Repairs to Close Causeway Sunday Night
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i %-, . 1 '.it A'Sis. 170 fij Causeway takes center stage Week of January 16-22,2003 SANIBEL & CAPTIVA, FLORIDA VOLUME 30, NUMBER 3, 24 PAGES 75 CENTS Repairs to close Causeway Sunday night Captiva artists raise money for DOT: 48 feet of bridge to be trauma center replaced in 32-hour window Rauschenberg, Pottorf auction prints for Lee By Kate Thompson way surface, all will have Memorial Health System Staff Writer been replaced with steel. The 32-hour Causeway —See page 3 Residents, employees closing includes more tune and visitors to Sanibel than officials believe will March election won't be able to drive on be needed to make the or off the island from 10 repairs, department becomes 3-way p.m. Sunday through 6 spokeswoman Amy Davies a.m. Tuesday, when the said. affair Causeway will be closed. Trafalgar Middle School Martin Luther King teacher enters race But that doesn't mean Day was selected as the people will be completely —See page 2 date for repairs to mini- stranded either on or off mize the impact on island island. There are a variety residents and visitors. The of plans in place to handle post offices, schools and most contingencies. some other government Although 9 p.m. was services will be closed for initially announced as the Renny Severance photo the holiday. A crew works to shore up the Causeway's cracked middle span Friday afternoon. closing time for Sunday, County crews making the county moved the time After making calcula- minor repairs found a tions, the engineer recom- Deli possible to 10 p.m. to accommodate cracked beam on the mid- Community readies itself for some restaurants and a mended both a limitation dle bridge of the Causeway on weight over the bridge addition to island BIG Arts festival. Jan. 6. day and a naif without.bridge Starting Sunday and reduced speed. food choices "Within 24 hours, we Limiting the weight of By Kate Thompson Undaunted, the commu- evening, the Lee County had it stabilized," said vehicles allowed on the Staff Writer Planning Commission Department of nity coped. deputy transportation Causeway to 10 tons "It's all about getting lo discusses application at u Transportation will replace director Paul Wingard. .By Tuesday permit hearing reduces stress. By the time repairs to the other side of Monday," a 48-foot span of the 9 a.m. Tuesday, additional the Sanibel Causeway are said Steve Greenstein, . —See page 2 Causeway from the abut- Reducing speed also posts were in place to sup- lowers the stress on the completed Tuesday morn- executive director of the ment at Island A to the pier port the beams, he said. At higher ,-,peeds, in«, island residents and Sanihel Captiva Chamber • \ four concrete gitders as einer of well, as the concrete road- to examine the situation ' When load limits were help, liab£ initially put into place Jan. that impossible except 4 8, heavy vehicles deliver- those with Coast Guard ing everything from mail to certification, he said. beer to school children M Conservation 20/20 were turned back at the toll See COPING Forums coming up plaza. page 6 — See page 7 Suit alleges plans and records altered for variance hearings By Erik Burriss Managing Editor Bicycling thoughts Four island residents have sued the city and city offi- cials as well as their neighbors, over a house they feel Rules have reasons should not have been permitted. — See page 5 Alleging that city documents about the propel JiV~ been improperly modified, Faye Ma^ *M)i*M)incti6n n MaxwellMwll , JordaJd n FairmaFimnn anadd Ad^- -^cupancy, demo- ing for a court-ordered st«°^se and $100,000 in 'dam- Amy Fleming photo against the issuances live adjacent to the 421 Raintree Robert Rauschenberg, right, looks on as Lee Memorial Health System President and lition of the.fg'-site owned by David and Francine Calendar of days CEO Jim Nathan thanks the guests at Friday's Art for Life reception. See story on ageg^Tg and are asking for a jury trial in the case. page 3 "During a Planning Commission variance hearing for a island goings-on setback easement from Twin Ponds Drive, Matthews and —See page 10 Maxwell argued that the house violated a setback from City takes initiative on public Raintree Place as well. They made the same arguments Inc.- below-market-rate when they unsuccessfully appealed the Planning Commission's decision granting the variance to City By Kate Thompson ine muucy -r both projects Council. During both hearings, the city attorney advised Staff Writer T community development block the bodies to limit their consideration to the facts about ^ors'may fron Twin Ponds Drive. Disabled residents.