Billish Park to Open in October

Inside the Moon Remember When A6 Candidates Convene A7 P.I.B.A. Mixer A7 Fishing A13 Hayes Carll A18 Issue 754 The Photo by Dale Rankin Island Free The voiceMoon of The Island since 1996 September 27, 2018 Weekly www.islandmoon.com FREE Around Final Hurdle for The Island Billish Park to Open Island Grocery By Dale Rankin Store is Cleared The rain event scheduled for last weekend was sunned out but the in October Construction long-awaited arrival of the Litter Critter was already canceled before continues the sun showed up. When we went The final piece of permitting for the to press Wednesday night The Critter IGA grocery store on Padre Island was on, but not long after we hit the was passed by the Corpus Christi street on Thursday it was cancelled City Council on Tuesday clearing the meaning the only way to get the way for construction to continue. word out was on our Facebook page, which we did. But not everyone got the word and as a result there is a surplus of Litter Critter material piled up at Briscoe King Pavilion. So here’s hoping the third time is the charm for the Return of the Critter! Platting at the site of the new Balli Center originally called for a street, called Las Tunas, to run across the Waiting for the Critter. Grocery cont. on A4 Burning down the house! For the second time in two years the Islanders Make port-o-can at Billish Park has burned The supervisor of the Billish Park improvements told the board of the Padre Island Property Owners Endorsements to the ground. Association Tuesday the park will be open to the public “in three weeks.” Turf still has to be placed on the southernmost portion of the park and some elevation work is still in Mayoral underway on the baseball field but the word to the board is that the park will be “completely open” in three weeks. The City of Corpus Christi must still issue a permit for the new playground. and District 4 The project began with $500,000 in bonds in 2012 and $200,000 was added by the POA. Council Races POA News Two Endorsement Fines, Audit of Accounts, Nights Set for September 27 and We’re not sure if it is a vendetta against outhouses or spontaneous Channel Markers October 6 combustion but it is the second time By Dale Rankin When asked if the new rules would “What we have found so far just Islanders chose youth over include higher fines for infractions look like errors,” Jeff Smith with the it’s happened in the recent past so Fines for violating rules of the experience in the race for Corpus Rickertson said, “A h--- of a lot CPA firm of Jennings, Hawley, and there is some kind of a pattern here. Padre Isles Property Owners Christi Mayor when they endorsed higher.” Company. “I believe they are truly Association would get stiffer if a challenger Michael Hall over just errors.” La Posada plan currently under development “We need to wipe the slate clean,” Incumbent Joe McComb at the first The La Posada Lighted Boat Parade by the organization’s Compliance Rickertson said. “To make sure He said the organization currently Endorsement Night of the Island will be televised live this year on Committee is approved by the Board members follow the rules we need to has $8,882,582 in the bank but said United Political Action Committee KIII television as the result of an of Directors. have small fines for small infractions that through June 2018 spending Thursday night. agreement between the station and and big fines for big infractions.” was at $1,259,079 while income Committee Chairman Alan Voters went the other way in the event organizers. The Island Moon was $1,224,183. Smith said that Rickertson gave a broad outline of Rickertson said based on the race for District 4 City Councilman is a sponsor of the event and we will while he believes the cash balance the new rules under consideration feedback from members his by overwhelmingly endorsing have more information as the date numbers in the account are accurate by the committee to the POA Board committee has found that that incumbent Greg Smith. approaches. there are problems with the “Builders of Directors at its regular monthly homeowners want well defined rules Account.” IUPAC cont. on A4 Water Exchange Bridge meeting Tuesday night at Island that are fair and applied equally Presbyterian Church. Rickerson told across the board. “At this time I don’t believe you La Posada During a candidate forum last week the board his committee, which held could generate an accurate balance Mayor Joe McComb told the crowd a public forum earlier this month to Audit sheet,” Smith said. “Due to the that bids on the Park Road 22 Water Parade to be get input from members, believes The auditor conducting a board- problems with the Builders Account Exchange Bridge are expected to go to avoid confusion the current rules ordered review of the organization’s and Accounts Receivable.” out in October. He said the city and regarding violations such as boat financial accounts said they have Broadcast Live private owners of the land west of the He said part of the problem is that trailers parked in yards, untrimmed uncovered several issues with policies road are working on a Memorandum deposits by builders are rolled over palm trees, and other infractions and procedures for internal control on KIII of Understanding and once it is done from one project to the next making enforced by the POA should be taken of funds but with “about 10%-15%” The La Posada Foundation the project will go to bids. It was them “impossible to trace,” but “that off the books and new rules put in of the audit done found nothing that announced this week they have bid in 2017 at $11.5 million but the process has been stopped.” He said place to encourage compliance. “looks malicious.” reached a partnership with KIII contract was never let due to a lack POA cont. on A4 (Channel 3) to broadcast the Saturday, of commitment by the previous December 8 lighted boat parade live. landowners to fund construction of the canal and bulkheads on the A little Island history The La Posada lighted boat parade west side of the bridge site. Expect will be the first planned event ever to an update on the project at the next be televised live from Padre Island. meeting of the Island Strategic Action Island United Political Action Committee La Posada cont. on A4 Committee on Tuesday, October 2, By Dale Rankin done, the same was true for bonds to could swing elections across the city 5:30 p.m. at Holiday Inn Express. and Islanders, then four-percent of The public is invited. As the election season hits its full build the Aquarius Extension project The Litter stride this fall the Island United but there was no follow through to get the population and 14 percent of Zahn Road Political Action Committee is in the project done. the property tax base, began to pay Critter Has the news and we have had several attention. Zahn Road on the north side of Apathy and cynicism ruled the day questions about how it came into Packery Channel remains closed due as Islanders constantly heard their Voting Rights Three Lives! being. to destruction from the recent rains. city leaders say, “The Island takes To understand local city politics you Access to the beach there is through It all started in 2008 when there care of itself.” What that meant in have to go back to the Voting Rights Reschedule for Newport Pass Road until further were 6823 registered voters in the practical terms was that because Act of 1965, which was signed into notice but the detour hasn’t stopped two voting precincts on North Padre Islanders split their votes between law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, Saturday, September surfers who have been out in numbers Island. That number was slightly various city candidates, once elected aimed at protecting voting rights 29, 9 a.m. - 1 to take advantage of the good surf down from 6846 Island voters in officeholders at city hall could ignore guaranteed in the 15th Amendment when it arrives. 2006 out of 197,596 registered in The Island without political peril. We to the U.S. Constitution. One of the Nueces County. simply didn’t count. p.m. Briscoe King Beach driving is good, the weather main tenets of the reforms was to has let up a bit as we head into fall, the While Islanders still voted in City elections then were held in the do away with At-Large city council Pavilion seats which required office seekers standing water is starting to evaporate higher percentages than any other spring and were separate from county, For the third Saturday in a row the to raise the money necessary to run if not the mosquito population, and precincts around the county that had state, and federal elections, meaning Litter Critter is scheduled for arrival a citywide campaign. The effect was the Holiday Season is just around not led to any help with projects on low turnout, and it began to dawn on at Briscoe King Pavilion. the corner. It won’t be long until the The Island from the City of Corpus Islanders, and often pointed out in the to keep the power in the hands of Winter Texans start appearing on the Christi.

Load more