first development in 25 years here at last - third coast...

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Next meeting Thursday

March 19, 20094:30 pm

Lanai Room atThe Breakers

Speaker:City Council At-Large

CandidatesBrent ChesneyMelody Cooper

David LoebNelda Martinez

Mark Scottrunning for re-electionin the April 4 elections

Agenda:Pledge of Allegiance

SpeakerReading of MinutesTreasurer’s ReportOld/New Business

Social Hour

North BeachNews Editor:

Carrie RobertsonTo submit info:361-883-7245

March 2009Monthly Newsletter of the Corpus Christi Beach Association

• Smokey Pork Tenderloin for sandwiches• Chimichurri Sauce• Mustard Sauce• Boiled Texas Shrimp• Red Sauce• Olive Garden Salad• Creamy Potato Salad• Disappearing Spinach Dip/veggies• Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding with Butter• Rum Sauce• Cookies by Herb The Cookie Man• Wine will be served

Social Hour MenuFood by Sami Cameron

($5/person donation)

First development in 25 years here at last

Developer JoAnn Gilbertson, CCBA’ssecretary, received a building permit fromthe City’s Development Services Depart-ment on March 3 and four days laterstarted construction on “BeachcomberCottages,” five resort-inspired townhomesthat mark the first development onCorpus Christi Beach in 25 years. Untilthis project, the most recent develop-ments to break ground in this area were

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Continued on page 2

Developer JoAnn Gilbertson holds her building permits on March 7 as a truckdrills holes to hold the first pilings of her development on Corpus Christi Beach.

The Beach Place condos and The Harborshousing development, both in 1984. “People in the neighborhood are ex-cited,” Gilbertson said. “They are comingup to me saying that they have seen somany signs go up promising developmentand that mine is the first one to actuallycome through. These are people who arewatching it from their balcony window. It’sexciting for me, of course, but it’s alsoexciting for the neighborhood. I feel like Ihave a lot of support,” she said. The five townhomes being built on thecorner of Gulfbreeze Boulevard and ReefAvenue will be painted “beachy tropicalcolors” such as pink, green, purple, yellowand blue, she said. Gilbertson’s contractor, T&T Construc-tion, has been moving quickly, startingwith the first two 960-square-foot cot-tages. By March 15, the pilings, foundationbeams and framing for the roof and wallson the first unit were up. They should becomplete by late May. After that,Gilbertson plans to build three morecottages on the 13,000-square-foot lot. The cottages start at $139,900. The

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development will include a pool and BBQ area, coveredparking and an enclosed storage area on ground level.The upstairs l iving area will include Travertine ti le floors,French doors, balconies, vaulted lofts and energyefficient metal roofing. They will be built on stilts andpre-wired for solar panels. When interviewed by the North Beach News in Sep-tember 2008 after applying through the City’s Develop-ment Services Department for her permit, Gilbertson saidthat she hopes her project will be “the beginning of abeautiful beach-area transformation.” The permittingprocess took longer than she expected, about fivemonths, which is longer than the permitting process tookin other places she has developed including Amarillo,Texas, and Fargo, North Dakota. As part of the permitting process for her development,she paid almost $5,000 in fees to Parks & Recreationwhich will go to improving park facilities within one andhalf miles of her development. She has been active inCCBA’s recent efforts to revitalize the north end of thebeach, which has included adding a new playground andrequesting that the park’s name be changed to DolphinPark. Gilbertson has asked the City to use some of themoney she paid in development fees to improve thepublic bathhouse at the north end. Gilbertson also owns a vacation condo rental businesscalled Condos on the Beach At A Hotel Price,corpuschristi-hotel.com, renting condos at Villa del Solon Corpus Christi Beach. She and her husband Robinmoved to Corpus Christi in 2006 from Fargo, NorthDakota, after vacationing here the year before. “Wethought, ‘Why not live where you vacation?’” she ex-plained. So they sold their home and moved to Corpus. For more information, call 361-834-1481.

Cottages ...Continued from page 1

Workers install the framework for the first of twotownhomes that are currently under constructionon the corner of Gulfbreeze and Reef. The projectmarks the first new development on CorpusChristi Beach in 25 years.

The five beach cottages being built by JoAnnGilbertson will look similar to these models.

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Engineered drawings for the townhomes show acommon breezeway and stairs leading up to eachtownhome’s living area, kitchen, master bedroom,loft and utility room. Downstairs will have parkingand storage area for each unit.

