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North Beach News
Monthly Newsletter of the Corpus Christi Beach Association January 2011
Next meeting
Thursday thirdcoastphoto.com
January 20, 2010 Council members Mark Scott and Nelda Martinez join Mayor Adame in unveiling the sign.
4:30 pm
Lanai Room at Archway signifies new era on Norththirdcoastphoto.com
Beach
The Breakers City leaders, others celebrate with ground breaking event
On a cold January 13 morning, more than
Speaker: 50 of Corpus Christi’s leaders, business
Lynn & Trish Frazier, owners and residents bundled up and
CCBA members and rallied on the grassy median at Burleson
North Beach residents, and Surfside to celebrate the ground
will talk about their breaking of the first Bond 2008 projects to
plans to build a new get underway on North Beach.
restaurant on the beach After speeches and introductions, city
called “Fajitaville” leaders unveiled a sign depicting a 24-foot-
tall archway reading “Corpus Christi Beach”
that will soon stretch 90 feet across
Agenda: thirdcoastphoto.com
Burleson to welcome visitors.
Pledge of Allegiance CCBA member JoAnn Gilbertson spoke about Blue Bay Construction, a Houston com-
Reading of Minutes the momentum building on the beach. Continued on page 2
Treasurer’s Report
Old/New Business Social Hour Menu
5:30 pm: Social Hour & • Sami's Seafood Gumbo Food by Sami Cameron
unofficial “After Hours” ($5/person donation)
• Mini roasted pork and beef tenderloin for sandwiches
meeting for latecomers • Henry Bain sauce or kicked up mayonnaise
• Plum good Sausage and Meatballs in chock pot
North Beach • Commanders Place's Salad
News Editor: • Pecan wrapped large olives
Carrie Robertson • Fruit dip with gingersnaps
Contact info: • Cookies by the cookie man
361-883-7245 • Wine and ice tea
thirdcoastphoto@gmail.com
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• Archway
Continued from page 1
pany that was awarded the $321,239 contract by City
Council for the archway, landscaping, sidew alks and new
signage, plans to start work in the coming weeks.
The archway will be made of concrete, fiberglass and
wood. On the archway’s two foundations is a design
depicting two large flip-flops – the official icon of the CC
Beachwalk. CCBA member JoAnn Gilbertson designed the
icon and was the mastermind behind the Beachwalk
concept, branding the 10-foot-wide waterfront sidewalk
as an attraction, similar to San Antonio’s Riverwalk. The
Beachwalk extension project is still in the design phase. thirdcoastphoto.com
Ground breaking organizers printed special flip-flop T-
Lynn &Trish Frazier, left, join Mayor Joe Adame, Pete
shirts and baked flip-flop cookies to be served with hot
Anaya and Nelda Martinez at the ground breaking.
coffee provide by Yummie’s Restaurant.
For Gilbertson, the ground breaking ceremony was the The crowd at the ceremony was like a “Who’s Who”
beginning of a new era - thirdcoastphoto.com
when in Corpus Christi government, with the City Manger, the
efforts to improve the beach Mayor, two City Council members and several depart-
that she and others have made ment heads present, demonstrating by their presence
become a reality. Gilbertson, the city’s commitment to North Beach improvement and
who built Beachcomber Cot- growth. CCBA members Betty Black, Carrie Robertson,
tages near the north end, John Sloan and Mike McCormack also attended, along
volunteers to sit on both the CC with Tom Schmidt of the Texas State Aquarium and
Beach Task Force and the board Rocco Montesano of the USS Lexington, Corpus Christi’s
of the CC Beach Association. top two attractions, which are located on North Beach.
