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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Watershore And Beach Advisory Committee - 02/06/2020 WATERSHORE AND BEACH ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING Regular Called Meeting Thursday, February 6, 2020 5:30 pm First Floor Staff Conference Room City Hall, 1201 Leopard Street, Corpus Christi, TX 78401 Members Present Members Absent Staff Present Terry Palmer Jyoti Patel Lauren Williams Larisa Ford Harrison McNeil Daniel Mazoch Meredith Darden Mukesh Subedee Philippe Tissot Darren Gurley Martha Lawhon I. CALL TO ORDER Meeting called to order at 5:30 pm. ll. ROLL CALL The roll was called, and a quorum was present III. EXCUSED ABSENCES: Meredith Darden, Lauren Williams, Mukesh Subedee Terry made a motion to excuse last month’s absences, Daniel seconded, unanimously approved. IV. ADOPTION OF MINUTES Minutes from the January 2, 2020 meeting were distributed for review. Jyoti made a motion to accept the minutes, Terry seconded, unanimously approved. Motion passed. V. HEAR FROM THE PUBLIC Two people were present from the public. One wanted the committee to know that the Surf rider Foundation opposes the bollard configuration that was recently installed next to the Packery Channel. They believe that these bollards are in violation of the Charter amendment that was passed in 2006 and that this violates the City ordinance restricting vehicle access without a vote from the public. The other item this person wanted to say was that he is in support of the North Beach issue that the next person from the public will talk about. The second person there was representing the North Beach Community Association. She relayed that the Parks and Recreation department had planned to tear down the bath houses at North Beach but suddenly the City Manager says that those bath houses will be renov ated, not torn down. The new plan is to cover the asbestos and repaint. This is a huge problem! NBCA has been working on this a long time and no one told them what was happening; “this was a slap in the face” is how the person described the feeling. Vl. BUSINESS FOR DISCUSSION/POSSIBLE ACTION 1 New Business a. Introduce New Members Harrison McNeil has a background in Marine Science, is a frequent beach user and feels that he has a lot to contribute to this committee. Larisa Ford is a retired Marine Biologist Environmental Scientist; she has been in this field for over 30 years. b. Spring Break Preparations Darren reported that he is working on getting all the additional personnel hired, that the traffic pattern will be the same as last year, not one way, that Beach Operations is building volley ball courts, and they are trying to get Newport Pass ready. 2. Old Business a. Update: Beach Safety & Coastal Hazards Awareness Advocacy (Rip Current Task Force) 2 C:\Users\NormaD2\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\INetCache\Content.Outlook\9JPE11PK\February.doc Darren received a report from Philippe on this: they are putting 2 portable electronic signs up, warning of potential hazards in the Gulf waters. One near the ferry in Port A and the other at the main crossroad on North Padre Island. These signs will be in use for 2 weeks starting March 8, 2020. Philippe also was encouraging the task force that the message not warn about rips if conditions are not conducive of rip currents; the message is still being developed. Darren also reported about there being a meeting with City officials and it was decided that beach visitors would be given flyers, wrist bands and other information regarding beach safety. These items will be given out by members of the task force group. VlI. PARK AND RECREATION ACTION COMMITTEE – Jerry Plemons Jerry did not attend this meeting. VlII. ISAC Report “It was long!”. Terry reported that after they took a break there was a “townhall” meeting about getting police presence on the Island but none of that pertain to WBAC. Darren reported that permit sales were up, gave numbers for lifeguard contacts, and reported that the bollards are now at beach marker 218.5. The City reported on various construction projects: HDR reportedly got the dredging & design contract for the Packery Channel, the pavilion frame is almost complete, and the Packery Channel borderline crossing has been awarded. Deidre Williams gave a short presentation; she spoke of the channel and how it is not filled with excess sand, definitely not enough to nourish the beaches. The redevelopment plan will be discussed at the next meeting. Nothing is happening with the Island rebranding. lX. STAFF LIAISON REPORT Darren passed around pictures of the newly installed bollards, they were put up to mark the no swimming area, and signs were installed stating “No Swimming”. Some beach patrons were upset with these bollards, they felt that Beach Operations was trying to restrict vehicle traffic. Darren explained that you are not supposed to drive within 50 feet of the water and not park within 25’. All of this work on the beach is to make the beach safer for everyone. There will be 2 more lifeguard stands in front of the seawall and there are now volleyball courts on the beach. The boardwalk on North Beach is nearly finished. Cliff reported that he had received many calls and emails regarding the bollards and in particular the sign regarding vehicular traffic. Unfortunately, the day the bollards were installed, the water was way down and people thought that meant that there was a whole lot of sand that was being restricted from use. The Texas Recreation and Park Society’s conference is next month and Deidre will be receiving an award. X. IDENTIFY ITEMS TO BE PLACED ON NEXT AGENDA 1. Update: Bollards on the Beach 2. Deidre Williams 3. North Beach Bath Houses Xl. ADJOURNMENT As there was no further business the meeting adjourned at 6:37 pm.