Issue 563
The
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Island Moon
The voice of The Island since 1996 The only Island in Texas with more Sushi Bars than Gas Stations
Around The Island By Dale Rankin
Photo by Lorena Schmidtt
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Weekly
January 29, 2015
Cold-Stunned Turtle Release at PINS
editor@islandmoon.com
We learned a valuable lesson this week when dealing with aggressively territorial geese; or more specifically the aggressively territorial goose who rules the roost over at the Animal Rescue Keep in Port Aransas. Tony Amos was introducing us to the two hundred or so turtles who have been warming up there prior to release after being stunned by the cold water. As we walked through the bird pen he said, “Watch out for the white goose he can be a bit aggressive.” We had seen the white bird but in our lack of birdie knowledge thought it was a White Pelican. “We don’t have any White Pelicans here,” Tony said politely. The goose gave us the stink eye and flapped his wings as we went by but Tony settled him down and we entered the building where the turtle pool is but a few moments later heard a scream and looked outside to see Ms. Jan running across the bird pen swinging her purse and yelling like an old man trying to return soup at a deli. Tony dropped the turtle he was holding back into the water and said calmly, “She did all the wrong things,” and went outside to restore calm. Ms. Jan didn’t have to jump the fence but she had to give that goose a whack with her giant purse to make her getaway. No harm no fowl as they say. But man, that is one angry goose. Go up and volunteer some time at the ARK if you can. They take care of the sea critters who can’t take care of themselves; and one angry goose who can take care of himself just fine.
First Islander on the EDC The Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Corporation, along with the Board of the Port of Corpus Christi, are two of the most important planning groups in the Coastal Bend. The EDC serves as an advisory board to local governmental entities and includes several local business people, the mayor of Corpus Christi, county judges from Nueces and San Patricio counties, the Port Director, and the President of TAMCC. When new, big projects come to town the EDC is involved because it cuts across jurisdictional lines. A few years ago The Island got its first appointee ever to the Port Board in the person of Port Aransas resident Charlie Zahn. It was a milestone for The Island and Mr. Zahn’s presence there has already paid dividends for Island residents on several fronts. Then, on Tuesday the Corpus Christi City Council appointed the first Islander ever (at least as far as we can tell) to the EDC in the person of businesswoman Gabi Hilpold. As we all know when it comes to regional planning The Island often finds itself on the outside looking in, as is the case with the Plan CC which purports to be the guideline for area development through the year 2035 and includes planning committees for both downtown and the Southside but somehow forgets about The Island, the fastest growing economy in the area. As an Island business owner and Chairperson of the Island Strategic Action Committee until her resignation this week, Ms. Hilpold is well acquainted with growth issues on The Island and the best choice for the EDC that we could ask for. As we have said before, managing growth will be the biggest challenge the Island will face over the next two decades and having Islanders on the Port Board and EDC is a good place to start.
Bits and pieces The tables around the cozy fire at Snoopy’s have been a popular place of late with oysters aplenty. When
Around continued from A3
New Traffic Lane on State Highway 361 a State Priority Separate project provides $240,000 for Island traffic study By Dale Rankin The future of the Island’s road system had a good week with the advancement of two projects each aimed at preparing the Island’s road system s for growth through the year 2040..
Photos by Miles Merwin More than 1000 people turned out at Padre Island National Seashore Wednesday to watch the release of 221 turtles which were released back
into the wild after being cold stunned by the recent downturn in water temperatures in the Laguna Madre. Sea turtles don’t like cold water. Once
water temperatures reach the low 50s the turtles’ ability to cope shuts down and a semi-catatonic state known as Cold Stunned.
Turtles continued on A2
Schlitterbahn Financing Secure Tax Incentive Extension Going to City Council By Dale Rankin The Corpus Christi City Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to extend the deadline for $117 in tax incentives for the Schlitterbahn Upper Padre Resort. In preparation for the vote the project’s developers on Friday provided the city with a letter from the International Bank of Commerce stating that its Board of Directors on January 14 approved credit that “will be used to complete the project.” For the complete letter see Page A6 in this issue.