Yummie’s provided “We are here today to Architect John Wright who designed the giant archway
funding for coffee and celebrate this historical moment was acknowledged for his work. His archway design sets
flip-flop cookies baked with the ground breaking of a the tone of the beach, which Gilbertson described in her
by CCBA member gateway arch that will become speech as “a tropical relaxed character with the makings
Carrie Robertson.
a photo op for many vacationers for a world destination.”
to come,” Gilbertson told the crowd. At the end of her speech, Gilbertson introduced Lynn
TV cameras rolled and photographers’ cameras clicked and Trish Frazier, who are planning to build a restaurant
as a blue drape was pulled off a large sign depicting the on North Beach cal led Fajitaville. The Fraziers showed a
architect’s rendering of the giant archway. The sign will rendering of the three-story beachfront restaurant that
remain in place until the actual archway is built, providing they plan to build and asked for the city’s support, since
a visual for the project. The contract allows Blue Bay 11 their project is currently under review for permitting.
months to complete the arhcway, sidewalk and signage. The Fraziers will speak to CCBA on Jan 20.
New Harbor Ferry to begin service on March 12
The Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority modifications, including ADA bathrooms.
(RTA) selected HMS Global Maritime this winter as the As in previous years, the new ferry will provide water
operator for the RTA’s Harbor Ferry w ater taxi service in transportation from the Corpus Christi Marina People’s
2011. Since RTA was not able to operate a ferry service Street T-head on the Bayfront to the ferry dock near the
in 2010, many residents Texas State Aquarium on North Beach. The ferry will not
and business owners stop at the Solomon Ortiz Center as it has in the past.
welcome the ferry’s The first day of operation will be March 12. The ferry
return because of the will operate with an expanded schedule this year,
important connection it running on weekends through the spring, daily in sum-
provides between tourist mer and on some weekends during the fall. Tickets will
areas on North Beach and on the Corpus Christi Bayfront. cost $1.50 one way or $3 round trip, Cruz-Aedo said.
During the January 10 Corpus Christi Beach Task Force Based in Indiana, HMS is an international company that
meeting, RTA’s Jorge Cruz-Aedo said that HMS’ front - runs ferry services in Alabama, Pennsylvania, Kentucky,
loading vessel, which holds 100 passengers, is currently Indiana, Florida, Michigan, Washington, Oklahoma,
being shipped from Washington State and that, before Alaska, Hawaii, Japan, Haiti, Trinidad and the Bahamas.
being put into service, the vessel will undergo some For more info, visti www.hornblowermarine.com.
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Hunter, Hinojosa aim to bring cruise ship port to area
thirdcoastphoto.com
Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, left, and Todd Hunter thirdcoastphoto.com
spoke at the cruise ship news conference. The cruise ship event packed the hanger inside the USS Lexington.
On January 6, more than 100 people filled the USS
Lexington’s main hanger in a standing-room-only news
conference organized by State Representative Todd
Hunter, who represents Corpus Christi, and State
Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa of McAllen to gain support
for legislation they are proposing to create another
cruise ship port in Texas, possibly in Corpus Christi.
The cruise ship industry is a billion-dollar industry, and
millions of those dollars could be channeled into the local
economy if cruise ships landed here, Hunter said. Conceptual rendering of a cruise ship port on Corpus
Hunter is introducing a bill this session to commission Christi’s Bayfront near the American Bank Center.
a study on what incentives could entice cruise ship Convention & Visitors Bureau CEO Keith Arnold. Cruise
companies to the Texas coast, somewhere between lines bring visitors to local restaurants and retail outlets,
Calhoun and Cameron Counties. Hinojosa is working on a attract new businesses and increase exposure of a city
similar bill for Senate. as a destination, Arnold said.
Many Corpus Christi city leaders attended, including The idea is that, since Houston and Galveston have the
Mayor Joe Adame and City Council members John Marez, only cruise ships in the state, building a port closer to the
Larry Elizondo and Priscilla Leal. Rocco Montesano of the large populations of San Antonio, the Valley and Mexico
USS Lexington introduced the speakers, which included would provide increased business for the industry.
North Beach
couple plans
restaurant
Lynn and Trish Frazier, CCBA
members and residents of
The Harbors, are planning to
build a restaurant called
Fajitaville on North Beach
and will be the featured
speakers for the January 20
CCBA meeting. They an-
nounced their plans during
Artist’s rendering the January 13 ground
Fajitaville Grille will feature open hibachis, a ceviche bar and a Ferris wheel. The breaking for Bond 2008
developers, Lynn and Trish Frazier, will speak to CCBA on January 20. projects (article page 1).
