The
Issue 576
Island Moon
The voice of The Island since 1996
April 30, 2015
Around The Island By Dale Rankin
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Photo by Miles Merwin. More Sandfest photos inside
Schlitterbahn Work in High Gear
editor@islandmoon.com
Who would have thought…cool weather in April?! Wednesday morning broke cool and clear with a break from the repressive humidity of late. Turns out maybe it wasn’t the heat…it was the humidity after all. We can’t recall a time on our Island when the water table was as high as it is right now. Our Island floats on a pond of submerged fresh rainwater which in turn floats just above sea level and the recent heavy rains have left it filling the ditches, ponds, and wetlands all over Padre and Mustang Islands. From Sandfest in Port Aransas and 26 miles south to Malaquite Beach on Padre Island National Seashore the recent wet weather created diverse conditions on area beaches last weekend.
By Dale Rankin Full-scale work at the Schlitterbahn waterpark has resumed in recent weeks after several months of being slowed by a financial realignment. Full work crews have poured more than 200 cubic yards of concrete and are concentrating on the Momentum River, crucial to the park’s opening, which will use one million gallons of water to move park visitors from ride to ride as they move through the park. Construction supervisors say two more cement pours, due in the next two weeks, will complete that structure and finish work can begin. The other focus is on completion of the Flow Rider, which is the beating heart of the park. It provides the water thrust for the park’s most distinctive feature, the standing wave for surfing called the Boogie Bahn, and also provides the water
At the north end the beach road at Sandfest was closed to most traffic as the folks attending the event had to slog though water on the grounds.
POA to Study Cost of Storm Damage to Canal System By Dale Rankin The Padre Isles Property Owners Association voted Tuesday to launch a study to determine the cost of replacing or repairing damage to the thirty-two miles of bulkheads in the canal system on The Island in case of a major storm.
In the aftermath of the wet weekend city crews along the Michael J. Ellis Seawall were busy Monday morning moving sand from the beach out toward the water leaving a wide, userfriendly beach in their wake.
Currently the POA is self-insured and has $8 million in reserve in case of catastrophic damage due to a storm or other natural disaster, however, no study has ever been conducted to determine if that amount is sufficient to cover costs in case of a major weather event. Last year the bulkheads on Padre Island canals were placed under a Metropolitan Management District
flow for the Momentum River which is the key to the park’s operation. Also in recent days crews have raised a tower at the south end of the park, (see photo) which will be the high point where tubers will begin their descent into rides below. Plans call for the existing pole to be surrounded by water-covered platforms which will propel riders back into the water features. Work on the main building at the north end of the park has also progressed as crews are concentrating on finishing out the second floor, which contains a “locals’ bar” and forty hotel rooms. The building’s elevator has been installed and work is finished on the exterior stairs on the northwest corner of the structure. Construction managers said this week that over the next few weeks the focus will be on completing the exterior of the building and doing the
detailed finishing work. Longtime Schlitterbahn employees who specialize in proprietary carpentry and artistry which makes concrete features appear as wood, a common look in Schlitterbahn parks, have been back working on the site after several months absence. In recent weeks trim carpenters, stucco
finishers, and electricians have been busy on the building and the wiring is now complete. Work on the building will progress by floors and managers say plans call for the second floor to open to the public as work continues on the upper floors.
First Kemp’s Ridley Nests Found By Donna J. Shaver, Ph.D. Chief, Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery, National Park Service, Padre Island National Seashore, donna_shaver@nps.gov Endangered Kemp’s ridley turtles began nesting in Texas last week. Only two nests have been found as of this writing, but this number will change and you can learn find information about the latest tally on the Padre Island National Seashore website www. nps.gov/pais. Hopefully many more nests will be found before the Kemp’s ridley nesting season ends in mid-July. Many people have been asking when hatchling releases will begin this year and now that nests have been found, we can report that the first hatchlings will emerge and be
Turtles continued on A5
A Kemp's Ridley Turtle gets a little help from her friends
POA continued on A4
Further south in Kleberg County, on the beach that is part of the 3680 acre tract recently acquired by Nueces County from the Texas General Land Office the sandy area known as the Bowl which attracts 4-wheelers is now a lake due to the high water table caused by recent rains.
Inside the Moon
A little Island history
First U.S. Flag in Texas Planted on San Jose Island in 1845 Re-enactment planned for July 26
Editor’s note: In the last issue we ran an account written by then Lt. and future General George G. Meade conducted in anticipation of a possible war with Mexico over the land between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande. The need for the survey proved prophetic as sure enough United States troops came to The Island and marched south into Mexico.
SMA at Science Olympiad A5
By Dale Rankin Even further south in Kleberg County where the beach is not currently maintained a new line of dunes have begun forming between the main dune line and the water.
Tax Meeting Don’t forget the property tax seminar this Saturday, May 2 at 10 a.m. at the Seashore gym on Encantada. Longtime Islander Bob Maupin is holding a public meeting to familiarize property owners with the property tax system and how to file effective appeals. If you don’t work the system folks the system will surely work you. We’ll see you there. In the meantime say hello if you see us Around The Island.
On the morning of July 26, 1845 the USS Alabama steamed to the beach at St. Jose Island. The ship, along with others, brought the U.S. Army of Occupation, with the Third Infantry in the van, had arrived from New Orleans in anticipation with a war with Mexico over the Nueces Strip which was between the mouth of the Nueces River and the Rio Grande.
Confederate General Braxton Bragg, future U.S. General Phil Sheridan, Stonewall Jackson, future Brigadier General Joe Hooker, and the future 14th President of the United States Franklin Pierce.
On board were a group of officers, mostly West Pointers, who would later fill the pages of the history of the Civil War: twenty-four yearold 2nd Lt. Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, William Tecumseh Sherman, future Confederate President Jefferson Davis, future
Just a few weeks prior, on June 26, the Ninth Texian Congress had consented to the annexation of the Republic of Texas into the United States of America. But in the mind of the Mexican government, who still wasn’t completely convinced any of Texas was not part of Mexico, the
Fishing A7
Clockwise from top left: President U.S. Grant, General Robert E. Lee, Confederate president Jefferson Davis - Members of the Rockport delegation would later become enemies during the Civil War. Nueces Strip, was still part of Mexico and the matter would be settled by a contest of arms.
Sports A8
Troops scrambled from the ship to the shore and a Lt. Chandler climbed to the highest dune on San Jose Island and planted the flag of the United States with its twenty-seven stars in the sand.
History continued on A4
Dee-Scoveries A14