Port Aransas South Jetty (Port Aransas, Tex.), Vol. 9, No. 18, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 18, 1979 Page: 2 of 8
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PAGE 2
SOUTH JETTY
OCTOBER 18, 1979
State of the Region
Juliet K. Wenger
Coastal Bend Council
of Governments
Gophers find it easy going
through the sandy soil of Mustang
Island. They burrow under the
streets, leaving tunnels in their
trail. Then the streets cave in. It’s
one of the big problems of street
maintenance in Port Aansas.
Governing an island community
is unique in many respects.
Mayor Dennis Dreyer and City
Manager Dana Bennett have to be
unusually innovative in their
approach to administration. Re-
cently, their most dramatic prob-
lem has been oil on the Gulf
beaches. But year around, they
have to be alert to routine tasks
that officials of most cities would
not be aware of.
Historically, their business
week on the island has been
through the weekend, Friday
through Monday. City services
had to be stepped up during those
days, police to handle crowds;
sanitation services to dispose of
fish and shrimp wastes, which
cannot be left too many hours
without stench. Tuesday was the
Offshore Port
Here Needs No
DOT License
The Department of Transporta-
tion, this week, announced that it
had determined that a proposed
offshore lightering terminal, 24
miles off Mustang Island does not
need to be granted a Deep Water
Port License from that agency.
The three monobuoys, proposed
by COSCOL, a subsidiary of
Deeport Backer Coastal States
Gas Corporation, would be con-
nected together by about one and
one-half miles of sea floor
pipeline, and there would be no
pipeline coming ashore from the
facility. Company officials say that
pumping off a supertanker onto
smaller tankers through this
facility is safer and les expensive
than the current lightering opera-
tion used off Mustang Island by
Coastal States. They say that the
possibility of spills is reduced at
the moorings when compared tc
the usual lightering configuration
in which two ships are tied
together at sea while- one loads
onto the other, and then the
smaller ship enters port with its
crude oil cargo. In addition, there
is a financial savings in that the
supertanker can be offloaded
more quickly, thus saving ship-
ping costs.
The basis for the DOT decision
that the COSCOL facility does not
need a license under the Deep
Water Port Act, as was needed by
the recently licensed Texas Deep-
water Port (Seadock), off Free-
port, is that the proposed facility
does not have a pipeline connec-
tion to shore, a situation not
contemplated by the federal act.
DOT officials did say that, if built,
the facility would be regulated by
lightering rules now being drafted
by that agency.
COSCOL made application in
July to the Bureau of Land
Management for offshore ease-
ments for the needed pipelines,
and BLM passed the application
to DOT for review. With the DOT
decision, the long license process
has been eliminated, and now
work can begin on study of the
easement request.
Both Coastal States and the
Nueces County Navigation Dis-
trict, when the easement appli-
cation became known recently,
said that this is an interim
measure to cut shipping costs of
crude oil coming into Corpus
day businesses closed on the
island. But until the spill reached
the shores, business was no
longer letting up on Tuesday,
businesses were remaining open,
and city employees were finding
themselves working every day of
the week.
There is a difference in the
importance of certain jobs on an
island. In Port Aransas, one of the
jobs in the city with heavy
responsibility is that of Harbor
Master. Around him revolves the
big segment of the city that floats,
the charter boats, head boats,
private yachts, bay shrimp boats.
Harbor facilities are constantly
being expanded, w.ith new piers,
jetties, bulkheads.
Coast Guard personnel are very
much a part of the community.
You would expect them to answer
your call for help if your boat was
sinking. But don’t be surprised if
they' arrive when you have called
for help because of a fire or a
burglary. Coast Guardsmen serve
as volunteers both on the police
Christi, and that they still support
Deeport, sponsored by the Navi-
gation District, which is now in
the slow process of having a Final
Environmental Impact Statement
written before the permitting
process can proceed. Last year’s
estimate of the cost of construc-
tion of the Deeport facility was
about $500 million, but this did
not include the cost of pipeline
construction and other needed
items. The COSCOL facility is
estimated to cost about one-tenth
as much, but the company has not
yet released a firm cost estimate
for its construction.
