book “The Pipe and the Pen.” Make your reservations by noon Wednesday, September 11th to PIELuncheon@aol.com. For membership, call Sheila at 949-2702 or email srlipstreu72@aol.com. Or President Cheryl Henry henry9090@aol.com 361-215-4622. Padre Island Yacht Club - A members only Club, however we invite all Island residents to visit us. The PIYC is about boating, friendship and enjoying living on Padre Island. We collect more toys than any other organization in the area for the US Marines “Toys for Tots” program with La Posada events, including the Lighted Boat Parades. To schedule a visit or find out more information please contact Susie Paramore, Rear Commodore & Membership Director @ 361-589-4097. From the Commodore: There are some misinformed members that continue to spread incorrect information that I’d like to clear up: The PIYC Board is NOT discussing nor in the past discussed donating funds to the CCPD Canal Patrol Boat! Parrot Heads of Port Aransas – A not-forprofit organization whose purpose is to assist in community and environmental concerns and provide a variety of social activities for people who wish to volunteer. Founded in 2009 the club Their motto is “Partying With a Purpose.” Everyone is invited to the Parrot Heads Big Party on Oct. 4-6 in Port A at the Sand Castle Hotel. There will be a Friday night sunset cruise and beach bonfire (w/hot dogs), a turtle release by Tony Amos on Saturday morning, a bar crawl in pirate boats or a poker shopping run thru Port A and Saturday night will be the big dance with Jerry Diaz and his band. There also will be a Cheeseburger in Paradise burger bar and a Chinese auction and live and silent auctions. On Sunday there will be a recovery/ farewell brunch. We are raising funds for the A.R.K. (animal recovery keep) of Port A and the Food Pantry. Please come and join us for a weekend FULL of fun so please come to our Latitude and give your Attitude a Port A adjustment!! You can see more info and sign up at portaransasparrotheads. com. To participate or for questions call Donnie Simpson 210 367-2674. POA - Padre Isles Owners Association. The Association’s primary responsibility is to maintain the Common Areas, assess and collect the annual fees and provide information and assistance to property owners. .. Membership in PIPOA is automatic for anyone acquiring record legal title to any property within Padre Isles. Their office is located at 14015 Fortuna Bay Drive on The Island. (361) 949-7025, padreisles@pipoa.net ARK – Animal Rehabilitation Keep. Located in Port Aransas the ARK is affiliate with the University of Texas at Austin Marine Science Center. They handle the rehabilitation of most species of wildlife in the area with an emphasis on marine animals. They care for abut 1300 animals each year, including about 300 sea turtles and more than 100 species of birds. If you find an animal in peril they can help Tony Amos is the Director. 750 Channel View Dr. Port Aransas. 361 749-6793, 361 442-7638. afamos@mail.utexas.edu. Island Strategic Action Committee. A 14-member committee which meets (usually) the at 5:30 on the first Tuesday of each month at the Padre Isles Country Club. The committee’s purpose is to advise the Corpus Christi City Council on matters pertaining to The Island. The next meeting will be on Tuesday, September 10 at Padre Isles Country Club. Island’s PIPPs Chapter of Corpus Christi Red Hat Society. In 2004 a group of Island ladies got together under a Palapa and founded the Padre Island Palapa Pals (PIPPs). Our only rule is that there are no rules! We are all about fun and friendship. We meet once a month for lunch and various fun outings from cupcake making to CPR.

A 6

Island Moon

The doggone gods were shining on me this week my friends. They sure were. There I was sleeping on my bed and listening to my dog stomach growl when it happened.

hotdogs. I’ve lost fifteen pounds and I need to find them quick.

The door swung open and my dog prayers were answered. It was a little yellow container with the magic words For Riley P. Dog on one side and Fed-Ex on the other. I don’t know if it was my friend Diego or Paxton, or some other kind soul who took pity on a Poor Diet Struck Dog but all I can say is whoever sent it to me there’s a special place in Dog Heaven for you if the doggone gods take dog requests. I heard it might have been my human friend Myrna.

My humans left me at home Saturday and I got even by sneaking up the stairs and working the catfood supply. I ate the whole thing. I sure did. My humans were pretty sure I did it but they couldn’t prove anything because I waited until the cats were outside so there we no eyewitnesses. If the cats see me raid the catfood bowl they sit right by the door and rat me out as soon as the humans get home. They whine and complaint like the Stoopid Cats they are. Stoopid Cats!

My humans weren’t home to take my package away and I opened it and there it was – a hotdog and a can of catfood. Yippee! It was a good day to be this dog. I tell you what.

