- -*•*<*•»** CAR-RT SORT **F.OO3 n 1 - IOOO ' 00640 ? THL' OOOOOO f' ' LI L L '' PR ARV r rrifjLOP RD and PL 33957" REP RT Week of March 59-April 4,2001 SANIBEL & CAPTIVA, FLORIDA VOLUME 28, NUMBER 13, 32 PAGES 75 CENTS CCA Election So far The "Save Your CCA" slate of nominees handily won election to the group's Board of Governors. —See page 2 By Pete Bishop between 6 and 10 a.m. this week TSie Bean fo expand Staff writer to help monitor all the extra Lee The Sanibel Planning County residents and visitors who Commission Tuesday indi- Congestion from an influx of will be using the docks until the cated they would approve boaters at the Sanibel boat ramp Punta Rassa facility is reopened an expansion at The Bean has not been a major problem April 7. Murray said parking that would allow an addi- since the Punta Rassa boat ramp's enforcement personnel also check tional 38 seats. closure began March 26, accord- on the facility throughout each ing to Sanibel Police Department weekday and an officer will be at —See page 3 Sergeant Mike Murray. Murray the Sanibel ramp all day on Michael Pistella said, however, that Saturday might Saturday. A boater turns into the Sanibel boat ramp parking lot Refuge Paving be another story. The Punta Rassa facility, locat- Tuesday morning. A federal contract is about "I have a feeling the weekends ed just east of the Sanibel winter season, construction delays launch from Punta Rassa will be to be signed that would pay are going to be problems," Murray Causeway, is undergoing improve- and permitting have caused the directed to the already busy and for a new parking lot at the said Tuesday afternoon. "It's ments and is scheduled to reopen bad timing of its closing. much smaller Sanibel ramp in the J.N. "Ding" Darling going to be so full we might have April 7. The facility's two long While the longer docks and meantime. Refuge, and close Wildlife to turn people away. It could turn ramps will be extended and the deeper water will alleviate conges- Drive for re-surfacing this into a disaster." area will be dredged. Although the tion at the county's busiest boat summer. Murray has stationed parking project was supposed to be com- launch, boaters who normally t> See Boat ramp —See page 6 enforcement officers at the ramp pleted before the height of the page 3 Youths busted Sanibel Police arrest numer- ous young people in several irection sion separate incidents, for drug and alcohol possession. H 'Mayor Nola Theiss has writ- stage in the city council-sponsored eight priority issues thai. 15 com- Shortly after the Nov. 2000 —See page 4 ten a commentary on the Shared community initiative meant to munity representatives have devel- elections, Theiss suggested that Vision process and eight priority define and implement activities oped during the process, as well as city council sponsor the initiative, issues that will be discussed that will help promote the values possible projects that will help the explaining that during the elec- Monday night. See page 9. of the Sanibel Vision Statement. community achieve Shared Vision tions she realized that several dif- The meeting begins at 7 p.m. goals. The meeting schedule has ferent interpretations of the By Pete Bishop with refreshments and an opportu- been organized to accomodate res- Sanibel Vision Statement exist in Analyzing Sanibel Staff writer nity to speak with city council idents attending an event at BIG the city. Part II of John Adler's report members. At 7:30, Stuart Langton Arts Monday night, Mayor Nola In January, the council mailed focuses on the causes of traf- A Shared Vision Town Meeting will deliver a presentation con- Theiss said, and handouts con- fic congestion on the islands. scheduled for Monday night, April cerning the initiative to the coun- cerning the initiative will be avail- I> See Shared Vision 2, marks the beginning of a new cil. At 8 p.m., Langton will present able to those who arrive at 8 p.m. page 24 —See page 9 Cartoon BOCG discusses causeway April 2 — See page 9 New man at the helm The Lee County Board of U.S. Coast Guard for final County Commissioners (BOCC) approval Jan. 30 so the project will discuss a Lee County could be opened to bidding. At Department of Transportation Commissioner Bob Janes' sug- (DOT) plan to rebuild parts of gestion, however, the board the Sanibel Causeway at its April decided to delay forwarding the Biking to help MS 2 Management and Planning plan until they discuss the issue meeting. in more depth. Two local athletes partici- pate in biking fundraiser. A DOT study prepared by Since that time, members of engineering consultants Post, the Sanibel group provided a list —Seepage 13 Buckley, Shue and Jernigan of questions concerning the (PBS&J) recommends rebuilding PBS&J plan to Janes, who sent the causeway bridges closest to the questions on to DOT. Janes Sanibel, contrary to the Sanibel had stated he would delay dis- Causeway Study Group's find- cussion of the causeway again if ings. The Sanibel group's find- he did not receive responses to Best of the islands ings state that rehabilitation and the questions, but he received a Inside this week are ballots maintanence of the bridges makes report this week. for the annual Best of the Michael Pistella more sense aesthetically, environ- The April 2 meeting starts at Islands contest. Bob Ackley will begin his interim duty as Sanibel's city mentally and economically. —See pages 20-22 manager April 9. 