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thirdcoastphoto.com
Next, the city plans to install
Parks & Recreation Department is in the process of installing new rules signs at all
beach access roads on North Beach. On the north half of the beach, the signs include Penny Plover signs to educate
the new curfew hours. beach users about littering.
New signs communicate rules,
safety issues to beach users
Crews from the City’s Parks & Recreation Department worked
on North Beach for several days this month, sinking 16-foot-tall
wooden posts into the sand and attaching large blue signs that
list rules and safety information for beach users. The signs are
being placed at the end of each beach access road and be-
tween the north jetty and Puerto del Sol RV Park.
The rules sign project has been in the works since at least
thirdcoastphoto.com November 2009, when Parks & Rec first started talking about
Crews work to sink 16-foot posts into the ground creating new, larger rules signs for North Beach to help inform
to hold the new rules signs. beach users about regulations and to make it easier for police
to enforcing existing ordinances such as no motorized vehicles
on the beach, no littering and no camping.
Support CCBA In 2010, the rules signs got put on hold until City Council
Advertise in North Beach News passed a new ordinance closing the north half of the beach
from midnight to 5 am. The new curfew is posted at the top of
(361) 883-7245 the new signs on the north half of the beach.
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Pepsi Pavilion grant application to be submitted soon
Task Force Update
The Corpus Christi Beach Task Force held its monthly
meeting on January 10.
PEPSI PAVILION
Representing the CCBA on the Task Force, Carrie
Robertson was joined by President Betty Black and
Treasurer John Sloan to discuss the CCBA’s involvement
in the grant application for the Pepsi Pavilion. Initially,
the city was going to apply for the grant but found that
while government entities cannot apply, people, busi-
nesses and non-profits may. So CCBA agreed to apply
for and manage the project.
The grant application asks for funding to build a new
pavilion to replace the old one next to the playground at Architect John Wright’s preliminary design of Pepsi
Dolphin Park on the north end of the beach. Pavilion which CCBA will submit as a Pepsi Refresh Grant.
Developer JoAnn Gilbertson, who is building the
nearby Beachcomber Cottages, came up with the idea to new tourist destination. RTA’s Jorge Cruz-Aedo said that
apply for the grant through the Pepsi Refresh Project, a his agency would “come to the table and offer some
competition that accepts project ideas, then asks people participation” in the pier project, since the Harbor Ferry
to vote online for their favorite project. Each month, could use the pier as a landing point. It was suggested
Pepsi accepts 1,000 ideas and funds up to 32 of the the CCBA consider supporting the pier project as well.
projects. The Texas State Aquarium won two Pepsi Assistant City Manager Johnny Perales recommended
grants in 2010. More info: www.refresheverything.com. that the Task Force develop a prioritized list of ideas that
The city hired architect John Wright to design the represent a cross-section of projects for submission to
pavilion. Black signed the grant application for CCBA. the city to consider placing in the 2012 bond package.
Gilbertson will complete the paperwork and submit the SAFETY
grant on behalf of CCBA. Both women are volunteering Gary Hill of the Police Department reported that a
their time for the project. surveillance camera near the Aquarium has been
INFRASTRUCTURE installed but is not yet operational. He said that the effort
City Senior Engineer Joe Cavalier reported on a recent to add lighting to existing power poles on the north end
examination of the storm water system and drainage on has been handed over to Traffic & Engineering.
North Beach that his department conducted. Next, the PARKS
city will examine water, wastewater and streets and Parks & Rec will hold public meetings to discuss
prepare additional reports on those. updates to their master plan. The one closest to North
BOND PROJECTS Beach will be held January 26 at the Art Center of CC
After a wrap up of Bond 2008 project status, the Task from 6 pm to 7:30 pm. Parks installed an enclosed
Force discussed ideas for Bond 2012, including infra- dumpster at Kiwanis Park and a contractor will mow
structure improvements and a large pier to serve as a medians and parks on North Beach starting February 1.
