In This Issue

April 1-7, 2014

The City of South Padre Island is getting ready to welcome its new City Manager, William A. DiLibero, on his first official day with the City on Apr. 1. DiLibero was selected by the City Council at the Mar. 5 Regular Council Meeting after a search led by Strategic Government Resources.

In late February, DiLibero toured the island, met with City directors, and participated in a community Meet and Greet prior to a final interview with City Council on Feb. 21. He has led coastal communities serving as Town Manager in Hopkinton, R.I. and as Town Administrator in Charlestown, R.I., in addition to his extensive experience in municipal government. He is an ICMA (International City/County Management Association) Credentialed Manager, a member of the APA (American Planning Association) American Institute of Certified Planners and a member of the Rhode Island and Massachusetts Bar.
 
Now, DiLibero is saying goodbye to the snow and preparing to bask in South Padre Island's sunshine. Please join us in giving him a warm South Texas welcome!

he City of South Padre Island is working closely with the Texas General Land Office (GLO) to monitor any possible effect on our beaches from the oil spill that took place Saturday, Mar. 22, in Galveston Bay near Texas City, Texas.
 
Coastal Resources Manager Reuben Trevino is in constant communication with the GLO to monitor trajectory maps, which currently do not show the oil slick affecting South Padre Island. Still, Trevino is remaining proactive in working with the GLO's Oil Spill Prevention & Response Regional Office in Brownsville to ensure any needed resources would be available to launch a quick response in the event that the trajectory would change.
 
For updated information regarding the Texas City oil spill, please visit www.texascityyresponse.com.

A street light survey of the entire Island was conducted for defective and non-operational street lights. All defective and non-operational lights were reported to AEP.

On the walls of the South Padre Island Convention Centre is the famous "Whaling Wall #53" by acclaimed environmental artist Wyland. This canvas spans 153 feet in length and covers 3 walls 23 feet in height. The painting took more than 111 gallons of paint, 100 volunteers and four days to complete. Whaling Wall 53 is the first of its kind in Texas, and also the first along the entire Gulf Coast; it was dedicated on March 14, 1994. Happy birthday month to our beautiful "Orcas off the Gulf of Mexico!"

DFW Sales Rep. Michelle LeMasters represented the Island at the San Antonio Jailbreak racing event. She promoted the Island as a destination as well as the upcoming Jailbreak event in South Padre Island on May 3. They had several people in San Antonio sign up on-site for the South Padre Island race. This was great exposure to the 1,000s of runners who were at the event. If anyone is interested in participating, information and registration for the upcoming South Padre Island race can be found at www.runthejailbreak.com.

Approximately 1401 pounds of recyclable material were collected! We want to thank everyone for doing their part in keeping South Padre Island beautiful!

The Environmental Health Services Department (EHSD) recycles fishing line, also known as monofilament. EHSD is a designated
location for monofilament recycling and it also oversees the monofilament recycling bins at the jetties. Please being any unwanted monofilament fishing line to the EHSD for recycling.

Stop by EHSD and pick up an informational leaflet on the benefits of forests and their trees. World Forestry Day was on March 21, but Arbor Day is on April 25. The leaflet contains information about improved air quality, cooling effects, better water quality, biomass energy and recreational opportunities.

A peer review meeting to assess the design of the new multi-modal project at 60% completion has been scheduled, as required for publicly funded projects, for Wednesday, April 23, 2014 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Invitations have been extended to Gignac & Associates, Parsons Brinckerhoff, SpawGlass Contractors, Inc., Metro McAllen, B-Metro, the Texas Department of Transportation and Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority. The Peer Review Panel, consisting of guest transit professionals from other systems, is intended to offer valuable input into the site and facility
design of the project.

A public meeting has been scheduled to follow the peer review for the multi-modal project. The purpose of this meeting is to invite the public to view the design for the project, ask questions, and offer their input. The public meeting will be held from 5-6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23, 2014.

Recyclable items can be taken to Old City Hall every Saturday from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM.

Items that can be recycled are:

• Newspaper
• Cardboard
• Office Paper
• Aluminum
• Tin
• Plastic

To offer a better recycling service please:

• Compact, crush or break down plastic bottles, cardboard boxes, aluminum cans or any other items that may be reduced in size. This helps us use the most amount of space in the bins.
• Remove any food, liquid, metal fasteners, adhesive materials or other items that may contaminate the whole load. 

   

The City of South Padre Island changed its telephone system for improved services on Friday, June 28, resulting in a change of most existing numbers. The main published telephone numbers will remain the same. All other telephone numbers and extensions will change. The new telephone numbers started on Friday, June 28, 2013. For more information, contact Naida Robles at [email protected] or call (956) 761-6456.

Lost or found an animal on the Island? The South Padre Island's Animal Control is working together with the Friends of Animals Rescue Group. Their foster based recovery center helps to reunite lost and found pets with their families. Friends of Animal Rescue will make every effort to reunite lost animals with their families. Animals that are not reunited will be vetted by Friends of Animal Rescue and placed with new families. Lost or found a pet please call

Need some information or have some questions regarding the Convention Centre Expansion and Renovation Project? The City of South Padre has developed a website that contains the history, timeline, videos, upcoming events, frequently asked questions, and associated documents. Simply go to www.myspi.org/CCInfo to find everything related to the project. If you have any questions that haven't been answer simply email them to [email protected] and they will be answered promptly.

The South Padre Island Economic Development Corporation and the City of South Padre Island have approved an Incentive Policy in order to assist qualified new and existing businesses and to benefit the economic climate on the Island. Businesses can apply for property tax abatements as well as sales tax abatements for improvements that will contribute to the economy of South Padre Island. The City and the EDC will evaluate the applications to determine if they meet the established criteria for the programs. You can find a link to the policy, guidelines and applications on both the City web page (www.myspi.org) and the South Padre Island EDC web page (www.southpadreislandedc.com)

 

For more information, contact Darla Lapeyre, South Padre Island Economic Development Corporation Executive Director, at (956) 243-8416 or email [email protected]; or Dr. Sungman Kim, City of South Padre Island Development Director, at (956) 761-8113 or email [email protected].

 

This is Miss Chleo, she is a female long haired kitty. She is super playful and her favorite place is in your arms. She has been spayed and is current on all her vaccinations. Come visit her and others at Friends of Animal Rescue located at 4908 Padre Blvd.  Open daily from 10 AM to 5 PM or call us at (956) 772-1171.

Date	Event	Location	Time
Apr. 1	Historical Preservation Commission	City Hall Board Room	4:15 PM
Apr. 2	City Council	City Hall Board Room	5:30 PM
Apr. 4-11	Fireworks on the Beach	Clayton's Beach Bar	9:15 PM
Apr. 5	Turtle Dash Charity Beach Run	Clayton's Beach Bar	8:30 AM
Apr. 5	Family Fun Day	SPI Birding & Nature Center	9:30 AM
Apr. 6	Farmers Market	Namar Event Center	11:00 AM