flour bluff messenger issue 5

Flour Bluff

ISSUE 5 May 2016

FreeM e s s e n g e r

68

Plan CC 2035

Fishing

2Beautify The Bluff

11Kickball

Fitness

10

Flour Bluff Messenger May 2016

Shop Local... Keep it in The Bluff

The Flour Bluff Business Association appreciates and supports our 2016 members

$65Full Membership is only

per year!

Members meet at noon on the second Wednesday of every month at Funtrackers.

Find out how membership can benefit your business! Come to a meeting or visit

flourbluffbusinessassociation.com. Call Jennifer (361) 877-2906

for more information

Flour Bluff MembersMemberAbbey Homes Real Estate, Inc.Bay Area Quick CareBeacon Chiropractic ClinicBrite N Clean Washeteria LLCCandlewood Suites Naval BaseCompact BuildersDani’s Lock & KeyEdmonds Coastal PlumbingEdward Jones

Eisenhauer School of TwirlingFace Family FutureFASTRAXFuntrackers - FEG-FT LLCHEB PLUS #18-057Jack & Jill of Many TradesJD’s Auto CenterJ & S Mini StorageKP Direct Oilfield, LLCLaguna Reef RestaurantLynch ConstructionNavy Army CCUNew Concept Catalogs

O2 DentalO’Gorman & O’Gorman, Inc.Oso Mini StoragePapa Murphy’s PizzaRustic and RefinedSt. Peter’s by the SeaStitchin’ ChicksTexas Veterans of Foreign Wars - District 6Robert & Shirley ThorntonTerry’s Family Hair StylesTimon’s MinistriesVFW Post 8932 Flour

BluffKEEP IT

IN The

Flour Bluff Business Association

BluffWELP LLCWind & Wave WatersportsWright ArchitectsAssociate Members1st Community BankAire Serv of the Coastal BendAllstateAmerican BankCat’s Eye Investigative ServicesCorpus Christi Regional EconomicFirst Title Company

Michael HunterKeller Williams Island PropertiesLaw Office of Douglas Ocker PLLCMichael Morgan State Farm InsuranceMr. Real EstateNueces TitlePioneer RV ResortRank & Hanna, PLLCThe Rental Management CoToucan GraphicsUnlock Texas

FBBA Spotlight

The Flour Bluff Business Association honored Dr. Tom Hollingsworth at their May Luncheon for his

community service and continued support of the Flour Bluff business community.

District 4 County Commissioner Brent Chesney spoke at the May FBBA Luncheon

Beautify The Bluff

Earth Day, 2016 - Volunteers gathered at HEB then spread out to collect trash on Waldron Road and

Yorktown Road.

The Flour Bluff Messenger Published monthly

April 8, 2016 Jeff Craft, Editor / Publisher

Contributors Ryan Rock

Renee Nolte

John Kelley

Ruby Martinez

Photographers Jeff Dolan

Editorial Board Jeff Craft

Melanie Hambrick

Tom Hollingsworth

Letters policyLetters must be signed, and the author may be contacted

to verify his or her identity. Letters to the Editor may be edited to fit the space available.

ContactJeff Craft (361) 443-2137

[email protected]

Facebook: facebook.com/flourbluffmessenger

Total ciruclation is 10,000 copies. Distribution includes locations in Flour Bluff, and select areas of North Padre Island and Corpus Christi’s South Side.

McIntyre Will Not RunDistrict 4 Councilwoman Colleen

McIntyre announced she will not seek reelection in the fall. The Bluff has the larg-

est bloc of registered voters in District 4, but with the lowest voter turnout in the district, we’ll have to work hard to get every voter out to the polls, even when the presidential elec-tion choices may be uninspiring to many.

City Council CandidatesAs we move toward the election, we’ll provide space in

The Messenger for candidates to state their positions. Our neighbors across the Laguna have a political action com-mittee that gives a list of questions to each candidate about issues important to North Padre Islanders. Now would be a good time to have one of those over here. Until such time as we have our own PAC, please submit your questions to the Messenger, and we’ll pass them along to the candidates

as the election progresses. A major goal of this newspaper is to provide The Bluff with a larger voice in local politics, and we’ve had a little success so far. The upcoming election is a great opportunity for our citizens to interact with city council candidates about issues important to The Bluff.

Waldron Road Work Done, Yorktown Begins

The drive on Waldron became a lot nicer this month, but the passage to Rodd Field on Yorktown became a nightmare. You’d think, with me being the source for all the news in The Bluff, that I would have remembered that it was going to happen, but no, I was part of the epic traffic jam on Yorktown on Monday May 2nd. It took about 45 minutes to get from the mud bridge to Rodd Field.

Parker Pool to open Memorial Day Weekend!

The time has finally arrived! Parker Pool is opening, and they’re in the process right now of setting up a website where you can sign up for swim teams, lessons, etc. Watch our Face-book page for updates.

Beautify The Bluff a Huge SuccessVolunteers came out in big numbers on Earth Day to clean

up Waldron Road and parts of Yorktown by the bridge. It was great to see that happen, but its a never ending process. Every time I’m out by the Laguna or the Oso, I find plenty of trash to pick up, and so far, I’ve always found a bag to pick it up with too. With the prospect of a plastic bag ban returning to the city council agenda in May, I might have to bring my own bag in the future. That’ll be fine by me.

That’s all for now, enjoy this issue, and share it with your friends.

