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*,'!«( Turn it up Eco-business Niels Miller page 14A page 1B page 1C MARCH 28, 1997 VOLUME 24 NUMBER 20 •/ island 3 SECTIONS, 56 PAGES •>v REP i V PER First independence officials banking on Schoolhouse Gallery By Mark S. Krzos historical plaque would be; and keep- News Editor ing all original features of the building, The Planning Commission spent including windows and doors if possi- nearly seven hours Tuesday hammering ble. out a plan that will attempt restore the "You have agreed to go along with Old School for Black Children, cur- all of the Historical Committee has rently occupied by the Schoolhouse suggested," Planning Commissioner Gallery into a First Independence Bank John Veenschoten said wondering if with drive-through facilities at 520 any original photographs of the build- Tarpon Bay Road. ing exist. "My feeling is that the com- Commissioners were determined mittee didn't go far enough." from the start that restoring the build- Veenschoten said the reason he ing to its original designation as a seg- wanted to know if any photographs regated school is its primary objective. exist was to see if the building can be That doesn't mean that the island is "put back the way it used to be." going through a time warp. Rather, the President of First Independence commission wants the building to look Bank Chip Black said that they took all the way it once did--—a rural school- the advice the Historical Committee house. made and would be open to further The specifications made to members suggestions. of First Independence Bank included: Attorney for First Independence protecting the historical structure; Bank Timothy Murty said they were unpaved parking areas; minimizing the unable to locate any photographs and tale roof angle over the drive-through; showing where the designation of the •please see page 11A A moving experience Shelly and Carly Adler pull on coyote Cameron Weitzner in Saturday afternoon prior to the wall rehearsal for this weekend's performance of "Don Coyote" an Traveling Vietnam being dismantled and moved. Artereach production sponsored by the Sanibel-Captiva Kiwanis. Aspiring actors ages 5 to 16 bring a channing Spanish folk tale to memorial leaves after The wall was built and is maintained life for young audiences at the Pirate Playhouse over the Easter by Vietnam veterans in honor of their holiday weekend. "Don Coyote" will be presented Friday and services tomorrow fallen and missing comrades. Saturday, March 28 and 29 at 2 p.m. and at 4 p.m. outside in the By Larry Ihnen Like the original, the "Moving Wall" Crossman Garden at the Sanibel Island theater. A production the Special to Island Reporter contains the names of more than professional theater's community outreach and education arm, If you haven't visited the replica of 58,000 U.S. service men and women director Jamie Simpson, the Pirate Playhouse's resident teaching the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in who were killed or missing in action artist and instructor of the theater's acting classes for children, leads 24 children through their roles. Simpson poses above with Washington, D.G. now on exhibit at during the Vietnam War. Sponsored locally by the Vietnam Veterans of matriarch Petra Wilkes and her flock of blackbirds Hayley Simon, Centennial Park in downtown Fort Debbie Connor, Nicole Jump, and Sorrell Concodora. The remain- Myers, time is running out for this America, Chapter 594, the replica of ing players are Melanie Albert, Alex and Vance Cohn, Misha Davis, moving experience. the wall is open for viewing 24 hours a Erika Dean, Matt Gann, Joanna and William Harmon, Merisa It's only about half the size of the day through March 29. Miladinovic, Whitney Miller, Jessica Ogden, Angelique and Andre original but the emotions it generates The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Pinault, Lindsey Torpey-Cross, Carly Talbott, Cameron Weitzner are no less intense. The "Moving was first opened in 1982. Situated on (starring as Don Coyote), and Whitney Wolanin. Wall," travels around the country and the National Mall, the design stirred Tickets are.