Inside the Moon Padre Poker Run A2 Island Halloween A2 Traveling Moon A9 Fishing A11 Art Walk A16 Issue 812 The 27° 37' 0.5952'' N | 97° 13' 21.4068'' W Photo by John Morris Island Free The voiceMoon of The Island since 1996 November 7, 2019 Weekly www.islandmoon.com FREE Around La Posada The Island Lighted Boat By Dale Rankin Parade Only It’s November and the temperature is hovering around 80 degrees. If we Four Weeks need to raise some money around here we could put a tax on Winter Away Texans taking selfies to send back to the cold north with the caption…“I Everything you need am here and you are not.” It seems the weather we used to get in October to know now comes in November with The first night of the La Posada October still feeling a whole lot like Lighted Boat Parade on Padre August. The temperature is up and so Island is four weeks away on Friday, is the tide. December 6, with the first event set That’s one strange tamale for Friday, November 29 at Waves Resort. It was just after three in the morning this week when Kleberg County This year marks the first year of Sheriff’s Deputies saw something the re-naming of the five-decade suspicious in a tamale wrapper. old event with the addition of When they opened the aluminum foil International Bank of Commerce as it wasn’t a tamale they found, it was Trick or Treating on Hawksnest and Eaglesnest is a longstanding Island tradition the naming sponsor. cold hard cash, all told $200,000 of and this year was no exception. Photo by Laurie Lyng It also will be the first year that the it. The deputies said while the mother Friday night parade will begin at and son who were headed for Mexico Doc’s Seafood & Steaks and travel had tamale making equipment with along the Intracoastal Canal to the them they did not have money making Future of Island Water Exchange canals on the north side of Padre equipment. The family was from Island. Event organizer Fred Edler Houston and now reside in Kleberg said parade viewing will be available Jail, their family outing interrupted. Bridge May Be Decided This Week at Docs, Snoopy’s Pier, and Marker Parade Marshal 37 along the canal. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Our friend Last hurdle is $2.4 million in funding Gregg Rollie will be the parade Bubba from Port marshal. Rollie was co-founder for A way sent us the bands Journey and Santana. He this photo this Meeting planned for Tuesday has most recently been touring with week of Gregg By Dale Rankin in 2002. The remainder comes from build the bulkheads, and have in fact the Ringo Starr and his All Starr Rolie who his funds left over from bond projects - bid the project and selected a builder Fifteen years after it was approved Band. A Moon reader step-son (right) $1.5 million from 2004 bonds, $6.29 as well as obtained building permits by voters the future of the Park ran into in the million from 2008 bonds, and $1.29 to start work. The last obstacle is to For a full schedule of events and sent us this Road 22 Water Exchange Bridge Hill Country million from 2005. That leaves a gap bridge the $2.4 million in funding to maps of the parade routes see page photo of Parade on Padre Island may be decided at this week. That’s of $2.4 million between the low bid kick start the project and Smith said A4 in this issue. Marshall Gregg Corpus Christi City Hall on Tuesday, Mr. Rolie on the number and the funds available. he will ask the TIRZ board to commit Rolie (left) this November 12. left looking like the funds on Tuesday. According to city records currently, week. a rock star… District 4 City Councilman Greg Window to there is $2.1 million in unencumbered “We’ve got a chicken and egg which he is. He Smith who is Chairman of the Board funds in the TIRZ account but Smith problem here,” Smith said. “I want to is a member of the Rock and Roll of Directors of Tax Increment Re- Enter POA believes cost savings on the project break the egg and cook the chicken.” Hall of Fame and will be here on our investment Zone #2 which controls can cut the $2.4 million to $2.1 little sandbar as Grand Marshal of the purse strings of the funds from the What Smith is referring to is the million or below. Board Elections the International Bank of Commerce zone said Wednesday he plans to call margin between the unencumbered Lighted Boat Parades on December a meeting of that board on Tuesday “We’ve been kicking this project money available in the TIRZ fund, 6 and 7. There will be a meet and with the purpose of committing down the street for fifteen years,” $2.1 million, and the amount needed, Now Open greet with him prior to the event. The funds from the TIRZ to bridge a $2.4 Smith said. “We’ve got three $2.4 million. Construction on the Music from the Moon Concert Series million funding gap and move the developers on The Island who can’t bridge would not begin until 2020 Two seats up for will be part of the fun at Waves Resort project to construction. finish their design plans until they when the TIRZ fund is expected on the night after Thanksgiving when know if there is going to be a bridge to garner $3 million, which would election After seven postponements bids for Todd Dorn and the Sea Drifters drift built. It’s time to get this done.” cover the $2.4 million gap. That $3 the bridge were opened two weeks The next Annual Meeting and Board in for a La Posada event. The concert million number would increase over ago with a low bid of $13,943,536 What Smith is referring to are plans Member Election for the Padre Isles is free but bring a toy if you can. time with the building of the canal from local contractor Haas-Anderson by the developer around Lake Padre Property Owners Association is in as it would create an estimated $15 Island Art Walk Construction Ltd. Up from the ($500 million), and seventy acres on March, 2020. Do you want to be a million in increased property value by $12.5 million estimated prior to the the west side of the bridge site where Board Member? Registration for We want to send a big Moon thank turning the land there into waterfront bid but well under the next lowest construction of a canal connecting the two seats up for election opened you to JoAnn and Butch Smith this property thus increasing the property bid of $16,125,100 from Bay Ltd. to the bridge is planned. Both are on October 19, 2019, and will close week for putting together the ninth tax paid into the TIRZ, which could and about $2.4 million above the awaiting confirmation from the city on November 15, 2019, at 5:00 PM annual Island Art Walk at Billish increase the anticipated $3 million in $11,696,319.50 available to fund the that the funds for the bridge are CT. If you wish to register to run, Park on Sunday. It was a great event annual revenue at least through 2022 project. The Island Strategic Action available before starting construction. please send a notice and brief Bio and it’s a good time to see the work when the TIRZ is currently set to Committee has committed $4 million to Executive Director, Jim Smock at of all the creative people in these The private landowners on the west expire. [email protected] or drop off your Bio parts. This also marked the first year from the Island Tax Increment side of the roadway, Axys Capital and The wildcard is the cost of repairing at the PIPOA Office on Fortuna Bay that Island dogs could walk on the Refinance Zone (TIRZ) – money International Bank of Commerce have damage to the Packery Channel Drive next to Billish Park. grass! That’s right, the new sod in the garnered from new construction committed funds to dig the canal and park means Island dogs can get off inside the zone since its founding Bridge cont. on A4 Marvin Jones | President the sidewalk, but it does take a little coaxing at first as it is in their DNA to avoid grass. It’s been said that you can tell Island kids because they are A little Island history the ones who take off their shoes to play in the street and put them on to play in the park. Barefoot in the Park Fifteen Years of No Water Under the Bridge is a new phenomenon hereabouts but By Dale Rankin Mark Scott was the District 4 the funds prior to the vote. Further, Zone (TRZ) which was established it’s catching on. Sunday’s event had Councilman then and he came up there were no design plans for the in 2002 as part of the Packery art and artists strung out from one end With the Park Road 22 Water with a plan. The company that owned bridge and cost estimate was at best a Channel project to capture property of the newly renovated park to the Exchange Bridge $2.4 million the majority of the land on both back of the envelope guess.