Doing it in the BluffBy Jeff Craft

Flour Bluff MessengerMay 2016Advertisers

If you like the paper and want to see more of it, visit our advertisers, cut out their coupons, and let them know where you saw the ad.

The Children’s Center provides complete health care for children from birth through 18 years of age. Located at 9702 SPID, The Children’s Center Accepts walk-ins and is currently accepting new patients. Office Hours are Monday - Friday 8-5 with a break for lunch from 12-1. Call 361-937-5311 for an appointment.

Korean War Commemoration The Korean Chamber of Commerce and the Korean Community of Corpus Christi invites all Korean War veterans to attend the 66th commemo-ration of the Korean War. The Ceremony will be held at the Korean Presbyterian Church, at 4326 McArdle Drive, on June 25 at 10 am. Please RSVP at 361-937-2732

Jeff Paluseo at Sports Fitness Solutions invites you to get ready for the rest of your life. Jeff is the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Corpus Christi Ice Rays, and has contributed a column for this issue. Stop by 9450 SPID Suite 7 in the Oso Bridge Plaza or call 774-269-3751

Rustic and Refined at 2138 Waldron Road, right at the beginning of the school zone, is a fantastic little gift shop with jewelry, clothes, artwork, candles, and lots of great stuff. Stop by and get something nice for someone you love.

Dani’s Lock and Key Locksmith provides a full range of locksmith services including Commercial, residential, lock-outs, and automotive. Call for help at 361-434-0332

Laguna Reef Restaurant at 4242 Laguna Shores Road invites you to dine on the water. Laguna Reef offers indoor and outdoor dining, and has just finished a new raised deck for better views of the Laguna. They’ll cook your catch and can be reached by land or sea.

Barton St. Pub has karaoke Wednesday through Saturday 8pm to 2 am, daily happy hour and drink specials. Like their facebook page for updates.

Cliff Zarbock, AKA Mr. Real Estate, is Flour Bluff’s Realtor. Check out his report on the state of the Flour Bluff real estate market in this issue.

Waypoint Marine has the new 2017 Mako 19ft Pro Skiff available now for $23,420. The model year is not a typo. Way-point has 2017 Mako 19 Pro Skiffs for sale right now.

Edward Jones Financial Advisor Melanie Hambrick can help you make sense of investing. Melanie now serves as president of the Flour Bluff Business Association.

Captain Ryan Rock of Corpus Christi Inshore Fishing Charters is offering a winter special, a full day of fishing for $350 for 1 person, and $50 per additional person. And Captain Ryan guarantees you’ll catch a fish, or the trip is free.

State Farm Agent Michael Morgan has offices on Saratoga and Staples, but he’s a Hustlin’ Hornet at heart. Michael now serves as Secretary for the Flour Bluff Business Association.

The Flour Bluff Business Association invites you to join for only $65 per year, and encourages everyone to shop local and Keep It In The Bluff!

Our advertisers’ support allows The Bluff to have its own independent newspaper. Help them provide this free paper for you by voting with your pocketbook.

And let them know!

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Flour Bluff Messenger May 2016Rumors

Veterans Round Table Every Tuesday

The Veterans Round Table Meeting invites all Veterans and their spouses to join us on Tuesdays, between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. at Del Mar College, Room 117, 3209 S. Staples, (opposite Ray High School).

Each week we have a guest speaker who provides information to Veterans who may ask questions after the speaker has finished.

Coffee and donuts are provided.

Information provided at these meetings is beneficial to those wanting assistance in completing a claim.

Representatives of various organizations attend our meetings so that guidance can be given to assist those needing help.

If you wish to have a copy of these meet-ings, please bring along a flash drive.

The History of Memorial DayMemorial Day, originally called Decora-

tion Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in service of the United States of America. Over two dozen cities and towns claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it’s difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day.

On the first Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, and 5,000 participants decorated the graves of the 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried there.

The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war).

It is now observed in almost every state on the last Monday in May with Congressional passage of the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90 – 363). This helped ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays, though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19th in Texas; April 26th in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Missis-sippi; May 10th in South Carolina; and June 3rd (Jefferson Davis’ birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee.

National Moment of Remembrance

The “National Moment of Remembrance” resolution was passed on Dec 2000 which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Ameri-cans “To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to ‘Taps.”

Alateen Group Meeting

Wednesdays 6:30-7:30 pm in the youth building at St. Peter’s by the Sea, 1541 Wal-dron Road

What is the Moose Lodge?By Howard Welsh

You may have heard the saying, “A burden heavy to one is borne lightly by many.” This is at the core of the Moose organization and what makes us unique in our Lodges, local communities and charitable “cities” that we support.

The Moose Lodge is multifaceted with internally developed programs like Tommy Moose to aid in helping children overcome fears and anxiety during times of stress. Donated to law enforcement, fire fighters and other emergency workers, Tommy Moose plush dolls are presented to children in vari-ous traumatic situations. We also provide vol-unteers and assistance with nursing homes, food drives, shelters, and the S.O.S. program for school supplies to name a few. We support and host many fund raisers within the com-munity for a wide range of needs. The exter-nal focus of our service is directed towards many worthwhile national charities, a few of which are: Special Olympics North America,

Salvation Army, Safe Surfin’ USA Founda-tion, Big Brothers-Big Sisters, and St. Jude.

