By NADIA TAMEZ-ROBLEDO
Staff Writer
PORT ISABEL — City leaders are hoping Texas lawmakers will agree that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” when it comes to the oversight of the historic lighthouse that is the town’s centerpiece tourist attraction.
The City Commission and Port Isabel Economic Development Corp. this past week passed resolutions supporting the continuation of a 1996 agreement with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
City Manager Jared Hockema said the Sunset Commission, in its review of the state’s historic preservation agency, has recommended that Port Isabel Lighthouse stewardship be transferred to the Texas Historical Commission.
There’s concern among city leaders that the change would limit the activities allowed at the lighthouse, he said, which functions more like a town square.
“It’s probably our most valuable asset here in the city,” Hockema said.
As a state historic site, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department owns and is responsible for major upkeep of the Port Isabel Lighthouse, said Calvin Byrd, board chairman of the Port Isabel Economic Development Corp. That includes the over $600,000 in renovations that got the lighthouse reopened to the public in January following a 15-month closure.
The city donated the land on which the lighthouse sits and takes care of the day-to-day operations, Byrd said, and the Port Isabel Chamber of Commerce operates the keeper’s cottage visitor center.
“It’s worked out great for all parties,” Byrd said of the agreement. “(The Texas Historical Commission is) a totally different regulatory agency, what they may allow or may not allow. That’s basically where our opposition comes from. We would hate to lose the working relationship we have currently.”
The lighthouse was built on the grounds of Fort Polk in 1852, was decommissioned in 1905 and is part of Port Isabel’s identity and brand, the resolution stated. It’s the place where the city holds its summer movie series and market days.
“Now we consider it an economic beacon. It brings people to our area, but in a different form,” Byrd said, noting that it’s the only coastal Texas lighthouse open to the public. “We consider it our most strategic and important marketing tool we have, so I suppose that’s why we take such a vested interest in it.”
Byrd said the last time the Sunset Commission recommended Port Isabel Lighthouse stewardship be shifted, city leaders testified about their position at legislative hearings and would do the same if the change makes it into a bill during the next legislative session.
Hockema is spearheading talks with legislators and the Texas Historical Commission about Port Isabel officials’ position on the issue, he added.
“I think this can be resolved prior (to the legislative session) to everybody’s satisfaction,” Byrd said. “That’s my goal, that’s everyone’s goal.”
Betty Wells, Port Isabel Chamber of Commerce executive director and president, said she has written a letter of support for keeping the lighthouse under the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The chamber’s board of directors on Wednesday will vote on a resolution similar to those passed by the City Commission and EDC, she said.
