Commissioners for the city of Port Isabel approved the first phase of a master beautification plan this week,
“We’re just trying to improve the visual appeal of the city,” said Jared Hockema, city manager for Port Isabel. “Being a tourism destination, it’s really important to have impact when people come to town.”
To many visitors, Port Isabel is known for its lighthouse and as the town leading to South Padre Island.
But for those working on the mainland, like at The Quik Stop Bait and Gift Shop, visitors in Port Isabel means business.
The project begins with the city’s welcome sign and landscaped medians. Plans also include several road and drainage improvements to the city.
Hockema says Port Isabel had financial troubles in recent years and has been working to rebuild its finances.
The city now sees this year as a good time to begin widespread city improvements.
With the new landscaped medians, businesses like The Quik Stop Bait and Gift Shop, are skeptical on how traffic will run without opened medians like now.
“If they are planning to do something like that, we’re hoping it actually helps more of the business to do that,” said Oscar Garza, a clerk at The Quik Stop.
Although the beautification project in Port Isabel is in its very early stages, city leaders say, its completion all depends on traffic and how busy it gets during peak seasons.
