City Councilman Bubba Jensen, who had doubts about moving the historic Mercer House to the Community Center grounds, told a nearly-packed city council chamber on Thursday, Oct. 18, that he would bow to the expressed views of several residents on the matter.

"When this first came up, (the issue of) moving (the house) and allocating money, it got me worked up because everything we have is falling apart," Jensen said. "We start new projects without taking care of the stuff we have."

But an e-mail campaign by backers of the move, including members of the Port Aransas Preservation and Historical Association, convinced him otherwise, he said.

"(T)he emails I got, I know the direction you want to go. You want to see that house there. I think it's going to be crowded and crowd the most important building we have (the Community Center). I know what your concern is, why you're here, and I'm not going to push to change that tonight," he said.