i Children's Around the i; Center turns 25 islands Film society page 14 page21 SEPTEMBER 18,1998 VOLUME 25 NUMBER 38 "\ 'island 32 PAGES REPORT Budget YOU TALK IN' TO ME? slashed • List of city cuts/page 4 • Fire budget OK'd/page 5 ByPattiePace Staff Writer Sanibel property owners no longer face a 42.4 percent increase in taxes now that the Sanibel City Council has cut $1,9 mil- lion from its 1999 budget, achieving the rolled-hack rate for the seventh year in a row. 'I IK council voted 4-1 following a day- long session .Saturday, with Councilman Amlicw Keeling dissenting, to cut the mill- > See Budget, page 4 # Latest causeway Dawn Grodsky dilemma? This 4-foot alligator lazes on Wildlife Drive road, which had to close to cars several times this Wednesday. The J.N. "Ding" Darling National summer. Please see page 2. Meanwhile, Congress Lee Comp Plan Wildlife Refuge may get $300,000 from the U.S. also OK'd $1.F> million to purchase Chino Island off Fish and Wildlife Service to repair the damaged Sanibel. It will become part of the refuge. prohibits drawbridges By Dawn Grodsky Editor Chino Island to become part of refuge a long time aiming "EivcryhiKiy h.i.s known for ai least the Km The Lee Comprehensive Plan specifical- Feds OK $1.5 million for buy eight years that theie's always been the possibility of develop- ly bans drawbridges "except where a high ment out on Chino. It's always heen out there as .<ne of the span cannot physically he constructed" but By Dawn Grodsky things people have thought about Bui it hasn't been until the last county commissioners and the consultant Editor two years that the TruM lor Public I .and made a move to acquire hired tu gather information on the future of il." the Sanibel Causeway all agree the plan can Congress appropriated Si 5 million dollars to buy Chino Hinds added he1* happv lhal Congress took the unusual step be changed. Island and make it part of the J.N "Dinjj" Darling Naimnal of specifically laigeting the island's purchase. I'sually. lawmak- However, changing the Lee Plan would Wildlife Refuge. The 5-*-.«-re mangrove island had been zoned ers appropriate numcv io the lish and Wildlife Scivkc and lei require Mate approval and it's unclear for 13 single-family homes. A popul.ir spot lor boaters, Clum- that O^LMH.-. decide he w (•• use it. whether the state would easily agree to an has amanmade interior <. tunnel, a divk .ind the ifinaini o\ a hsh "li's an excellent move there arc quite a few uninhabited amendment. camp. islands still iimnnin}! in F'ine M<in<J Sound and 1 hclievi- nn-si Refuge Manager Lou Hindi s,nd the federal dollars, have been !> See Causeway, page ] 4 t> See Chino, pa^e 2 GRANDPA GOES BACK TO SCHOOL Sanibe! Newspaper Group forms Puh'i JKT I [.HI} / ['app.i-, .innounced (Ins wc-ck thai Davnl l.-iim-i>i<- will head the ^.-nipan; Saiulv! N'ewspapn CJMLIJI "We 'lie n-r.ij.Mni/iiH1 our corupanv PI a wav whivh Whitney Congress allow u.s t'i helKT serve mil c.•iiimnmlv ' I'appas said, and her grandfather, ••is NVIII muscr live publica- Lurry Congress, llic hiuiJ K-:> >tri, ihe share lunch at Cumin, '.he liU,nin, !he Sanibel Elementary ! *!hiip[-ei '.» ijuit'.t and iliC School Tuesday in 1C //• -nil It honor of " 1 h'j Sanil<el/C.ip'.i\.i made has Grandparents' Day. JIA.INS IKL-U a voiv iinpiirlani I'll1.- in The kindergartner uu: cciiip:m> '' I'app.is said. "|):ivid was excited her understands that .nul [ run confidi'iit hj grandfather came to will make nur inland puhliia-'ons bel- her school. For the E) Km mo us latest on expanding biniiious hu!> been with the liico/x Sanibel elementary Corporation/Gulf Coast Weeklies for 18 months, serving to the eighth grade as marketing director. and more school "The Sanibel Newspaper Group has been designed to news, please see help us work better with our customers — both our readers page 12. and our advertisers," Emmons said. "Each publication will have a distinct personality, with the Island Reporter being the traditional newspaper. By managing these publications fc> See Newspaper, page 2 2 J SEPTEMBER IB. 1398 J ISLAND REPORTER ISLAND REPORTER J SEPTEMBER 18, 1998 • 3 Wildlife 300,000 for road repairs The $20 million came from a $699 mil- By Datvn ..its', i!'-'- hi ihc meantime. Hinds said Wildlife Editor :.vt it:; fair s Drive "M.-enis to he fine. But we haven't lion land and water conservation fund. "Then; is actually a list of process thai had a whole lot of rain recently. It's been a 'This is really a lot more than we nor- . 