The City of South Padre Island on Tuesday approved renaming Water Tower Park "Joe Buck and Mary Jo Camp Island Legends Park" to honor two longtime island residents and civic volunteers.

Council members who brought the item said Joe Buck and Mary Jo Camp moved to the island in 1978 and contributed to local projects including the restrooms at Water Tower Park and privately funded Causeway Memorial features. Council member Reese Langston (speaker identified in the meeting) described Buck’s and Camp’s civic efforts as the justification for the proposed name change.

Members of the city’s Parks and Keep SPI Beautiful Committee asked for clarification and said they were surprised the agenda item reached council without committee review. Committee chair Laurie (last name not given in the transcript) said the panel was actively negotiating potential private funding with SpaceX for a park redesign and worried naming the existing park now could complicate those discussions. Parks Committee member Kathy Willingham told council she was concerned the timing could conflict with an ongoing effort to solicit a quarter-million to half-million dollars in private contributions for a ‘‘rocket park’’ concept.

Council members said the item was placed on the agenda at the request of two council members and that the council had discussed naming options for roughly a year. After limited additional discussion, the council approved the renaming motion.

Why it matters: The change honours locally prominent residents and may affect how the city pursues private partners or sponsorships for future park improvements. Committee members asked the council to coordinate naming proposals with ongoing fundraising or design negotiations.

What’s next: The council did not set a separate implementation timeline; staff and the parks committee will coordinate on signage and potential park improvements if donors or partners are secured.