b'opened up fourteen manholes on North Beach streets, measuring the sediment inBeach storm drainage, as the Citys first E. coli outbreak in our drinking water sys-each storm sewer line. All of the lines measured had at least six inches to two feettem had to do with backflow valves on private water wells in Flour Bluff. Maybe less.of mud, and some were completely clogged. When presented with the report, ZanoniThe series of knowingly-false statements about the failed state of the storm said, I dont have time to debate that. I dont have time for that. We know it doesntsewer system on North Beach, which started as far back as Mark Van Vlecks 2015 function correctly, thats why we are trying to get more money to get a better onememo, and were resuscitated for useful convenience in 2019 by the Mayor and City built. I think all the engineers in here are saying that. Manager, amount to no less than acts of fraud against the utility ratepayers on A month earlier, and before his cornerstone lie about North Beach fell apart,North Beach. While more than a single motive is likely in play, including Lynn Fra-the Mayors plan was in full swing at the October 29, 2019, City Council meeting inzier and Jeff Blackards failure to kiss the ring of the Good Ole Boys, there is wide which both a vote on the TIRZ and the Citys presentation on storm drainage werespeculation that they have other uses in mind for almost $200 million in utility rev-on the agendaand in charge of that presentation on behalf of City staff? Mark Vanenue bonds that are available to the Cityand a $40+ million expenditure on North Vleck, of course. Contract engineer Chip Urban, who had worked closely with theBeach would take away from that money. Storm drainage is a public utility for which Task Force and Blackards consulting engineers, was there to present solutions forwe all pay, and fixing the flooding problem on North Beach is the exact kind of proj-the flooding problems, i.e. fixing the storm drainage system, and his co-presenter,ect that those bonds are designed to fund.Van Vleck, was expected to report on the details of the problem and the Citys effortsWhile the confident and assertive delivery of preposterous statements was the to deal with it. It was nothing like that. Mayors role in the October 29th show, Van Vlecks shenanigans started in the prep The principle focus of Van Vlecks presentation was not storm drainage, it wasroom. When his co-presenters PowerPoint slide on the cost options for fixing the tidal flooding through the storm drainage lines, and how that was a planned func- North Beach flooding problem popped up on the monitors, Chip Urban paused and tion of a working systemand most importantly, that the problem was not the stormthen said, Ummmokay, there was a little bit added there that I didnt know was sewer system (a City utility), but the elevation of land and streets on the peninsula.going to be there. Van Vleck, or someone acting under his direction, actually added It is hard to disagree with the notion that all flooding is, at its core, an elevation is- $32 million to raise streets to Urbans slide, which had originally only listed the sue. In fact, that is the very reason why we build infrastructure to mitigate it. Vanthree options he was presenting to fix storm drainage: (1) Replace the current, fail-Vleck, in his part of the presentation, actually never mentioned hurricanes, storming system, at a cost of about $82.6 million; (2) Build a mile-long drainage ditch at surge, or storm floodinghis one and only focus was tidal flooding through thea cost of about $36.2 million, or; (3) Build a navigable canal and adjacent visitor sewer system. This struck several in the gallery as odd,infrastructurea Riverwalkfor about $41.2 million.considering the title of the agenda item, but his danceCity Manager Peter Zanoni 11.18.19: In his opening comments in the Briefings period partner was still warming up. of the meeting, McComb played his second role in the Half-waythroughtheBriefingsperiodontheWe know [the storm waterschtick by first seeking agreement from Chip Urban that topic, Mayor McComb asked for a four-minute videothe only source of funds for the canal, breakwater is-of the tidal flooding of streets on North Beach, postedsystem on North Beach] doesntlands, or anything on North Beach would be borne by on YouTube by resident and activist, Carrie Robertson- the City of Corpus Christi, to which Urban had no opin-Meyer, to be played for the Council and audience. Ve- function correctly, thats whyion, as a contract engineer. The Mayor went on to state hicles are seen navigating through more than six incheswe are trying to get morehissworndutytoprotecttaxpayermoney,andthat of saltwater that found its way onto streets not by crest- were already up to $70 or $80 million, both unsettled ing the dune line from the beach, but through the stormmoney to get a better one built. questions and artificial inflations that he used to inject sewer lines. While observers might have experienced aan element of sticker shock into the conversation, while brief glimmer of hope that the Mayor finally got itthe City storm sewer not onlysuggesting that permitting alone would take two to three years.fails to take away rainwater, but it actually serves to flood dry land with corrosiveTo say that Mayor McComb, despite all the steps he has taken to kill the rede-saltwaterMcComb turned it around on everyone. velopment of North Beach, is flatly against it happening, would not be true. He just Weve heard people say the reason it floods over there is that the storm waterdoesnt want it to be a City Utilities Department project so that it could be paid for system hasnt been addressed in years, no ones paid any attention to it, theyre allby utility revenue bondsthis seems to be an issue of source-of-funds for him, and full. Well, I mean, we just saw they work! McComb proclaimed. If the tide comesnot much else. He was perfectly happy with the TIRZ paying for drainage and scoffed up, the waters gonna be pushed in and out on the property, and when the tide goesat the fact that the Task Force did not include it in the proposed TIRZ budgetwhich down, the water goes back in. It was visual on that site. Its not your lying eyes see- is explained by a simple, chicken-and-egg illustration. The TIRZ will be funded as ing that, its the real thing. So, the storm system works!property tax revenue increases, which is a result of development. There will be no He went on to try to insulate himself and his expert assessment from futuredevelopment without fixing drainage first. Did McComb genuinely not understand criticism, saying, So, I hope theres not any other comments later that the systemthis, or did he again assume that we are all too uninformed to understand this?floods, its not working, blah, blah, blah, blah. The Mayor also had no problem with Lynn Frazier and Jeff Blackard paying for Later in the meeting, McComb offered up another You Dummies zinger for thethe canal. In the aforementioned meeting of November 18th, he and Zanoni set forth assembled audience, when he talked about dealing with flooding on his own streetan offer in which Frazier-Blackard would pay the $41.2 million to build the canal, in Country Club Estates. When you get a three-inch deluge all at once, [the stormand the City would pay them back out of the TIRZ, over a period of twenty years. The sewers] cant take it all at once, I dont care where you are, he explained, and Ivearrangement actually got to the point of Blackard Global issuing terms and condi-driven to my house, gotten in two blocks away, three blocks awaybecause I happentions two days later, but by the time Thanksgiving had passed and December arrived, to be down close to where one of the drains isI park my car, roll my pants legs up,negotiations fell apart. McComb objected to the scope of Blackards commitment as take my shoes off and walk home. Three hours later, I walk back to my truck and itslimited to the Grand Canal only, saying that he included everything on the video, i.e. all drained off. Thats how the system works. breakwater islands, for the $41.2 million. What little good faith that had been earned North Beach floods with seawater during high tide, even when the sun is out.to that point evaporated, as the recording of the meeting revealed that Blackard was When it rains a quarter-inch, it floods. When the moon is full, it floods. When weclearas were all engineers in all prior presentations including the one at City Coun-get a three-inch deluge all at oncebuild an ark. The Mayors three-times-in-his- cil on October 29ththat the stated budget was for construction of the canal only.life flooding experience on his street in Country Club has as much to do with NorthIn addition to being quite the verbal trickster, Mayor McComb also feels free to 56 THE COASTAL BEND MAGAZINEQ2.2020 TheCoastalBend.com'