It’s been a good time to be an Island dog lately because there has been water coming down from the sky and every time that happens the grass grows up and covers up the stickers. I hate stickers. When I have to go do dog business my humans make me go in the sticker burrs and they get in my feet and I have to try to pick them out with my teeth and they get stuck on my tongue and it hurts. You can’t eat sticker burrs. Not even if they have been rubbed in bacon. They will still stick to your tongue and they hurt. I ate a roach last week after my human clubbed it with a shoe. It was mashed pretty flat and its insides were on the outside and it tasted like dirt. I like dirt but I don’t think I like roaches. But I sure do like hotdogs and I got one in the mail last week. So thank you again kind human. Don’t forget – Save The Riley P. Dog Foundation…International Falls, Minnesota. I thank you and dogs everywhere thank you. Anybody got a can opener?

History continued from A1 The people of Corpus had just gone through the 1916 storm three years before with no loss of life in the town and moderate damage. This gave a false confidence when the storm warnings went up, not knowing that the sixteen storm helped plant the seeds for death and disaster that was about to befall the City.

stretches of bare sand and only the remnants of the storm damaged dunes. When the waves generated by the 1919 storm struck the weakened dune complex on the narrow southern portion of Mustang broaches in the dune line quickly developed. As these gaps occurred, the oncoming waves rather than receding back into the Gulf and slowing the following wave in the stormy gulf, it allowed walls of water crashing through the every widening openings. Instead of filling the “bay bathtub” slowly with a small faucet, it was adding a giant bucket of water to the Bay with every crashing Dune damage on Mustang wave crest coming through the Island from Hurricane Ike miles long gaps.

Corpus Bay is protected from the Gulf by Mustang and Padre Islands. Before the Bay can flood it has to fill up. In 1919 the Bay’s opening to the Gulf was Corpus Christi Pass (today’s Packery Channel). The ship channel at Port Aransas was dug in 1925 through Turtle Cove and at that time the Aransas Pass flowed into the Aransas Bay. CC pass was about three hundred yards across and ten to fifteen feet deep. Like a small faucet filling up a bathtub, the Corpus Pass kept the 200,000 acre Corpus Bay complex from filling rapidly as was the case in 1916 storm. When a storm strikes barrier islands like the 1916 storm the protective sand dunes are significantly eroded. Then a natural rebuilding process takes place over years as the dunes recover. An important part of the process is the growth of vegetation to hold the dunes in place and prevent the wind from moving them landward. In 1916 Mustang Island was a ranch like Padre but unlike Padre sheep were also raised. Sheep by nature like elevation and congregate on the highest points, their sharp hooves destroy the grasses needed to hold dunes in place. With the Sixteen storm much of Mustang was flooded by salt water stunting grass growth, this was compounded by the great drought of 1917 where Corpus had only five inches of rain. With no rain and no new growth the livestock would have eaten any and all vegetation leaving Mustang with vast

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Over ten million yards of sand was swept off the Mustang Island in a few short hours by that terrible storm, filling the old seven mile long Corpus Christi Pass channel. It moved the mouth of the Pass four miles north from where Whitecap is today to a half a mile on the other side of the Methodist church on Mustang Island. The much wider Padre Island did not see the great changes that occurred on the narrow potion of Mustang that backs up to the Laguna Madre. The house that Pat Dunn built in 1917 behind a row of mid island dunes was little damaged. The Ranch house is still standing today, where the winds and waters of 1919, 1933, Carla, Beulah, Celia, Alan and all the other small blows have caused little damage. The elevation is seven and one half feet. For a detailed account of the 1919 storm Murphy Givens and Jim Moloney have an excellent book, 1919 the Storm. It is available at the Port A Museum and the Nueces Press 30 pt website

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You may not have noticed it but it is here. It wafted over the JFK last week as a combination of bluster, hope, and fear that may only be perceptible to those already familiar with its fishy odiferous scent but it’s here folks; the political season is upon us. This season comes in three waves culminating in November 2014 when Texans pick, among other things, a new governor. The first wave is this November when our city spends $200,000 to hold a vote on whether to borrow $44.6 million to spend on the Destination Bayfront project downtown, with The Island’s share being $4.5 million. But it is the second wave which kicked off this week and in which the 6200 registered voters on The Island are collectively the Prettiest Girl at the Ball largely because of one race.

Known matriculators This wave officially kicks off November 9 when candidates can register for the party primary elections which will be held on March 4, 2014, but unofficially it has already begun. Party primaries are often sordid affairs with candidates accusing each other of being known matriculators (that’s a lie, I never went to college) or admitted thespians (actors are weird) in the press then dining together in the evening. It can often be said of party primaries, as with the case of historians arguing about the number of smooth bore cannons Napoleon had at Waterloo, the fights are so vicious because the stakes are so small. But in this political round there is a prize to be won and there is blood in the water. The prize is a $73,430 per year job with a $9,540 vehicle allowance and a $3100 travel budget and it is the job of Nueces County Commissioner Precinct 4 currently held by Republican Joe McComb. If you are not familiar with that name you are not alone. We don’t see Commissioner McComb much on The Island – usually only right before elections. For reasons we won’t get into here it is deemed by the Political Class that Commissioner McComb who is up for re-election to his four-year term in March is beatable. There is already a long list of suitors said to be casting a covetous eye on the Precinct 4 seat, that list includes of course Commissioner McComb himself; a former holder of the job; a former City Councilman and current judge; a current City Council person; a former candidate for a city council seat; other players to be named later; and others who we haven’t heard about yet. It has the looks of a cattle call that will sort itself out in the fullness of time – which is to say between now and November 9 – and quite possibly end in a runoff between the two left standing after the first round.

