Don and Sandy Billish Park is one of Padre Island's most loved green spaces, but keeping it green hasn't always been easy.
The City of Corpus Christi doesn't irrigate its parks, so the Padre Isles Property Owners Association took matters into its own hands, building a well water system entirely off the city's supply.
Richard McGinley explained the origins of the project.
"Back in 2017 or so we had a plan to upgrade Villas Park, and that included a well for irrigation because the only way to control those pesky little fire ants and the stickers that you step in coming out here is through regular irrigation," McGinley said.
The well system is still a work in progress but is functional. It holds 5,200 gallons, piped across 42 circuits — enough to irrigate the entire park once a day.
Now, with the well in place, the community has its sights set on what surrounds it. Gloria Cornet has called Padre Island home for more than 30 years, and she says the fence around the well tank is about to get a makeover.
"It's a community thing. It's a community effort and I think it's going to be, uh, it's going to be fabulous because we don't wanna keep everything just on to island pride, you know, the 5 committee members, we want the community to be involved with this," Cornet said.
The fence wraps around the well tank, stretching 65 feet long and 14 feet high. Two volunteer artists will lead the effort, with the community picking up a brush alongside them.
Island Pride and PIPOA have launched a community art contest open to anyone. The winning entry will be selected July 10, and the winner will receive a $100 gift card.
Margarita Willett described how the community can get involved beyond just submitting a design.
"Anybody that wants to help paint will have community paint days and everybody can be a part of it whether you draw and submit an entry or you just participate and help make it come to life," Willett said.
The deadline to submit a design is June 30. Organizers say everyone, from kids to adults, is welcome to enter. For more information, visit KrisTV.com.
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