'i a ;• Tfk' J.N. "l.'iin.L'" Darlinr National •AxTt: proposed .Hiif we were u:\ that list tor very dry year. Washouts have been kept to mally put aside; $100 to $200 million a Wildlife KfiViiH." may !v celling an tini.'v- V'OfMiUI), I would heiieve that we wimld a minimum and no more holes have year is normal," Boxold said. pt'cicii snfi Irons the fciierui uovcniiHenf; rank fairly hi;.'h U[) on the 11-.( because of formed." The one-time allocation was made for $300.WHi to u'p.nr the majoriiv o) the our problem* with the Goss legislative assistant Jim Boxold two major projects: one in Yellowstone threatened water auitrul Mruciuics under- water con tin! stnu:- said unlike the $1.5 million also approved National Park to stop development of a neath Wildiitc Drive, atcttrding u> Kctuj.ie ture>." lie said. last week for the purchase of Chino Island, potential gold mine; the second for land Maitagci' I,cm Hinds. Earlier this summer, Congress does not tell the Fish and acquisition for a national forest in Any himus money would come from one of the structures Wildlife Service how to spend its mainte- California, according to Boxold, for a total >- $20 million that completely failed, fore- nance dollars. of $368 million. iR'l Ken Frt-y Tom Andy Sandy Dave Daud MiUiKhlin Dorothy Mierrili Karen Saundra jack Wendy Congress approved last ing the refuge to close "We leave that up to the service to rank vile Claudia Wiley Gelherg Koch Eaton Linda McLauglilin ^prouse Sims Bell Miller Healy Samler Humphrey week tor the U.S. Fish Wildlife Drive to vehi- them," he .said. "That leaves you with $331 million to Frcv Margie Jante Marsha George Robideau Angie Lapi John Fred Mueller and Wildlife Service to cles intermittently for a divide among maintenance and acquisition Clifford Charlie Juhn (n.'or.Uf Davison Pritchard .Smith Elisabeth complete backlog period of several However, he noted the administration projects. We told the administration to „ i Solx.-zak Dates Kohlhrenner Lorj T<my Lapi .Smith V.-ilkMte Lorc-tta Geigor Susan Rosica Mary Lou Bailey maintenance. weeks. A temporary fix had asked for $10 million for Fish and make a list of how they'd like to spend that McGovven Jennifer Millerwise. was made but six of the Lou Hinds Wildlife — which includes national parks and Congress would give oversight. The spokeswoman for U.S. EMI—jp ' seven structures need to and national wildlife refuges — and administration's list came to Congress a Rep. Porter Goss, R- WBBHEMF f be replaced. Congress opted to double that amount this couple of months ago, and they added and The Finest Real Estate Professionals On The Islands Sanibel, said, "It's up The $300,000 would be enough money year. took away, and this is the final list," he to Fish and Wildlife to permanently fix three or four of the "It would certainly be our hope that with said. "It's now just a matter of allocating. what to use the money Porter Goss There isn't a line in the bill that says it's |IS!^^ structures, which arc estimated to cost the doubling of the account, that Fish and GULF FRONT ESTATE for. We hope a nice portion would go to the $100,000 each. Wildlife (would fix Wildlife Drive.) It's for Wildlife Drive." TOP LISTER & TOP SELLER Gulf front main home and guest house. Two cleared sites on Sanibel refuge." "We could get the worst water control certainly a flagship refuge in the system Roosevelt Channel w/tennis court & dock w/llft. Unique Of the $300,000 figure, Hinds said, structures out of there and take care of and we certainly hope that they would take The land acquisition fund is generated combination - gulf beach & boater's paradise! Immaculate "This is just purely rumor. I called ... to try those first. There would be enough money care of it," Boxold said. through oil and gas revenues. "The govern- grounds. What an opportunity! Priced to sell at $5,200,000. and verify it and all I could get was that for three, possibly four.... Sometimes when He added that Goss would not lobby ment gets a royalty because they're actually Call Jack Samler 472-1511. we'll have to wait and see." you bid a number of them, you get a reduc- Fish and Wildlife on behalf of the refuge. federal lands that we lease to these compa- Hinds said he "doesn't have a clue" as tion in cost. Maybe we could get a contrac- "Lou balances all this stuff out," Boxold nies and they pay a royalty (for drilling) oil CAPTIVA BAYFRONT HOMESITE to when the specifics will be announced but tor to do one more," Hinds said.