City Hires
Building Insp.
Roy Faires, 54, of Weslaco, was
hired last week by City Manager
Dana Bennett to fill the City
Building Official spot, vacated by
the resignation of Danny Garcia.
Faires, following 35 years as a
master electrician and electrical
supervisor, has worked for the
City of Weslaco as a building
official for one year. Aside from
being a master electrician, Faires
holds a plumbing inspector license
from the State, and, according to
Bennett, has a thorough know-
ledge of the Southern Standard
Building Code, the basis of the
local building regulations.
Garcia resigned, effective Oc-
tober 15, to accept a position as
chief building inspector in Round
Rock, near Austin. He had been
the building official in Port
Aransas for about two years.
Duck Stamp
Price Increase
Hunters and conservationists
who have been purchasing the
1979-80 Migratory Bird Hunting
and Conservation Stamp this year
have noticed a difference in the
stamp over previous years — a
$7.50 purchase price, a $2.50
increase over the previous i£sue.
In 1978, the Congress approved
legislation mandating the Secre-
tary of the Interior to charge $7.50
for the stamp in any year in
which migratory bird conservation
funds for the previous year had
been fully obligated.
This year’s price hike is
intended to offset spiraling land
purchase costs which must be met
in order to acquire vital habitat
for migratory waterfowl. The price
increase took effect July 1, 1979.
force and the fire department.
Port Aransas is taking on more
of an international flavor. Cana-
dians have been coming in large
numbers , for several years. Now
the number of license plates from
Mexico are being seen much more
frequently on the city streets. The
scientific community on the Is-
land, with the University of Texas
Marine Institute as its nucleus,
attracts oceanographers from a-
round the world.
The industrial section of the city
is a ferry ride away from the base
of city services. In years past,
school children had to cross that
ferry or a causeway on Padre
Island to reach the mainland and
classes. But in 1980, for the first
time, Port Aransas will have a
high school graduation class. A
stydent can now go all the way
through school on the island.
Now, with Nueces County, Port
Aransas is having a long term
plan worked out. This Island
community is not trying to avoid
growth but wants what comes to
be quality growth and to retain
the personality, the originality
that are big attractions of the
Coastal Bend.
Fire Auxiliary
Gives $5000
The Ladies Auxiliary of the Port
Aransas Volunteer Fire Depart-
ment presented the City, Tues-
day, with a check for $5,000.
toward reimbursement of the
mini-pumper bought for Fire
Department service in May, 1978.
Since the purchase of the truck,
the Auxiliary has paid some
$20,000 of the total $25,560
purchase price, and by their
original agreement, the Auxiliary
will ultimately reimburse the City
for the full purchase of the
vehicle.
The Ladies Auxiliary raises
nost of its funds through the
highly successful Outboard Fish-
ing Tournament held each July. In
addition, the weekly Saturday
night BINGO games run by the
Auxiliary produces substantial
donations to aid in the purchase
of needed fire-fighting equipment
in the City. Funds raised by the
Auxiliary in the past have been
applied to the purchase of other
vehicles and equipment as well as
the construction of the fire
station.
Is It Possible?
Shades of the old British film
“The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot
Straight’’ - A local politician was
recently concerned about a lawn
mower left unattended overnight,
on City property while repairs
were under way. It seems he
thought it might be stolen by one
of the many semi-accomplished
sticky-fingered experts who wan-
der in the night. After a day of
agony, the politician saw this as a
prime opportunity to teach a
lesson to the wise. He set up a
theft of the goods to be
accomplished in the dark of the
night, just to prove it could be
done. Weli, the hour was late,
and the planning session a long
one. Watches were checked, dark
clothes and gloves pulled on - and
it was ZERO HOUR. But, the hit
man had so overdone in the area
of liquid reinforcements for the
ordeal, that he was unable to
carry out the intricate plan, never
mind lift the mower if he had
found it.
