Letters to the Editor: November 21

Melissa Armstrong

Dear Editor:

I first want to congratulate the Pirate varsity volleyball team on a fantastic season. I went to many games during the season and enjoyed the teamwork and dedication they displayed throughout the entire season.

This brings me to the second round playoff game against Flour Bluff at West OSO High School. I was pleased to see so many fans from Rockport at the game cheering for the Pirates. Judging by my eyes, the Rockport fans outnumbered the Flour Bluff fans, but the group missing in action was the Rockport varsity cheerleaders. I did see four varsity cheerleaders in uniform at the game, but they were sitting in the stands, and some people said one cheerleader was wearing flip flops. Flour Bluff had its varsity and JV cheerleaders at the game cheering on the court, not in the stands.

A thanks should be given to the dedication of many male students who were dressed in spirited outfits and were actually cheering on the court, trying to drown out the noise made by all of the Flour Bluff cheerleaders. They did a great job filling in for the (MIA) cheerleaders.

If the varsity cheerleaders didn’t want to show school spirit at the second round volleyball playoff game, the middle school cheerleaders should have been contacted about cheering as a team at the game. I am sure they would have jumped at the chance to perform at a varsity game.

Richard Ehrlich

Dear Editor:

At any hour of the day, on any given day you can turn on your television and hear about our servicemen bravely risking their lives and fighting for our nation so we may continue to have freedom. We learn of these young men and women losing their lives to save our lives. Sometimes, it’s not until our brave troops have paid the ultimate sacrifice we are given the opportunity to give them the praise and show them the respect they truly deserve.

Our hearts go out to the families and friends of our fallen heroes. We cry with them as we pray for them during these devastatingly sad times. We line the highways and streets saluting, in respect, as the limos carry the flag-draped caskets containing the remains of our fallen hometown heroes, returning them to a saddened, yet proud, community.

As an American, I will forever be proud of their commitments and honor them for their ultimate sacrifice. I am thankful to Rockport for Veterans, Carla Reed and all the volunteers, Patriot Guard Riders, and all the residents of Rockport and surrounding areas for showing great appreciation to our brave troops.

As a mother, I am asking we remember to thank our troops which are still with us. A few weeks ago, my son HM2 (FMF) L.C. Weathersby returned to his duty station at Kaneohe Bay, HI after a six-month deployment to Now Zad, Afghanistan from April to October, 2009. He is a 2003 graduate of Rockport-Fulton High School and has served in the U.S. Navy for 6-1/2 years now. He is currently assigned to the 2nd Battalion 3rd Marines Golf Company where he is the Senior Line Corpsman. He was also deployed to Iraq from February to August, 2008.

In September 2008, when L.C. returned to Rockport he was greeted at the Corpus Christi airport by the PGR, Reed and the volunteers, along with a host of family and friends. His first stop in Rockport was for a haircut where they refused to let him pay for it. He then made his way to a local restaurant where an elderly gentleman he had never met paid for his meal. Although truly grateful, L.C. was hesitant in accepting these gifts, as he is always trying to do for others instead of allowing someone to do for him. Whether it was a spoken thank you, or a simple handshake, he was happy to be welcomed back home.

It brings our family great happiness to announce L.C. will be returning to Rockport for a much deserved three-week leave. He will be greeted by family and friends at the Corpus Christi airport, Dec. 9 at 4:48 p.m. We personally thank each and every one of you, in advance, for expressing your gratitude to this fine young man in the event you do have the pleasure of running into him.

I am proud to be an American. I am proud to be a resident of Rockport. I am proud of those who have given their lives in support of our freedom and I am truly proud of our son.

Jacki Lott

Dear Editor:

Adding more sewage lines is great versus septic tanks, but repairs are needed at the main plant on 2165 Pearl St. The smell is so bad you cannot enjoy a lot of the park right beside it.

How do people live within two blocks of the odor? When we get a west wind I do not go outside because of the smell. It’s a good thing we get few west winds. Larger towns have plants and their smell is not half as bad as this one. Hopefully we never reach full capacity.

Gary Schell

Dear Editor:

I have watched with much interest the aggressive approach of Aransas Pass to annex the very lucrative tax areas of South Aransas County, namely from Palm Harbor to Bahia Bay, then on to La Buena Vida and lastly City By The Sea, which boast in the neighborhood of 450 nice homes on waterfront property.

This would bring into Aransas Pass approximately $800,000 in new taxes in addition to adding to their ad valorem tax revenue they can collect, driving up the values to $130 million. From my observation point I do not see how Aransas Pass could even begin to provide the necessary services of sewer, water, fire and police protection imperative under state statutes of annexation requirements under any time frame.

That brings up the other side of the equation. The City of Rockport supplies these areas with city water and fire protection. Ambulance service, police protection, animal control, and road maintenance are provided by Aransas County. The only service now lacking is sewer lines. In your opinion and mine, who would be in a better position to provide the sewer lines? Better than this, why hasn’t the City of Rockport provided the sewer system before now and secondly, why haven’t they looked at all tax base available until it is being proposed to be annexed by others when they should have done this in years past, and would have the whole taxing identity for Rockport?

I have wondered for many years why Rockport put so much emphasis on annexing Copano Cove, Copano Ridge, everything along Highway 1781, Copano Bay to the Hwy. 35 bridges, and are trying to get everything north and west of Fulton totally surrounding Fulton so they cannot grow in any direction; and then above all squeeze Fulton from the south and virtually steal the Fulton Mansion from Fulton.

Rockport is and has been greedy with its ETJ and annexing procedures, so if it ends up losing these choice areas along Hwy. 35 South and the bay to other identities who are in pursuit of these areas, it’s time to ask questions of your City of Rockport leaders and decision makers. Enough said.

Jim Teal