The hard facts But what is The Island’s interest in this race? The answer is in the new Nueces County Budget that the commissioners released last week; more specifically the numbers that budget contains. The first number that jumps out is a 4.5% property tax increase. Our commissioners are fond of coming to The Island and telling us they have never raised our taxes and pointing at tax rate numbers that sound fine until you actually read their budget, the first page of which reads in capital letters as follows: THIS BUDGET WILL RAISE MORE TOTAL PROPERTY TAXES THAN LAST YEAR’S BUDGET BY $3,989,717 OR 6.02% PERCENT INCREASE FROM LAST YEAR’S BUDGET. THE PROPERTY TAX REVENUE TO BE RAISED FROM NEW PROPERTY TO THE TAX ROLL IS $987,827. What does that mean? When you subtract out the $987,827 from taxes on new property, the $3.9 in new revenue the commissioners are charging taxpayers means your county taxes just went up by 4.5%. (The ad valorem tax line item in the budget shows an increase of $4,435,284.) The budget language of course doesn’t state that inconvenient truth directly – but hey – it’s an election year. But a 4.5% county tax hike is only the tip of the iceberg. A check of the last page of the same budget shows a history of fluctuations in county taxes and a look at the numbers shows that since 2000 county property taxes have been raised by 44.1%. Further, the currently existing Nueces County Commissioners Court which has now set budgets for three fiscal years has raised county taxes by 10.02% in that time. The game they play is to tell us they are lowering the tax rate and claiming they are not raising taxes; but that’s not what their budget says. Property values are up but so are tax rates. (See below) That’s one reason it matters to Islanders who our county commissioner is.

Budgetary oversight Member SIPC

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September 12, 2013

by Dale Rankin

By Riley P. Dog

So now I know that if I route my packages through the Save The Riley P. Dog Foundation in International Falls, Minnesota they clear customs and make it to my door just fine. I wish I had known that when Dr. Christi put me on my diet a long time ago. It was so long ago I can’t remember when it was. Me so weak. Someone send me more

Stuff I Heard on the Island

Letters to Riley

I ripped open the package and that hotdog was mine! It was so good I was hoping it would come back up so I could eat it twice but it never did. No it never did. It sure was good. I feel a lot better now that I have had me a hotdog. Now if I just had a can opener I could get at the catfood. I buried the can in the flower bed next to my bone yard but I can dig it up when I get me a can opener. Anybody got a can opener?

Another is the County Commissioners set the budget for the Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff, who makes $82,000 and whose deputies make $32,700 per year, has the county jail in his budget which has line items for everything from the

History of property tax changes from Nueces County Commissioners Court. All data taken from Nueces County Budget. Fiscal

% Change

Year

2006

+0.28%/

2007

+0.01%

2008

+5.19%

2009

+7.99%

2010

0.00%

2011

-4.6%

1994

-1.38%

1995

+0.54%

1996

+6.6%

1997

+4.5%

1998

-0.14%

1999

+0.83%

2000

+6.26%

2001

+2.67%

Current Commissioners/Judge took office

2002

+4.07%

2012

+2.0%

2003

+3.21%

2013

+3.52%

2004

+8.0%

2014

+4.5%

2005

+1.0%

2015 Budget will be set by current court

cafeteria contract to landscape services around the jail, to custodial contracts for the jailhouse. In Texas counties the Sheriff has the most jobs and service contracts of any elected department head and those jobs and contracts cost money. It is the job of the County Commissioners to keep an eye on expenses there. Yet another reason it matters who our county commissioner is.

Robstown Money Spigot The budget also shows that county taxpayers will subsidize the Nueces County Fairgrounds in Robstown with $2 million next year – actually down by $43,900 from the current year. Since the 2011/2012 fiscal year which was the first year the current commissioners had budgetary control they have subsidized the Robstown operation by a total of $5,363,608. That doesn’t sound like so much money if you say it real fast and is a lot less than the tens of millions that made their way to Robstown when the Nueces County Court was made up of a 3-2 split in favor of the Democrats. The amount of the Robstown Subsidy has decreased substantially since the court majority swung 3-2 in favor of Republicans.. Given the makeup of Precinct 4 voters our commissioner will be a Republican. In the last round of the elections the Democrats didn’t even field a candidate in the November General Election and likely won’t this time. But even with Republicans in charge the Robstown money spicket has proven a difficult one to turn off. At the end of the day three of five votes on the Commissioners Court control a $170 million county budget and they just raised taxes by $4 million. That alone should be reason enough for it to matter who our country commissioner is.

