Task force recommends Blue Water construction be top priority for CMP Cycle 31 submissions

The South Padre Island Coastal Management Task Force on May 13 voted to recommend that the City Council submit ranking priorities for Coastal Management Program (CMP) Cycle 31 with construction for Blue Water Circle (Beach Access No. 9) as the top choice, engineering for four other accesses as second, and a land-acquisition project for conservation as third.

Task force members debated priorities before the vote. One group argued that engineering work for multiple accesses should be prioritized so projects would be shovel-ready when construction funding becomes available; another argued that prioritizing Blue Water’s construction would avoid leaving the city without active construction work after the current access project is finished. Task force member Todd moved to rank Blue Water construction first; the…