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North Beach NewsNorth Beach NewsNorth Beach NewsNorth Beach NewsNorth Beach News - March 2009 - page 3 - March 2009 - page 3 - March 2009 - page 3 - March 2009 - page 3 - March 2009 - page 3

New north end playground ready for Spring BreakCity Parks & Recreation crewsworked during February andMarch installing three piecesof playground equipment, abench and an ADA-compliantsidewalk at the north end ofNorth Beach, pushing to finishin time for Spring Breakcrowds to enjoy the new park.The metal swing set, climberand slide are surrounded by aplastic retaining wall thatcontains 12-inches of mulch toprovide a safe zone aroundthe equipment. Nueces County, under theguidance of then-Commis-sioner Peggy Bañales, donatedall the new equipment andsupplies, which cost about$15,000. Corpus Christi Parks &Recreation Departmentdonated the land and crews toinstall the sidewalk andplayground, which took severaldays to complete. Parks & Recwill also maintain the faci lity, which is located near thepublic pavilion and bathhouse on the north end. Corpus Christi Beach Association donated $2,500 to theplayground project, helping to fund concrete expenses.The group also formally requested that the name of thepark be changed from “North Facility” to “Dolphin Park.” The February issue of North Beach News incorrectlyreported that the “Dolphin Park” name change wasofficial. However, it is still going through the namechange process: After it was approved by the Park &Recreation Advisory Committee on February 11, the citymust erect signs at the site notifying the public of the

Eat free on your birthday! $12 valueNow at two locations:

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Pete Meyer plays with his three-year-old son, Kai, on the new climber,part of the new playground installed at the north end of North Beach.

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pending name change. After a 60-90 day waiting period,the name change request then moves to City Council forfinal approval or disapproval. The idea behind the “Dolphin Park” name change(which came from JoAnn Gilbertson) is to give the area afun-sounding name that would help draw more people tothe area. Pods of Bottlenose Dolphins can often be seenfrom the park, swimming in the bay. To build on thetheme, CCBA has discussed raising funds to buy severalconcrete dolphin sculptures that double as playgrounditems for kids to crawl on and as benches for adults torest on. The sculptures would be placed near theplayground “in formation,” as if swimming in a pod.


March 19 - Karl Swafford’s Corpus Christi.Presentation focusing on historic events and places,documenting early 20th century Corpus Christi and thestories behind them. Corpus Christi Museum of Sciene& History, 7 pm. Free. Info: www.ccmuseum.com 361-826-4667.March 27-29 - Festival of the Arts. Art Center ofCorpus Christi. Free. Info: www.ccfestivalarts.org.April 12 - Easter Sunday - 66th annual EasterSunrise Passion Play at Cole Park. Info: 361-728-5623.April 18 - Earth Day/Bay Day. Exhibits, games,entertainment, food, activities. McCaughan Park andMcGee Beach (CC Bayfront), 10am-5pm. Info:www.baysfoundation.orgApril 23-26 - Texas International Boat Show,CC Marina, People’s Street T-Head. Over 400 boats inthe water, ready to demo, plus 250 more onshore alongwith boating and fishing gear. Also on display wi ll beluxury motor homes, trucks, exotic cars, airplanes,custom bikes. Wakeboard competition, fashion shows,live music, US coastguard search and rescue demos.Info: www.corpuschristimarina.com, 361-826-3980April 23-May 3 - Buck Days. CC Bayfront. Music,dance, carnival, exhibits, rodeo, parade. Admission $5adults. Info: www.bucdays.com, 361-882-3242April 25 - 23rd Annual Adopt-A-Beach cleanup.Statewide event held twice a year. Participants gatherdebris from area beaches. Snacks are provided afterthe event held at various site locations in the CoastalBend. North Beach event starts at the Texas StateAquarium. Info: www.texasadoptabeach.org, KrystalMead, 361-881-1321

Calendar of EventsBird of the Month

GREAT BLUE HERONThe Great Blue Heron is a common sight on NorthBeach, standing on the north jetty, fishing on thebeach or perched on wooden posts. This shorebird,the largest and heaviest of the herons, measuresfour feet tall with a six-foot wingspan. It has ablue-gray back, black patches on its sides and agray and white-striped belly. The cheeks, throatand top of the head are white. It has a black stripeover its eye and a long, black feather decoratingthe back of its head. Its bill is yellow and its legsare greenish-brown. It is generally solitary andnocturnal, hunting fish and other animals whilewading slowly in quiet waters. Its call is like a loud,rusty squawk. Bird watchers sometimes witness“heron wars” when one heron loudly chases offanother that has encroached on its territory. GreatBlue Herons made a miraculous comeback fromnear extinction when the pesticide DDT (now illegalin the U.S.) caused the shel ls of their eggs to besoft so that the weight of the parent birds crushedthem in the nest. This month, these birds can beseen nesting in platforms built on Causeway Islandwest of Hwy 181.