^ 'Council meet- Planning staff and the surveyor said Raintree Place find it easier to \?f% parks or visit the money had been usea for similar projects terminates in a cul-de-sac before its easement would ENVffiONMENT:......,....page 7 ings. ^village after an extensive list ot affect the Gomberg's building site. However, in a papers g in the past, they recently redefined what) LOOKING BACK .....page 12 !provements are made to city facilities activities were eligible, said Jan Hyatt, filed with the court, the plaintiffs say site plans and sur- executive director of Community veys were altered show the cul-de-sac after the plaintiffs Council voted unani- brought the Raintree Place easement issue to the city's to use the Housing and Resources. Jan.'7 meeting Rather than lose the funding, city offi attention and that the staff report says the property has • BUSINESS ,;C...page 18 » multi-road frontage. city facilities. The money, had cials proposed using it to make improve ,*J)mviim- .page 10 i,ari fnr subsidizing See ACCESS See SUIT page 4 water and sewer hooK-ups j.ui iu«-mwu.. page 4 • TVUSTINGS ....page 15 Residents and for the Community Housing • CLASSIFIEDS page 20 ^M^^&kK^^^^^^1IM? ISLAND REPORTER • Week of January 16-22, 2003 • 2 • Week of Jan. 16-22, 2003 • ISLAND REPORTER One deli in the works Lee island Coast Art nets $200K for hospital Blotter • Anne Be!lew By Kate Thompson Staff Writer Jan. 24 first Smart lames F. "Jim" Gear By Amy Fleming Island arrests Sanibel representative intelligence capa- Growth workshop Staff writer • On Jan. 12, Raymond Josepl A new deli, featuring upscale pre- bilities for the War Roland of Sanibel was arreste< pared gourmet food, expects approval Jim Gear died away suddenly leads Intelligence Committee on Terrorism and to on New Year's Day, 2003 from FORT MYERS on an outstanding Lee Count; at the Jan. 28 meeting of the Planning The first of several workshops to begin warrant for violation of his parol< counter other fashioning Smart Growth recommenda- injuries suffered when his gyro- — The Alliance Commission.. House Speaker Dennis Hastert has threats to the for the Arts on on charges of drunk driving witl At a Tuesday morning hearing on tions will be Jan. 24 at Terry Park in Fort copter crashed into a field at the reappointed Rep, Porter Goss as United States. Lansing, 111. airport. He was 42. McGregor personal and property damage. the issue, commissioners voted unan- Myers. The workshops are intended to • Juan Miguel Grijalva o Chairman of the House Permanent Select • Examining the brainstorm ideas and solutions in five main Born Dec. 18, 1960 in Joliet, Boulevard was imously to recommend approval of Committee on Intelligence for the 108th architecture of the the place to be Dunnellon, Fla. was arrested oi the conditional-use permit, subject to areas: transportation, community character, 111.-, to the late James C. and Congress. intelligence com- Dolores Gear, he was a graduate Friday evening, outstanding Indiana warrants. Ht a few conditions. land use, water supply and environmental had been charged with dealing ii "The House Intelligence Committee munity and propos- quality. of Joliet West High School in the when some 250 The new deli will be located at will have a very full agenda this session," ing its redesign so people packed the methamphetamine and had failei 2430 Periwinkle Way, in what was The Jan. 24 workshop will deal with class of 1979 and received a Goss said. "I'm looking forward to work- it best fits the degree in Engineering from gallery for "Art to appear for his court appear formerly a furniture store. An office ing with my colleagues to ensure the Goss transportation issues. It begins at 9 a.m. in ance. His extradition was pendini threats of the 21st the Extension Services meeting room at Illinois State. Formerly employed for Life," a fund- currently uses about 3,000 square feet intelligence community has the capabili- Century. raising sale to at press time. of the building; the deli would take up Terry Park in Fort Myers. The daylong with Superior Piling and Norman ties it needs to keep Americans safe at "I postponed my retirement plans for Equipment, he was self-employed benefit the Lee 2,030 square feet and is currently home and abroad." session will include general and breakout Memorial Health empty. one final term in Congress so I could con- sessions. at the time of his death. Dolphin strandsrtc Among the goals Goss has for the tinue to spearhead the responsibilities According to local Illinois papers. System Trauma Joe Armenia, the potential tenant House Intelligence Committee: Participants will include Smart Growth Center. In all. the Officer Tiffany Dugan res charged to the Intelligence Committee," Advisory Committee members and inter- Gear fell in love with gyrocopters ponded to a call from Bob Fodc and part of the 2430 Holding Co., • Concluding the Joint Congressional Goss said.