In the words of the Great Hulk,
“Evil is a very bad thing.” .
: ' •• • ■
U -
Don McDonald
Retires from
CPL Office
After 33 years of maintaining
and expanding the local electric
service in Port Aransas and on
Mustang Island, Don McDonald
has retired from Central Power
and Light Company early this
month. McDonald spent five
years, following service during
World War II, working for the
locally owned Mustang power
company, and then was carried
over as the only CPL employee
when that company acquired the
service 28 years ago. Don, and his
wife Doris, who also recently
retired from CPL, held down the
entire CPL operation in Port
Aransas for all those years, with
Don primarily doing the line work,
and Doris running the adminis-
trative office, though often, each
could be seen aiding the other in
getting the job done.
Shortly after CPL took over the
local electric service, the Port
Aransas generator plant burned,
leaving Don operating an office
out of his truck while temporary
generators were in use. Not long
after that incident, power lines
were laid under the ship channel,
ending the local generation of
electricity.
During the early days, electric
bills were distributed once a year,
with an annual bill of $65 to $75
being common. Times certainly
have changed.
CPL officials noted on Don’s
retirement how pleased they were
with his service to the community
and the company through the
years, adding that the McDonald
husband and wife team have been
a real asset to the growth and
service in the community. Hus-
band ^nd wife teams, according to
company officials, are now a thing
of the past in local offices of the
CPL service area.
A surprise retirement party was
held for Don recently, to honor his
many years of service and
friendship in the community.
About 75 people were present at
the school cafeteria to wish Don
and Doris McDonald well in their
future years. The couple will split
their time between their Port
Aransas home and a country
ranch they own.
All of Port Aransas thanks Don
and Doris for all they have done
in their many years of serving the
community.
NOTICE TO ALL PERSONS
HAVING CLAIMS AGAINST THE
ESTATE OF JOSEPHINE MARY
BRUNDRETT, DECEASED
Notice is hereby given that
original Letters Testamentary
were issued on the Estate of
JOSEPHINE MARY BRUN-
DRETT, Deceased, now pending
in the County Court at Law
Number 3, and being Number
22808-3 on the Docket of that
Court in Nueces County, Texas,
on the 13th day of September,
1979, to ANCEL RALPH BRUN-
DRETT, whose address is 134
Brundrett Avenue in Port Aran-
sas, Texas.
The said Estate is now being
administered, and all persons
having claims against said Estate
are hereby required to present
same to the Executor of the
Estate, or to the Clerk of the said
Court, in the manner and within
the time prescribed by law.
Dated this 9th day of October,
1979.
/s/ RICHARD D. HATCH III
Post Office Box #1206
Aransas Pass, Texas 78336
Attorney for the Estate
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TEXAS PRESS
MtMBtR 1979 ASSOCIATION
Owner - Editor: Steve Frishman
SOUTH JETTY is published
every Thursday by the South Jetty
Publishing Co., Port Aransas,
Texas. Subscription rate is $10.00
per year. 25 cents by the single
copy.
Subscription and Office Mana-
ger: Sue Frishman
Address all correspondence to:
South Jetty Publishing Co.
P. O. Box 1116
Port Aransas, Texas 78373
Office: 201 E. Cotter Avenue,
Port Aransas, Texas. Phone 749-
6377.
Display advertising deadline:
Monday, 12 noon, the week of
publication.
The publisher will gladly correct
anv erroneous statement regard-
ing corporations, firms, or individ-
uals. when called to his attention.
Second Class Postage is paid at
Port Aransas. Texas.
#C $ * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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Frishman, Steve. Port Aransas South Jetty (Port Aransas, Tex.), Vol. 9, No. 18, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 18, 1979, newspaper, October 18, 1979; Port Aransas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth601419/m1/2/?q=music: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Ellis Memorial Library.