Prettiest girl at the ball There are approximately 85,882 citizens who live in County Commission Precinct 4. The last time there was an election for the seat, 2010, only 6526 of them bothered to vote. Out of that number 1559 of them were Islanders – both Padre Island and Port Aransas and the victor’s winning margin was 866 votes. You can do the math, since Islanders vote in the highest percentage of any voting precincts in the city our votes can determine who the next Nueces County Commissioner from Precinct 4 will be. That’s why for this wave of the political season we are the Prettiest Girl at the Ball.

Notice Of Tax Revenue Increase Editor’s note: This notice was posted by the City of Corpus Christi this week. More information at the bottom. The City of Corpus Christi conducted public hearings on August 20, 2013, and August 27, 2013 on a proposal to increase the total tax revenues of the City of Corpus Christi from properties on the tax roll in the preceding year by 10.63 percent. The total tax revenue proposed to be raised last year at last year’s tax rate of $0.570557 for each $100 of taxable value was $75,761,224. The total tax revenue proposed to be raised this year at the proposed tax rate of $0.585264 for each $100 of taxable value, excluding tax revenue to be raise from new property added to the tax roll this year, is $81,449,505. The total tax revenue proposed to be raised this year at the proposed tax rate of $0.585264 for each $100 of taxable value, including tax revenue to be raised from new property added to the tax roll this year is $82,650,063. The City Council of City of Corpus Christi is scheduled to vote on the tax rate that will result in that tax increase at a public meeting to be held on September 10, 2013 during the City Council Meeting at 11:30 A.M. at the Corpus Christi City Council Chambers, City Hall, 1201 Leopard Street, Corpus Christi, Texas 78401. Editor’s note: The new budget was in fact approved on Tuesday and with that vote your city taxes went up 10.63 percent. That increase will be applied to the total value of your property, including any increases in property value assessed this tax year by the Nueces Country Appraisal District. Keep in mind that there is no connection between the increased assessed value of your property and the City tax increase. The City Council had the option of adopting the Effective Tax Rate which would have kept the amount of city tax we all will pay this year the same even though assessments went up. They chose not to do that Instead they adopted a tax rate higher than the Effective Tax Rate which means taxpayers citywide will pay, and the city will spend, $5,688,281 more in revenue next year than they did this year on the same property. (The difference between the $75,761,224 in property tax raised this year versus the $82,650,063 that will be raised next year on the same property. State law defines a tax increase in very direct and simple terms: If the taxing entity – in this case the City of Corpus Christi – raises more property tax revenue next year than they did on the same property that was on the tax rolls this year, the percentage amount of that increase is the percentage tax increase they approved. In this case the 10.63 percent increase will be applied to the entire taxable value of your property – which likely also includes an increase in assessed value. Don’t listen to any explanations that claim the larger check you are writing is solely due to an increase in your assessed value; it isn’t. Nor any explanations which involved the tax rate – the tax rate doesn’t matter. All that matters when determining whether taxes went up is how much money the city made this year versus last year off the same property that was on the tax rolls both years. That amount just went up by 10.63 percent even if the assessed value of your property stayed the same. By the definitions in state Truth in Taxation laws that’s a tax increase of 10.63 percent.

