Corpusfishing.com

[The Trash Heap]

The CC City Council today approved the permit allowing C-Sculptures to set up and hold its event between Zahn Road and the North Packery Jetty on June 9. Beach access will be restricted to one-way south from the 3rd access road to Zahn starting on Friday, June 8. Access to the boat ramp will still be allowed those days.

The plans didn't say anything about parking on the beach, so I can't say if it will still require a permit, but since you won't get near the north jetty for the crowds, who cares?

The plans also didn't mention the City's practice of blading berms between the surf and the dunes to create taffic lanes, a practice for which it has gotten in hot water with the Corps of Engineers and the USFWS before. I reminded the City Council of that this morning, but the City Manager says everybody's doing it, so why not keep on? If you caught the 6 o'clock news, you'll know why. I misspoke about the fine for blading a sea turtle egg; it's $10,000, not $2000. Taking a migratory bird can set you back $20,000.

Last I heard, the formal ESA consultation over the City's after-the-fact permit for its "beach grooming," for which the Corps gave it a cease and desist order in October 2005, was nearing completion. Provided the City abides by the permit conditions, the endangered species should be safe from the grooming, and the City taxpayers won't have to face fines for crews pushing berms into the water's edge.

BTW, although the focus of Channel 6's account was on scraping up seaweed, the major hangup is not over the removal of weed and trash, but relates to placing fill material below the high tide mark, the Corps' jurisdiction line, to make those silly traffic berms. Wouldn't you know it was always about blocking beach access, not improving it.
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The Trash Heap Has Spoken!
NNYYAAAHH!!!

[Tarzan]

Well, if the traffic set up is anything like spring break, the traffic will stop at Zahn. There were blocks set up from the edge of Zahn to the water line. This was really nice for the local fishermen at the time because we could enter by way of the dirt road just past the bridge and drive down the channel. The police were ok with that as long as you were really gonna fish(have a rod or two on your truck). We actually got as far as the dune line(the old cove that was between Zahn & J.P. Luby pavillion). The problem this year is that the city has created a sand berm midway down the channel where they are supposed to build the sticks to keep the parking lot seperated from the beach. Lately, quite a few people with 4X4's have been driving onto the walkway to go around the berm or just driving over it. Prolly not a good idea with 40 million overzealous cops around. But, this would shorten the walk quite a bit anyway.
later,
Ernie
P.S.
During spring break, we spent most of our time on the south side with a whopping 20-30 vehicles on weekdays and the normal local weekend crowd and had quite a private party. Now that is irony in action right there. Fishing on the south jetty is way better lately anyway. See ya there...

[FB PHIL]

Tarzan - ou stated that they built that sand berm halfway down the channel because they were going to put posts in to separate the beach from the boat ramp parking lot. Why would they want to do that. just to make it more inconvient for fishermen to fish the north side of the channel where the embankment is bricked in????? Now you have to drive down that flooded caliche mudhole of a road to get to that area instead of coming from the beach. Makes no sense other than a harrassment factor.

[Tarzan]

Phil-I can't say why the city did that. My information comes from one of the guys who works out there. He told us that it was where they were going to put the posts for the edge of the parking lot. I believe the berm has been there for about 6 weeks or so. I am flying back from Cinci today and going to the north side and will check to see if it is still there. I wonder why the city does alot of things on our beach, like leaving the one way traffic sign at the edge of the sea wall(which I believe is illegal), or writing $300.00(no parking sticker) tickets for vehicles parked on the gulf side of the high tide line(not city property). Geez, while we're at it, why did they tear out the pylons from the old surf pier(hazard to navigation)....LOL Harassment sounds like a good answer to me bro..
later,
Ernie

[The Trash Heap]

The City does most things because it can, whether or not it's legal. I'd heard the big sand hill was put there to discourage driving through an area of construction, which may in retrospect have been either for the erection of bollards as suggested above, or because there was a question about having to re-stabilize the revetments in an area where they'd failed previously. If the latter, it sure isn't helping for people to drive along the bank on that side.

The GLO regulations under the oxymoronic Open Beaches Act actually do give the City the authority to control beach traffic on even the low side of the high tide line, and to charge for beach parking. Again, the City isn't REQUIRED to do either, but may if it wants and has prior GLO approval. Some may remember I and other members of the BAC tried and failed to convince the previous City Council not to approve the city ordinance imposing the continued one-way traffic restriction in front of the seawall, and that we asked for the City to stop collecting parking fees at the jetties where the Packery TIF was supposed to have created free parking lots.

Pushing sand into the Corps' jurisdiction w/o a Corps permit isn't among the things the OBA allows, but that hasn't stopped the City from doing it repeatedly and after official warnings from the Corps to stop. If the Corps fines the City for being a scoff-law, guess who pays the fines? Ditto if they kill turtle eggs.
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The Trash Heap Has Spoken!
NNYYAAAHH!!!

[Bluffer]

With talks of a parking lot where exactly would it be?
Also can they still ticket you for no beach P. permit if your parked at the base & fishing on the Jetty?
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-STAY THIRSTY MY FRIENDS!-

[The Trash Heap]

Original drawings, which appeared in the EIS and elsewhere, and which were shown last year on this board, had them on the upper beach adjacent to each jetty. During the campaign to close the beach south of the channel, one large parking lot was shown just north of the seawall, while a smaller one just for handicapped parking was promised nearer to the south side of the channel.

Yes, they still ticket for no beach parking sticker if parked to go fishing on the jetties. The only free parking lot near Packery Channel is at the boat ramp on the north side (TPWD grant).
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The Trash Heap Has Spoken!
NNYYAAAHH!!!

[Bluffer]

Should not be allowed to ticket for parking to use the jetties. They dont in Port/A....wheres the parking lot that was supposed to be at both jettys according to the TIF agreement?
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-STAY THIRSTY MY FRIENDS!-