b'of Way Task Force had met to start work on what toStates, maybe the world, exhibits such indifference toOpposite Page/Upper: The new Harbor Bridge dwarfs the 1959 do with 100 acres or so that will open up after the newhow we present as a destination. No other place wouldbridge and is positioned 1/4 mile farther into the ship channel; bridge is gone, in about a year. Also announced was thatignore such an iconic strip of land as North Beach Opposite/Lower: North Beach recreated into its World War II era their work would include a land use plan for the site ofhome to two major, prosperous visitor attractionsun- for the 1981 feature film, Raggedy Man; Above: About 100 acres the 1914 Nueces County Courthouse, the highly-visibleless their economy was in crisis, and ours is not. of TxDOT land spread over both sides of the ship channel will be monument to how little we as a community care aboutreturned to the City; Below: Images from the long-lost 2019 plan the appearance of our city. Only our Columbus ShipsCatching on to what this publication has been scream- for a canal on North Beach, approved by City Council 9-0.embarrassmentcouldequalthe50-yeardisgraceofing about regularly for six years, and in detail as recently what we let happen to the most beautiful courthouse inas last fall, the Corpus Christi Mayor announced in late Texas, but I digress. April that she held the first meeting of the Right of Way Task Force for the purpose of developing a land use plan Somalia has beaches too. Theyre not too nice, and Ivefor the TxDOT property that will be turned over to the said it many times. The new, single exit to North BeachCity when the old bridge is fully removed, at the end of off the new bridge takes you far to the north end of the2026. Months later, any of you who pay attention to how peninsula, and then routes you back up Surfside Boule- the City is run will already know the answer to what has vard to the Lexington and the Aquarium. While the oldbeen accomplished by this task force, since. Nothing, of exit allowed visitors to start their North Beach experi- course. There has been no second meeting, and you cant ence at Burleson Street, then turning right (south) to- even find reference to the task force on the City website, ward the attractions, hotels and restaurants, now visitorsof course. Put it on the shelf along with Costco, Bass Pro will get the full tour of whats really theremostly ne- Shops, and a convention center hotelit was enough of glected properties and a collection of shady and scaryan issue to get a hit on the local news for one day, and characters whom one would assume work in the illegalthen we never hear about it again, and the reporter who narcotics and prostitution industries.did the story never follows up. The huge flash of white That 2019 plan included not just a canal attraction, butlight once again erases our collective memories.the beautification and reconstruction of the new mainThe easy approach to writing this editorial piece would route through the community for the purpose of avoid- be to explore all the great waterfront ideas that have ing what we are now getting: a longer, better view ofcome to fruition in cities across the country, that would more blight, which carries a single message to our cher- almost certainly work here. The Riverwalk is the first and ished touriststhe people here just dont give a damn. most obvious. As I first wrote 21 years ago, San Antonio NoothercitywithahealthyeconomyintheUnitedtook a dirty ditch and turned it into one of the top tourist TheCoastalBend.com THECOASTALBENDMAGAZINE19'