In our local Lodges, you will find a wide array of activities to participate in both as an individual and as a family. From holiday par-ties, pool/dart tournaments, Bingo, games, themed dinners, BBQ/grilling, karaoke, and live entertainment, the Moose has much to offer and can mean different things to dif-ferent people. You are the one determining what you want to get out of the organization, and what you want to give back. The Moose is about celebrating life together, serving those in need within our local community, supporting our children at Mooseheart and standing by our senior members at Moose-haven. To find out more information: visit http://www.mooseintl.org/ email: [email protected] on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/CorpusChristi-MooseLodge , or stop by 3533 Rodd Field Rd.

Mother’s Day Dinner and Dance at Ethyl

Eyerly Senior CenterSign up for outings at the center

Friday May 20 would be a great time to bring your mother or baby’s mama or both to Ethel Eyerly for our MOTHER’S DAY DINNER/DANCE

Bud Whitten will provide music starting at 4:30pm and catered dinner at $50.00

All this for just $6.00 per person

Waldron Road Grand Opening Wednesday

May 18thThe grand opening of the newly rebuilt

section of Waldron Road from Glenoak to Caribbean will be held at the corner of Gle-noak and Waldron Wednesday May 18th at 10 am. Arrive early to see the Hustlin’ Hor-nets perform. Parking will be available in the parking lot off of Glenoak Dr.

Diabetes Education and Support Group

A free monthly program, meets every 3rd Wednesday of the month from 6:30-7:30 pm in the family support building at St. Peter’s by the Sea, 1541 Waldron Road. To register, please call Tina Baier, RN / Wesley Nurse at 361-937-1477

Sit to be Fit Exercise Program

Free Chair Yoga and Chair Exercise classes every Tuesday and Thursday From 10 - 11 am in the adult bible study room at St. Peter’s by the Sea, 1541 Waldron Road. For more information, contact Tina Baier, RN / Wesley Nurse at 361-937-1477

Get the Word Out!If you’re hosting a public event, let us

know at [email protected] and we’ll list it here.

Oso Bay Wetlands Preserve to offer OSO Guardians Summer Youth Program

Looking for the blockbuster event of the summer? Join the superheroes looking after our little corner of the galaxy. The Oso Bay Wetlands Preserve and Learning Center is hosting the first O.S.O. Guardians summer youth program. Children ages 5-14 will Observe Science Outdoors throughout the 8-week program. These hands-on week-long programs will introduce participants to local species, environmental issues, and provide a safe and supervised opportunity to explore native habitats.

This program runs June 13-August 8 from 9 am-noon, Monday-Friday, with aftercare available at nearby Oso Recreation Center. Each week will also include an off-site field trip with partner organizations.

ONLINE REGISTRATION will be available now until June 1, 2016 at www.ccparkandrec.com (click ‘Register Online’). The cost for each camp is $125 per camp per youth.

For more information, call the Parks & Recreation Department at 826-PLAY (7520), email Sara Jose at [email protected], or visit www.osopreserve.com.

Flour Bluff MessengerMay 2016

By Ruby Martinez

Ethel Eyerly Senior Center is not only a place to meet and make new friends, or to participate in activities. We are blessed to have 24 members who are Veterans who in

my opinion are heroes. All women and men serving in our military are our heroes whether seeing action or not. I would like to introduce you to a few of our veterans.

Adolph Barta Last year we lost one of our very first members to Ethel

Eyerly Senior Center. Adolph Barta was a longtime resident and attended Flour Bluff School, when it was a one room school house with only a handful of students. Adolph served his county from 1942 thru 1946 in the United States Army in World War II. He participated in 3 major battles, receiving 3 Bronze Stars. During the “Battle of the Bulge” PFC Barta singlehandedly captured 24 armed German enemy soldiers. After his honorable discharge from the Army in 1946 he came to work at the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station. Not only was he an American hero, but a romantic gentleman. Every Valentine’s Day he would bring a box of Valentine candy and on Mother’s day he would bring flowers for each lady at our senior center. He wanted to make sure each lady, especially widows and singles were not forgotten. He is greatly missed.

Curtis FordNow I would like to introduce you to a man who has

had a great influence on my life, Curtis Ford. Not only did he serve in our military, but also served our country in the House of Representatives from 1950 to 1956. In 1978 he was appointed to fill the vacancy for George Wallace in Alabama for 8 weeks till a special election held. He served in the 20th Senatorial District in Corpus Christi. Before the US got into war he severed in the Royal Canadian Air Force then came home to join the military to serve in World War I as part of the US Air Force. During World War II he was assigned to the B-24 Bomber where he was injured in a plane accident. He was given a medical discharge and once released from the hospital he joined the Marine Corps. While serving in the South Pacific he was injured again, spending several months in a hospital in Hawaii, later sent back to the states. At 95 years old he is a disabled Veteran still trying to recover from his injuries from his active duty service. Only one other Vet-eran from his platoon is still alive today and they still stay in contact.

Jose Angel Gonzalez Sr.One of our members the nicest, sweetest man you would

ever want to know. A proud man, true patriot who loves his country, community and fellow soldiers. He is best known at our senior center after reciting the Pledge of Allegiance he stands tall with his hands stretched to Heaven and shouting “GOD BLESS AMERICA”. We are talking about SFC Jose Angel Gonzalez Sr.

After joining the Army in 1958, His first assignment was in Alaska. While stationed there Alaska became the 49th State. He served in Vietnam from 1965 to 1966. In 1966 he returned to the states to marry Maria. His next assignment was Germany in 1970, and then in May in 1970 he served one year in Korea. From 1974 to 1977 he was stationed in Vincenzo, Italy. He retired in July 31, 1979 and he moved to Corpus Christi Texas, August 1985.