$6 for adults and $3 for children and will be available at the box office on performance days. will be leaving Lee County tomorrow. •please see page 11A There will be a closing ceremony Strange suggestions on how to improve Sanibel'straffic woes By Mark S. Krzos Since before the Causeway v>a^ elected in cars come over the causeway. On an average day in News Editor there were indications thai once completed, traffic March, that number skyrockets, to 11,000. Editor's note: This is the last in a series dealing on Sanibel could be a problem. "Everything is possible, but most of it is just not with traffic on the island during the high seasonal Price, who started working for the city in 1978, practical either environmentally or economically." months. Also check out what people, do when they're said even back then it look 45 minutes to get of the said Price of past suggestions on improving stuck in traffic. See you next season! island in the afternoon. Today, surprisingly, it takes Sanibel's traffic congestion. We all have thought about how to cure Sanibel's roughly the .same amount of time. There have been suggestions of blowing up ihe traffic congestion. Sitting in our cars, scratching out "We've done a lot of little things to improve it." bridge. There was the idea of building a bridge con- heads, listening to music while our mode of trans- Price said pointing to West Gulf Drive and other necting Capriva to Pine Island. There has been talk portation sits motionless, we all have wondered minor improvements such as turning lanes. of o\erpasse.s and tunnels for roads connecting to what can we do to help reduce traffic on Sanibel. "Unfortunately, now we've run out of the little Periwinkle Way and there has been talk of far more "You expect it (traffic congestion) in New York, things to do." outlandish ideas. Cleveland, Chicago, .but you don't expect it on The difference between busy and slow times of "I've had a lot of strange suggestiuns," Price said Sanibel." Sanibel City Manager Gary Price .said. the year on Sanibel is 5,000 cars. On an average day "That's what makes it frustrating." in the month of September, approximately 6,000 •please see page 2A The Sanibel waiting game, what to do while you're stuck in traffic By Jill Goodman waits for the bridge to go down. In a get my daughter to a party. I got home computer doctor, Bill Weaver is from Staff Writer bag in her van she has apples, fruit, at 6 p.m., took a shower and went back Chicago and is used to heavy traffic tie- Rip Van Winkle would take Sanibel health bars and the ever-popular bottle into town to pick up my daughter. All ups. "It's depends on where I'm stuck. traffic in stride. He'd take a snooze. of water. in all it took about three hours to just On island I try to take the short cut Until the about the week after Winter residents from St. Paul, Koni drive around. Last year, I sent away for through the Dunes," Weaver said. "Or I Easter, Sanibelians face arduous traf- and Arthur Goodman take the delays in language tapes and learned Italian. just sit there and wait, or go home until fic—snarls, pileups, delays. Whatever stride. "If I'm not driving, I pray," said Sometimes I listen to talk radio, Dr. it's gone. I'd just as soon sit at home as name applied to the syndrome, nobody Koni. "Coming back from the golf Laura and Rush Limbaugh. I bring in the traffic." gets anywhere in a hurry. course, when I'm waiting in traffic, I'm along the dog for the ride and play One islander quipped, "If everybody The pundits have suggested assorted thankful that I'm here—here on games with the kids. I try to bond with drove twice as fast they'd get there in solutions over the years as the traffic Sanibel and here on earth," laughs the kids." half the time resulting in fifty percent problem grows with the popularity of Arthur, an octogenarian. Former U.S. customs agent and now fewer cars on the road." Huh? this very special island paradise. Captivan, Anita Zwick, whose son Some would have a parking lot off goes to Canterbury School, stays at her SOLEMN SOLUTIONS •from page 1A island and trolley visitors across the home in Fort Myers during the school noting that one of the more odd one's but few that offer an inexpensive solu- causeway. Other suggestions include week to beat the traffic. But when she he's heard was the idea to build a sec- tion. raising the toll to deter day-trippers, or has to commute, she does so in style, ond bridge from the second causeway "I heard someone talk about a mono- building a bridge to Pine Island. with food, juices, water, books on tape island and connect into Tarpon Bay or rail along Periwinkle and going over Take all of the suggestions and park and her cell phone. Sanibel-Captiva Roads. the bike path," Besse said. "I've heard them in line at the causeway intersec- "I do find that I make a lot of calls. Other suggestions have included a that a three lane bridge would work so tion, because none of them are going The books have been my savior. I just tunnel going from Punta Rassa to two lanes could be used for traffic leav- anywhere either.

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