New recycling ‘Smart Carts’ coming to North Beach soon
To implement its new “single-stream” recycling program, The blue Smart Cart can be rolled to the curb for
the city began distributing new 95-gallon recycling collection, just the same as the green trash carts. The
containers in early January to all households that have only difference is that trash will be picked up weekly,
Solid Waste pick up. The new bins called "Smart Carts" while recycling will be picked up every two weeks. North
should be delivered to North Beach Beach (Area One) will have trash pickup on Monday.
residents this month. Each Smart Cart is embedded with an electronic chip
The new system, which officially that tracks how much each household recycles, which
begins January 31, will allow people to allows residents toparticipate in a rewards program that
toss all their recyclable material in one provides discounts at area retailers based on recycling
bigger cart instead of separarting it into participation. For more info, visit cctexas.com.
18-gallon green bins like before. The When the new blue Smart Carts arrive, residents can
Smart Carts are the same size as the current green keep their old 18-gallon recycling bins or put them in
garbage carts and don’t require residents to sort materi- their new Smart Cart to be recycled.
als. The new carts will come with a packet of information For more information, call the City’s Solid Waste
that will explain upcoming changes and collection dates. Deparment at (361) 826-2489.
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CVB’s Horine presents eco-tourism to CCBA in November
thirdcoastphoto.com thirdcoastphoto.com
Michelle Horine with the Convention & Visitors Bureau CCBA members listen to Horine’s presentation, which
spoke to CCBA in November about tourism in Corpus. focused on the recent increase in eco-tourism.
Michelle Horine with the Convention & Visitors Bureau national bird watching competition.
(CVB) spoke to CCBA on November 18, focusing on the Although fishing and hunting are the probably the
increase in eco-tourism in recent years and how the CVB most popular outdoor activities in the state, kayaking has
has been working to promote it in Corpus Christi. grown 700 percent over the past few years. The CVB is
“Everyone is talking about how great she was,” said working to create a kayaking “trail” on North Beach,
CCBA member Sami Cameron who lives in The Breakers similar to the one that Texas Parks & Wildlife built in
condos, adding, “I was born in Corpus Christi and did not Redfish Bay called “Lighthouse Lakes.”
know any of this.” Horine said that studies show that 85 percent of
Tourism has a $1.2 billion economic impact to the city, tourists research and book their vacations online now,
she said, which makes the CVB’s role of encouraging so the CVB is highlighting eco-tourism opportunities in
visitors to come here very important to the city’s eco- Corpus Christi through a new section of its website
nomic health. called “Waves Wings Wildlife.” The website is online at
Horine used a PowerPoint presentation to illustrate the www.visitcorpuschristitx.org/nature.
various eco-tourism opportunities that our area offers,
including kayaking, fishing, hunting, windsurfing,
kiteboarding, surfing, sailboating and bird watching. She
said that Corpus Christi has won the title, “America’s
Birdiest City” in the US for eight years in a row through a
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N ort h Beac
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Official CCBA Minutes
The following minutes from the October 21, 2010, CCBA
meeting were read by CCBA Secretary JoAnn Gilbertson
and approved during the November 18 meeting.
Corpus Christi Beach Association
Meeting October 21 , 2010
Meeting called to order at 4:30 pm by Pres. Betty Black.
Minutes from the September 16 minutes were read by
Secretary JoAnn Gilbertson.
Motion to approve was seconded by Howard Fleck.
Treasurer Report was ready by John Sloan.
Speaker: Michael Morris, new Director of City of Corpus
Christi’s Parks & Recreation Department.
Mr. Morris began by introducing himself as being from
Portsmouth, Virginia. In his experience, it is not unusual
for city government to not fund maintenance of coastal
parks. He said that the same situation exists in Corpus
Christi, where maintenance is often the last thing to get
funded, but that he wants to change that.
Corpus has 193 parks to maintain. Morris has resched-
uled Parks workers’ schedules so that more staff is
working weekends when more residents and tourists are
using the parks and beaches.