September 12, 2013

Island Moon

Angler’s Alley

Tides of the Week

Tides for Corpus Christi (Bob Hall Pier) September 12-18 2013

Day

High /Low

Tide Time

Height in Feet

Sunrise Moon Time Sunset

% Moon Visible

Low

2:46 PM

0.1

7:13 AM

7:37 PM

Rise 2:08 PM

High

12:58 AM

2.0

7:14 AM

Set 1:07 AM

Low

4:03 PM

0.1

7:36 PM

Rise 3:05 PM

High

1:51 AM

2.0

7:14 AM

Set 2:08 AM

Low

5:21 PM

0.1

7:34 PM

Rise 3:58 PM

High

2:25 AM

2.0

7:14 AM

Set 3:11 AM

Low

6:34 PM

0.2

7:33 PM

Rise 4:47 PM

High

2:48 AM

1.9

7:15 AM

Set 4:15 AM

Low

8:24 AM

1.5

7:32 PM

Rise 5:32 PM

High

11:44 AM

1.7

Low

7:41 PM

0.4

High

3:04 AM

1.7

7:15 AM

Set 5:19 AM

Low

8:36 AM

1.3

7:31 PM

Rise 6:15 PM

High

1:17 PM

1.7

Low

8:43 PM

0.5

High

3:16 AM

1.6

7:16 AM

Set 6:21 AM

Low

8:58 AM

1.1

7:30 PM

Rise 6:55 PM

High

2:38 PM

1.8

Low

9:42 PM

0.8

Set 12:09 AM

51 63 73 83

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Clean-Up By Colleen McCue Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve Help clean up the shoreline of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge before the Whooping Cranes return. Volunteers will leave from Fulton Harbor on “The Skimmer,” at 8:00 a.m. Saturday September 28, 2013, and return to the Harbor around 2:00 p.m. Boat capacity limits the number of volunteers to 35 people. Volunteers should be able to climb into and out of the boat using a ladder and tolerate working in warm temperatures. Dress for the weather and bring a water bottle. Hats, long sleeves,

pants, and shoes that stay on your feet in the mud are recommended. We will be providing some latex gloves, sunblock, and bug spray but feel free to bring your own. Long-handled trash grabbers are useful as well. Eat a hearty breakfast, you will be doing a lot of walking and climbing in and out of the boat. Free lunch will be provided to all volunteers. There is a need for one or two volunteers to help remove trash bags from the shore. If anyone is interested in doing this please let me know and I will give you the details.

These fish were caught and released in the Laguna Madre on September 6. Our Captains/Guides were Byron Huff and Michael Hart. Capt. Huff stated that the 32” very “fat” Trout was the biggest he’s seen all season. -40” Redfish-caught by Tim Laudadio -32” Trout –caught by Russell Meachen -36” Redfish- caught by Ken Eaton -30” Redfish-caught by Russell Meachen Fred Edler

If you would like to join us for the clean-up, please R.S.V.P. via email by Friday, September 20. Hope you can make it!

3225 Nassau 13941 Jacktar 3225 Nassau 13941 Jacktar Flour Bluff Padre Island Flour Bluff

Padre Island

! D E ! D C DUCE EDU RRE

Fisherman’s Fisherman’sdream dreamhouse! house! Well Well maintained maintainedthree threebedbedLots Lotsof ofdecks decksoverlooking overlooking room, room,two twobathroom bathroomwith with water. Covered parking in the double garage and enclosed water. Covered parking in the double garage and enclosed front liftlift&&dock frontand anda aboat boat dock porch, porch,split splitbedrooms, bedrooms,easy easy installed forfor maintenance installedinin2011 2011and andrated rated maintenanceyard, yard,great great 4500 lbs. New roof installed 4500 lbs. New roofi nstalled island island home. home. Access Accesstoto Feb. boat Feb.2013. 2013. “turn “turnkey”. key”. boatramp ramp&&playground. playground. Offered Offered Offeredfor for$274,500 $274,500 Offeredfor for$199,900 $199,900

These are great customers of Magnum Oil Tools. They were from Ohio and West Virginia!! Limited out on Amberjack, plenty of mahi, and had a great time!! These guys use our(Magnum’s) products in the Marcellus Shale and Utica Shale.

My boat will run in only 4” how about My yours? boat will run in only 4” how

Amanda ClarkClark - Windsor Amanda

Broker Associate Broker Associate 361-739-3225 361-739-3225 amanda@whittenrealestate.com amanda@whittenrealestate.com

We understand your time on the water is important! Get Six Years of Product Protection Free on New Suzuki Outboards from 40 to 300 HP

1314 SPID Corpus Christi 361-814-8770

Just Say...

GIMMESIX! Buy a new 40 to 300 HP Suzuki 4-stroke outboard from July 1 until September 30, 2013 and you’ll get Suzuki’s standard three-year limited warranty, plus Suzuki’s three-Year Extended Protection Plan at no extra charge.

1314 SPID Corpus Christi 361-814-8770 GIMMESIX!

It’s a value worth up to $1640. So don’t wait. There’s plenty of summer left to enjoy your new Suzuki outboard. For complete details, see your participating Suzuki Marine dealer or visit www.suzukimarine.com.

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You Get Suzuki’s Standard Three Year Limited Warranty Plus An Additional Three Years of Extended Protection At No Extra Charge