The council vote on Tuesday will be whether to extend the deadline for the project’s developers to meet the conditions of a 380 Agreement which provides $111 million in Sales Tax, Hotel Occupancy Tax, and Property Taxes and an additional $5 million in direct cash from the city’s Type A Board. That money is derived from sales tax and earmarked for economic improvement projects. So far $2.5 million of that money has been released to the developers of the project, Upper Padre Partners, L.P., and North PadreWaterpark Holdings, LTD, and was used primarily for infrastructure at the site however,
the final $2.5 million and the $111 million are contingent on the partners meeting the original construction deadlines approved in May 2012. That agreement required that the construction for the waterpark feature commence within nine months of the effective date of the agreement which was May 22, 2012. That deadline was met by the parks developers. However, so far the city has refused to guarantee the remainder of the tax incentives, the $111 million in performance-based tax incentives
Schlitterbahn continued on A6
6th Annual Barefoot Mardi Gras February 14 Register for Beach Parade and get tickets for the party The 6th Annual Barefoot Mardi Gras Beach Parade and party are set for Saturday, February 14 and the next event is the Fat Friday Kickoff Party at The Boathouse on Friday, January 30. That event will include an auction, raffle, prizes and live music starting on January 30 at 6 p.m.
Staging for the Beach Parade will begin at 9:30 a.m. and the parade starts at 11 a.m. We will publish the route in a future issue. The registration fee for the parade is $25. Trophies will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. Judging will be
District 32 State Representative Todd Hunter, who has been pushing for approval of the project for over a year, announced last week that the project is included in the TxDot list of priority projects for 2015. Inclusion in the list does not automatically mean approval of the project but greatly improves the chances of its approval by TxDot this year. Ricky Dailey, TxDot spokesman, said if the project is approved in Austin as expected it could be put out to bid by the end of 2015. “We will also look at putting in left turn lanes along the road where they are practical and needed,” Dailey said. “We will try to put them anywhere they can enhance safety.” Daily said money for the project would come from the state’s Rainy Day Fund and in conjunction with Proposition 1 which was approved by Texas voters last November. A hearing was held in Austin on January 20 on the state’s Unified Transportation Program which is a
Highway continued on A9
Inside the Moon
To register a float for the Beach Parade call 361-949-1400 Fax: 361-949-4612 or e-mail at info@ padreislandbusiness.org. A registration form can be mailed by snail mail to PIBA, 14493 SPID, A-313, Corpus Christi, TX 78418.
The Dogs of Barefoot Mardi Gras See Page A4 With photos
The first project is an $11.8 million undertaking that was placed on a list of high priority projects by the Texas Department of Transportation and which, barring any unforeseen obstacles, is expected to be approved by (TxDot) in early 2015. The project would add an intermittent passing lane to State Highway 361 between Beach Access Road 1 in Port Aransas and the SPID/Commodores intersection.
based on originality, creativity and theme reflection -trophies awarded at Briscoe King Pavilion following the parade. A trophy will also be awarded to the best decorated golf cart. The Barefoot Mardi Gras Party and Kings and Queens Ball is set for Saturday, February 14 with music by the Miss Neesie and the Earfood Orchestra from San Antonio who will rock the house with zydeco music
from 6 p.m. to 10 p. m. at the Veranda Restaurant at Schlitterbahn Upper Padre. That event will include Cajun food, raffle. The Earfood Orchestra has become a staple of the Barefoot Party since they played the first party six years ago. This year marks the first time for the event to be organized by the Padre
Fishing A7
Mardi Gras continued on A4
A little Island history
Fight to Save the Whooping Cranes
Sports A8
How it all began Editor’s note: Most of this account comes to us from the book Karankaway Country, written by Roy Bedichek and published in 1950. The Whooping Crane Festival will be held this year from February 19 – 22 in Port Aransas. The year was 1949 and out of the hundreds of thousand s of Whooping Cranes which once darkened the skies along the Texas Gulf Coast there were now less than forty left on the planet. A count of Whooping Crane population on the Texas Coast in the early spring of 1949 by naturalist C.A. (Bud) Keefer found but eighteen birds, fully half of the Whooping Crane population left in
the world. A study found that in the nine years prior to 1947 an average of 58 percent of the adult Whooping Cranes failed to make the migration to the Texas Gulf Coast from their nesting grounds in Canada, and that of the adults on the Texas wintering grounds that year sixteen did not raise young. The Whooping Crane population was in danger of being wiped out. The idea was hatched that something had to be done and a strip of Texas littoral on the 47,000 acres of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge was selected largely because it was
On the Rocks A7
an area favored by the Whooping Cranes for its fresh, brackish water. The fight to save the Whooping Cranes was on.
History continued from A5
Live Music A16