THREE DAYS A WEEK POST COMMENTS AT CAPE-CORAL-DAILY-BREEZE.COM Neaded CAPE CORAL north Twins down Pirates in final spring game at Hammond Stadium BREEZE — SPORTS EARLY-WEEK EDITION WEATHER: Scattered Showers • Tonight: Partly Cloudy • Wednesday: Partly Cloudy — 2A cape-coral-daily-breeze.com Vol. 50, No. 38 Tuesday, March 29, 2011 50 cents Council OKs audits for utility expansion project city. Sullivan said their familiari- Coral's contracts should be exam- can get the necessary paper work Cost of work not to exceed $200,000 ty with the city will be helpful in ined. Sullivan said work done in from MWH. moving forward with the work. those two areas “screams of over- Sullivan said it is necessary to By DREW WINCHESTER is expected to be funded by the Sullivan said the audits were sight.” discover the scope of work before [email protected] city's utility rate payers, and will crucial in order to keep Cape “It’s almost the exact same “running up the bill” with the Cape Coral City Council break down to roughly $4 per rate Coral from “falling into traps” in thing that happened in Cape selected auditors. approved a not to exceed amount payer, according to Mayor John the future and to possibly recover Coral,” Sullivan said. MWH officials responded to of $200,000 for construction and Sullivan. monies for the city's taxpayers. Townsend will conduct the the mayor recently saying that forensic audits of SE 1, SW 4 and The two audits will be per- Sullivan cited work done by construction audit under the guise records request would have to be SW 5 of the city's utilities expan- formed by Rich Townsend and MWH — the city's utilities con- of Kessler, Sullivan said, and will paid for by the city, per the terms sion project. Michael Kessler, who previously tractor — in New Orleans and be somewhat tentatively at the The price tag of the two audits performed the same duties for the California as reasons that Cape onset to discover if the auditors See COUNCIL, page 12A Admiring the needlework City utilities division approved; department reorganization continues By DREW WINCHESTER and the public works director. [email protected] Along with a panel that The recently created utilities includes interim Public Works director finally has a department Director Steve Neff, former Lee to run, as City Council approved County Public Works Director creating the utilities division Doug Muir and Finance Services within the Public Works depart- Director Victoria Bateman, King ment. is reviewing the 74 applicants for Council approved the ordi- the utilities director position and nance 6–2, which effectively cre- is expected to make a decision in ates the final piece of City the coming weeks. Manager Gary King’s vision of Councilmembers Marty reorganizing the department. McClain and Derrick Donnell Although the Public Works voted against the ordinance. Department would technically In other news, City Council “survive,” according to King, the did not vote to allow retractable department will ultimately be boat canopies, as Councilmember completely restructured into three Chris Chulakes-Leetz withdrew “functional units,” one of which his motion after he failed to gain is the utilities division, which he support on the dais. Chulakes- says will eliminate costly senior- Leetz sponsored the ordinance. MICHAEL PISTELLA level management positions. The city has not allowed those King said Monday he’s kinds of structures. Doris Little, left, and Sara Stoudt take a look at some of the quilts on display during already saved $600,000 by elim- “There’s so many moving the Cape Coral Quilters’ Guild’s blessing of the quilts at Christ Lutheran Church, inating some of those positions, Monday. including a storm water manager See UTILITIES, page 12A Annual blessing of the quilts Council donates land held at Christ Lutheran Church to company looking Cape Quilters Guild creations donated to variety of organizations By MEGHAN McCOY Once the blessing was over, to build near City Hall [email protected] Aleta DiPaolo, a guild individuals from various organi- Christ Lutheran Church was member, said that the zations shared a few emotional By DREW WINCHESTER ing to see what their time frames full of love and compassion for quilts are all “bright and words to the guild that highlight- [email protected] are to get something up and run- the art of quilting Monday cheerful and laced and ed how individuals felt after City Council approved donat- ning in terms of construction and morning as 300 handmade sewed with prayers and they were given one of the many ing 3-plus acres of a land to an as jobs in the Cape,” Schwing said. quilts from the Cape Coral good wishes.” donated quilts and how much of yet unnamed company that wants The land is owned by the city Quilters Guild were