Heroes Among Us

Madeline EllesHeroes are not only men but women also serve our country.

Madeline Elles graduated high school in 1957 and joined the Navy as a WAVE in Marion, Texas 1959. She did her training in Benbridge, Maryland. At that time women’s barracks and training were in a separate area of the base from the men, and in the mass hall, there was a wall separating the women and men. After training she was stationed at NAS Corpus Christi from 1959- 1962. She worked at payroll at the Dis-tribution office. At the end of the 3 year term she did not reenlist because she wanted to get married. The military did not allow women to serve if they were married or pregnant. Women now can marry, have children, and serve overseas in any field along with the men.

Ethyl Eyerly VeteransCharles Hill, US Navy

George Van Gorder Sr.

Virgil King, AF World War ii

Joseph Edmond, US Army-Vietnam

Raymond Hicklin, US Army Air Corp

Dotson Lewis, US Army

Luis Guzman, US Army

Wesley MacKenize, US Navy

Hector Garza, US Air Force

David Holiman, US Navy, USNR

Larry Gold, US Army

Donald Jensen, US ARMY

Richard Winn, US Army

James Cowan, US Air Force

Lis Stephens, US Army

Ray Torres, US Marines

Rudy Torres, US Marines

Willie Haire, US Army

Richard Durham, US Army

Maria Cooper, US Army

George Kampert, US Marines

A Special Salute To My Family Members

O.V.Morales Sr, US Navy WWII

O. Valdo Morales Jr., US Marines

Jesse R Martinez, US Army

Monique Pelletier, US Air Force

Richard S Pelletier, US Navy

Tony Walswick, US Air Force

Kenny Swartwood, US Army

Riviera RedneckThe Man Who Saved my Life

By Jeff Craft

Music is the strongest form of MagicI was listening to the radio with a friend last week, and a

song I hadn’t heard in decades came on the radio. It was a cover of 99 Red Balloons by band called 7 Seconds. Probably the best version of that song that I’ve ever heard. So later on I downloaded it to my phone and listened again in the car. One line of that song hit me like a brick and reminded me of the man who might be the most important person of the 20th century. Because he went to work on his day off on Septem-ber 26, 1983.

I grew up in the cold war. I remember the dread that only a child can know. It was worse then. As a kid, just about the same time I started to understand I was mortal, I also came to understand the entire world might explode at any moment. Getting over your own mortality is easy. Everyone does it the same way, by pretending it’s not true. But the fear of the bombs coming never leaves you. Every vapor trail in the sky, Every sortie of fighters from the base, even the test of the air raid sirens every Sunday at noon would stop my heart.

There’s something here from somewhere else

Around Midnight on Monday, September 26, 1983, (Sunday afternoon in the US), Lt. Colonel Stanislav Petrov went to work on his day off.

Petrov was in command of the early warning system used by the USSR to detect a missile attack by the US. A few min-utes into his shift, alarms began to sound, and the computers showed first one, then five missiles flying to the USSR from the US.

Petrov had no information except the satellites telling him an attack was happening. Alarms, lights, and training all worked against the survival of humanity.

After five minutes of hand-wringing, Petrov called Moscow and said it was a false alarm. He had no reason to believe this was so, just “instinct.” Then he waited another 10 minutes to see if he was right. Petrov later said, “I thought if the United states attacked, they would send more missiles.”

Smart.

Thank you, Stanislav Petrov.

In 1983, Stanislav Petrov saved my life. Probably yours too.


Plan CC continued next page

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By Capt. Ryan Rock

(313)384-6463 CorpusChristiInshoreFishingCharters.com

Back To The Basics

In today’s technological world new anglers can

easily be caught up drinking from a fire hose of knowledge leading to confusion . When I was in the SEAL teams we were constantly training and going to schools to learn new skills. Part of being a SEAL is quickly learn-ing to become proficient in any skill required. Two life lessons that allow us to pick up skills quickly “A master is nothing more than someone who has mastered the basics” and “Crawl, walk, run.” The biggest road block in anyone’s ability to grow and become better at anything is humility. As soon as you think you know everything you have just stopped progress. I consider the basics of fishing

to be casting far and accurately, setting the hook and fight a fish properly. I also usually recommend that novice anglers stick to live shrimp or scented shrimp lures on a popping cork until they get the hang of locating fish. Distance and accuracy are the two main aspects of a good cast. Distance is important because longer casts allow you to cover more water. Long casts will also put your hook in front of a fish that has not been spooked by you or the boat, as well as gives the fish more time to see/hear your bait and attack it. This is especially important on extremely calm days when a fish can see/hear your boat from a long ways off. Long casts are also very important when fish are not actively feeding. When fish are not actively feeding they often times won’t pass up an easy meal and a long cast allows the bait more time to entice a fish. When using a popping cork and shrimp I personally prefer to use a medium or medium light fast action 7’6” rod or even an 8’ rod which allows for easy long casts. Accuracy is equally as important as distance. Accuracy allows you to fish structure prop-erly. Different types of structure fish com-monly use to help them catch bait are rocks, sand holes, grass lines, sand bars, pylons,

Continued next page


and drop offs or any other thing in the water that would allow predator fish to ambush bait fish. Sometimes a couple feet of inaccuracy on a cast can be the difference between catch-ing a fish and not catching a fish. Know the structure around you and cast to its potential. A good example was on a recent wade fish-ing trip I was on. I was wading on a flat with scattered rocks. When I made a cast between rocks, I wouldn’t catch anything but when I casted past the rocks and worked my popping cork and shrimp to the back side of the rock I would catch a fish every time. I After real-izing this I waded to a rock, stood on it so I could see the next rock, made a long accurate cast, caught a fish, went to the next rock and repeated the process. If I had just been cast-ing far and moving forward my efficiency would be significantly hindered and it could have taken twice as long to catch my limit.

