April 7, 2015
In This Issue
Quick Links
Book Your Stay!
Booking a trip to South Padre Island just got easier. Browse the Advanced Reservation Systems, Inc. (ARES) booking engine on book.sopadre.com



NEWS
General Land Office Meeting

Mayor Barry Patel, Council Member Sam Listi, City Manager Bill DiLibero, and Coastal Resources and Parks Administrator Reuben Trevino attended a General Land Office meeting with Secretary of State Carlos Cascos and Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush. Meeting was held in Austin on Tuesday, March 31, 2015. 



TIRZ Discussion

City Manager Bill DiLibero and Assistant City Manager Darla Jones met with Lance Elliot to discuss maps and procedures for the TIRZ on Wednesday, April 1, 2015.


TxDOT Meeting

Councilmembers Stahl, Bagley and LaMure along with City Manager Bill DiLibero and Assistant City Manager Darla Jones met with Jesus Leal, TxDOT Director of Transportation Operations on Wednesday, April 1, 2015. Many issues were discussed such as lowering speed limits on Padre Blvd, installing crosswalks and traffic signals. In addition, the City explained that we are in the process of updating our Transportation Plan to include new sidewalks and landscaping and extending the raised medians that now end at Dolphin up to The Shores. This is all being done to improve the safety of the traveling public on the Island. It was a very productive meeting with our TxDOT partners! 


Potential Ecotourism Projects

Mayor Barry Patel, Council Member Alita Bagley, Council Member Sam Listi, City Manager Bill DiLibero, Consultant Peter Ravella and representatives from UTRGV, Ocean Trust, Sea Turtle Inc., and the Birding and Nature Center discussed potential ecotourism projects for South Padre Island on Thursday, April 2, 2015. 


Garriga Elementary School Visitors

The First Grade class from Garriga Elementary School came to visit the Police, Fire and Municipal Court Departments on Monday, March 30th. The Municipal Court participated by educating the students on basic Municipal Court procedures.



Apostolic Church Ladies Retreat

The Convention Centre is in the process of preparing for the Apostolic Church Ladies Retreat this week. This event with 400 plus attendees has been with us for several years. We are always glad to have them return.  


Thank You Bethel College Students

A group of ten college students from Bethel College located at North Newton, Kansas, assisted in the collection of trash left behind by other beach-goers. Between the ten college students and the Code Enforcement Officer, two trash receptacles were filled. Thank you for keeping South Padre Island Beautiful!



Sidewalks & Driveways

Contractors finished the new concrete driveway and valley gutter on the north side of the Visitors Center. They will work on the south driveway this week. 



Street Paving Project

Assistant City Manager Darla Jones and the Public Works staff held a pre-construction meeting with the paving contractor last Tuesday. The third phase of the Gulf Boulevard Project will be from E. Constellation to E. Gardenia on Gulf. It will include the widening and total reconstruction of E. Sunset with a sidewalk on the south side. 


Routine Maintenance

Crews have been busy mowing grass, weeding, and pruning the plants on the entrance medians.



National Travel and Tourism Week
National Travel and Tourism Week is fast approaching. This year it will be held from May 2nd through the 10th and Rally Day will be May 5th. The City of South Padre Island will also be scheduling our Rally Day on May 5th and will be celebrating with a Hot Dog Picnic to welcome everyone outside of the Visitors Center. 

Water Conservation

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. 

 

April Yard of the Month
Congratulations to our April Yard of the Month winner, Furcron Realtors at 4800 Padre Blvd, South Padre Island, Texas! Furcron Realtors will receive a sign to place in their yard for this month honoring their accomplishment. Thank you Furcron Realtors for helping keep our Island beautiful! 
If you have a neighbor or know of a business here on South Padre Island who take pride and extra care of their landscaping be sure to nominate them to be our next Yard of the Month! Send your nominations to SPIYards@MySPI.org and shine a light on those who are helping keep SPI beautiful! 



Cyclovia So Padre
The First Annual Cyclovia So Padre will turn Padre Boulevard into a car-free and care-free environment for families and their pets to bike, run and play together. South Padre Island's first ever Cyclovia will stretch across Padre Boulevard, connecting Bahama Street to Capricorn Drive, on Saturday, May 2, 2015 from 1pm - 6pm! Cyclovia So Padre will feature two Reclovias "Recreation Stations" throughout our route that offer tons of free outdoor games and activities for kids of all ages! From yoga to tai chi & jiu jitsu classes, Cyclovia So Padre will have something for  everyone. So get up, get out and come experience South Padre Island in a whole new way!



BULLETIN BOARD
Recycling
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.



Animal Control
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.





Incentive Policy
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 spiedc@aol.com; or Dr. Sungman Kim, City of South Padre Island Development Director, at (956) 761-8113 or email SKim@MySPI.org.
 






FREE Business Listing
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: SBallenger@MySPI.org. 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.


PET OF THE WEEK
 

CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Date
Event
Location
Time
Apr. 7-12
South Padre Island Convention Centre

Apr. 7-12
Sebastian Zodiac Sculpture Exhibit
South Padre Island Convention Centre

Apr. 7-12 Areacode Live at the Quarterdeck The Quarterdeck Lounge 9:00 PM
Apr. 8 Crab Races at the QuarterDeck The Quarterdeck Lounge 7:00 PM
Apr. 10-11 The Mixed Bag Live at The Garden
The Garden Grille & Bar
6:00 PM
Apr. 12 South Padre Island Farmers Market
NAMAR Event Center
11:00 AM

City of South Padre Island 
ITContact@MySPI.org | http://MySPI.org
4601 Padre Blvd. South Padre Island, TX 78597