Public Information Officer Adrian Rodriguez and Fire Fighter & Paramedic Marciano Montanez attended the Coastal Bend Hurricane Conference on Wednesday, May 6th and Thursday, May 7th in Robstown. 

Last Thursday and Friday, RGV Respiratory Care not only gave their 200 plus members a chance to obtain their continuing education hours, but they also had many vendors provide them with an introduction to new innovations in equipment for use in their health care profession. We were excited to have them back! 

 

The Trauma Regional Advisory Council held their Annual Stroke Symposium at the Hilton Garden Inn on Friday and Saturday with over 250 people in attendance to earn Continuing Medical Education credits. 

 

The Texas Victim Services Association held their annual Conference at the Pearl Beach Resort on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Mayor Patel officially welcomed them on Wednesday morning with a Tie Cutting Ceremony and Assistant City Manager, Darla Jones spoke for the City of South Padre Island at their luncheon on Wednesday. 

Sales Manager, Michael Flores traveled to San Antonio to the Texas Dental Association to promote Dentists Who Care's Conference that will be held in July at the Isla Grand Beach Resort. He made sales calls as well in the San Antonio area. 

"Our first ever Cyclovia So Padre was a huge success. Everyone had a blast and I've heard nothing but glowing reviews. The final head count put us around 3,700 participants and of the people we surveyed, 93% rated the event an 8 or above!!! GREAT JOB!! 

This was the first time in history for SPI to produce our own event and anytime you tackle something new it can be challenging and stressful and I want to thank each and every one who worked so very hard to make Cyclovia a success. Be proud, you turned out an exceptional product! 

On the survey, when asked what people liked most about the event, the #1 answer... Everything! Also among the top answers to the question of what people liked most: atmosphere/environment, friendly staff/volunteers, police presence/safe, and well-organized. 

Events are an important economic driver for tourism which is the lifeblood of SPI's economy and Cyclovia So Padre is especially important to our city. As we cultivate an image that includes more family friendly events and create infrastructure that supports healthy activities in a safe, clean, beautiful environment, Cyclovia is an opportunity to showcase ourselves and highlight all we have to offer the world and you guys hit it out of the park! Thank you!!" 

-Julee LaMure 

This week The Visitors Center celebrated National Travel & Tourism week with a traditional hot dog picnic on May 5, 2015. There was a large turnout and it was a great success. Several island partners attended the celebration and handed out goodies. 

Over 100 students, teachers, parents, and chaperones from Palmer Laakso Elementary took a field-trip to the Visitors Center on Wednesday May 6, 2015. They were given cookies and a presentation regarding tourism and the function of our Visitor Center. 

The Public Works crews did a great job placing and removing the traffic control devices and closing the west side streets for this event. This was the first time, so we learned from it and will make the necessary changes to improve the process for future events. 

The 2015 Street Paving Project (Phase 3) is scheduled to start on May 18th. The construction limits are on Gulf Boulevard between Constellation and Gardenia and the reconstruction of E. Sunset from Padre to Gulf. 

The Public Works crews are continuing the work on the medians, repairing irrigation systems, and cleaning and weeding sidewalks on Gulf Boulevard. 

At South Padre Island we're no strangers to water, but we're also no strangers to harsh Texas droughts; which is why we need to remember to conserve water.  Please don't leave sprinkler systems or water hoses running unattended for long periods of time and only water your yards and wash your vehicles when necessary. This is just one small step we can take to help reduce waste. 

 

The Port Isabel Chamber of Commerce is pleased to introduce its 2015 Summer Longest Causeway Run & Fitness Walk, scheduled to be held Saturday, June 6th. The event is expected to attract thousands of participants wanting to take advantage of the unique opportunity to cross the 2.6 mile Queen Isabella Causeway on foot. The 6.2 mile (10k) course starts at Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark on South Padre Island and ends at the new Port Isabel Event & Cultural Center (PIECC). Runners will also be treated to a waterfront loop through Isla Blanca Park before continuing on to the causeway and Port Isabel. Walkers along the 3k course will also start at Schlitterbahn and end at the PIECC, where awards ceremonies will be held immediately following the race. 

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.

Friends of Animal Rescue operates the South Padre Island Recovery Center and Animal Shelter. The shelter is licensed by the State of Texas as an animal shelter and quarantine facility.

The shelter is located at 4908 Padre Blvd and open to the public Tuesday-Sunday from 10 AM to 4:30 PM.  We do make arrangements to meet owners after hours if necessary in order to reunite pets with their families. Friends of Animal Rescue can be reached on their 24 hour hotline at 956-772-1171. Animals that are not claimed within 7-10 days are vetted (including Spay/Neuter) and adopted out to loving homes.

Friends of Animal Rescue is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. To see the latest animals found or furry friends up for adoption please check out the Friends of Animal Rescue Facebook page.

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) 761- 6805 or email [email protected]; or Dr. Sungman Kim, City of South Padre Island Development Director, at (956) 761-8113 or email [email protected].

Calling on all South Padre Island businesses. Please be sure to update your FREE business listing on the Convention & Visitors website ( www.sopadre.com). If you haven't been provided with your login credentials please contact Sam Ballenger by phone: (956) 761-8135 or email: [email protected]. By using your FREE business listing you have the ability to upload images, coupons, business description, and much more. Take advantage of this FREE marketing tool provided by the Convention & Visitors website.

Date	Event	Location	Time
May 13-17	Sebastian Zodiac Sculpture Exhibit	South Padre Island Convention Centre
May 13-17	Platinum Cafe Live in the Quarterdeck Night Club	The Quarterdeck Lounge	9:00 PM
May 13	Crab Races at The Quarter Deck	The Quarterdeck Lounge	7:00 PM
May 14	Keep SPI Beautiful	South Padre Island Municipal Building	4:00 PM
May 15-16	The Mixed Bag Live at The Garden	The Garden Grille & Bar	6:00 PM
May 15-16	Bands on the Beach at Clayton's	Clayton's Beach Bar & Grill	9:15 PM
May 15-16	Fireworks on the Beach	Hilton Garden Inn	9:00 PM
May 17	South Padre Island Farmers Market	NAMAR Event Center	11:00 AM