Setting the hook on a fish is a crucial part of catching fish. I’m sure there are many schools of thought on the subject however, I teach my clients to reel until the weight of the fish is felt in the rod, then pull the rod back hard, and keep the line tight by continuously reeling and not dropping the rod tip faster than you can reel line in. That final step is the most common error, especially on trout. People often pull the rod tip up as hard as they can then immediately put it back down which puts slack in the line. Trout tend to shake their heads when hooked and they have thin mouths that tear easily which makes trout the perfect escape artists. If you give a trout even the smallest amount of slack for

even a split second, you are giving that trout an opportunity to escape.

Using live shrimp on a popping cork works well all year. Pretty much everything you’d want to catch in the Laguna Madre eats shrimp. By using live shrimp on a popping cork you are eliminating a lot of variables sparing a novice angler from wondering if the fish are not there or if they don’t like your lure. I’ve caught fish on live shrimp and a popping cork in just about every weather pattern you can think of but it does have its limitations. A popping cork does not work well in deep water. A fish finder rig or a slip cork would be a good option for that scenario though.

Fishing is a sport with a lot of variables which can make learning tough. Stick to the basics or know when it’s time to go back to the basics and you will start to form more pat-terns to finding fish. If you’re having trouble catching fish after reading this, you may want to think about hiring a guide. I’ve had anglers of every experience level take guided trips with me to better their skills. Remember to stay humble and know that you can always learn to do something a better way even when you have done it the same way for years. Often times the people that catch the most fish on my charters are the first time anglers that don’t know anything about fishing and the people that catch the least are the ones that have done it for a long time but don’t practice humility. Nobody (guides included) is too advanced to not think about the basics and wonder if they could do them better.

Back to BasicsContinued

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Citizens lose in Plan CC 2035 DebacleOr how a comprehensive plan became a Communist plot

to take over the world through the U.N.By John Kelley

In 2013 City Man-ager Ron Olsen and Corpus Christi faced a number of serious problems, short staffed from the 2010 downturn, grossly inadequate streets and infrastructure, high costs for utili-ties and taxes, high growth and a master plan that was created in 1987. It would be like operating the City without the internet which was invented in 1991. He faced a further problem in that the leadership of the planning department was deeply entrenched and didn’t have the expertise or time to create a new comprehensive plan.

He proposed a bold step, abolish the plan-ning department and take the annual cost to hire an outside firm to create a new master plan and then form a new planning depart-ment afterward to implement it. The Council agreed and started the process which ended with the hiring of Goody Clancy, a Boston planning and architectural firm that had pro-vided services throughout the northeast. Con-trary to later rumors they had also worked nationally and internationally in locales as widely different as Karachi, Pakistan, Wichita, Kansas and Atlanta, Georgia. The

firm was also a major designer in rebuilding the City of New Orleans after hurricane Rita, certainly a community with similar problems.

The company set up and ran a year-long public input process beginning in May of 2014. The process was extensive and included a day-long forum, seven district meetings, eight follow-up open houses on draft scenarios, a website and online input process and library sites for input. Notice was put in utility bills, in television and radio ads, news stories and social media were all used to spread the word. Over seventy five cosponsoring organizations including civic groups and churches were involved in infor-mation distribution.

A large 40+ person Citizen Advisory Committee reviewed and gave input as each phase of the plan was developed. Four work-ing technical committees worked in specific portions of the plan and included consultants, staff and local builders, engineers and con-tractors. The areas: 1. Transportation and Infrastructure; 2. Housing and Neighbor-hoods; 3. Parks, Open Space, and Resilience; and 4. Economic Development. In addition

to this massive public input, the company did extensive market studies to look at current data and trends in the city.

What the Public Said They Wanted

Throughout the process, citizens made their desires clear. In every group, more walkable communities with a variety of housing styles close to neighborhood busi-nesses, an improved downtown and urban style mixed use development captured the majority of support. Every group emphasized the need for improving infrastructure, better pedestrian connectivity and supported infill and revitalization over further sprawl.

Goody Clancy then considered the market data, citizen input and best practices nation-ally and internationally. This is exactly what we should want when we spend $900,000. It was also adjusted to projected growth, fiscal viability, and unique local factors. This was done by some of the best planners in the country. The resulting document, Plan CC 2035 was not without minor flaws, but it was a well done comprehensive document that could well have guided the city for many years to come on a journey to rebuild itself in a healthier, more financially frugal way than it has in the past.

What is Plan CC 2035?In short, it is a guide to accomplish what

the citizens asked for in the extensive public input process. It sets out goals and policy rec-ommendations. It identifies current assets and deficits the city has in each area of the plan. It then outlines the strategies and actions suggested to achieve the goals. It is a road map to accomplish what the citizens said they wanted. A more pedestrian oriented, neigh-borhood centered, urban style city with more variety in housing options, more mixed use and with a rebuilt infrastructure and streets.

