Misleading Statements in October Letters

In the October issue of the Dolphin Talk there were some lies and misleading statements made and I would like to take this time to clear some of them up. The first issue I would like to address is a letter from Erny McDonough. State law says you can only vote in one place regardless of where else you may own property and you can only vote one time. Our utilities district was never a cooperative. The misguided actions of a few was the majority of voters of POC who voted the MUD into existence in the late 70’s. The reason the MUD has become an improvement district was done because the attorneys said the legislators would not approve the sales tax for a MUD but would if we were an improvement district. It had nothing to do with a navigation district.

The accusations that the outgoing board members selected the three board members that were appointed by TCEQ is an outright slanderous lie!! Not one director ever contacted TCEQ about any appointments.

The extra acres of land is for the expansion of both vacuum stations and the sewer plant, which will need to be done in the not too distant future.

The water well that is not fit for human consumption is not a finished project; when you put a RO system on it, the water is fine and meets all State standards. If you think that GBRA will be able to supply POC with all the water we will ever need, then you have not been keeping up with all the water needs of all GBRA customers. The well was drilled to help keep the peak water usage from GBRA at a steady rate to lower the rates that GBRA charged the district for water.

We were never a cooperative, but POC residents are a member of VEC, which is a cooperative, how much of a voice do you have there. And, Mr. Brown, the truth and nothing but the truth is anything but the truth. That is a letter at another time. To Erny McDonough, I think you need to find another source for your information. This is the cold hard facts whether you want to believe it or not.

Teddy Hawes

Thank You from POC PTO

Port O’Connor Elementary PTO would like to give a special thanks to all of the businesses, local and state-wide, who helped make our 2016 Halloween Carnival a huge success! Thank you Action Welding, Xandra Alford, Announcements Plus, Backyard Marine, Beacon 44, Bluebonnet Blessings, Bourg Electric, Bubbas, Captains Quarters, Cathy’s, Chicken Boy Lures, Chupicabra Rub, Coastal Barber Shop, Coastal Bend Marine, Coastline Boat Services, Coastline Trailers, Collin Gee, Connie Barrientes and Margaret Claiborn, Darla Parker, Davis Seafood, Dawn Ragusin, Fishing Center, First National Bank, Formosa, Freeze Out Fishin, Frogg Toggs, Froggies, Hookset Gear, Hooper’s Bar and Grill, Hurricane Junction, Ice for You, Jack’s Car Wash, Janeann Volek, Jo Beth Staff, Lea Ann’s Photography, Mowdy, Mr. & Mrs. Jason Stryker, Nancy Pomykal, Nestle Water, Ondreas Jewelers, Pierce Family, Port O’Connor Chamber of Commerce, POC Hardware, POC Rod & Gun, Port O’Connor Service Club, Poco Loco Lodge, Rachel Watts, Salt Blossom, Shell Shop, Shirley’s Small Fries, Sic Cups, Simplified Soaps, Sisters Gift Shop, Skully Waters, Sonny’s Marine, Southern Sass, Speedy Stop, Becky Spicak, Splashway, Subway, Sylvia’s Salon, Teresa’s, The Office, Tigrett, TISD, Tractor Supply, Treasure Chest, T-Tops & More, Twin Dolphins Cinema, and Woodhouse Day Spa.

Another special “Thank You” goes to all of our volunteers who also helped make our Halloween Carnival successful. Parents, teachers, and helpers alike created new games, set up and served food and beverages, set up and ran the cake walk, ran both raffles, helped with the costume and class pumpkin judging, managed the games, and everything else that involved the Halloween Carnival. Without your support, we would not have the Carnival we do each year.

Port O’Connor Elementary PTO

Out of County Contractors

Out of county contractors take the money away from us. These contractors rarely contract the businesses in in our county. Which hurts our community’s in the long run.

When the out of town folks, hire these contractors it takes money away from the community. These contactors will usually bring in their own companies to build and inspect the home or building. Plus, they won’t go to the local hardware store to grab supplies; they’ll have it already or have it come in from some other county store.

The contractors will rarely contract our community companies. This is where they will and can start losing money. Every business supports our community in some way or another. I know for sure that P.O.C Electric has helped our community in many ways. They have helped in benefits for the community’s people. If our companies don’t get contracted on to a job then they won’t make money and they won’t be able to help the community.

All this can and will hurt us in the long run. Just think if we don’t have the out of town contractors contract our companies then the money goes somewhere else. It’s all about the trickle-down effect. If our companies make money then they’ll use our hardware store and spend money. Also, everyone in the company gets hungry so if they go out to eat it helps that business.