This offer is good through September 30, 2013

www.suzukimarine.com

Corpus Christi

361‐937‐7800 10121 S.P.I.D. Corpus Christi, TX 78418

Hitchcock

281‐779‐0500 4120 Highway 6 Hitchcock, Tx 77563

www.gcmboats.com Gimme Six Extended Protection offer applies to new (unused, not previously warranty registered) Suzuki DF40A through DF300AP 4-stroke outboard motors. Promotion applicable to eligible stock in inventory which is sold and delivered to buyer between 7/1/13 and 9/30/13 in accordance with the promotion by an authorized Suzuki Marine dealer in the continental US and Alaska to a purchasing customer who resides in the continental US or Alaska. Customer will receive a copy of the Suzuki Extended Protection contract summary at the time of purchase from participating dealer and within 60 days of purchase date, customer should expect to receive an acknowledgement letter with full copy of contract including terms, conditions and wallet card from Suzuki Extended Protection. If an acknowledgement letter is not received in time period stated, contact Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. – Marine Marketing at 714-996-7040, ext.2242. The Gimme Six Promotion is only available for recreational, non-commercial use. There are no model substitutions, benefit substitutions, rain checks, or extensions. Not redeemable for cash. Suzuki reserves the right to change or cancel this promotion at any time without notice or obligation. This promotion can be used in conjunction with other Suzuki offers. Registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Don’t drink and drive. Always wear a USCG-approved life jacket and read your owner’s manual.

SZ_Q3GimmeSix_DlrBox_070813.indd 1

7/8/13 6:36 PM

Mary Ann McShane, Realtor, GRI, SRES e-mail: malm335@sbcglobal.net Corpus Christi Realty Group Considering a move to the Island? Let me help you find your piece of Paradise - waterfront or interior homes, condos, townhouses, lots Considering selling your Island Property? Call me for a free consultation to obtain the current market value along with tips to make your property the one buyers will put on their “must see” list

Island Office (361) 215-8629

A 8

STATE

Island Moon

Unclaimed Property By Todd Hunter, District 32 Texas is currently holding more than $3 billion in cash and other valuables waiting for their rightful owners to claim. The Texas Comptroller estimates that one in four residents of the State of Texas have unclaimed property. Examples of unclaimed property include dividend, payroll or cashier’s checks; stocks, bonds and mutual fund accounts; utility deposits and other refunds; insurance proceeds; mineral interest or royalty payments; dormant bank accounts; and abandoned safe deposit box contents. The Texas Comptroller’s office receives unclaimed property as required by law from financial institutions, businesses, and government entities that are holding personal property which is considered abandoned or unclaimed. The unclaimed or abandoned property is turned over to the Comptroller’s office on an annual basis when the property owners’ whereabouts are unknown and the property has been inactive on the books of the reporting company after the necessary abandonment period has expired. It is important to know that the Comptroller’s office acts only as a custodian of the unclaimed property, and holds the property in a trust until such time as it can be claimed. Texas does not take legal ownership of the unclaimed property, so there is no time limit for filing a claim. Over the past several years, the Texas Comptroller has travelled around the state to bring public attention to the billions in unclaimed property being held by the State of Texas. The unclaimed property though is not just limited to individual Texans, “Cities, counties and school districts face challenges in this tough economy,” the Comptroller said in 2010. “Our office has expanded its efforts to help government entities reclaim property, and ... to get this money back and put it to work for the taxpayers.” In 2012 the Comptroller’s office returned $159 in unclaimed property. In fact the Comptroller’s office hit a milestone this year. Since 2007 the Comptroller’s office in a six and a half years have responded to 1.1 million claims totaling $1 billion dollars returned to Texans over that time period. This is an important milestone because since the unclaimed property program began in 1962 through 2007 the Comptroller’s office retuned $900.8 million worth of unclaimed property.

In order to make the process of claiming your property easier the Comptroller’s office has outlined a number of new features and expanded their outreach. They include: • An automated-review process for claims up to $5,000 that matches information in online claim forms to data in the unclaimed property system in order to expedite those claims. • Access to a dynamic public records database to help efficiently verify claimants and speed up approvals – decreasing the time to pay claims filed by original owners from 45 days to about 20 days. • Grass roots staff that sets up at events such as expos, the Texas State Fair and events with county treasurers to help Texans find and claim their unclaimed property on the spot. • Improvements to the Unclaimed Property website that make it easier for claimants to identify and submit a claim for property. • Annual notification letters to owners of certain types of property valued $100 or more that was reported to the state in the preceding year. • Brochures in libraries promoting the unclaimed property program website phone number. To find out if you are one of the millions of Texas residents with unclaimed property, I strongly recommend that you check the unclaimed property list by visiting www. ClaimItTexas.org or by calling 1-800-654FIND (3463). If you have questions regarding any of the information mentioned in this article, please do not hesitate to call my Capitol or District Office. As always, my offices are available at any time to assist with questions, concerns or comments (Capitol Office, 512-463-0672; District Office, 361-949-4603). Rep. Hunter represents Nueces (Part). He can be contacted at todd.hunter@ house.state.tx.us or at 512-463-0672.