The Ox is GoredEven though developers, builders and

engineering companies were on the various committees and participated in the process they seemed shocked when the planner rec-ommended strategies that emphasized infill, revitalization, supporting neighborhoods, more connectivity, walkability and limiting sprawl. They reacted saying it was an attack on private property rights, it limited growth, and it would force people to live where they didn’t want to. Since it didn’t do any of those things and offered numerous corrective actions, the builders, realtors and developers had to take a different tack. Homeless Continued next page

(313) 384-6463corpuschristiinshorefishingcharters.com

Fishing with Heart & Soul Every day!

Captain Ryan Rock is a Corpus Christi Fishing Guide that knows how to have a great time

AND catch fish!

Take his “No Fish, No Pay” Challenge!

Bigger than ChicagoThings they really objected to were con-

trolling the growth outside the city limits until more infill has occurred. There are currently over 20,000 acres zoned residential with access to current infrastructure to devel-op within the City Limits and another 12,000 vacant houses and lots. Large areas of Flour Bluff, CalAllen, and Annaville, annexed in the 1960s still lack infrastructure and so have never been developed. In other words the city was already too large geographically to oper-ate efficiently.

That doesn’t stop developers from wanting to annex land they bought cheaply across the Oso along Staples/FM2444/SH286 and out Weber to London School. If successful this would make Corpus Christi geographically (counting land only) bigger than the City of Chicago, which has nine times as many people at 2.7 million. The City has furthered this problem by selling people water outside the city limits, establishing the defacto idea that sewer and other services would eventu-ally follow. Controlling this would have been as easy as not extending water services without sewers being installed at developer expense.

The costs of this kind of sprawl was pointed out by the June 19, 2015 Fitch Ratings Report on our utility debt, despite having dilapidated infrastructure it states, “Debt ratios are above average, with debt per customer at over $3,800 and are expected to increase over the next five years to over $5,000. Fitch’s median for what is called ‘A’ category water and sewer utilities is $2,218.” City staff presentations to Council earlier this year predicted all utility rates will require large increases every year for the foresee-able future even without sprawling into new areas. Worse yet, current incentives like the developer trust fund subsidize sprawl while offering nothing for revitalization. And no one has yet come up with a plan to pay for

Large areas of Flour Bluff, CalAllen, and Annaville, annexed

in the 1960s still lack infrastructure and so have never been

developed


the $600-$800 million wastewater system required to replace our current obsolete pol-luting one. Storm water? No one even wants to bring it up.

The people who have already bought and platted that land outside the city with the idea that it will be inevitably be annexed were of course alarmed. Unfortunately these investors many times feel they are entitled to a profit on their speculation, when the nature of specula-tion in the free market is you lose sometimes. It’s not the public’s job to insure they make money, especially when it increases costs for current customers and reduces services.

It is cheapest and most profitable for build-ers and developers to build all residential sim-ilar single family homes in suburban blocks. It is and has been the primary business model in Corpus Christi for new development. Adapting to a new market, means changing your business model, it costs money, and it means learning new things. Few if any build-ers in the area have experience with the kind of mixed use development that is occurring in every major urban setting in America.

The Attack BeginsThe forces of real estate quickly moved to

a strategy of distraction, cherry picking the report to produce quotes that sounded bizarre when taken out of context. For example as part of a strategy to increase the develop-ment of water related recreation, the report suggested the city support community efforts to teach every child to swim as a possible action. This was distorted into the idea that the City would require and have to pay to teach every child how to swim. They made the absurd case that supporting always meant a commitment of money, certainly not the intent of the Council when they passed half a dozen resolutions of support each week at their meetings.

The First RetreatSuddenly the process went back to the

drawing board as it became clear that council lost its courage in the face of developers and

builders, this pressure has to be especially felt by council people who are in real estate related businesses or receive heavy campaign contributions from them. The opposition wants business as usual in Corpus Christi. In the second draft, staff eliminated trying to control sprawl through lot size, threw in the towel in trying to keep flood plains from being developed and dropped all of the strate-gies and actions to accomplish those goals. They did attempt to keep the focus on revital-ization and infill.

Even this wasn’t good enough for develop-ers, and the attacks continued. In fact, Andy Taubman who led the street committee made his case that the whole thing was a socialist plot to take away property rights to at least one Tea Party Group and on several conser-vative radio shows. An easy case since every-one thinks they should be able to do exactly what they want to do with their property until the guy next door announces he’s building a slaughterhouse.

Interestingly Taubman is lobbying City Council to lower building standards so he can place manufactured homes (basically upgraded trailers) on vacant lots throughout the City. Ask yourself if that is something you would want in your neighborhood? Could it be his anti-government, anti-regulation attacks on planning have another goal than general public freedom?

Agenda 21From this juncture whether on their own or

at Taubman’s suggestion Reverend Richard Milby and other Tea Party members showed up at the April 20, 2016 Zoning and Planning Commission Meeting. Of the ten speakers at public comment, four supported the plan or had benign suggestions. Six were sure that the plan was part of Agenda 21, which they described as a plot for the United Nations to take over sovereignty of the United States and deprive people of their rights. It was described as a “dangerous path,” “out of the pit of hell,” and “evil” even though most admitted they hadn’t read it.

Plan CC 2035 Continued

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Agenda 21 is a real thing but it isn’t a plot for world domination. Agenda 21 (21st century) is a set of recommendations by the best minds in the world created in 1987 and with American participation encouraged and supported by Presidents H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

The recommendations are on steps that can be taken to accommodate a growing population with limited world resources and not destroy our environment in the process. It focuses on steps to create a more sustainable world; it is a voluntary and cooperative effort.

