Port Aransas has stepped up to the plate so many times, and the results have been phenomenal.

There are so many examples, there’s not space to mention them all. However, over the years among the visions we’ve helped become realities are Roberts Point Park, the Port Aransas Community Park (and now its skate park), the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center, the Joan and Scott Holt Paradise Pond, the Port Aransas Museum, the renovation and landscaping of the Community Center, the Port Aransas Community Theatre, the Port Aransas Art Center. . . .

All of these amenities have added to the diversity and rich culture of our town.

And now, one of the organizations that has contributed so much to the tapestry of our lives here, the Port Aransas Art Center, seeks to enhance their offerings. Their plan is to turn what is now Spanish Village Cottages into an interactive arts complex that preserves the ambiance of the cottages while adding a building to house the art center.

This is an exciting and ambitious plan, one that I hope will garner widespread support from the community and our community of friends outside our city limits.

This vision will require innovative fundraising in large and small ways, and support in so many ways beyond financial.

The art center has consistently provided a venue for artists and art lovers to express and enjoy themselves, from the classes and workshops, to Spring Break and summer camps for kids, to the First Friday art exhibits, to the PA Art About art walk, Songwriters Showcase, Fiesta de Mayo and Art Fest.

All these opportunities enhance the quality of life in Port Aransas, as well as provide another dimension to the experience our visitors have in Port Aransas.

A small cadre of volunteers labors tirelessly to make all these events possible, and they deserve our support and appreciation.

Now they’ve set their sights on a visionary goal that will make life in, and a visit to, Port Aransas even better.

I’m ready to do what I can to make the art center’s vision for their new arts complex a reality.

Please join me!

Mary Henkel Judson is editor and copublisher of the South Jetty. Contact her at southjetty@centurytel.net, (361) 749-5131 or P.O. Box 1117, Port Aransas, TX 78373.