Inside the Moon Spring Break '16 A2 Ukeladies A2 Fishing A11 Live Music A18 Issue 663 The Island Free The voiceMoon of The Island since 1996 December 29, 2016 Weekly FREE Around The Island by the numbers Island 2016 The Year Nueces County Emergency Services By Dale Rankin As we wind down to the end of 2016 District #2 on our little sandbar we are hunkered down for the last blue northern of the That Was $6919 cost per call for 2015, year to blow through as the Weather As we look back on 2016 here are some of the Wonks tell us to expect winds of 45 $8470 per call estimated for 2016 knots and offshore seas of nine to highlights that we saw on our Island. eleven feet. The Nueces County Emergency $1.2 million Net Assets of Lake Padre Work Services District #2 (Originally according to a 2015 audit Here is some of what has happened called the Flour Bluff Volunteer hereabouts in the past week. $837,335 raised from property Fire Department) is located at tax in 2015 New beach signs 337 Yorktown Road in Flour Bluff. They provide fire, water New signs are going up along our and auto rescue and EMS 2016-2017 beaches this week. The first of the services to an 80 square-mile new signs was at the parking lot at area which includes Flour Proposed Budget Michael J. Ellis Beach. Bluff, Padre Island, Padre Island National Seashore, and $1,177,330 total income unincorporated areas of Kleberg $8470 per service call in 2016- and Nueces County. 2017 based on number of calls The department was the in current fiscal year Flour Bluff Volunteer Fire $930,000 income from Department until the City of property tax revenue Corpus Christi annexed the area in the 1960s when it became $687,713 Wages the Nueces County Emergency $247,330 net income from Services District and it now ambulance services The idea from the City’s Parks funded primarily by property $50,860 Accounting and and Recreation Department, tax revenue levied on property Professional fees expense the City’s Watershore and owners in Flour Bluff and on Beach Advisory Committee and Padre and Mustang islands. $6,036 Administrative expense the Corpus Christi Convention and The board meetings are $7,016 Advertising and Visitors Bureau is to standardize the normally scheduled at 6 p.m. on Promotion expense signs along the beaches in the Corpus the last Tuesday of each month at Christi City Limits. The new signs $14,545 Communication the fire station at 337 Yorktown software should all be in place within the next Road and are open to the public. few weeks. The biggest project that kicked off several marinas, and retail space According to their website the $11,440 Building Maintenance this year was the excavation work surrounding a 3200-foot long canal expense Water problem company’s equipment consists around Lake Padre that will change feature which will connect the Lake of an engine, a pickup, a rescue the Island landscape literally and Padre development with the area $49,800 Equipment Some additional details are coming boat, a tanker brush truck, a Maintenance expense to light about the recent problems figuratively. As 2016 winds down around the Schlitterbahn waterpark large brush truck engine, a brush with our water supply. For the third the work initial phase of the work, and allow water flow from the Gulf truck, and an EMS unit. $34,000 Fuel expense time in the past year a ban was placed the ground work, at the 104-acre site of Mexico directly into the existing $104,300 Insurance expense on the use of water on North Padre is nearing completion. More than Island canal system through a 40-foot $961,845 in total operating and Mustang islands, the ban did 9000 linear feet of bulkheads are in wide channel. As the year ends the expenses for 2015 (up from $17,064 Interest $761,849 in 2014) not affect Port Aransas. The Texas place with less than 1000 feet yet be Corpus Christi City Council plans to $28,970 Training and Dues Commission on Environmental installed, the marina site adjacent to bid the bridge project – now estimated $6919 cost per service call for Quality reported to the city that a the planned SPID Water Exchange to cost about $11.5 million – with 2015 $15,170 Utilities malfunctioning backflow valve at Bridge has been excavated and work bids expected to be open by the end $1,030,544 total Operational has begun on the marina itself. The of January ready for a start by mid- 31 service calls on Padre the port allowed gallons of Indoline Island in 2016 expense and Hydrochloric Acid to flow into actual shape of the lake has been 2017. But before work begins on the changed and expanded with the sand bridge an agreement must be in place 68 service calls in Flour Bluff $146,786 left over after the city’s water system meaning that operational expenses even boiling the water would not removed from the site used to raise to complete the connection to the in 2016 remove it. the surrounding elevation to eight existing Island canal system on the feet above sea level. Schlitterbahn side of SPID where the 139 total number of service The problem arose only three days existing canal – not yet bulkheaded – calls in service area in 2016 after the new Corpus Christi City When fully developed the project will include hotels, apartments, Council took their seats but the new 2016 Cont. on A2 arrivals didn’t hesitate when trouble found them. We’re told that by the A little Island history afternoon after the problem was initially reported a conference call What a Difference 100 was arranged by State Representative A History of Zahn Road Todd Hunter including officials from By Jay Gardner for another year, with lawyers Years Doesn’t Make Washington to Austin to City Hall from Austin getting involved, local The recently revived interest in the Editor’s note: As we swing into the The Mexican Revolution kicked to find answers to exactly what a Tortuga Dunes development jogged environmental consultants, the Sierra happened and what was to be done Club, and Audubon Club. In July New Year it is tempting to believe off in 1910 and by 1912 was in full my memory regarding an article that that the times we live in are the most bloom and spilling north across the about it. After some backing and I was supposed to write a couple of 1979, the applicant submitted filling by the city staff they were told a revised plan that reduced major turbulent ever in South Texas. They border. years ago but never got around to are not. One hundred years ago the by State Representative Hunter who impacts and did not include dredging Porfirio Diaz figured himself a it. During the construction of the Island we call home and the Wild organized the meeting to come up large ponds and filling acres and benevolent dictator and figured he subdivision, I did a lot of research Horse Prairie to our west and south with solutions…in three hours. That’s acres of wetlands. The road was to would “control” the presidential on the immediate area as I wrote were aflame in tension seeping north the speed of light in bureaucratic be moved south of the wetland ponds, election of 1910 the way he had both the USACE and dune protection across the border. circles. permit applications. I learned about and was to go straight towards the controlled the previous six. When it beach, and then take a left before the It turns out that the chemicals the early history of Zahn Road, The story that follows is taken from comes to fixing elections the Mexican 1000’ dune protection line and dead released amounted to concentrated although there are a few curiosities several sources including the book way is not a subtle one. As soon as end out in the back dunes. The road soap that in the long run won’t do any involved with it. Beach access roads “The Texas Rangers and was still not designed to go all the permanent harm, and in fact could are the lifeblood of tourism around the Mexican Revolution” way to the beach. even help to clean out our aging water here, and we’re going to re-build one by Charles H. Harris and lines. What the problem brought to and hopefully get another one on Of course, comment letters again Louis R. Sadler. light is that there are 102 compounds Mustang Island soon. were received that there was too By Dale Rankin separated from our water system by much impact to filling wetlands. No connection to the beach Early in the second backflow preventers around the city There was a quick revision, likely due decade of a new century but there is no definitive list of exactly In September of 1978, an application to the involvement of Charlie Belaire unrest along the Texas/ where they are, how often they are was submitted by Dr. George and Paul Carangelo, who proposed Mexico border made checked, and what the protocol is Strickhausen III to the USACE that an intertidal back lake be dug out and crossing the river when the fail. In hindsight we are proposed to dredge about a four acre connected with the tidal waters that go dangerous to the point of probably lucky that things didn’t area in the wetlands north of where under the bridge there at the current impossible.