Port Aransas South Jetty (Port Aransas, Tex.), Vol. 19, No. 46, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 16, 1989 Page: 1 of 12
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Vol. 19 No. 46 50 cents
On Mustang Island, Texas
USPS 946-202 Thursday, November 16,1989
Cotter Street plan on agenda tonight
By Mary Judson
In spile of heavy opposition from
business owners on Colter and Alister
streets, City Manager Gordon Beck
will recommend approval of a ferry
landing traffic plan recommended by
the state highway department.
The city has received notice that an
alternate plan it approved and sent to
the highway department for consid-
eration was rejected.
Controversy over the highway de-
partment plan, which most Cotter and
Alister Street merchants feel will di-
rect traffic away from the city’s exist-
ing central business district, has raged
since September when business own-
ers pleaded with the council to allow
the Planning Commission and a citi-
zens committee to try to come up with
an alternate plan.
At issue is a proposed expansion of
the “stacking area” for cars approach-
ing the ferry from Port Aransas, ac-
cess to the cruise ship docking area off
Port Street and what has been called a
five-way “idiot intersection”.
The proposed plan by the highway
department would do away with the
loop road that circles through Roberts
Point Park while increasing the stack-
ing area for vehicles waiting to board
the ferries. Vehicles coming on to the
island would have the option of turn-
ing left on Port Street which would
line up with Cotter Street, or going
Cruisin'
Le Mistral docked here Tuesday, Nov. 14, for a gala cruise
to benefit the Arthritis Foundation. Guests are shown
boarding the vessel that is smaller, but much like, one that
will be docking here starting next fall.
Cruise ship negotiations near end
By Mary Judson
An “agreement in principle” may
have been reached yesterday morning
(Wednesday, Nov. 15) when Corpus
Chrisli Port Authority officials and
representat ives of a cruise line met yet
again to work out a lease agreement
for “cruises to nowhere”.
If all went well yesterday and attor-
neys for both parties approve, the
cruises originating from a dock in Port
Aransas may set sail by the fall of next
year.
Col. Nolan C. Rhodes, director of
engineering services for the Corpus
Christi Port Authority, said the Port
Authority and representatives of Pride
Cruise Lines Ltd. of Gulfport, MS
have been working out details of an
agreement for about two months. At
this point in the negotiations he said
there are no “crucial” dividing points
between the two parties.
If both parties agree to terms of the
lease Wednesday, “I’m very hopeful
we can move ahead quickly,” Rhodes
said.
Rhodes said in a September inter-
view that he hoped the agreement could
have been reached by the first of Octo-
ber, but the delay does not change the
targeted sailing date of fall 1990, he
said this week.
The cruise ship that will dock at
what is now known as the Old Hopper
Dredge Dock off Port Street on the
Corpus Chrisli Ship Channel, will be
at least 3,000 gross registered tons,
accommodate a minimum of 500 pas-
sengers and be 350 to 400 feet long,
Rhodes said.
Once a contract is finalized, “we’re
looking at a 10-month construction
program,” Rhodes said.
“We’ll totally rebuild the hopper
dock” and behind it build a parking lot
and reception building with the neces-
sary amenities to process passengers.
After an agreement is signed, the
cruise line would select the vessel and
commence its conversion and refur-
bishing, “then we’ll marry up in the
fall of 1990", Rhodes said.
With preliminary projections esti-
mating 175,000 passengers to book
passage annually, “this will be a real
plus to Port Aransas and to us,” Rhodes
said.
He noted that the Port Authority
will look to Port Aransas for coopera-
tion with support systems such as street
improvements for access to the termi-
nal, water, sewer and electrical serv-
ices.
The day “cruises to nowhere” for
gambling and entertainment have been
made possible by new state legislation
that eliminates the requirement that
ships dock at a foreign port before
commencing gambling operations.
One of the pluses for Port Aransas
will be from sales lax returns on tick-
ets sold here. Also, sales lax from sales
made aboard the ship will be credited
to Port Aransas with the rebates going
to the city coffers.
Restaurants and those in the hospi-
tality industry also expect to reap the
benefits from the increased volume of
visitors to Port Aransas lured by the
cruise ship.
Annexation reel ties t tabled
By Mary Judson
Corpus Chrisli city officials left the
door ajar when Port Aransas city offi-
cials knocked with their request that
land abutting the Port Aransas city
limits but in Corpus Christi’s jurisdic-
tion be released.