CCA Texas Creates Port O’Connor Nearshore Reefing Site $100,000 contribution ensures the vision of permitted sites off every port in Texas Coastal Conservation Association Texas recently announced support for the creation of a nearshore reefing site out of Port O’Connor as the next step in its goal to create a vibrant reef system in state offshore waters. A key element in this overall reefing plan is having designated areas out of every major port on the Texas coast to place artificial reefs. CCA Texas’ Habitat Today for Fish Tomorrow Program (HTFT) has funded a $100,000 joint effort with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) to create a new nearshore reefing site.

develop a nearshore reef off Port O’Connor,” said Dale Shively, TPWD Artificial Reef Program Director. “This represents another joint reefing project between TPWD and CCA, which will provide much needed marine habitat in the Gulf of Mexico.”

The cost to permit a 160 acre site is $100,000 which includes all necessary paperwork, archeological and site surveys, lease and USACE permit. CCA Texas has committed to fully funding this initial step in creating a new reefing site. After this initial phase has been “Creating a new site off Port O’Connor will completed, CCA Texas’ HTFT program will aid allow us to expand Gulf reefing opportunities in the continuation of the reefing project. for anglers along all parts of the coast,” said “Once permitted,” said Blaha, “HTFT will John Blaha, CCA Texas HTFT Director. partner with TPWD to secure suitable materials “The TPWD Artificial Program appreciates for the site and secure necessary dollars for this opportunity to work with CCA Texas to deployment.”

CCA has a history of supporting similar habitat creation and enhancement projects, having contributed millions of dollars to reefing and marsh restoration projects throughout the Gulf of Mexico. “CCA Texas’ Habitat program is focused on putting more structure offshore in state waters to create essential habitat for marine life, as well as create more fishing opportunities for recreational anglers,” said Robby Byers, Executive Director, CCA Texas. “With the amount of offshore oil rig structures being removed, it is important to try and replace some of that critical habitat. These artificial reefs will hopefully replenish some of those lost structures.” The permitting process for the new Port O’Connor nearshore reefing site is slated for completion in TPWD’s fiscal year 2014.

Police continued from A1

Snoopy’s Scoopy’s

(361) 949-8815 (361) 949-7810

13313 S. Padre Island Drive Corpus Christi, TX 78418

September 12, 2013

his rounds, he respectfully answered an unrelenting barrage of questions; about his background, why he became an officer, hobbies, what kind of officer he is, his favorite and least favorite parts of the job, and how the computer assists him in his job during a basic patrol shift.

responded to that fire (along with 7 trucks and a couple other police officers) and helped with traffic control while making sure that nothing else of a negative nature occurred while fire fighters extinguished the blaze. Sadly, a resident lost a good portion of her house.

Officer Altan answered all of those questions and more, easily and thoughtfully, and on occasion shooting back a question of his own. As an 8 year officer, he had done and seen enough to be classified as a veteran. He wanted to make a difference and had seen some of his buddies attend the academy and become officers. So here he was on the island patrol.

The island patrol officers respond to whatever calls come their way, and they do it promptly and professionally. I did not witness any wasted time by the officers and to the contrary, there was no lunch or dinner stop. They kept on working, at least during my 8 hour ride along.

Police Presence Our coverage of the island was fairly complete but not in a methodical way that could be clocked or considered routine, an approach to patrol that might disturb ‘want to be’ thieves. He cruised almost every street on the island, several of them twice. It seemed peaceful, almost like paradise. He also patrolled the beaches regularly, where disturbances and disagreements happen along with life and death situations. Periodically, some beach goers recklessly speed up and down the beaches requiring law enforcement intervention.

Medical emergency, fire, speeding, expired registration, citizen dispute, accident, and whatever other call they received was perceived as another opportunity to help. They did just that.

Patrol Car Computers How did law enforcement officers ever work without a computer? Altan readily claimed, “The computer is a great help in providing timely information for us.” Indeed it did, offering in its vault of databases key data that helped officers instantly gather information and decide how they needed to respond in certain situations. Additionally, the staff at headquarters can access information fairly quickly. Most of the ‘paperwork’ that officers used to do on a desk at headquarters after the shift ends can now be taken care of on the spot or at some time during the shift with the help of the on board computer, a more streamlined process that saves time and money.

Altan suggested, “The island is generally peaceful, but there are people not on the island who take advantage of it and there are a few people who live on the island who take advantage of it”. We discussed the periodic Fire in Flour Bluff rash of robberies and breakins that seem to plague the island from time to time, alarming islanders and filling pawn shops. Officer Down Time The police are very aware of these events and do With the demands of the job and potential what they can to help solve them. anxiety that it can cause, police officers need Altan glanced at me (as we headed back to to decompress and de-stress. What do they do? the beach) and shared I cannot speak for all of that there are also things them, but one works out that islanders can do to and another is a marine minimize losses such life maven and amateur as; close and lock their geologist who also likes garage doors, close and to travel. lock their doors and Happy to See Police windows, keep their cars Presence in their garages and if not, then make sure that the Without question, most car is locked, windows people were pleased to are rolled up, and that see a patrol car slowly there are absolutely no meandering through valuables in the car – neighborhoods or even essentially making it cruising the beach. Altan difficult for would be shared, “A lot of people thieves. In addition, Altan wave as we do our stated that people should patrols. They appreciate call the police when they our presence.” see something suspicious. I was truly shocked at The house is badly burned Most stealing takes how many people smiled place quickly, so that any and waved at a patrol advantage given a thief might result in a break- officer. I should not be too surprised because in. Some islanders still leave things out in their as a Coast Guard Auxiliarist who does water backyards that face the canals, making it both and canal patrols, I too have witnessed many tempting and very simple for thieves to cruise civilians wave at us as we patrol. Obviously a the canal and to help themselves. high percentage of the island residents expect and appreciate police protection and patrol. Quiet Before the Storm The patrol continued with little major disturbance, yet with a handful of calls about relatively minor issues. Altan claims, “The island gets calls like everywhere else but fewer of them”. We had a handful of calls in several hours, something that would change.