Alex Clifton

Dear Editor,

The Calhoun County Historical Commission had one of its finest hours Saturday morning (Nov. 19) at the dedication of the historical marker recognizing Dr. Edward Fred Knipling, a native of Port Lavaca, for his work in the field of entomology. The citizens of Calhoun County are truly proud of the entire Knipling family, and of E.F. Knipling especially for his work in the development of methods for the eradication of the screwworm fly and the cotton boil weevil.

The program included words from Dr. Roy Parker, Professor and Extension Entomologist (Emeritus). His opening statement was: “This is a big deal!” We also heard from family members Fred Knipling, Anita Scott, Gary Knipling, Ed Knipling, and the notes of 104-year-old sibling Edwina Lake.

Special recognition is due to CCHS member John Foester, who did the extensive research and presentation the Texas Historical Commission requires for the marker. Also, I want to express gratitude from the community for the diligent and intelligent effort over the years by Mary Belle Melcher Meitzen, Chairman of the Commission. This marker completes a year of hard work for her and many others, bringing the history of Calhoun County to the forefront for residents and visitors alike. Great job!

Russell Cain, Port Lavaca

Thanks For Your Support

To all those who supported me in the Port O’Connor Improvement District Election for Director, thank you for your support. I really appreciate each vote from each voter.

Thank you again and Merry Christmas,

Joyce Jordan

Seadrift Library’s New Flag

The Seadrift Library was proud to raise our new flag on Thursday, October 21, 2016. Seadrift is very fortunate to have a very supportive “Friends” organization. When The Friends of the Seadrift Library, (F.O.S.L.), approached me regarding the librarys’ needs, I thought, we don’t have a flag!!! It seemed like the perfect addition to our already amazing library.

So thanks to F.O.S.L., we have our new flag flying high. Thanks also go out to Commisioner Finster for expediting the installation of the flagpole.

Robbie Bess
Seadrift Librarian

POC Boat Parade

Once again, another successful Lighted Boat Parade! The Weather could not be more perfect. Our community and out of town looks forward to and really enjoys this unique event, and this year was no exception! But it couldn’t happen without the support and commitment of countless sponsors and volunteers.

First, I would like to thank Kenneth and Grady Jean Clark, for allowing the use of The Inn at Clark’s. This location is ideal for the boat registration, Captains meeting, dinner and awards presentations along with the lodging, boat parking, and unloading of all the toys. This Event could not function without the use of this facility. So thank you again!

Thank you, Mary Jo Walker in working with Marie Hawes of the Service Club for providing the excellent BBQ dinner to all the participants.
Thank You Jim Hooper for providing a spot for the Judges.

Thank you POC Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Directors for your continued support of the lighted boat parade. Can you believe this is its 25th year?

Of course I would especially like to think the judges, Kenny and Dwana Finster, Joe and Vera Wiatt, Wayne and Dana Coker, for volunteering their time!

A Special Thank You to our local Coast Guard Group for being the Lead Boat and being available for any needed assistance.

And finally, Jerry Karnes, Jason and Wendy Fry, and all the other participants in the “Toy Run” boat escapade, thank you for all you do! Every year…regardless of the weather…as you tell us “The show must go on!” Your generous hearts and Christmas spirit are an inspiration to us all. And the surprises you bring to our Calhoun County children are over the top!

Bill Tigrett

The Dolphin welcomes letters from our readers on any subject that is of general interest to our audience. Letters should be 300 words or less (with exceptions at the Dolphin’s discretion). Letters reflect the opinion of the writer, and not that of Dolphin Talk staff, and we retain the right to determine suitability for publication. It is the policy of this newspaper to promote area interests: therefore, complaints against local businesses should be directed elsewhere. Letters must be signed and include day and evening phone numbers, which will not be published. Your name will be withheld upon request, but anonymous material will not be considered for publication.
Letters to the Dolphin:
Dolphin Talk, P.O. Box 777, Port O’Connor, TX 77982
dolphin1@tisd.net

Merry Christmas! It is that time of the year again and I love Christmas! This coming Sunday, the 18th, we will begin at 10:00 a.m. with our Bible Study, which will be followed by a special Christmas play written and directed by Angie Alderete. It will be an event that no one will want to miss. At 6:00 p.m. we will gather for our Christmas Party. It will begin with a true “pot luck” meal and then we will start all the other activities, including our style of “white elephant exchange”. Again, I ask that anyone who does not believe that laughing has a place at church, to please stay home – because we will hear a lot of laughing here!

We are taking names for the needy families in our community who need assistance with a Christmas Basket. You came through! We honestly came to you last month telling of our need for funds to distribute baskets this year and you have given and given. The need has been met but also, we have scaled back some – we gave away 32 Thanksgiving Baskets. We only want to help the NEEDY, and are discouraging the GREEDY from applying. We truly have many needy in our area and that is who we are trying to reach! The deadline for applying will be Sunday, December 18. Please call my cell phone at 361/218-6693. Boxes will be distributed on December 20.
Weather permitting, we will be having our annual Hay Ride, Christmas Caroling at 7:00 p.m. on December 21. Come enjoy not only the singing, but the hot chocolate following.