• Photography• Web design• Computer

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361.442.0628

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On North Beach

Pete MeyerLicensed Massage Therapist

361.815.9754www.gbmassage.com

4401 Gulfbreeze Blvd.Corpus Christi, TX 78402

On North Beach

Therapeutic Massagein studio or in your home

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With elections coming, politicians court CCBA membersOn February 19, all three mayoral candidates (JoeAdame, Henry Garrett and Douglas Schaffer) attendedthe CCBA meeting and were each given a few minutes tointroduce themselves and to answer questions. Since the CCBA has publicly stated its opposition to theproposed Las Brisas pet-coke plant, CCBA memberCarrie Robertson asked candidate Adame to describe hisstance on the plant. He responded that City Council andthe Mayor have made it clear that they support the plantand that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality(TCEQ) will be in charge of the permitting process forthe plant. Robertson was disappointed, she said, “be-cause I am hoping to find a candidate who will stand upand recognize the valid concern that thousands ofCoastal Bend residents have about the air and waterpollution Las Brisas will bring if it is built, but I have yetto find any politician that will touch the issue, due to itscontroversial nature. I see i t as the number-one issue.” In a 7-0 vote in September, the City Council passed aresolution in support of the power plant, with CouncilmenJohn Marez and Larry Elizondo absent. In February,Council member Mike McCutchon asked that the councilbe presented with more information about the complexissue, but Mayor Henry Garrett would not allow it to beplaced on the agenda, which meant it would take fiveCouncil members to override him. City Council member for Region 2 (including NorthBeach), John Marez, has been in the news lately as thelast-minute swing vote on the controversial decision byCity Council to not revisit the Las Brisas issue. Marezinitially said he would support revisiting the issue butthen changed his mind and was one of five of the nineCouncil members to vote down revisiting the issue. Hesaid that the Council doesn’t have authority over whether

Joe Adame

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Henry GarrettDouglas Schaffer

Mayorial candidates visit CCBA in February

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John Marez

the petroleum coke-fueled power plant comes in, so hedidn’t see the need to get more information. Localgroups opposing the pet-coke plant counter that thereare steps City Council could take to, at least symbolically,show opposition to or concernsabout the plant, which even itsown developers say willsubstantially increase levels ofpollution in Corpus Christi andsurrounding towns. Marez attended the February19 CCBA meeting, askingmembers to support him in thepolls in April. His opponent isWilliam Henneberger, a writerfor a local publication. At the upcoming March 19meeting, several City Councilcandidates running for “At-Large” seats will be thefeatured speakers. Those that have confirmed by presstime included Brent Chesney, Melody Cooper, DavidLoeb, Nelda Martinez and Mark Scott. The only new-comer to the group is Loeb, as the others are eitherincumbent (Cooper and Martinez) or former Councilmembers (Chesney and Scott). At-large seats are elected by plurality vote, meaningthat the top three candidates with the most votes will beelected without a runoff as long as they receive 12percent of votes.

Advertising space now availableBusiness card sized ads in the North Beach Newscost $25 per issue. Call 361-883-7245 for info.


Member of the Month

Sami Cameron is an integral part of CCBA andkeeps attendance numbers high at ourmonthly meetings through her delicious mealsprepared with skill and her own special flare.Sami is not only important to CCBA but is alsoa volunteer for many other local organiza-tions. She is one of CCBA’s friendliest andmost well-known faces.

