CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — In less than a week, the festival grounds in Aransas Pass will be packed with vendors, carnival rides, and visitors. But there is a lot of work that needs to be done before that.
Rosemary Vega, the CEO of the Aransas Pass Chamber of Commerce, has been assessing the situation.
“Right now, the city is out with a vacuum pump truck. They’re pushing water to the pumps and sucking it out of the ground so that if there is more rain, it’s not sitting and adding to the puddled water that’s there,” Vega said.
From the rain earlier last week, the ground is saturated. There are puddles, mud, and lots of mosquitoes.
“Our real issue is getting the water out, finding ways to bring in dirt so it’s not so muddy and mosquitoes. We have to treat the entire area for mosquitoes,” Vega said.
Vega and other city leaders have found ways to manage this crisis.
“We did purchase $16,000 worth of asphalt to use in the back parking lot. That was literally done Friday. They brought in 500,000 tons of asphalt and leveled out the back field,” Vega said.
It’s all hands on deck.
With Shrimporee kicking off in a few days, Vega tells KRIS 6 News it's important to get things done.
“We do everything we can to make sure everybody gets their opportunity to be prosperous out here, including our vendors,” Vega said.
While Vega keeps a close eye on the forecast, she tells us they have a plan if there’s more rain to come.
For more information on the 75th annual Shrimporee, click here.
