Observer The Bay Area
VOLUME 9, NO. 02 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2018 • COMMUNITY NEWS FOR LA PORTE, MORGAN’S POINT, SHOREACRES, SEABROOK & THE GALVESTON BAY AREA
The Texas coastline is slowly disappearing Here’s how one community is coping The Lone Star State’s shoreline is experiencing one of the highest rates of land loss of any coastal area in the country thanks to a combination of subsidence, sea level rise and storm surges.
A new clay berm built to encourage sand dunes along the beach in McFaddin Wildlife Refuge near Port Arthur on Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. Photo by Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune By Shannon Najmabadi Texas Tribune
The banana water lilies that once filled Jefferson County’s Salt Bayou marsh started dying off years ago. The aquatic plants, with their elegant white and yellow blooms, used to pepper the 139,000-acre wetland in Southeast Texas – a hub for wildlife, boaters and commercial fisheries. Their disappearance has been linked to the development of a shipping channel that hampered the flow of freshwater into the marsh. But scientists say it’s also the symptom of a problem that haunts the entire Texas coast: The shoreline is eroding.
Subsidence, sea level rise and storm surges have all contributed to significant land loss, averaging 4 feet per year along the state’s coastline, according to the Texas General Land Office. In some places, more than 30 feet of shoreline disappears underwater annually. The result? Ecologically-sensitive areas near the coast, like the Salt Bayou marsh, are more prone to inundation by seawater, which kills off saltsensitive aquatic plants and animals. With less space between sea and shore, it can also make neighborhoods and industry more vulner-
able to hurricane storm surges. Todd Merendino, a manager at the conservationfocused group Ducks Unlimited, said sand dunes used to line the shore near the Salt Bayou marsh, forming a crucial buffer between the Gulf of Mexico and the millions of dollars’ worth of industrial infrastructure that lie inland. The dunes are “all gone now,” he said. “One day, you wake up and you go, ‘Wow, we got a problem,’” Merendino said. “And it’s not just an isolated problem where one swing of the hammer is going to fix it.” The problem has inspired a coalition of strange bedfellows in Jefferson County.
Local leaders, environmental activists and industry representatives are working together to execute a variety of projects — some bankrolled by BP oil spill settlement funds — to rehabilitate the marsh and protect the area’s industrial complex. One initiative undertaken is the construction of a temporary 20-mile berm along the marsh’s coastal perimeter on a stretch of the beach there called McFaddin. The plan is to dredge sand from the ocean bottom about a mile and a half offshore and spread it over the clay berm. Vegetation will be grown on top of it to provide a habitat for migratory birds. And the plants’ roots will make the dunes more resistant to erosion. The project is crucial to protecting both the environment and industry, said Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick. The county “is home to some of the most critical energy resources in the United States. We provide a significant portion of [the country’s] gasoline, diesel fuel, and a majority of it’s commercial and military aviation fuel,” Branick said. The coastal system is “too important for us not to do something to protect.” While still underway, there’s already one big sign the group’s efforts are paying off: The return of freshwater plants like the banana water lilies, which reappeared in the Salt Bayou marsh last summer. See “Texas Coastline” on page 4
Christmas parade winners recognized
Shown left to right are Parks and Recreation Director Rosalyn Epting with Houston Yacht Club representative and Mayor Louis Rigby. Photo by Rebecca Collins
Shown left to right are Parks and Recreation Director Rosalyn Epting with San Jacinto College representative and Mayor Louis Rigby. Photo by Rebecca Collins
On Monday La Porte City Council and Mayor Louis Rigby recognized the winners of the December 8th Annual Lighted Christmas parade. The winners for the four categories were: Best Business: The Houston Yacht Club, Best Organization: La Porte 4-H Club, Best School: San Jacinto College and Best in Show: San Jacinto College.
