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The Island Moon
May 22, 2014 Around The Island
By Dale Rankin editor@islandmoon.com
Weekly
The voice of The Island since 1996
Sprint to the Finish!
Preview for Schlitterbahn Park on for Saturday, May 31
There’s a lot happening Around The Island so let’s jump right in
Ubiquitous Weed Our shores continue to fall under the assault of the leg-clinging, beach clogging, and olfactoryoffending Sargassum weed that continues to arrive on our shores. Offshore boaters and satellite images which track the offshore weed by monitoring boat wakes indicate weeks more of the stuff is on the way. That of course is subject to change with wind and weather. This week the water along the beaches looks like iced-tea with some sticks thrown in. About two vertical feet of the weed are coming in each day all along our beaches. Here’s a little Sargassum background. Sargassum was named by the Portuguese sailors who found it in the Sargasso Sea after a species of rock rose (Helianthemum) that grew in their water wells at home and that was called sargaço in Portuguese. The Sargasso Sea is in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean bounded by four streams, with the Gulf Stream being the westernmost.
Sargassum fighting Anyone driving down area beaches since the weed began arriving will notice that the cities of Corpus Christi and Port Aransas deal with the stuff differently once it hits the beach. Corpus Christi crews pile it up in front of the dune line where it eventually becomes part of the existing dune system.
Photo by Miles Merwin By Miles Merwin and Dale Rankin
Crews are putting finishing touches on the massive parking lot at the corner of Compass and Commodores, the Kiddie Pool is full of water, the Swim Up Bar is next and are expected to be ready by opening day and will be open to the public. It appears unlikely any water rides will be ready, but sections of the first floor of the main building is nearing readiness.
As you read this the preview day for the Schlitterbahn waterpark is less than nine days away and more than 200 workers at the site are working long days in preparation for the preview set for Saturday, May 31. Exactly what will be open that day will be unknown until the last few days of next week.
Schlitterbahn continued on A7
Election Day is Tuesday!
Island Developments
Island Vote Likely to Decide Hottest Race
Inside the Moon...
By Dale Rankin The most hotly contested race on the ballot in the current runoff for primary party elections is the Republican between two long-time Republicans vying for the Precinct 4 Nueces County Commission seat which comes with a six-figure salary.
Two new developments are well underway on Windward and Leeward. Padre Beach View condominiums on Windward are 31 units consisting of 3 and 4 bedroom units being developed by Brite Star and Alex Harris. They are about 50% sold.
Searching for the Lost Dutchman A4
Early totals
500
1000
1500
Padre Island, Texas
Kemp's Ridley Nesting A17
0
tHe IsLand CorPus CHrIstI
1 ac
2000
3000'
5 ac
5 min. walk
Over on Leeward the Leeward Bay Townhomes are being developed by Ultima Real Estate. They will also include short-term rental units.
1" = 500' at full size (48 x 36")
As of Tuesday evening 1485 voters had cast ballots countywide – 1078 Republicans and 407 Democrats. At the Early Voting station on North Padre Island Seashore Learning Center 152 total, 144 Republicans and 8 lonely Democrats had cast ballots. In Port Aransas, also as of Tuesday evening, 213 voters had cast ballots in the runoff at the Port Aransas ISD Administration Building – 61 voters 5 Democrats and 56 Republicans.
© 2013 H a rt How erton Ltd. © 2013 H a rt How erton Pa rtners Ltd.
In Port Aransas they use a front-notching system in which they cut a section of the dunes out and move the sand to the waterline. Then they refill the spaces in the dunes with piles of Sargassum which has been collected on the beach.
Challenger Brent Chesney, a former Corpus Christi City Councilman and County Judge is trying to unseat incumbent Joe McComb. If current Early Voting Patterns hold and the voters split along the same lines as in the March Primary the Island vote will be the decisive factor in the race.
The designs and concepts shown are the sole property of Hart Howerton. The drawings may not be used except with the expressed written consent of Hart Howerton.
In many cases this moves the dune line forward and the beach landward, reducing the width of the beach.
september 17, 2013
overall Master Plan
The 152-voter turnout on Padre Island is the third highest in the county with 590 ballots cast at Corpus Christi Council for the Deaf being This keeps the weed from collecting all along the water’s edge, serves to build the beach seaward, and allows the dune line to be raised as the weed is moved in.
Voting continued on A7
Texas Surf Camps Celebrate 10 years Story on A18
There has been a push by the Island Strategic Action Committee for Corpus Christi to adopt the Port Aransas method.
SPID road project
The Future of The Island A15
The project to add two lanes to southbound SPID at the Commodores/SHH 361 intersection is almost complete, for more information see the story in this issue. As the project winds down and the lanes are now in place it’s easy to see how much the addition of two longer turning lanes will mean for traffic there; especially on peak summer weekends as visitors try to turn east to Port Aransas and west to the Schlitterbahn park.
Aerobat Aviation Launches Flying Saucers By Jackie Bales
This project was done quickly and, all things considered, with very few traffic snarls. We commend TxDot for their handling of the project, and State Representative Todd Hunter for his persistence in getting the project funded and finished.
Encantada canal Preliminary design work is in on the plan to unclog the water passage in the canal under Encantada at the far south end of the Island canal system. Once the new canals are finished around the Schlitterbahn park and the water exchange bridge is in place under SPID the opening of the conduits under Encantada would allow the prevailing southeast wind to push water up that canal and out through the canal system, bringing much needed circulation to otherwise stagnant portions of the canals. The early drawings, requested by the POA, show that for about $2 million the existing three submerged tubes, which have been clogged with sand for years, can be replaced by a concretelined opening that will allow about three feet of clearance above the waterline; much like the one currently in the Cartagena Canal. Of course this allows only for the water-passage of kayakers with low foreheads and not for boats. To raise the height of the passage to the bottom of the roadway, about nine feet, would add $1 million to the cost. One possibility is to pay for the new structure – whatever it finally turns out to be – with bonds in the election anticipated in November of this year. Stay tuned.
Around continued on A5
Barnacle Bucks
“I don’t really care, the more the merrier,” it was Travis Shannon, CEO and founder of Aerobat Aviation Inc. responding to my concern about the near gale force winds blowing in downtown Corpus Christi. “My flying saucer can fly in winds that would ground general aviation aircraft”, he informed me.
A little history and a lot of luck By Mama Metal, Daddy Detector and Baby Bucks Barnacle bucks … brambles and burrs. Each step through the thicket was cautious and mini as we scanned the few feet of clear ground between the branches and brush. Light rain had been falling all day and we hoped the moist earth would act as a depth enhancer for our signals. Back in the mid 1800’s this bit of land was clear of trees, now thick with Mesquite, Oaks and other difficult to search through foliage. Thoughts of a lost giant Gold Cross and Jean Lafitte’s buried treasure were certainly incentive enough to motivate passage through the thorny cluster ahead! Upon arrival onto this property, once part of Old St. Mary’s near modern day Bayside, our host (the owner) tells us some very interesting things. But first here is a little history on the land…near the sand.
The Geobat flying saucer drone
Barnacle-Bucks-St.MarysSite Saint Mary’s Saint Mary’s, located near modern day Bayside, was founded around 1850 and soon became a thriving major port and leading
Treasure continued on A24
Travis Shannon founded Aerobat Aviation with the concept of technologically superior solutions for manned and unmanned aerial vehicle mission critical environments. So, are flying saucers real? According to Bradley Dye, vice president of “Corporate Jet Solutions” they are. Mr. Dye has signed an agreement to produce a “two-man” version
Flying Saucer continued on A26