The conspiracy theory was dreamed up by the John Birch Society. A group so far-right and paranoid it claimed President Eisen-hower was a communist. William F. Buckley and Russell Kirk, considered the deans of conservative thought, declared the society loony and disavowed it.

A Proposed Surrender, the only thing left is the

official burning ceremony.In the meantime At Large Councilman

Chad Magill proposed another alternative, Plan CC 2036. It appears a weak attempt to say that we did something. Magill’s plan was a complete cave in to developers basically enshrining the bad practices we currently have.

It says that Plan CC 2035 doesn’t speak to the military yet removes the recommen-dations that were made to protect the bases

from encroachment. It removed the emphasis on infill, revitalization, creating mixed use, neighborhood centers and improving con-nectedness.

Goals and policy recommendations now are vision statements with no overreaching principles on planning. Annexation is as the council sees fit, additional screening areas and barriers are required between different uses creating new barriers to neighborhood commercial development and mixed use. Flexibility of different kinds of housing and mixed use are prohibited or impaired by continuing what is called exclusive zoning, placing all housing of the same type and price in one area, instead of inclusive zoning which allows greater freedom of development of mixed housing types.

Basically the process has proceeded from a noble goal, a great community effort, a clear path to the future then a disastrous destruction of the whole effort by a few special interests. Instead it looks like we will continue the path of disconnectedness, greater economic segre-gation, abandonment of our older neighbor-hoods, and a continued path towards higher taxes and utilities while receiving fewer and fewer services, building in areas we shouldn’t and staying a developer driven city instead of a citizen driven city.

The tragedy here isn’t that $900,000 was wasted, it is that Corpus Christi will lose what its citizens wanted it to be in 2035; instead it will be what developers want it to be. And even worse a council who was making steady progress in restoring the public trust will have lost that of those committed individuals who invested their time and energy in the process to make Corpus Christi a better city.

John Kelley is one of the founders of the Bay Area Smart Growth Initiative and was on the Citizens Advisory Committee for Plan CC 2035. You can also sign up for his articles at www.Neighborhoods-First.com where he is the Communications Director.

It was described as a “dangerous path,”

“out of the pit of hell,” and “evil” even though most admitted

they hadn’t read it


You can be really, really good at being good. You can be really, really

good at being bad. You can do everything just right; practically flawless at serving, cooking, studying, training, working, raising a family and so on. A person can also be an amazing crimi-nal… no one is watching, the time is just perfect, the exit plan is exact, no trace, and didn’t get caught, YET! Both these plans take place each and every day. Are you doing what is right? Are you doing the right things? Do you have a plan for planning the right-action in all that you do? I want to encourage right-action! My student mantra for right-action is taken from the living legend Jhoon Rhee. We recite this mantra before each class in our Family Karate Program. It not only sets the tone for balance of principles but for right-action.

“To build true confidence through knowledge in the mind, honesty in the heart and strength in the body. To keep friendship with one another and to build a strong and happy community. Never fight to achieve selfish ends, but to develop Might for Right!”

True confidence in right-action can help one progress in the world. Embracing knowledge can help one by leaps and bounds in advancement in the business industry, medical industry, teach-ing, learning skill sets and beyond.

Honesty in all hearts would be totally awe-some and I’m sure as a result we’d trust more and be more trustworthy. With strength in our bodies we would have less sickness and would be able to live to our full measure. Friendship to all would show tolerance and love. Despair or depression would be a thing of the past.

It starts with you, then expands to the home and then our communities. Service, acts of kindness, and right-action would develop such an amazing community of advocates for being really, really good at being really good! We wouldn’t fight for greed or fame or titles or power or put others beneath our needs or resort to physical harm. We would stand up for doing what is right and doing the right things. It’s one thing to wish or hope for these things and another to take action. You can keep doing what your doing and keep getting the same results or you can make some daily changes and jump off the curb and say “Hey I want to be in the Parade!” It takes a TEAM effort to make a large impact. TEAM stands for Together Everyone Achieves More. But its starts with you. So ask yourself, “Am I doing what is Right? Am I doing the Right Things?”

With that question in mind, lets make a choice and choose the right. Not the right way of doing something wrong but choose right-action. Be Your Best, not just some of the time, but all of the time. Like Vince Lombardi said “Winning is not a sometime thing; its an all the time thing.

Do What is Right and Do the Right Things

By Renee Nolte-Hodnett

You don’t win once in a while…you don’t do things right once in a while…you do them right all the time.” He was referring not just to football but to life. When you make the right decisions you reap the rewards, the good consequences. When you choose wrong action, you suffer the consequence; not just for you but all those that are affected but what you do. You are meant to live to your full potential. You are all meant to be winners in all things. You can think to yourself, “If I make this choice How will it affect me, and How will it affect those around me?” All choices have consequences, good or bad. What would you prefer in your life? Think about it, and take a moment to reflect before making a decision and wait for a sensation to help guide you. When it’s a good feeling then go ahead with that action but when there is the slightest negative sensation than you should probably not make that choice. Even right now everything in your life is because of a choice you have made. Do you know that happiness is a choice? Education, good health, manners, how we spend our time are all choices that we make everyday.

Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail. Ever hear that one? When you have something you want to accom-plish it begins with an idea. The manifestation of the idea is up to you. The only way to get from point A to point B is to put your plan into action. Achieving is more than believing, it’s action and progressing that wins every time! Don’t procrastinate what you can do today for tomorrow, for tomorrow has other opportunities of greatness.

