Weekly FREE Around the Island by Dale Rankin There Was Smoke on the Water but No Fire in the Sky
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Inside the Moon Barefoot Mardi Gras A2 Seashore Happenings A9 Port A. Mardi Gras A9 Beach Clean-up A11 Live Music Calendar A18 Issue 672 The Island Free The voiceMoon of The Island since 1996 March 2, 2017 Weekly FREE Around The Island By Dale Rankin There was smoke on the water but no fire in the sky. The fire was low down to the ground. We are accustomed to seeing a haze around here but last weekend the haze was accompanied by the acrid smell of smoke as crews burned off more than 9000 acres of grassland down Padre Island National Seashore Way. The haze made its way all the way OTB and lingered in Island skies until Monday. Beach drivers beware Be carful if running PINS in the dark. This tree is at the Turtle shack and would do you a lot of damage. If you are heading way down PINS way to Little Shell Nick Meyer over at Breakaway warns to watch out for this gnarly dude sticking out into the driving lane, especially if you are driving at night or riding a dirt bike. Anybody got a chain saw? Island vandals and sneak thieves Barefoot Mardi Gras First place winning float The Padre Island Ukulele Club. See page A2 for more winners! The Island’s Vandal Squad and Sneak Thieves Association appears POA Monthly Meeting Erupts in Traffic-Blocking Beach Bollards to have moved its base of operations from the seawall area to the area Accusations, Heated Exchanges to be Removed around Fortuna Bay this week. The group has been active along the and a Board Resignation seawall and beach in recent weeks where they have twice destroyed the Annual members meeting Sat., March 11 sign at Michael J. Ellis Beach and By Dale Rankin Christensen due to a possible conflict were seen by witnesses turning over of interest; and the using of the words Since mid-2016 there has been an Port O Cans on the beach – no word corruption” and “shameful” by armed guard at each of the monthly on whether they were occupied at the audience member, Bob Algeo, who is meetings of the Padre Isles Property time. From the looks of this week’s also running for a board seat, who said Owners Association. So far he has police reports it looks like they have the organization attempted to use city not had to draw his weapon but if moved from destroying property to code enforcement officers to retaliate things continue down the path trod at stealing from cars and even breaking against him for his complaints about the organization’s monthly meeting By Dale Rankin down the beach to Zahn Road which into houses. The police are aware and board actions, which prompted a Tuesday the day may not be far ahead was temporarily made one-way from keeping an eye out but if you see this response from Board President Brent One week after bollards were placed when a warning shot is in order. the beach. Some version of that plan roving band of trouble up to their Moore that Algeo needed to provide on the beach north of Newport Pass mischief let the PD know. will be used this year but the details The most tumultuous meeting in proof, and accused him of “seeing Road blocking northbound beach will not be determined until early Winter Texans leaving memory, it included a vigorous black helicopters.” (See the related traffic into Mustang Island State Park next week. hour-long exchange between board letter in this issue). officials have announced that most of The Winter Texan diaspora has members and about thirty agitated, the bollards will be removed. When the bollards were placed last begun as our visitors from the Algeo’s heated response was week the Spring Break plan called POA members/Island homeowners, The change in plans that will allow a Great White North begin the trek drowned out by the rising decibel for Beach Access Road #3 to be used voicing long-held complaints free flow of vehicles between Access home before the 2017 Spring Break level of the crowd and the meeting as an emergency lane, not open to about lack of transparency, POA Road #3 on the north and Zahn Road Invasion. We had a bumper crop of devolved into a verbal melee in the public, which would have meant landscaping regulations, and a on the south during the busy Spring Winter Texans this year. Patti who which Moore told the crowd, “If the only way to access the 4.5 miles perceived lack of communication Break weekend. Park Superintendent owns the Harbor Lights eatery at you want fireworks let’s have some. of beach between the bollards at between association members and Scot Taylor said while some of the Woody’s in Port A reports that the There are very few members who Newport Pass and the entrance to board members, ending in a request newly placed bollards will remain winter business was better than ever are complaining,” Moore said. “I’ve Mustang Island State Park would from several audience members that on the beach to denote the park’s and parking lots at Island restaurants got e-mails complaining about your have been through the park’s main the organization needs to “move in a southern boundary they will not have been full of out of state plates. complaints.” entrance which requires a $5 entry new direction.” impede beach traffic. Some of them will weather Spring fee. Before the night was over issues POA cont. on A4 Break, with the higher rental prices “People will be able to access the That plan was shelved after questions it brings, and see it through to the were raised including the eligibility beach in the same way they have in of sitting board member Stan Hulse, Next ISAC Meeting from District 32 State Representative sweet spot of our season in April. But the past during Spring Break,” Taylor Todd Hunter and the decision was by Tax Filing Deadline in mid-April who is also running for re-election, Tuesday, March 7th said. “We are still working on some leading to the announcement of made by park officials to remove the we will see the last of the out of state at the Veranda of the details of the plan but it will vehicle-blocking bollards at Newport plates disappear OTB until next year. his resignation from the board essentially be the same as in previous on Wednesday; the reassigning Restaurant Pass. Taylor said after Spring Break We like our Winter Texans around years.” the bollards will not be replaced, here. of a health insurance policy for three POA employees away from 5:30 p.m. In years past Corpus Christi Police meaning beach traffic will continue Spring Break 2017 the account of the son-in-law of The public is invited have turned Beach Access Road as usual from Newport Pass Road Executive Coordinator Maybeth #3 into one-way headed toward the north. We have one week before the initial to attend. beach and drivers could then drive onslaught but March 18 is the overlap weekend when we get the full Spring A little Island history Break monty along our beaches. So we have one week to hit the H.E.B. and stock up on supplies and make The White House Pier in The Bluff was a Landmark Editor’s note: Bobbie Kimbrell Street ends after crossing Laguna for holding the cattle awaiting cattle Barkley Tyler and Johnny Edwards sure the boat motor is running moved to Flour Bluff in 1943 where Shores Road. cars. fished the boat in Alazan Bay, which well enough to get us to the Ski he was a commercial fisherman and is north of Baffin Bay, and made Basin, far from the madding crowd. where he still resides. The WHP had a large room That parcel of land is still some record catches of drum due to Last year’s Spring Break attendance downstairs and the bedroom and undeveloped to date and might the large icebox capacity. The boat By Bobbie Kimbrell was down some, partially due to a living room were upstairs. There was encourage some history buffs to put was eventually sold to a fisherman restriction on beach alcohol in Port The White House Pier in Flour a large porch in front and a covered up an historical market there. Roger who took it to Port Isabel where he Aransas. But alas, that was a year ago Bluff was what would be called porch in the back where the pier South, a developer and sometimes anchored it on the east side of the and incoming freshmen, and mostly a landmark since it was possibly, started about six feet above the water gambler, had the WHP built and bay and lived and fished on it. likely their upper-classmen as well, when built, the farthest, southmost extending about fifteen feet out into it isn’t known if he lived in it and The WHP was vacant for a long will likely scant remember it and building in Nueces County. the Lagoon with a covered cross pier operated it or not, but it is known that things will get back to normal this year. built across the end where people Roger built the first ever motel amidst time in the early forties, possibly The drive up the Island Runway from There is a bronze landmarker could sit and fish in the shallow water the orange groves in Brownsville because gasoline was rationed and Padre to Port A will be especially located about 100 yards of where about three feet deep.