Again, we are having a Candle-Light Communion on Christmas Eve. It will be a come and go event from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Please come as a family unit and if someone is already partaking, please just wait your turn. There will be an offering basket for those who wish to “bring an offering for Jesus”. (It seems stange to me that we give everyone presents except the One Whose Birthday we are celebrating, but that is another article!)

On Christmas Day, we will be having a special service at 10:30 a.m. There will be no Bible Study or Evening Service that day so families can enjoy time together remembering the Baby in the Manger.

Thanksgiving Celebration was great! We enjoy the Community Thanksgiving Service at First Baptist with a great message by our local Priest. The following Sunday, the Chapel enjoyed an All Church Fellowship with a fish fry, which was well attended. We had many workers prepare the Thanksgiving Baskets – their help was awesome – and passed out the food. Joane and I hosted our annual Thanksgiving Meal with some 16 present for the dinner and five more came in later to help clean up the leftovers. The weekend was completed with a director for Chi Alpha, a campus ministry at the University of Houston, speaking for us in the Morning Service. Matt Hoogendoorn did a great job, and we look forward to his return.

We are seeing the Lord’s handiwork around the Chapel recently and invite all to come and see! We are an interdenominational congregation, meaning if you love Jesus, you are welcome. Our goal is simple – help all come to know Jesus better through getting to know the Bible better. We offer not only Sunday Bible Study, but Pastor Joane is presently teaching “The Battle Plan for Prayer” each Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. at the parsonage. Hermano Jessee continues to direct our Spanish Service each Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. At 7:00 p.m. each Wednesday we gather for ministry from God’s Word. And add in Sunday Morning and Evening Services and one will find that the Chapel is trying to help teach the Bible to those in this community. One will always find a welcome here and YOU are urged to, “Come, grow with us!”

Violet Mae “Vi” (Morgan) Colianni, 86, of Seadrift, passed away Nov. 25, 2016. Born Feb. 22, 1930 in McAllen, she was the daughter of the late Alton “A.L.” and Eva Morgan.
She attended school in the Valley and married her soul mate, Louis Colianni, Dec. 31, 1949. She and her family lived in several locations in South Texas, settling in Victoria before Louis’ retirement. She did bookkeeping work for her husband and was a proud stay-at-home mother to four sons. Although her patience was tested at times, it was nothing the good Lord and a quick swat could not handle.
She and her late husband retired in their early 50s, and moved to Seadrift in the mid 1980s to do nothing more than fish, relax, flounder and fish. She also taught piano lessons to many local Seadrift children.
She was an active and integral member of the First United Methodist Church of Seadrift, loved singing in the church choir and played the piano at many services both in the Seadrift and Austwell Methodist Churches. She sang soprano in the Seadrift Community Choir for 25 years, and this year’s performances are dedicated to her memory. She also participated in her church’s Feed My Sheep program, and helped serve senior citizens lunches on Wednesdays. Nobody dared to tell her she was a senior citizen.
Taking care of her husband and helping others were her main objectives in life, and she was always looking for ways to “make other people happy.” She was often referred to as “that red-headed lady who rides around on a bicycle and picks up cans,” and she would cash in the cans and donate the money to the church. Her always-positive and friendly attitude towards others will truly be missed. She never met a stranger. Ever.
She is survived by two sisters, Dorothy Myatt and Lois Truhe; four sons: Michael (Debra), Robert (Billie), Jeffrey, Vincent (Teresa); three grandchildren, Chris Colianni, Lance Colianni, and Kassidy Colianni; four great-grandchildren: Branson, Brooke, Brynley Colianni and Austin Colianni; numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and caring friends; and one granddog, Pookie.
She was preceded in death by her husband; parents; a brother, Buck Morgan; a sister, Alta Anderson.
Memorial services were held Saturday, Dec. 10, at First United Methodist Church in Seadrift followed by a light lunch and fellowship with the family in the fellowship hall.
The perfect way to summarize her life is to say “Well done, my good and faithful servant … “ — Matthew 25:23.

