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Meetings & Discussions
Interim City Manager Darla Jones, and Finance Director Rodrigo Gimenez met with City Departments this week to review budgeting for the upcoming fiscal year.
City Council Member Alex Avalos and Interim City Manager Darla Jones attended the 5th Annual Texas Municipal League - Region 12 Training Workshop.
The Request for Proposals from executive search firms in reference to the City Manager positon recruitment process were due on Thursday at 3:00 p.m. Councilmembers Theresa Metty, Dennis Stahl, Alex Avalos, and Administrative Services Director Wendi Delgado met on Friday to review the proposals.
Transit Director Jesse Arriaga participated in the Texas Transit Association Board of Directors meeting via teleconference this week. Mr. Arriaga represents the rural transit systems in the state of Texas.
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Beach Planting Event
Last Thursday the Shoreline Management Department worked with 125 5th graders from Garriga Elementary to plant 6,000 sea oat and bitter panicum grasses near Beach Access #6 at Surf Circle. The kids had a great time and there were folks from Beach Patrol, the UTRGV Coastal Studies Lab, the Surfrider Foundation, and Environmental Health speaking with them about all the different ways we interact with the beaches and dunes here on the Island.
More planting events are being planned to take place later this summer and all volunteers are welcome! If you're free and would like to lend a hand we would be happy to see everybody there!
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Region One RGV School Board Association
The Region One Rio Grande Valley School Board Association will be at the South Padre Island Convention Centre on Friday and Saturday for their annual two-day Spring Conference. They will have a general session breakfast on Saturday which includes recognitions and awards. Break-out sessions will follow in the afternoon for over 300 attendees.
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Fire Department
The South Padre Island Fire Department hosted a group of special visitors this week from Garriga and Derry Elementary. More than 600 students paid a visit to the fire station this week during their annual field trip. They were able to tour the station and interact with the firefighters and equipment. Several fire prevention lessons were taught throughout the week, detailing the importance of smoke detectors, calling 911, and home safety.
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Police Department
On Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday South Padre Island Police officers hosted over 400 students, and officers showed students from the Port Isabel Elementary and Garriga Elementary schools the police department, city jail, and police cars.
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On Wednesday, South Padre Island Police Officer Carlos Gonzalez was called for a Tie-Cutting Ceremony at the H.A.V.E - STR Annual Conference held at the Hilton Garden Inn.
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John L. Tompkins Park
The contractor worked on installing the electrical
conduit and installing the forms for the sidewalks
between the buildings and the parking lot. They
have also started framing and installing the soffit and
facial boards on the buildings.
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Landscaped Corners
The contractor planted the new Sabal Palms along Gulf Boulevard on Monday and the one damaged on Kingfish Street and Padre Boulevard. The Brick Paving contractor should complete installing the pavers next week between Sunset Drive and Constellation Drive along Gulf Boulevard.
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Valley Gutter Project
Los Fresnos Construction was the low bidder at $15,750 to construct the 5" x 3' x 426' at 410 Frontage Park Road 100. The utility spotting was done and the contractor began work on Thursday.
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Vector Security
Thank you to Roli Gonzalez and David Rocha from Public Works for installing a new and improved locking mechanism to our Vector control room. This mechanism will ensure the safety of authorized personnel working in the room.
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Mosquito Control
Due to the national attention of the Zika Virus and Chikungunya Virus, Environmental Health Services staff has been aggressive in the fight to reduce the mosquito population. This week pesticide spraying and larviciding has been conducted over the entire Island. Staff will continue to diligently monitor weather conditions and mosquito activity to target areas of need.
EHS staff participated in an integrated pest management webinar presented by Syngenta Professional Pest Management. The techniques and information learned will improve operations by enhancing the methods used to minimize the mosquito count.
Additionally, due to recent rains, the public is urged to help keep their properties clear of mosquito breeding areas and remember the four D's to avoid mosquito bites:
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Dusk and Dawn - Avoid being outdoors when mosquitoes are seeking blood for a meal. For many species, this is during the dusk and dawn hours.
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Dress - Wear shoes, socks, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt when outdoors for long periods of time or when mosquitoes are most active. Clothing should be light colored and made of tightly woven materials to keep mosquitoes away from the skin.