The request, made at the Corpus
Christi city council meeting Tuesday,
Nov. 14, was tabled for further study
by city staff to be followed by a work-
shop session of the council.
Only one Corpus Christi council
member, Tom Hunt, expressed full
support of the Port Aransas proposal.
His endorsement was met by cheers
and applause from a crowd of about 40
supporters from Port Aransas who
were gavcled back to order by Corpus
Christi Mayor Betty Turner.
Opposition expected from former
Backing annexation
Port Aransas residents went en masse to Tuesday's Corpus Christi city council meeting where
Port Aransas city officials presented a request to to release part of Corpus Christi's extrater-
ritorial jurisdiction to Port Aransas, p Boarding the bus were from left, council woman Audrey
Manning, an unidentified supporter, Sandi McNorton, Ray Boulanger, Imer Martin Rowan
and another unidentified supporter.
(Staff photo by Murray Judson)
city manager now councilman Ed
Martin, was less formidable than
expected, Port Aransas Mayor pro-
tein Chuck Borders said.
“Basically his position is that if
Corpus Christi is not in a position to
annex the area immediately, it should
be released to us,” Borders said.
Corpus Christi city staff members
have recommended to City Manager
Juan Garza that the area in question
stay within the Corpus Christi extra-
territorial jurisdiction.
A majority of the property owners
in a seven-mile stretch along FM 361
(formerly Park Road 53) south of the
Port Aransas city limits have asked
that Port Aransas take steps to annex
the land as opposed to being annexed
by Corpus Christi.
The Corpus Christi city staff report
indicates that the area could be an-
nexed and capital improvements initi-
ated within two years and be “substan-
tially complete” within four-and-one-
half years from the annexation date of
each parcel.
Port Aransas, as Borders told the
Corpus Christi city council, is already
serving the area with police and fire
andcmergency medical services, water
and sewer service. Children in the area
attend Port Aransas schools, residents
have Port Aransas addresses and tele-
phone numbers. They also vote in Port
Aransas as part of Nueces County
voting precinct 19.
Borders told his Corpus Christi
counterparts that Port Arar.sas wanted
to prevent a “cruise to nowhere” by
property owners who have requested
annexation by Port Aransas.
See "Annexation," Page 8
straight and connecting with Cutoff
Road. Access to Cotter Street, which
leads to the primary business district,
would be by left turn onto an extension
of Port Street that would feed onto
Cotter.
Cotter and Alister street business
people came to the September council
meeting to object to the plan which
they feel, as summed up by Susan
LagedrostofTortuga Flats, “is akin to
cutting off an exit ramp to a little town
on an interstate highway”.
At the September meeting, City
Manager Gordon Beck said the plan is
designed to “take the pressure off
Cotter Street”, a comment met by the
remark that “it’ll take the business off
Cotter,” by Nettie Mayfield of Nettie’s
Baits on Cotter Street.
The proposed change would, Beck
said, double the holding area for cars
approaching the ferry and will be
coordinated with a highway depart-
ment project to enlarge Cutoff Road to
three lanes with a center turn lane,
curbs, gutters and a sidewalk.
Cutoff Road skirts the business
district and intersects with Alister at
the point where it becomes Park Road
53, recently renamed FM 361. Park
Road 53 takes traffic off Mustang Is-
land to Padre Island and eventually, to
Corpus Christi.
Beck focused on the five-way “idiot
intersection” which includes Cotter,
Cutoff Road, Port Street, the ferry
approach and the entrance to the city
harbor and Roberts Point Park.
Jim Atwill, owner of the Tarpon Inn
on Cotter Street, told the council in
September that, if the highway
department’s plan was approved, cars
stacking up to wait their turn left onto
Colter, “won ’ t wait” and most will opt
to go straight onto Cutoff Road.
Mayor J.C.Barrwasconcemed with
getung a soluuon in place in time for
the arrival of the cruise ship, expected
in the fall of 1990 according to the Port
Authority of Corpus Christi. He said
when the cruise ship begins operating
“you’re probably going to have 250
more cars a day” going on to Port
Street.
Atwill responded to the mayor’s
concern saying that those 500 people a
day need to be kept in town to “spread
their dincros (dollars)” around, rather
than merely getting them to the cruise
ship and back out of town.