Geologist speaks to CCBA

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Dr. Deidre Williams of TAMU-CC’s Division of NearshoreResearch spoke to the CCBA on February 19 about NorthBeach from a geologist's perspective. Her talk, entitled“Geology, Challenges and Beach Nourishment,” included aPowerPoint presentation, maps and photos. She ex-plained that North Beach is basically a sand spit thatfunctions as a safety valve during storms, dissipatingexcess water over the low flats. Due to dams upstream,sand has become a finite resource, meaning North Beachwill always need periodic renourishments. The lastrenourishment was done in 1978, and the north jettywas built in 1990. She said that since vegetation growingin the sand stabilizes the beach, the challenge will be toremove standing water without losing the vegetation.

Floating yachtcenter leaves theRincon, towed toCC MarinaThe Yachting Center of CorpusChristi, a floating building that wasbeing built in the Rincon Canal onNorth Beach this winter, left its berthand was towed by a tugboat past TheHarbors development and under thePortland Causeway, then acrossCorpus Christi Bay to its final destina-tion, the Corpus Christi Marina. Theturquoise, red and white building willreside on the People’s Street T-Headnext door to Landry’s SeafoodRestaurant. For info: www.yachtingcc.com.thirdcoastphoto.com

Dr. Deidre Williams spoke to CCBA on February 19.

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BoldFuture Summit draws leaders, citizens with visionNorth Beach homeowner and CCBA newsletter editorCarrie Robertson was one about 350 Coastal Bend

residents to participate in ahalf-day seminar on February28 called “BoldFuture for theCoastal Bend Vision Summit.”The “think-tank” event, heldat the American Bank Center,

was the second phase of a four-phase project whoseultimate goal is to help the city and surrounding townsmove in a positive direction. The participants reviewed, refined and prioritized ideasthat had been submitted from about 1,900 residentsduring a series of more than 60 community meetingsheld throughout 2008. That was Phase I of theBoldFuture initiative which addressed the question,“Where are we now?” On February 28, Phase II of theinitiative, participants addressed the question “Where dowe want to be?” Participants first broke up into focusgroups to discuss two of 10 topics, such as “SustainableEnvironment” and “Safe, Healthy Communities.” Othercategories involved industry, economy, leadership andeducation. Suggestions were wide-ranging but most envisioned afuture that focuses on more high-paying jobs, sustain-able energy, livability, a cleaner environment and pedes-trian-friendly infrastructure. In the last part of the summit, participants placedcolored dots on large posters indicating the ideas theyvalued the most, in effect “voting” with their dots.Organizers will total up the dots to tally up where

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Mary McQueen, Chief Development Officer for theTexas State Aquarium (center), lead the ‘Sustain-able Environment’ group discussion duringBoldFuture for the Coastal Bend on February 28.

priorities lie. Phase III, expected to begin next fall, will aim toanswer the question, “How will we get there?” Phase IV,which addresses the question “How are we doing?” willremain ongoing, with TAMU-Corpus Christi and Del MarCollege committed to sponsoring an annual check-up onprogress toward the vision. A $3,500 grant from the Coastal Bend CommunityFoundation allowed organizers to hold the summit at nocharge to the more than 350 participants, which includeda free lunch. For more info, visit www.boldfuturecoastalbend.org.

Neighborhood Beauty

North Beach News recognizes The BeachPlace Condos this month for the beautifulpatch of flowers and plants they havegrowing near their entrance.

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CCBAPO Box 2361Corpus Christi, TX78403

Saltwater PoolThis historical photo from the Doc McGregorcollection shows the old saltwater swimmingpool on North Beach, taken August 31, 1940.In the City’s current master plan for NorthBeach, a water park is shown as a possibledevelopment on the 20+ acres of city-ownedland on the north end of North Beach. Couldanother saltwater pool be built? If not, the citycould build a state-of-the-art aquatic center likethose in Portland and Aransas Pass with tubeslides, waterfalls, run-through fountains andzero-entry pools to bring more tourism andlocal interest to the north end of the beach.

CORPUS CHRISTI BEACH ASSOCIATION

MEMBERSHIP FORM ~ Join or renew your membership today

Mail form and check to: CCBA, PO Box 2361, Corpus Christi, TX 78403

Name: __________________________________________________________

Company: _______________________________________________________

Address: ________________________________________________________

City, State, Zip: ___________________________________________________

Dues are $20/year for an individual, family or a business. Dues paid now cover all of 2009.Regular monthly meetings are held at 4:30 pm on the third Thursday of each month at The BreakersCondominium, Lanai Room, 4242 Gulfbreeze Blvd, Corpus Christi Beach

Doc McGregor Photo Collection

first development in 25 years here at last - third coast...

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