By KEVIN RICH
Special to the PRESS
Spring Break was a major focal point for the South Padre Island City Council and its related subcommittees during 2017.
Convention and Visitors Advisory (CVA) Board Chairman Wally Jones spoke about some of the difficulties the Island experienced during Spring Break Texas Week at the Board’s March 22 meeting. “As we think about what we do as a Board here, we’re spending millions of dollars a year on advertising for South Padre Island, and some of the problems that we had really go against that expenditure and make it very difficult for those dollars to be effective later on during the year,” reflected the chairman.
Jones went on to read a letter he received from a Spring Break attendee, a mother from Wisconsin, originally from Brownsville, who brought her daughter and friends to the Island. She described what she experienced as “the most disgusting display of uncontrolled chaos,” and asked how the Island had gotten so bad.
The topic of Spring Break came up repeatedly throughout the year, with resident organizations like Property Owners Who Care hosting listening sessions to discuss its pros and cons. While some residents spoke in favor of keeping Spring Break, or making minimal changes to the bacchanal-like atmosphere, others spoke vehemently against the tradition, citing fears for personal safety and increased crime.
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