Inside the Moon
Fishing A7
Sports A8
Chili Cook-Off A11
The
Issue 599
Island Moon
The voice of The Island since 1996
October 8, 2015
Around The Island By Dale Rankin editor@islandmoon.com The fish have gone from the Packery Jetties. They didn’t say where they were going but so far the fisherpersons hereabout have not located them. There are a few Spanish Mackerel still hanging around and even the occasional Red but for the most part our beachfront anglers are singing the blues. But heartbroken anglers are about the only Islanders with complaints this week as the great October weather has arrived and the beaches are beautiful. And if that wasn’t enough we got two-dollar gas. Who among us ever thought they would live to see two dollar gas again?
Happy ending We have a happy ending to report to a story we first reported here two weeks ago about our friend Harald who had his garage raided by a sneak thief who ran off with fourteen of his fishing rods. Harald tracked down the thief on craigslist and eventually the bad guy left Harald’s stolen items behind the Padre Island sign near the JFK Causeway along with several other rods and reels that didn’t belong to Harald. We ran a photo of the orphan rods last time and they have now been claimed. So everything is back where it belongs with one exception; the culprit, who is known to both the victims and the police, has lawyered up and so far has not been charged. So justice delayed has been justice denied.
Watch the neighborhood On the subject of sneak thieves, we have some currently working our Island. We check the police reports each week and the number of cars being burglarized has been increasing. That is not uncommon for us this time of year as the Island Burglary Season usually kicks off in September and continues through Christmas. Last weekend the peckerwoods were working the parking lots around the JFK Causeway looking for Yeti coolers and whatever else they could find in vehicles. Be aware that they are out there and don’t leave items in your car unless you want to have to buy them back on craigslist.
Rumble on 361 If you hear a rumble on State Highway 361 between Packery Channel and Port Aransas in the next few weeks don’t worry, it is just the Texas Department of Transportation installing rumble strips to warn drivers when they are headed into oncoming traffic. Work on the $60,000 project is set to begin on Monday, October 12, and will cover 14 miles of the Island Road where the strips will be placed along the centerline of the road. Work will begin at Zahn Road and move northward and is scheduled to be done by Friday, October 16. It will require limiting traffic to one lane and cause some delays but will only be done between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Island Chef A14
Live Music A18
Free
Weekly
FREE Corps Approves Lake Padre Permit
Way Cleared for Marina, Commercial, and Residential Development Around Lake Padre By Dale Rankin Late Wednesday the U.S. Corps of Engineers signed off on the 404 permit that clears the way for the City of Corpus Christi and the Texas Department of Transportation to finalize plans for construction of the Park Road 22/SPID Water Exchange Bridge. The permit allows digging of the 40-foot wide canal under the bridge which would connect Lake Padre Island and the open Gulf through Packery Channel to the existing Island canal system. This lays the groundwork for the proposed Island Walk Village on
the west side of SPID as well as the Marina Village on the east side of that road, and triggers the commencement of Barefoot Village residential development which will border both sides of Whitecap along the beach. “We expect to break ground for the Pathways at Barefoot Dunes development on Whitecap at the beach which includes townhouses and condos,” said developer Paul Schexnailder who is part of Gulf Shores Joint Ventures which owns the property.
What is the Future of the Seawall? By Dale Rankin
Schexnailder said that when TCEQ issues the 401 Water Quality Certification that gives final approval to the plan, which they are already familiar with, dredging around Lake Padre could begin within 150 days. He said developers will begin Island Walk Village, a residential community on Nemo Court, as soon as the canal is dug which is scheduled for completion within the next twelve months. “We are pleased to no longer be on hold,” Schexnailder. “This allows the
city to move forward with the city’s commitment with regards to the bridge.” The next step is up to the City of Corpus Christi and the Texas Department of Transportation which must approval final plans for the bridge, which city engineers told the Island Strategic Action Committee on Tuesday are 90% complete. “This is the final piece of infrastructure needed so the stage is set,” Schexnailder said.
Time to Taste The Island!
For the past few months a group of Islanders who own property on the Michael J. Ellis Seawall have been gathering to consider how to go about maintaining and repairing the aging 4200-foot structure that was rebuilt after Hurricane Allen in 1980. At stake is nothing short of the ownership and survival of the structure much of which is currently covered with sand and has spots where the cement is crumbling around rusting and exposed rebar. The question is how to fund its upkeep for the next generation. Currently there is no funding in place to repair it should a storm surge destroy it like Hurricane Allen did. There is even a question of whether or not it is included in the recently formed Municipal Management District (MMJD) that now has ownership of the bulkheads on Island canals under the auspices of the Padre Isles Property Owners Association.
“A few months ago the property owners along the seawall ask me to help them come up with a plan to make sure that the future of the seawall is secure,” said POA Executive Coordinator Maybeth Christensen. “We are in the early stages of figuring out what makes the most sense to accomplish that.” One of the most pressing problems is the accumulation of sand which currently covers most of the seven concrete steps which make up the Gulf-facing side of the structure. The sand began accumulating there when the Packery Channel was dredged in 2005 and the dredge sand was placed
Seawall continued on A6
A little Island history
The date is Wednesday, October 21 and the place is Port Royal Resort for the 28th Taste of The Island. The event, sponsored by the Padre Island Business Association, will feature offerings from 25 restaurants from Port Aransas, Padre Island and Flour Bluff. Doors open at 6:30 and the event runs ends at 9:30 with valet parking available. Tickets are $30 in advance and $45 at the door.
“We expect a full house for the event,” said PIBA President Rick Sowash, “but we still need items for the silent auction.”
The Beginning of Island Development
Over the years we have accumulated a great deal of information in the form of pamphlets, flyers, promotional material and other memorabilia from the early development of The Island. The hope is that at some point we will have an Island museum to house it, but in the meantime we will begin running some of it in these pages. So here we go in no particular order…
The project is the first of several slated for that stretch of highway with passing lanes and lighting projected as part of $12 million worth of work now in the pipeline. Next week’s work may cause some short term pain, but the long term gain will be worth it on what has become a busy and often dangerous piece of road.
Million Dollar Inn brochure from the late 1960s- back when pools had diving boards
That’s all for now everybody, enjoy the great weather and say hello if you see us Around The Island.
The Moon has a new address: 14646 Compass Suite 3 Across from Schlitterbahn
Apparently the Gulf of Mexico was full of giant fish in 1972
A sales agent gives a prospect the hard sell - undeveloped lots on the Island sold for less than $7,000 in many cases.
History continued on A5