blessed, so a blessing the guild is for creat- to build a facility across from and has an estimated value of they could be donated to eight ing the quilts. City Hall. $300,000. organizations in Cape Coral. the ceremony by telling the Five guild members were Assistant City Manager Carl The unknown company is also The blessing of the quilts group of women that he was also called to the front of the Schwing described the company applying for $250,000 of Lee began 15 years ago after one of amazed by the amount of energy church Monday morning as bags as an “advertising firm,” but County economic development the members of the guild asked that filled the room. were handed to them that con- declined to name the company funds. what she could do with 25 quilts LaCroix said it is a true bless- tained a quilt made by other due to a confidentiality agree- Schwing said the company that she made. Mary Ann ing that the members of the members for their loved ones. ment. and the city would “work on a McCarthy, founder of the Cape guild created pieces of art from McCarthy accepted a quilt on Schwing said if all goes contract” over the next few weeks Coral Quilter’s Guild, said from scrap material that will benefit behalf of an 11-year-old student according to plan, the company and the name of the company there the event has continued many individuals. who attends Skyline Elementary could break ground on the facility would become public once the every year with at least 200 Aleta DiPaolo, a guild mem- School. She told the group of this year. terms of the contract have been quilts being blessed and donat- ber, said that the quilts are all women that the young 5th grade The firm would employ 104 approved by city council. ed. “bright and cheerful and laced girl recently lost her mom, who people, generate $12 million in In other news, City Council Quilts of all colors and sizes and sewed with prayers and was 42 years old and a single annual sales with revenue coming delayed voting on the scrub jay were draped on many pews dur- good wishes.” parent. On Thursday she will from outside the area and offer a mitigation plan, instead pulling ing the blessing ceremony with “These women are giving a receive her second quilt from the median wage of $56,000, accord- the agenda item for a decision at Christ Lutheran Church Lead piece of their heart,” she said ing to city documents. an unspecified time. Mayor John Pastor Gary LaCroix. He began smiling. See QUILTS, page 3A “They do want to be here in Cape Coral, and we will be work- See LAND, page 12A Beer Fest fund-raiser draws a good crowd By TIFFANY REPECKI shuffle attendees from location to fill backpacks with seven pounds different places we haven’t been,” ■ La Terraza 47 [email protected] location. of food that children take home Townsend said. ■ Leapin Lizard Approximately 800 people “We had a good turnout,” Sam for the weekend. Hardt added that attendees get ■ Monkey Bar & Steakhouse attended the first-ever Foreign Huber, the club’s foundation Huber estimated that food, drinks and transportation ■ Paradise Tiki Hut Beer Fest on Saturday. president, said. Saturday’s event raised between for $15. ■ Rack’Em Billards The event, hosted by the There were about 900 tickets $4,000 and $6,000. “You can’t beat that,” she said. ■ Ralph’s Place Kiwanis Club of Cape Coral, fea- sold for the event with about 100 In addition to helping local The participating restaurants ■ Royal Key tured more than a dozen restau- were not redeemed. children, the fund-raiser show- and bars included: ■ Sal’s Pizza rants and bars completing for the Proceeds from the event will cased the Cape venues. ■ Back Streets ■ Steamer’s Sports Shack title of “Best Foreign Beer.” From help purchase food for the back- For friends Betty Sue ■ Bahama Mammas ■ Wine & Roses Restaurant 7-11 p.m., the venues offered pack program that the Kiwanis Townsend and Linda Hardt, that ■ Cape Dog & Deli The women, both Cape resi- samplings of beer and appetizers, Club sponsors for Lee County is why they purchased tickets. ■ Chicago Pizza and trolleys were available to students. Each week volunteers “So we could check out a lot of ■ Cruiser’s Lounge See BEER FEST, page 2A ATAGLANCE AROUND THE CAPE NEWS OF NOTE WHAT’S INSIDE Temporary lane closures Holocaust Memorial Service The Jewish Federation of Lee and Annie’s Mailbox ..12A Horoscopes......12A on Santa Barbara Boulevard Charlotte Counties will hold its Annual Cape Life ..........6A Obituaries ..........2A Temporary lane closures will continue Holocaust Memorial Service Sunday, April CASH 3: on Santa Barbara Boulevard between 3, at 3:30 pm., at Temple Beth El Temple Community ........7A Police Blotter ....2A 9-2-2 / 0-5-9 Southwest 13th Terrace and Southwest Beth El, 16225 Winkler Road, Fort Myers.