Current Parks’ projects on Corpus Christi Beach are
building a dumpster enclosure at Kiwanis Park and
installing Penny Plover signs combating litter. The
department also bought a new attachment for its Bobcat
tractor to aid in removing sand from the Beachwalk. thirdcoastphoto.com
He said he signed the Corpus Christi Beach entryway A worker applies white paint to the Harbor Bridge. After
arch design today and the bathhouse and kayak launch two lanes on each side were blocked off this fall, traffic is
projects are on their way but that there are still hurdles moving faster as the project progresses.
to overcome for placing the kayak launch in the desig-
nated wetland area in front of the North Jetty. Harbor Bridge update
In October, City Council approved hiring Halff Associ- The Harbor Bridge plays a pivotal role in the lives of
ates as a consultant to develop Corpus Christi Beach and North Beach residents. It is a landmark on our horizon
Morris mandated that park maintenance be included in and provides the link between North Beach and the rest
the plan. Parks & Rec’s annual budget is $18 million and of Corpus Christi.
$300,000 of that is dedicated to the tourist district, which Frances Garza, Public Information Officer for Texas
makes funding an issue, he explained. Department of Transportation’s Corpus Christi District,
JoAnn Gilbertson suggested that the city revisit the idea answered some questions via email this week:
of using part of the Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) funds for Q: How far along is the bridge painting project?
parks maintenance as HOT fund literature states that A: The project is more than 50 percent complete.
they can be used for areas near a museum, such as the Q: Will traffic be diverted still, like it was this fall?
USS Lexington. HOT funds currently contribute to A: Some lane closures will continue but only as needed.
maintaining the Gulf beaches but not the bay beaches. Q: When will the painting project be finished?
New Business: Betty Black asked for ideas for next A: The project probably has at least until the end of this
meeting. JoAnn suggested for members to be thinking year before it is finished, although the contractor has
about suggestions for Bond 2012 projects. She also been working ahead of schedule.
suggested that CCBA start a fundraiser to plant more Q: When will a new bridge be built?
trees and landscaping on Corpus Christi Beach. A: The environmental and engineering study for a new
Carrie Robertson suggested that CCBA consider bridge is in progress and will take approximately three
donating money to pay for more beach trash cans. She years to complete. The bridge work will begin at least
also proposed changing the annual CCBA membership five years after that, at the earliest, if funding is avail-
fees to be $20 for individuals, $30 for families and $40 able.
for members who receive the printed newsletter instead Q: Is the bridge open to pedestrian traffic?
of the electronic one. A: The bridge is not open to pedestrian traffic and will
The meeting was adjourned at 5:35 pm. not be open until the whole project is complete.
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Runners get in
workout before
turkey dinner
On Thanksgiving morning
hundreds of runners, joggers
and walkers were on North
Beach, participating in the
Coastal Bend Running Club’s
annual Turkey Chase and
Coastal Bend Championship
Road Race. The event included a
thirdcoastphoto.com four-mile run, a two-mile fun
Entrants in the ‘Turkey Chase’ walk, jog and run along Gulfbreeze on Thanksgiving walk and a kids race. Starting at
morning. The annual event starts at Pier 99 on the south end and sends partici- Pier 99, participants went to the
pants on an around-the-island tour of North Beach. north end of the beach and back.
MEMBERSHIP FORM ~ Join or renew your membership today
CORPUS CHRISTI BEACH ASSOCIATION
Mail form and check to: CCBA, PO Box 2361, Corpus Christi, TX 78403
Name: ______________________________ Company: ____________________
Address: __________________________ City, State, Zip: __________________
Email Address: ______________________________Phone: ________________
Receive newsletter: ______ Email or _______ US Mail (check one)
Dues are $20/year for an individual, family or a business. Dues paid now cover all of 2011.
Regular monthly meetings are held at 4:30 pm on the third Thursday of each month at The Breakers
Condominium, Lanai Room, 4242 Gulfbreeze Blvd, Corpus Christi Beach
CCBA
PO Box 2361
Corpus Christi, TX
78403
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