1:30 p.m. at the Old County Courthouse, 2120 Main St., Fort Ackley understand and develop the DOT asked the commission to Myers. Ackley starts as nuts and bolts knowledge it takes forward the PBS&J plan to the to run a city. city's interim Ackley, who spent two days in • Police blotter page 5 Sanibel working with current City LION-HEARTED ART manager April 9 Manager Ed Sealover this week, • Environmental News . .page 6 By Pete Bishop said Tuesday he first applied for AT RIGHT: Sanibel • Business & Technology page 7 Staff writer the job during Porter Goss' tenure artist Cathy Taylor as mayor. Although Ackley was talks to Martha • Opinion page 9 Although Sanibel city council young and had been out of college Hiebel about her members praised O. Bob Ackley's only three years, he traveled to the art at the Lions • Spoils page 13 island to interview for the job on Club Arts & Crafts qualifications and experience Fair last Friday at • Dateline page 15 when they quickly hired him as the strength of his experience as the Sanibel interim city manager March 21, a Community House. • TV listings page 23 failure to win a job as Sanibel city E> See Ackley manager in the 1970s helped 0 Classifieds page 27 page "4 Photo i Vichaal Phtellu H. I * J ...» . J i . J t- ^ 2 • Week of March 29-April 4, 2001 • ISLAND REPORTER Captiva Civic Association holds election for board of governors By Mason Laderer Gibson, Hal Miller, John Miller and residents questioned whether employee years. It's a shame that all its good worW in the past are being destroyed by a small Staff writer Viglione. membership was the intent of the by-law writers. In addition, there was also con- faction bent on power." However, in reaction to a nominated 1 The Captiva Civic Association (CCA) ballot that they felt was too involved in the cern expressed over possible voter fraud Another controversy was sparked when Board of Governors elections finally came business interests of the island, the Save and residency violations that would not the CCA board voted to restrict 'adult to an end Tuesday, after nearly a month of Your CCA group nominated Brace, Koury legally allow the employees to vote on family members,' which is one classifica- campaigning and politicking by the 10 and Watts to present a ballot they felt bet- Captiva and therefore not allow them to be tion of voting CCA membership, to be candidates for the five available seats. ter represented the residents of the island. voting members of the association. restricted to those whom resided on the The five candidates elected by the 389 A group claiming to represent all inter- Allegations followed from Fred island for at least 60 days in the past 12 recognized voters—Sharon Brace, incum- ests of the island, including business inter- Hawkins, manager of South Seas, who months. Some members were concerned bent Stella Farwell, Phyllis Gibson, Peter ests, then followed suit and nominated said that he and some of his employees that this would restrict adult children who Koury and Dave Watts—were all part of two of their own candidates—McCarthy were being threatened and asked to with- did not live on the island for that period of the Save Your CCA campaign launched and Rossi. draw from the association or else face time, but did have an interest on the island; by residents fearing a 'hostile takeover' of In the ensuing month after the nomina- unspecified civil and legal actions. This action was accused of breaking the the association by business interests. tions, the increase in CCA memberships Hawkins, on behalf of himself and 23 current CCA by-laws and is therefore ille- The other candidates for the board increased by the day, with controversies other employees, about half of those who gal according to Robert's Rules of Order; were Hal Miller, incumbent John Miller, developing over who could be a member, joined, submitted a letter of resignation In voter certification meetings it was decid- Paul McCarthy, Lou Rossi and Vanessa 1 particularly in the case of registered voters and wrote, "I have no interest in belong- ed that this decision would be a non-issue^ 'Queenie Viglione.