In 1976, Paul Terheggen started renting Hobie catamarans and Starfish sailboats from his father-in-law's dealership on South Padre Island. Two years later he added windsurfing lessons. That was before the Queen Isabella Memorial Causeway, and before the island had busy shoulder seasons in spring and fall. According to a 2016 Valley Business Report profile, he spent the off-seasons doing odd jobs and waiting tables.
His business was Windsurf – The Boatyard, and for 25 years it launched from the bayside end of Dolphin Street. The profile says development then took over that launch site. After that, Jibber worked out of his phone and a Chevy van with a low-boy trailer, bringing boards, booms and sails to whatever meeting spot he and his students had arranged.
Now the City of South Padre Island is building a public launch on the bay, and the park carries his name. The groundbreaking for the Paul "Jibber" Terheggen Wind and Water Sports Park was set for Thursday, October 22, 2026, at 9 a.m., at 8815 Padre Boulevard, Park Road 100. The name fits the project because the park is the City putting back the kind of bay access Jibber lost.
The City Says Bay Access Is Scarce
Living on a barrier island makes it easy to assume the Laguna Madre is always within reach. For anyone carrying a board, a kite or a kayak, the City's own planners say it isn't. This is the project description in the City's Capital Improvement Plan for FY 26/27 through 30/31, prepared in April 2026 by Shoreline Director Kristina Boburka:
"Presently, bay access is available but is very limited. Kite boarders, kayakers, and other personal watercraft users have few areas where they can launch their equipment from within the City limits."
What happened on Dolphin Street is the local version of that line. A launch spot can run for decades on private land without anyone writing it down. Once the land changes hands, the spot is gone, and the bay frontage that replaces it is rarely open to the public. The 2016 profile also mentions the other long-running option. Jibber was president of a private club, Windsurfing and Kiteboarding Park, which held the lease on the gated SPI Windsurfing Center, a mile and a half of bayfront near Beach Access #5. Both arrangements depended on someone else's property or a lease. The new park is meant to be different because the City owns the ground.
Why A 1.11-Acre Site Is On A Nine-Year Schedule
The City's CIP form lists the project's start year as 2018 and its estimated end as 2027, a planned duration of nine years. Construction itself was anticipated to begin only in 2026. The milestones so far:
- November 8, 2016. A City solicitation document gives this as the date voters authorized the venue project.
- August 2020. A City public notice says the City had signed a property lease. It describes a driveway, permeable parking and a staging area where athletes could set up equipment before entering the water. Public comments closed August 31, 2020.
- March 26, 2025. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers posted a public notice covering a 1.11-acre footprint and proposing 13,350 cubic yards of clean aggregate fill on algal flats and estuarine salt marsh.
- 2025. The City bought the property just north of the Shores Subdivision, replacing the earlier lease with ownership.
- December 2025. The Corps permit arrived. The CIP calls the permitting process "strenuous" because the property is mostly classified as wetlands.
- March 30, 2026. The City released its construction bid solicitation, with bids due May 19, 2026.
- July 15, 2026. The City Council agenda carried an item to name the facility after Terheggen, sponsored by Joe Ricco and Mayor Patrick McNulty. By October, the City's newsletter was using the full name, the South Padre Island Paul "Jibber" Terheggen Wind and Water Sports Park.
The long schedule comes from the ground itself. The shallow algal flats and salt marsh along this shoreline fall under federal wetlands permitting, and those same flats are what make the water here easy to launch into.
What The City Is Actually Building
The bid solicitation lists an entrance driveway and gate, permeable roads and parking lots, and mitigation for impacts to tidal flats, wetlands and upland areas. The CIP describes a "silent water sports venue" with parking and a launch for non-motorized watercraft, so it is meant for kites, windsurfers, kayaks and paddleboards, not engines. The City's public documents don't yet confirm restrooms, showers or a parking-space count.
Published cost estimates have moved around as the design progressed:
| Source | Date | Estimated cost | Funding |
|---|---|---|---|
| City CIP, 2023–27 | July 2023 | $1.5 million | Venue Tax Fund |
| KRGV report | December 23, 2025 | $600,000 | Voter-approved venue tax |
| City draft CIP, FY 26/27–30/31 | April 2026 form, June 2026 presentation | $2 million | Fund 03, Venue Tax |
The $2 million figure is the City's most recent planning estimate, not a signed contract price, and no award amount or contractor has been announced publicly. The same CIP page budgets $6,000 a year for upkeep at first, rising to $10,000 in later years. All of these figures point to the same funding source. The project is paid for with venue tax money, not the General Fund, and the CIP projects completion in 2027.
The Location Shows Where The Island Is Headed
The site matters as much as the budget. The CIP explains why the City wanted land at this end of the island: "As South Padre Island grows further north, making access available will become a priority for the City." It also says getting land "near the new causeway landing site" would protect bay access for the future.
Dolphin Street shows the pattern the City is trying to get ahead of. A launch that has worked for decades disappears once the land around it is developed. By buying wetland frontage north of the Shores Subdivision before that stretch fills in, the City is reserving bay access ahead of growth instead of searching for it afterward. That is also why naming the park for Jibber makes sense. He spent 25 years launching from a site that was never permanent, and the park named for him is designed to be.
Where The Wind Goes Until 2027
The best wind of the year doesn't wait for a construction schedule. A 2019 kiteboarding travel guide from MACkite called South Padre's wind year-round, with the most consistent conditions from March through July and from October through December, and said winter is typically the strongest. Local kite instructors describe regular heavy wind from mid-fall through mid to late June. In his 2016 interview, Jibber put bay winds frequently in the 18 to 20 mph range. He described the Laguna Madre as shallow enough that a beginner who falls can stand up instead of treading water, and said some groups spend the whole winter here.
For now, the main public flatwater spot is South Flats, on the sandy road just past the Convention Center turnoff. Instructors also use it for lessons. Vehicle access to North Flats has been restricted, and farther up the bay are spots known as Outlaw Flats and Kite Ranch. Conditions and access at the northern spots can change, so check with a local shop before driving up.
Several island businesses offer lessons and gear:
- South Padre Kiteboarding/Windsurf, founded by Phillip Money, whom the company identifies as a former world windsurfing speed-record holder
- Prokite South Padre, which teaches on the South Flats
- Air Padre Kiteboarding
Jibber's argument from 2016 still applies to anyone thinking about learning. "Windsurfing is not a strength sport. It's finesse," he told the Valley Business Report, adding that today's wider boards let you stand up and pull the sail up. His other advice was to rent before you buy, so you know which board you want.
The Pickleball Courts Moved Faster
Pickleball players also have some news this season. The City finished Phase III at the Southern Pickleball Courts, 610 Padre Boulevard, adding an ADA-compliant restroom, a hydration station, a shade structure and perimeter fencing, the Port Isabel-South Padre Press reported on October 8. Weather canceled the October 6 ribbon cutting, and the City's October 16 newsletter moved it to October 20 at 9 a.m. Separately, the Press reported that work began after an August 5 groundbreaking on three new courts at Joe Buck and Mary Jo Camp Island Legends Park, at Laguna Boulevard and West Huisache Street. No public opening date had been announced.
The Phase III work at 610 Padre Boulevard wrapped up during the slow months. The wind park is just getting started, and the CIP projects completion in 2027. Once it opens, the north end will have a City-owned launch on the bay named for the man who taught thousands of people to windsurf there.
If you're watching how the north end changes as this launch gets built, from the new access to what lies near the causeway landing, Blue Heron Realty follows these projects closely and is glad to talk through what they mean for your part of the island. Make every move the right one. Start your home search with us.