“Our only shot is to get them through
the main part of the city,” Atwill said.
“You have no choice now (except to
come on to Colter Street). If you turn
on Cutoff Road it’s because you know
(the island),” Atwill told the council in
September.
Also at that meeting, Councilman
Glenn Martin said he could not see the
council approving a plan that would so
significantly affect property values.
“People bought land on Cotter and
Alister because of the proximity to the
ferry before anyone ever heard of the
cruise ship,” he said.
In the alternate version of the plan
submitted by the council, the road
leading from the ferry landing to Cut-
off Road would have become one way
going to the ferry landing, leaving
traffic coming on to the island flowing
onto Cotter Streets.
Dallas Comuzzie, supervising resi-
dent engineer for Dist. 16 of the high-
way department, told the council that
“state funds should not be used to
construct a road that has the potential
of creating traffic problems.”
Comuzzie expressed concern over
“heavy volumes of traffic (that) have
to cross each other to reach their des
tination, ( and) the potential for acci-
dent is increased (as) the efficiency of
the roadway to handle the traffic is
reduced.”
Beck in his notes to the council
recommending passage of a resolu-
tion that would authorize him to ob-
tain information concerning a tract of
land necessary for public easement
and right-of-way, said the project as
presented by the highway department
“is needed for several reasons.”
‘The project would result in the
extension of Cotter Street past the
ferry landing and out Port Avenue.
The area where Port Avenue termi-
nates (where the cruise ship will dock)
is very likely to be the retail business
area of Port Aransas in the immediate
future.
“The effect of the completed proj-
ect would be to directly connect the
old retail area with the new. Anther
benefit of the project will be the provi-
sion of a larger holding area at the
ferry landing and the capability to
hold vehicles waiting to leave the is-
land down the center lane of Cutoff
Road. This would eliminate the prob-
lem of blocking access to businesses
along Cotter Street and improve ac-
cess to the city harbor and Roberts
Point Park,” Beck says in his notes to
the council.
The item is last on tonight’s agenda.
The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at city
hail.
Salute to vets
State Rep. Todd Hunter, at left in the back seat, and State
Sen. Carlos Truan, waving at right, joined Port Aransas
officials in a salute to veterans during the first annual
Veterans Day Parade here Saturday, Nov. 11. Hosting the
state officials was Port Aransas Mayor J.C. Barr, in the front
passenger seat.
Bus, energy saver bids
get okays from trustees
By Mary Judson
Port Aransas school trustees ap-
proved advertising for bids on a new
school bus and to spend $3,500 to
have bids and specifications drawn up
for projects that arc expected to save
the district nearly 20 percent in utility
costs.
The steps were taken during the
board’s regular meeting Thursday,
Nov. 9.
The new school bus, which may
cost from $46,000 to $49,000 will
replace a 1973 model with more than
108,00 miles on it and that docs not
meet federal regulations.
Trustees looked a a “transit” style
bus before the meeting that features a
“flat” front that allows better visibility
than the traditional style school bus
and that has body and parts made
together that gives a bus three to five
years more life, especially in a salt air
climate, a representative of the bus
manufacturing company told trustees.
The front engine design also offers
convenient maintenance because of
accessibility to the engine.
While the vote to advertise for bids
on the bus was unanimous, the vote tc
spend $3,500 to have specifications
drawn up for $100,000 in energy-
saving projects was not.
Trustee Ben Brundrctt said no to the
idea because of his concern that the
district is not prepared to spend
$100,000 on the at a cost of about
$3,000.
Many energy-saving modifications
recommended by that company have
been made “in-house” and the proj-
ects proposed arc beyond the capabili-
ties of the district’s maintenance staff.
In other business trustees:
• accepted the low bid of $18,471
from Commercial Motors in Aransas
Pass for a Ford stretch van for school
use.
• approved $25 a month for and “I
Care Hotline” for students. The serv-
ice allows students to call a toll-free
number for help with problems from
drugs to relationships or “just to talk”.
See "School," Page 7
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Judson, Mary Henkel. Port Aransas South Jetty (Port Aransas, Tex.), Vol. 19, No. 46, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 16, 1989, newspaper, November 16, 1989; Port Aransas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth662819/m1/1/: accessed May 6, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Ellis Memorial Library.