That is not always the case in many urban and suburban neighborhoods and areas where negative perceptions of law enforcement, high crime, and mistrust of law enforcement create an uninviting if not unsafe atmosphere. Frequently, disturbances have vanished, have been quickly mediated, or have at least temporarily dissipated by the time that law enforcement arrives. According to Altan, “About 40 to 50% of the time a situation has disappeared or been resolved by the time that we arrive.” That was certainly the case with the surfers and fishermen, the incident that occurred when the shift began.

He and his other shift buddy, Officer Carlos, promptly responded to the calls that we had. They back each other up and follow one another on urgent calls (sometimes a little too closely). They also have amazing eyesight, Officer Altan after a busy able to accurately read an shift automobile registration and license plate from seemingly a half block away. Ok, maybe the plate is easier The balance of the calls were resolved to see, however, the registration is significantly satisfactorily. The fire was extinguished before more difficult to spot. Altan was able to detect the entire house was engulfed in flames, a expired registrations with ease, as if he went to person in grave physical distress was saved, a ‘Auto Registration Spotting’ class and passed few other issues were promptly resolved and the with an ‘A+’. shift ultimately came to a satisfactory close.

Job Skills

Police on the Island

Altan handled all of the afternoon stops and issues with admirable and amazing calm and peace. That type of response permitted him to help resolve all of the afternoon’s events. Another essential skill that he has is his alertness to the world around him at all times. It is as if he has several senses, especially his vision, operating at high level every second. Altan demonstrates excellent communication, a vital skill in his career. I observed that he is a terrific listener and speaker. He knows when to allow people to speak or vent. He knows what questions to ask to get information that he needs to assess a situation and he knows how to defuse a situation.

In spite of the fact that the island is generally a lower crime area, my observations solidly confirmed that consistent, daily and ample police presence on the island is imperative to the safety and welfare of island citizens. We need it and pay for it just as any district needs police presence and protection. Increased summer tourism and traffic demand even more police presence and protection.

Problem Solver

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The bottom line is that he is a fine problem solver. Altan contends, “With ninety five percent of the calls, you are problem solving somebody else’s problem or mess”. After riding along with him, it seemed he was correct. I thought back to the surfer/fisherman, stranger walking on the bridge, neighborhood/dog dispute, underage driving, expired registration, and automobile accident (we were pulled off of that one). In virtually every instance he was a listener and fact gatherer and inevitably a problem solver. Another vital component to the job as Altan defined it is the ability and the choice to be reasonable. “One of the keys to this job is not being so strict about everything. You have to be reasonable with people”, offered Altan. Though there are times that an officer must be firm, clearly a calm, thoughtful, cool-headed, and problem solving approach is the best and most productive way to approach people and Altan exemplified that during the ride along. As the day progressed it appeared that the type of call became more severe or demanding. A fire in Flour Bluff required assistance, so we

No doubt there are some who are not as fond of the police for whatever reason and no doubt there are those who do not like receiving a speeding ticket or other driving violation citation. But when you need them, you sure depend on them and you expect that they will be there to protect you. They are here, regardless of call. Some calls present danger and other calls present sadness. Still others require lightning speed assessment and problems solving. Regardless, they are here. They appear very professional and compassionate. They are as much problems solvers as they are law enforcement officers. They respond as quickly as possible to whatever call they receive. They saturate the island during their shifts. They cannot solve every problem, but they try to solve every problem at hand. I am glad that we have police presence on the island and hope that we always have sufficient police presence to help ensure safety, help to solve problems, and help to protect us. Where are the police when you need them? For the most part the Corpus Christi Police are here, diligently and professionally doing their job. Altan is a fine cop and a fine human being. We are lucky to have him. His heart and mind are in the right place. Carlos too is a kind and compassionate (and humorous) officer. Hats off to Altan and Carlos and the shifts that patrol our island and answer our calls.

September 12, 2013

Island Moon

Backwater Adventures