Shoreacres takes no action to appoint acting city manager Shoreacres took no action on Monday in regard to the appointment of an acting city manager. The appointment would have been active until a full-time candidate is appointed. A motion was made to not approve the item but died for lack of a second. The current city manager David Stall will be retiring at the end of the month and has hired Buck Laquey to serve as assistant city manager. Laquey has previously served as finance director for the City of Elgin, and will start his posi-
tion on January 15. He will be operating under a contract through Texas First Group, a firm that provides interim management services for Texas municipalities. Stall said that after his departure, Laquey would become interim city manager. Council took no action on the issue of coyotes and the discussion was moved to the newt council meeting. All members were present.
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Aggravated Assault with a weapon filed on Houston Man
Cesar Guillermo Lerma-Sanchez 08/20/1985 Submitted by LPPD
In the late evening hours, Thursday January 4th, 2018 La Porte Police Department (LPPD) Patrol Officers were dispatched to the 400 block of South 7th Street, La Porte, Texas for a report of a disturbance with gunshots being fired. When officers arrived the victim, still shaken from the incident, told officers the suspect fled
La Porte Orders Election for May 5, 2018 By Rebecca Collins editor@bayareaobserver.com
La Porte City Council voted unanimously on Monday to order an election for May 5 to elect two council positions and the mayor. Filing for the election officially begins on January 17 and continues through February 16. Mayor Louis Rigby, District 2 Council Member Chuck Engelken and District 3 Council Member Daryl Leonard all have terms expiring in May. Coouncil also adopted an ordinance ordering a special election for voters to consider the proposition: The reauthorization of the local sales and use tax in the City at a rate of one-fourth of one percent to continue providing revenue for maintenance and repair of municipal streets. The general election is being held jointly with the La Porte Independent School District. Council awarded a $95,922 contract to Cobb Fendley and Associates, Inc. for design and construction phase services for the Spencer Highway Fence and Sidewalk Project. The project consists of design and constructing an eight foot precast concrete fence along the south side of Spencer Highway from Farrington to Myrtle Creek and along the north side from Farrington to Valleybrook. The proposed sidewalk will extend from Farrington to Underwood Road. At the September 26, 2016 meeting Council approved the addition of a decorative screening fencing/wall along Spencer Highway from Farrington to Myrtle Creek into to FY17 Economic Development Fund budget. Funding was allocated over two fiscal years with construction to take place fiscal year 17-18. A contract was renewed between La Porte EMS and the Association of Bayport Companies, Inc. for the provision of emergency medical services to member companies located within the Bayport Industrial District. Under the contract, the city’s EMS department will provide emergency medical services to member companies within the district at a rate of $29.37 per employee, per year, an increase of $1.94 over the previous contract. The new contract is for a term of 3 years. Companies that do not participate in the contract will be assessed a $5,000 per response non-member fee. All items under the consent agenda were approved by unanimous vote. All members present.
4th Annual Mardi Gras on Main Join us for the 4th Annual Mardi Gras on Main in historic downtown La Porte! This year’s event will again feature the best craft beer garden in the area, live music by the Mambo Jazz Kings, stilt walkers, face painters, the King & Queen, and much more. NEW! March to Mardi Gras: Umbrella Parade will kick-off the festivities. Get out your glue guns and feathers and let’s see what team has the best umbrellas. Saturday, February 17, 2018 • 4:00 pm - 9:00 pm Five Points Park 201 S. Broadway • La Porte, TX Follow Bay Area Observer On
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the scene. Officers quickly secured the immediate area and captured the suspect a short time later. The suspect, Cesar Guillermo Lerma-Sanchez of Houston Texas, arrived in the 400 block of South 7th Street, reportedly intoxicated and upset over a relationship issue. While in the area, he was approached by the victim, at which time, the suspect reportedly discharged a handgun in the air and then pointed the weapon at the victim. The victim, fearing for their life, called 911. After threatening the victim, the suspect fled the scene and was captured by LPPD Patrol Officers a short distance from the assault location, where he was arrested for suspicion of aggravated assault with a firearm. LPPD contacted the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, who accepted the charge of Aggravated Assault with a Firearm. Lerma-Sanchez is being held by LPPD awaiting bond and subsequent transfer to the Harris County Jail.
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INDEX Community...........................2 Local.....................................3 Texas.....................................4 Arts & Entertainment..........5 On The Water.......................6 Classifieds............................7 In the Garden.......................8