Bob Flood: 'At that time, it was real hairy'
BY DAN PARKER SOUTH JETTY REPORTER

BOB FLOOD

Editor's note: This is the last article in a seven-part series of interviews with current and past Port Aransas mayors reflecting on the state of our island town and its future. The first six articles were interviews with six of the town's seven most recent mayors: Claude Brown (2006 to present), Georgia Neblett (2004-2006), Glenn Martin (1998-2004), Jim Sherrill (1994-1998), Dale Bietendorf (1984-1988) and Charlie Brown (1982-1984, no relation to Claude Brown). (J.C. Barr, who served from 1988 to 1994, died in 1998.) Following is an interview with Bob Flood, who served as mayor from 1981 to 1982. Flood was mayor pro-tem and then served out the unexpired term of Mayor Dennis Dreyer, who died while in office.

B o b F l o o d moved to Port Aransas in 1972 after serving in the Navy and seeing combat in the Korean and Vietnam wars. In Port Aransas, Flood worked as a captain on head boats, charter boats and private fishing vessels. He is a past president of Port Aransas Boatmen Inc., a past Boatman of the Year and is in the Boatmen Hall of Fame. Now 75 years old, he is retired. He is married to Maryann Flood.

South Jetty: What was it like for you to go from being a city councilman who had been in office for only a matter of months to suddenly having to take over as mayor when then- Mayor Dennis Dreyer died?

Flood: At that time, it was real hairy. At that time - I hate to say it, but this was a quaint fishing village. You've probably heard that statement around here before. We started the home-rule that got our city manager, Gus Pappas. He didn't get along with the powers that be. We were trying to upgrade the city, and we got a lot of: "Well, Grandpa didn't have it, so we don't need it." But, eventually, they started turning our way. We showed them the plans for the streets and the sidewalks. We had already worked on the (city) marina, got it building up. We had moved from the old (City Hall building) - where the Chamber of Commerce is now, it used to be City Hall - and we went into the new building. Got a bigger staff. The whole 10 yards. We started turning into the city before the people were really ready for it, and it took all the way through my two years and into

the mayoral administration of) Charlie Brown. … It turned out alright.

S.J.: How is Port Aransas doing now, in your opinion?

Flood: I think we're doing great. They've got it going. They've got a good council. The mayor is great, and everyone seems to be working for the same (goals). There's not conflict among the staff and council. Every thing seems to be working real fine.

S.J.: In this series of articles, some former mayors have said that some of the town's development in recent years has caused Port Aransas to lose its charm. Others have not been so critical of the changes. They said growth is inevitable, that it has helped the economy and that the town's basic charm remains in place. Where do you stand on all this?

Flood: The development can kill us in the long run. If you come across the ferry and come up Cotter, you've got your fishing companies there - you know, the different marine outfitters, party boats and nice condos. Another big one is going up

now). Looks nice. But you come in on (State Hwy. 361), and it looks like a cross between Coney Island and Disneyland. I mean, it's just a jungle of signs. "Do this! Buy this! Go there! See us!" You know. … There's got to be a little more care taken with the development.

S.J.: How so?

Flood: They're aiming toward the wealth - the big developers, with the condos, the fancy hotels and motels - and we don't have … enough people here to maintain them. Now, the developers - they develop, and they're gone. They say, "OK, you've got it." And there's the glitz and the glitter, (but) now the nuts and bolts come out, and it's your problem. And it's going to be a big problem, because we don't have the housing and the availability of enough people to maintain all this. … We ought to get a bus over in Aransas Pass to make a run down Cotter, Alister, all the way down 361, with head-of-the-line ferry privileges to bring (workers) into town.

S.J.: What else should Port Aransans do to make their town the best possible?

Flood: There are some roads here, including the one I live on - the potholes, they're bad. These are not the main streets. The outlying streets - they have to be done. The drainage has to be done a little bit - more pumps - get it out of here. The marina - I've been saying this since 1972 - it needs another drain going out so we have circulation in the marina.

S.J. Can you elaborate about the marina?

Flood: The marina is a stagnant pit. … The marina is a focal point of this city. … Why have a cesspool between the condos and the park? (Circulation) will clean it up. It will keep all the - saltwater and trash gets in there and it just sinks to the bottom; the bottom is a muck. (Increased circulation) will clean it out.

S.J.: How do you create circulation?

Flood: Dig a hole, a drain, and let the tide (force the circulation). … You know where the boat ramps are, or somewhere along there? Dig a trench, pipe it, cover the pipes where people can't go through there - I mean, underwater, and let the water (circulate).

S.J.: You have mentioned that the city's sign ordinance should be revamped. How so?

Flood: To tell you the truth, I never gave it much thought about how it should be. But some of the signs are just plain tacky. I mean, some of the buildings are too, as far as that goes. But they're there. You can't knock them down.

S.J.: You're saying you'd like to see signs that aren't so big and garish?

Flood: Yes. … Something with a little class.

S.J.: How do you think our beaches are doing? People disagree about what we should do, if anything, about the piles of seaweed that sometimes wash ashore. There also has been a controversy over the question of what to do when the beach roadway becomes so full of loose sand that it's hard to drive.

Flood: We're shoveling sand against the tide, is what we're doing. That beach was there long before Port Aransas was there. Mother Nature took care of the beach. I hate to see them with bulldozers out there, scraping. Luckily, (the beaches) haven't eroded. The jetties have a lot to do with that, the currents. But it's just - (city workers will move) a big heap of crud over here on the west side of the beach, away from the surf, (and): "Oh, look at our nice clean beaches!" The next day, there they are again (having to clean more). Think of the money, the equipment, the manpower, every day down on that beach. Why do people want to come to the beach? Hey. It's got seaweed. (Maybe) if you could get the seaweed off with a little different deal than bulldozers … like a rig like an old farm rake, you know?

S.J.: You're against using bulldozers to deal with it?

Flood: Not only are they taking the seaweed, they're taking the sand, and it's just - you're digging away at nature. And Mother Nature don't like that.