It’s bird nesting season again on the Audubon sanctuary at Chester Island.

The island is named for Chester Smith, a local Port O’Connor resident for many years, and the first Audubon Warden in charge of the island’s initial development as a bird sanctuary. Before that, the island near the inshore mouth of the Port O’Connor jetties was sometimes called “Sundown Island”, or just “Bird Island”.

The facility is currently the springtime home and nesting site to thousands of Brown Pelicans, terns, gulls, herons, skimmers and egrets, including several species of environmental concern.

The island is closed to all visitors due to both federal and state regulations, but you are invited to view the birds from boats near the shore as long as you don’t disturb the birds in any way.

These regulations are enforced by officers from U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Texas DPS, and the local Audubon Warden.

If you have any questions regarding the regulations or the island in general, please contact Audubon Warden Tim Wilkinson at Tim.Wilkinson@audubon.org

The first Saturday in May, May 6th, is Election Day for Seadrift! Get yourselves down to the Seadrift Council Chambers to vote. Early voting starts the week of April 24th from 8:00 to 5:00, except Tuesday and Thursday of that week when it’s 7:00 to 7:00. Also, on May 1st and 2nd early voting is from 8:00 to 5:00. Voting on Election Day takes place from 7:00 to 7:00. Ya’ll come!

Following is an introduction to the candidates for the three City Council positions:

“The Captain” – Geoff Hunt
Geoff Hunt is running for Seadrift Councilman in the May 6th City Election. We have dubbed him “The Captain” since he has been a tug boat captain for the Port of Point Comfort for several years and takes great pride in his profession. Geoff calls Seadrift his home since he was raised here since he was a boy. He has been on the Seadrift City Council for eight years. The departments he has been responsible for are Streets and Drainage, and currently, the Seadrift Harbor.

The reasons Geoff wants to be on the City Council are that he wants “to be part of the solutions to issues our town faces and participate in this way in keeping our small community as one of the best places to raise our families.” He says he is “committed to protect your interests and values as a resident.”

Geoff concludes with: “I hope you will allow me to continue voicing your concerns and to be able to help on the development and constant improvement that this wonderful town requires.”

“It’s about Seadrift…my home” = Kenneth Reese
Kenneth Reese is running for Seadrift Councilman in the May 6th City Election. He has been councilman since 2017 and his first assigned departments were the Seadrift Harbor and Solid Waste. Kenneth says, “I am proud to say that I played a very large part in getting our Solid Waste project up and running.” He added, “I have been deeply involved in the following projects: the Pier project, the West End beach erosion project, 3rd Street restroom, the Harbor pilings and bulkheads project with its debris removal, all of which are now complete.”

Currently Kenneth is working on many other projects for the city. They are the Seawall project, the new wastewater treatment plant, west end/north end/Heron Slough drainage project, 12th Street Restore project, and the Harbor dredging project which is still in permitting/engineering.

Commenting on the May 6th city election, Kenneth says, “I will be coming up for reelection…and as I am still involved with these projects I would like to see them to an end.
Therefore, I ask for your vote in the coming election. Working on the Council for me is not about the money, it’s about Seadrift…my home.”

Kenneth has been a part of the Seadrift community since he was in the 7th grade at Seadrift’s Junior High School which was called “Fannin Junior High.” He worked various jobs growing up and married a “Seadrift gal” and has been married for fifty-four years.

“I want to improve the city.” – Howard Heath
Howard Heath is running for city councilman in the May 6th Seadrift city election and wants to improve the city. He says he wants to expend time and effort into improving Seadrift since he is retired and has time on his hands to do so. He wants to “help improve the city by sitting down with the mayor and the council to find out what we can do. Howard stated, “I’d like to see growth in Seadrift where there’s more revenue coming in to improve the city all around and that would include more businesses and tourism.”

Howard comes from a background of construction and transportation and has ten years of law enforcement and security. He is a fourth generation Texan who grew up in the Austin area. He has five children, ten grandchildren, and one great grandchild. Howard has lived in Seadrift for over five years.

“I want Seadrift to SHINE.” – Tracey Johnson
Tracey Johnson is running for Seadrift Councilwoman in the May 6th Seadrift city election. She has already served her first two-year term and is seeking to be reelected.

Tracey has been living in Seadrift over seventeen years and is the sales manager at Coastline Trailer Manufacturing, Inc. here in Seadrift. She is the proud mother of a “beautiful twenty-four-year-old daughter” and “fur-momma to several rescues.” She is a member of the Seadrift Chamber of Commerce where she hosts the monthly Seadrift Market Days.

Tracey says, “Being on the city council means a lot to me. I want to see Seadrift grow and flourish. This year I have been moved to oversee the Parks and Recreation Department. I am working on seeing what grants we can qualify for to improve our parks, etc. Playground equipment is top priority, then I will investigate grants for a volleyball sand pit and net, pergolas with picnic tables, and repairing or replacing the bayfront pavilion. I want to see Seadrift grow and prosper. I want to see us working towards better streets and cleaning up more of the abandoned properties. I want Seadrift to SHINE. We have the potential. We just need to show the folks we can do it!”

Huge Mega Garage Sale and Bake Sale: The Count Down Is On!!!  We are only a few weeks away from the Service Club’s Huge  “Spring Mega Garage Sale and Bake Sale”, which will be held on Saturday, April 1, 2023 from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the POC Community Center Pavilion.   There will be something for everyone – so come see us for some great buys! The Ladies continue to accept your generous donations of furniture; household, kitchen, and decorative items; small appliances; clothes; shoes; toys; children’s and baby items; etc!!  You can leave your items in the “Drop Box”  at the front of our Donation Center, or, for large items and furniture, please contact one of the Service Club Ladies listed below.

Farmers Market:  Please visit the Service Club’s Booth at POC’s Farmers Market, held the 2nd Saturday of every month; next one being Saturday, April 8, 2023 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 Noon.  There will be a variety of homemade breads and sweets, plants, hand crafted items, our “Service Club Cookbooks“ and our “POC- End of The Road” License Plate Covers!!  We will also be selling raffle tickets of $5.00 each for a beautiful handmade quilt donated by Club Member, Carol Haverfield.  There is something for everyone, so please stop by!!

Meetings:  April’s Service Club meetings will be held on April 6, 2023 and April 20, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. at the POC Community Center, and all Ladies are welcome!

Alane Haardt- 281-416-6028
Marie Hawes- 361-920-2322
Nan Burnett- 832-276-5948
Nancy Ladshaw- 830-832-0510