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Drain - Reduce the amount of standing water in or near your property by draining and/or removing it.
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DEET - Use an insect repellant containing DEET. Spraying clothing with repellents containing permethrin or DEET helps prevent mosquitoes from biting through thin clothing. Always read the manufacturer's directions carefully before you put on a repellent.
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Recycling
Approximately 600 pounds of recyclable material was collected! Thank you to everyone for doing their part in keeping South Padre Island beautiful!
The Environmental Health Services Department collected 126 pounds of plastic bottle caps. They will be taken to Alianza Anticancer Infantil in Monterrey, Mexico. Proceeds will assist with medical expenses for underprivileged children with cancer.
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HOT Tax Permit Registration
Final compliance date was July 1, 2015!
Notices of Violation have been, and continue to be sent to several property owners on the island.
The City of South Padre Island has passed Ordinance 15-03 requiring all property owners who advertise their property for short term rental to register their residential rental unit (s (house, condo, apartment or bedroom) with the City, AND to comply with all applicable laws including the collection and remittance of hotel tax. Register today online at
www.myspi.org/hottax
, the final compliance date is July 1st 2015.
To learn how to comply with the new City Ordinance please view the pre-recorded webinar.
We will also be available by phone to answer any questions you may have. Call Georgina Ramos: (956) 761-8382 or Email:
[email protected].
If you have a Rental Property Manager on the island they may be handling the registration process for you.
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Brush Time
The Environmental Health Services Department would like to remind you to please place your brush and bulky items on the right-of way from the 25th to the last day of the month for pick up on the first three workdays of the month. Thank you for doing your part in keeping South Padre Island beautiful!
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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.
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GOING GREEN
Texas Commission of Environmental Quality reminds you - Resolve to Make a Difference in 2016:
Reduce Junk Mail
Resolve to save time, conserve energy, and preserve trees by opting out of junk mail! Households
and businesses receive over 80 billion pieces of junk mail each year; most of this ends up in
our landfills.
You can easily opt out of offers of credit and insurance on the Consumer Credit Reporting Industry
website at www.optoutprescreen.com. Visit the Direct Marketing Association's Mail Preference
Service at www.dmachoice.org to stop receiving commercial mail from many national
companies. Important: Both secured sites will ask for personal information, such as your address.
Replace Older Toilets
This resolution is a little more difficult and a bit more costly. However, it makes a big difference in
water conservation. Toilets use the most water in the home. By replacing one older toilet with the
most water-efficient type, you can save up to 13,000 gallons of water and over $100 each year. If
just one in four families in Texas replaced one older toilet with a 1.28-gallon-per-flush toilet, it
would save more than 28 billion gallons of water every year. (takecareoftexas.org)
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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.
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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.
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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 protected]
; or Dr. Sungman Kim, City of South Padre Island Development Director, at (956) 761-8113 or
[email protected]
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FREE Business Listing
Calling all South Padre Island businesses! Please be sure to update your FREE business listing on the Convention & Visitors Bureau website (
www.sopadre.com
). If you haven't been provided with your login credentials, please contact Carlos Centeno by phone at (956) 761-8390, or email at
[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.
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Friends of Animal Rescue is looking for a furever home for Gidget. Gidget is about 6 months old, spayed, up to date on all vaccinations, house trained, microchipped, and heartworm negative. She is timid at first but warms up quickly. Gidget loves to play with other dogs and humans. You can meet Gidget and our other furry friends at 4908 Padre Blvd. We are open to 10-5 daily. Found or lost an animal on South Padre Island call us on our 24 hour hotline 956-772-1171.
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EVENTS
Looking for even more events? We've added and a new 'EVENTS' tab at the top of this newsletter! Just click that link and you can view our full calendar of events.
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Date
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Event
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Location
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Time
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| May 17-23 |
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The Quarterdeck Lounge
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9:00 PM
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| May 18-19 |
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The Garden Grille & Bar
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6:00 PM
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| May 18 |
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The Quarterdeck Lounge
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9:00 PM
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| May 20-21 |
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South Padre Island Birding & Nature Center
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| May 20-21 |
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Clayton's Beach Bar & Grill
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9:15 PM
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| May 22 |
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NAMAR Event Center
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11:00 AM
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| May 23 |
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The Quarterdeck Lounge
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9:00 PM
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