The time is now. Be a person of the present, the now. That’s why the present is called a gift. A definition of a depressed person is one who lives in the past. A definition of a anxious person is one who lives in the future. A definition of a happy person is one who lives in the now.

I apply a 5 step module from Captain James Murphy’s book Flawless Execution. These 5 steps help me make right-action. Allow me to share his steps.

Flawless Execution Module1. Plan

2. Brief

3. Execute

4. Debrief

5. Win

I’ve witnessed these steps in action bring success to my students in competition and belt testing. I’ve seen them work in my life. It can work for individuals, families, businesses, orga-nizations and communities. It can work for you. It begins with your greatness within, you can reach your full measure of potential. So I ask, what’s your plan today for right-action? The possibilities my friend are limitless!

4 Tips To Ensure A Successful Transformation

For SummerBy Jeff Paluseo

“My fat loss journey is a trip to nowhere.” Does this sound familiar to you? Unfortunately for most people it does. Why? Because to be successful on any trip, you absolutely need to

be crystal clear of where you want to go. Transforming yourself is no different. You must know ahead of time what your goal is and why you want to reach it. So this begs the question: What do you want to achieve from your transformation?

To be successful you first need to find your “WHAT & WHY.”

1. When defining “WHAT” you want, you must be extremely specific. I have come to realize that most people will formulate answers like “I want to be fitter” or “I just want to be healthier”. Unfortunately, these types of goals are unac-ceptable. Why, because we can’t measure them. If we can’t measure our goals, then how can we be held accountable? It’s important to set SMART goals. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-Sensitive)

2. Find your “WHY”. Your why is the driving force that is going to keep you going when you want to quit. Our WHY is our motivation!!! Think long and hard about your WHY and keep it in front of you at all times. This is one of the key factors to long term success on your transformation journey. Finding the clarity of your why can be broken down into two primary emotions: Love (the force in front of you) and Fear (the force behind you). However you see it, you are either running from something or towards something – or possibly a bit of both. You need to have a Deeper Why. Many times clients will tell me their “why” which just scratches the surface of their ‘deeper’ WHY. I’ve learned from helping hundreds of people lose weight that the greater an individual digs in finding their “deeper why” the more powerful transformation they make.

3. The next step in your journey is to make a PROMISE to the most important person in the world, YOU!

How many times have you said I am going to lose weight this year? I bet you did it in: 2013,2014,2015; and I’m sure in each of those years within a couple of days you stopped doing the things that you knew would make you successful. Things like working out and eating right. As a result, the journey stopped for that year. The easiest and most important element you can take from this article is to simply do what you say you are going to do. As Nike encourages, “JUST DO IT!” Our promises are one of the most powerful forces in existence. In order to make any progress in life, in order to transform ourselves, we must make promises to ourselves and we must keep them. Our promises are tied to our dignity, which is our confidence, our esteem, our self love and the ability to believe in ourselves.

4. Finally, rally your TEAM for this journey.

Your team is the group of people that you will share your goals and commit-ments with; they’re the ones that will hold you accountable to these goals and commitments. The team is also the one that you can lean on when things get difficult and who will allow you to vent your emotions when you get frustrated on your journey.

These are my tips and roadmap for your journey. Perhaps when you saw the headline for this article you thought I was going to give you some great exercise and nutritional tips on how to get yourself summer ready. Instead, I gave you strate-gies concerning your ‘what’, ‘why’, ‘promises’ and developing your ‘team’. To be totally honest, I think these are the most important aspects of any transformation process. If you Google weight loss, you will find thousands of diet and exercise pro-grams that will give you positive results. Short term. To be truly successful for the long haul, you must construct a powerful mindset. Like building a house, you must start with a strong foundation on which to build your Dream Mansion. If you only focus on the exercise and nutrition, it’s like building your walls and roof without a solid foundation. Developing this powerful mindset – by using your ‘what’, ‘why, ‘promises’ and having a support ‘team’ is a huge commitment. Maybe you have failed in the past. However, I am confident that if you apply these simple yet mind-ful strategies, your results will be like nothing you have seen before. It WILL work!

Until next time. Jeff


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Laguna Little Miss Kickball

Pee Wee win loss

Cardinals 8 1

Hummingbirds 4 4

Darling Doves 3 5

Loony Loons 2 7

Juniors win loss

Hawks 9 1

Kiskadees 8 2

Babblers 7 5

Finches 6 4

Tyrants 2 10

Night Owls 1 11

Seniors win loss

Bat Hawks 8 1

Sandpipers 8 1

Thrashers 4 3

Nightingales 3 4

Blue Jays 3 6

Pink Flamingos 0 9

Teenage- Laguna win loss

Nighthawks 5 0

Vultures 5 1

Merlins 2 3

Pelicans 1 4

Toucans 0 5

Team Standings Editor’s Note: These are the latest kickball statistics available as we go to press. We’ll

update the standings throughout the season.

Aubrey Copeland

Stacy and Danon Lewis


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Car in the Oso. The driver was found by a wrecker driver early morning on April 30. The driver was found on the rocks with several injuries. Be careful out there!

Oasis Bar celebrated its anniversary in April

Meanwhile, in The Bluff...

The Boy Scout Barbeque sold out in record time

Gully’s Served up a mess of mudbugs

The Moose Lodge held a benefit dinner and raised $1,700 for the Family of

Amelia “Connie” Perez. Live music was provided by Laid Back Corpus

flour bluff messenger issue 5

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