Citizens of the Week at Port O’Connor School
Week ending Nov. 18: PreK- Timothy Reneau; K- Haiden Dean; 1st- Abygail Gonzales; 2nd- Matilyn Gibson; 3rd- Blake Bowman; 4th- Keegan Short; 5th- Dylan Ramirez
Week ending December 2:  PreK- Oliver Busby; K- Emma Sanchez; 1st- Tadam Hamilton; 2nd- Connor Ferrell; 3rd- Jaydin Rhoads; 4th- Stephen Bowman; 5th- Sergio Sanchez
Week ending Dec. 9:  PreK- Blaklei Ruddick; K- Haiden Dean; 1st- Lexi Ruddick; 2nd- Brayson Thumann; 2nd- Landin Rhoads; 4th- Maddix Delgado; 5th- Dylan Ramirez

Seadrift School’s Pirates of the Week
Week ending Nov. 18: PreK- Paige Davenport; K- Isaiah Flint; 1st- Jordan Williams, Jonathan Grifaldo; 2nd- Marisol Banda, Danielle Miller; 3rd- Kevin Turner, Dylan Wright; 4th- McKenna Boedeker, Mackenzie Moncrief; 5th- Mia Salazar  Junior High: Henderson- Viviana Munoz; Cady- Ayden Maddux; Mrs. Sternadel- Destiny Garza; Anderson- Kristopher Salinas; Coach Sternadel- Caleb Lehtinen; Charnetski- Isabella Arriaga; Lillge- Christopher Adame
Week ending December 2:  PreK- Bayelah DeLeon; K- Brooklyn Russell; 1st- Izabella Chatham, Marcus Moncrief; 2nd- Clay Brumfield, Hunter McGill; 3rd- Emma Lancaster, Dylan Wright; 4th- Dillon Morales, Nevaeh Rangel; 5th- Blake Bundrick  Junior High: Henderson- Scott Esch; Cady- Chris Boyce; Mrs. Sternadel- Taysia Navarro; Coach Anderson- Fernie Mendez; Coach Sternadel- Jamie Martinson; Charnetski- Hunter Williams; Lillge- Amaya Stringo
Week ending Dec. 9:  PreK- Bayelah DeLeon; K- Riley Joines; 1st- Tatum Semmler, Kailey Treumer; 2nd- Aspen Crittenden, Amaya Stringo; 3rd- Kylee Gray, Dayz Hinds; 4th- Hannah Freeman, Destiny Starkweather; 5th- Sydney Rasmussen  Junior High: Henderson- Iliana Jaramillo; Cady- Ayden Maddux; Mrs. Sternadel- Seth Migues; Coach Anderson- Faith Peeler; Coach Sternadel- Keaton Cady, Cassie Casas; Charnetski- Tyler Henson; Lillge- Brooklyn Russell

Dec. 16: Marge Braudaway; Lisa Santhoff

Dec. 17: Carrie Henry; Troy Beaudry; Cody Hatcher; Joseph Diaz

Dec. 18: Melecio Villafranco Jr.; James Salazar; Rachel Bowman

Dec. 19: Adolfo Covarrubias III

Dec. 20: Laura Rudek; Lann Bolding; Darlyn Dworaczyk

Dec. 21: Doug Walker; Damian Vasquez

Dec. 23: Sally Jones; Carly Rosenboom

Dec. 24: Carla J. Stanfill; Keelin Stringo

Dec. 25: Lyndon Curry; Christopher Storenski; Thomas Hawes

Dec. 26: Kaleigh McCauley; Laura Maxwell; Debbie LeBouef

Dec. 29: Mary Jo Walker

Dec. 30: Ank Nga Nguyen; Susan Skalak; Trey Rodriguez

Dec. 31: Patricia Harborth; Natasha Rookh Helm; Lisa Blackmon; David L. Willis, Esq.; Carolyn Parvlicek

Jan. 1: Tuan M. Tran; Sherry Lambright; JoAnne Ward; Jeremy Villafranco

Jan. 3: Darren Vossler; Daniel Vasquez; Ian Sherrell; Terisha Stephens

Dec. 4: Sandra Chavez; Alice Reed; Ray Pesek; David Vasquez

Jan. 5: Melissa & Katherine Ragan; Charles Clayton; Melissa Lue; Katherine Rossi

Jan. 6: Krystal Ballard; Justin Bowman; Matthew Medford

Jan. 9: Melonie Coward

Jan. 11: Judy Anderson; Allan Vannoy

Jan. 12: Leslie Lopez; Jeremy Riddle

Jan. 13: Lisa Napier; Joane McDonough

Jan. 14: Brent Dworaczyk, James Hardcastle

Jan. 15: Nicholas Ragusin; Mack Rhodes

Jan. 16: Erica Coward: Lauren Zwerschke; Jerome Presslar

Jan. 17: Michael Meitzler

Jan. 18: Barbara Clayton

Jan. 19: Timothy Reneau

Jan. 20: Nancy Pomykal; Billie Powers, Will Wickham

A note from the Editor: After the December issue, the Dolphin will no longer print the “Happy Birthday” list. We will, however, be pleased to print individual birthday greeting as you submit them.