Maybe no other issue in Texas City boils the emotions more than discussion about the Texas City Dike. The dike has been shut down ever since Hurricane Ike wrecked the five-mile-long pier nine months ago.

The bait camps that dotted the dike are gone. The road is a mess and some parts of the dike’s infrastructure have been compromised.

Texas City Mayor Matt Doyle toyed with the idea of opening a portion of the dike to allow for the Tackle Time fishing tournament, but when managing the security for that idea became too much, the suggestion was nixed.

The estimated cost to fix the dike is about $11 million. The federal government said it would pay $8.25 million of the repair costs. The county and city would pick up the rest of the tab. For the city, the tab comes to more than $200,000.

There are many who have complained that the city is holding up the process of repairing the dike over that $200,000.

The issue isn’t the city’s cut. It’s the federal government’s part of the $11 million. The county and city have said the local money is there once the Federal Emergency Management Agency writes a check. And there in lies the rub. FEMA’s check is long from being cut.

In the list of post-Ike priorities, the dike is not at the top of the list.

So for those anxious for the dike’s return, it may help to know that the big check from Washington D.C. has yet to arrive and doesn’t appear to be headed this way anytime soon. And even when it does arrive, the dike will remain closed for at least a year as repairs are made.

Even when the dike is repaired, and Doyle said it is a matter of when and not if, it will be a much different place. There’s a good chance the bait camps that lined the dike will not be allowed to return and it will simply be a spot to fish, launch a boat and hang out at the one beach.

Anyone have an idea of what needs to be done with the dike once it is open to the public again?