Amid lodging shortage, day-trippers keep Port Aransas afloat
The Category 4 hurricane's 130 mph winds blew out windows and stripped parts of the roof off the three-story
"By the time we took out all the damaged items, all we ... basically had left was studs," Bhakta said.
Nearly 10 months after Harvey ravaged the
The rental stock in
"Having 50 percent of the lodging not available during peak season is a huge gut punch to us. We thought up until March ... we would have 75 percent back to 80 by summer," Hentz said. Delays in insurance settlements and a shortage of available contractors has slowed the rebuilding process, he added.
The coastal community of 4,000 draws around 5 million visitors per year. In fiscal year 2017, which ended in September, the city of
As of May, eight months into the new fiscal year,
"That's a big shot in the arm for us because it at least gives us a little bit of breathing room ...," Parsons said. "We really need to just weather this storm for a year or so."
Meanwhile, most town businesses -- around 85 percent of restaurants and more than 60 percent of shops -- have reopened for the summer season.
The city's sales tax revenue has steadied in recent months, down just 11 percent through April. Sales tax income in March exceeded last year's number by more than 4 percent.
Parsons credits the return of businesses and "massive" crowds of day-trippers for the sales tax revenue recovery. Texas SandFest, the nation's largest native-sand sand sculpture competition, brought a record number of visitors to the town in April.
"They may come and stay in Corpus, but they want to spend the day on Port A beaches," Parsons said.
Reconstruction has also played a role in the sales tax boost, he said, as contractors are buying goods and dining out.
Still, some restaurants have noticed a dip in sales due to the lodging shortage.
Despite strong weekend and holiday sales, Collins said business has struggled during weekdays. The lunch rush at MacDaddy's was quiet on a recent Wednesday afternoon, with customers occupying just a handful of the restaurant's 31 tables.
"Then dinners are pretty slow because, once again, there's no place to stay," he said.
The Back Porch Bar, a waterfront establishment just a half mile north of MacDaddy's, has also seen fewer evening customers. Owner
"We have ... big name bands on Friday and Saturday night, and people are just not going to want to hang out to go to a concert and then have to drive back to Corpus or somewhere else," Martin said.
The current shortage notwithstanding, Hentz said there is cause for optimism. At least 70 percent of the town's rentals should be operational by the end of the year, he said, and the rest should reopen by next summer.
Plus, Hentz said there are thousands of new lodging units planned or slated for development in
"The future is bright in the long term, but in the short term we're going to be fighting a little bit," he said.
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