Inside the Moon Visiting Port A. A2 Seashore Happenings A5 Mt. Padre A7 Fishing A11 Three Chords and the Truth A16 Issue 876 The 27° 37' 0.5952'' N | 97° 13' 21.4068'' W Photo by Debbie Noble Island Free The voiceMoon of The Island since 1996 January 28, 2021 Weekly www.islandmoon.com FREE Around The By the numbers Island Port of By Dale Rankin Corpus Christi The pace of life on our little sandbar ebbs and flows like the tides. Sometimes the tourists come blasting Finishes 2020 OTB in droves and sometimes things slow down a bit. This week falls into with Record the second category. Numbers from the City of Corpus Christi show Tonnage 24,654 vehicles arriving OTB on 65 percent increase in crude Saturday, January 23 and 20,674 on oil shipments from 2019 Sunday January 24. 159.7 million tons, 31 percent Those numbers are a little higher than numbers we normally see increase over 2019 new annual this time of year but well below Second Oldest House on Padre Island is Coming Down tonnage record of 1.9 million the abnormally high traffic counts barrels per day of crude oil we have seen arriving since the Most Islanders speed right by this old house on SPID and Verdemar, in fact until exports in December 2020. beginning of the Covid lockdown in recently it was almost hidden by a truck from Goodwill Industries. But this old house 2020 which saw more than 80,000 has a story to tell. It is the second-oldest house on Padre Island and was built in the 15.9 million tons new vehicles in one day in May when 1950’s for the family of the working ranch which at that time encompassed all of Padre monthly record for December, the normal number of arrivals would Island. It had the first fireplace on The Island and at the time it was built was the only be in the 50,000 range. For the past permanent residence. 15 percent higher than decade 32,000 vehicles per day is the December 2019 average across the year and during But the house has been used for decades and fallen into disrepair and will be torn these slower winter months the norm down next week to make room for a new doctor’s office. For more details see Biz 42.2 million tons new fourth Briefs in this issue. The oldest house on The Island? A story for another day. The oldest fireplace on would be in the 15,000 vehicles per quarter surpassing the prior day range. Photo by Mary Craft Padre Island. record from Q1-2020. The takeaway here is that while we are seeing abnormally high numbers 96.4 million tons in increased of inbound traffic during the Time crude oil shipments in 2020 of Covid the mean, or average, the amount of traffic coming our way has Island Real Estate 26 percent increase in increased substantially over the past liquefied natural gas (LNG) three years and the increase in people coming OTB is being exacerbated shipments in 2020 at 8.7 by Texans and out of staters who million tons are finding us for the first time. That Market Is on Fire increase in first-timers is part of the 4.3 million tons (70 percent) impetus for the heated up real estate increase in agricultural exports market we write about this time. For Covid lockdown bringing new buyers increasing in 2020 those in the real estate business on The Island this is the Golden Era. $55 billion in private Beach Parking stickers Biggest problem is lack of inventory industrial investments over the The subject of Beach Parking By Dale Rankin past five years Stickers has filed up the inbox From Port Aransas to Padre Island to be a drive-in market. First timers $100 million Federal Around The Island this week. It when you ask real estate professionals to The Island find prices much more seems we have had a steady rash these days how the market is doing reasonable than those in the San appropriations in December of tickets being written in lieu of you get responses with words like, Antonio/Austin corridor and certainly of 2020 as part of the Water warnings especially for beachgoers “on fire, the best it’s ever been, I’ve the California market. Resources Development Act who are not in their vehicles when never seen it like this, where did all And the high demand for houses (WRDA) passage. When the enforcement crew arrives. Here these people from California come isn’t limited by price range. Misty is one example we got from reader from,” and “we need more houses to completed in late 2023 the Svoboda who specialized in high-end Scott Nichols. sell.” Across the board realtors and houses at Berkshire Hathaway has Corpus Christi Ship Channel brokers report that prices are at record Warning : The policy of issuing seen an increase in sales for seven- Improvement Project will be highs, inventory is at record lows, and citations for expired Beach parking figure homes since mid-2020. As of this week there are 42 single the deepest and widest ship permits has changed without homes listed for sale attract multiple “Since Covid people want their own family homes for sale on Padre informing the public. The new rule offers within hours often selling at or channel in the United States. space,” she said. “The buyers are Island, 21 Waterfront and 21 Interior now is if you’re parking permit has above asking prices. almost all from the San Antonio and lots, according to longtime Coldwell 4,000 acres available in expired at all no matter for how The common belief among realtors Austin area who came here because Banker realtor Cindy Molnar. long you will be issued a citation of for the heating up of the local market public-private partnership of the lockdown and saw the prices approximately $155. So now if you seems to be increased visitors due “In January, 2020 we had 126 development options for new decided to buy.” Svoboda said she has are a tourist and never been here to the difficulty in air travel during Homes for sale, 60 Waterfront and sold about six houses at $1 million development. before and you drive out onto the the Covid lockdown bringing more 66 Interior lot homes,” Molnar said. and up with two more listing this beach underwear get out of your car visitors to what has and continues week. and walk you will come back with a Real Estate cont. on A4 citation on your car no warning no offer of buying another permit . If you’re in your car you may be able to be allowed to go to stripes or buy A little Island history one from the enforcement personnel. If you’re out in the water surfing you will come back with the citation on Fort Lipantitlan your car! I call this heavy-handed tactics! Even the inspection sticker How a little patch of ground in San Patricio County shaped the destiny of Texas on your car gives you 30 days to replace it. My passport allows one To look at it today you wouldn’t bank of the Nueces River about three year after the expiration date! Is this miles upstream from the old town of how we want to treat our uninformed know that a five acre site an hour’s drive from The Island was scene San Patricio, which is on the east side tourist? Even the local people were of the river. At the site a number of not told this! for a pivotal battle in Texas history. The following information comes ancient trails beaten by game animals, We forwarded Scott’s letter to the to us from the late Keith Guthrie Indians, and explorers crossed. An Beach Maintenance Supervisor and through the Texas State Historical old presidio was also reportedly there heard back from city officials; there is Association Handbook of Texas. as early as 1734 but had completely no change in policy at city hall. Lisa vanished. Mexican general Manuel Oliver from Parks and Recreation The Lipantitlán State Historic de Mier y Terán, acting on the orders said that when city enforcement Site is a 5-acre park located at to restrict Anglo immigration into officials encounter a vehicle on the FM 624 and 70 just east of Orange Texas, commissioned the fort. Grove in far northwestern Nueces beach without a sticker they make an Author John Linn wrote, "The fort effort to located the driver and offer County. The fort was named for the Lipan Apaches who once was a simple embankment of earth, to sell one on the spot. It is only when lined within by fence-rails to hold The site of Fort Lipantitlan today. they can’t find the vehicle owner that inhabited the area and in 1835 the Battle of Lipantitlán between the dirt in place, and would have they write a ticket. Beach stickers are answered tolerably well, perhaps, and at least one barracks were built Texas Revolution when Mexican only $12 and can be bought at places Mexican and Texian forces was surrounding the embankments. James Federalist forces under sought fought there. for a second-rate hog pen." After its all over The Island. construction it was garrisoned with McGloin, in his account of the battle refuge on the Nueces River to of Lipantitlán (November 4, 1835 – regroup and to seek assistance from Under the Bridge How it all started from eighty to 120 men; however, many times the complement was more on that later) makes reference Americans.