Darling Adds Clarity to Expansi

and Week of Feb. 27-March 6, 2002 SANIBEL & CAPTIVA, FLORIDA VOLUME 29, NUMBER 9, 32 PAGES 75 CENTS given Darling adds clarity to expansi Sanibel city attorney, Doug Wyckoff, reminds By Anna Liakas take over islands," said Susan birds," she explained of birds that can't create buffer zones on its Planning Commission Staff Writer Trokey, refuge land acquisition lay their eggs near each other and own without first obtaining per- of legalities. specialist and planner. But the prefer to brood in groups rather mission from the state and without Proposed buffers around rook- scope of waterways in question than fly solo — birds like the initially garnering public input —See page 2 ery islands and controversial man- may in fact be narrow and involve long-legged waders, the great from a series of lengthy public atee slow-wake zones may have only six tiny rookery islands — egrets and snowy egrets, the little hearings. Natural Florida little in common except the same two in Pine Island Sound and two grey herons and the slack-jawed "It's all state-owned sovereign unfounded fears about govermen- in Matlacha Pass. Two rookeries pelicans that take refuge among lands," said Trokey, noting if Little Pine Island is tal reign over local waters, said in San Carlos Bay impact only a the tangled thickets of mangroves zones were created at all, they making a noticeable officials involved in the partner- narrow watery boundary that rooted on the tiny floating plots of only would close the narrow mar- comeback that hikers, ship to expand the boundaries of skirts a wake around their shore- land. gins around the rookeries during birders and developers the Ding Darling National Wild- line no more than 100 meters People are concerned they the nesting season of May to alike all like. life Refuge. wide, Trokey said. won't be able to fish around the "There's a lot of concenAhat The islands are key nesting shorelines there, said Trokey, See DARLING —See page 5 we will close down waterways or sites for the "colonial nesting adding the Fish & Wildlife Service page 8 San-Cap MusseS up Another coastal creature on the move and in the news because of it. San-Cap free of county's warning —See page 7 of rabid raccoons for mainland By Sarah "Daraiody Staff writer Florida's Potentially rabid raccoons that prompted Olympic hero '-"* ly pose no immediate threat to island wildlife, reported C..R.O.W. general manag- Naples' Olympian Brian er Anita Pinder. Asked if it were possible for vShirrer brings home the the mainland raccoon population to journey bronze in his fifth to the island, Pinder was pragmatic. Olympic try at the games. "Well, the causeway is there, and they have feet!," she said, but believed the San- —See page 19 Cap raccoon population remained fairiy iso- lated. "We do occassionally hear of dead raccoons found on the Causeway, so that wpuld indicate some are definitely there," she said, but although it is possible for them Can't crack shell to travel by trees and brush brought to the island, as the occassional squirrel is of tradition believed to arrive, it would seem unlikely. Sixty-five shell fail's ago There have been reports of at least seven and still going strong for unprovoked raccoon attacks in Fort Myers Sanibel-Captiva. Sarah Darmody See RABID —See page 18 Raccoons seen roaming during the day in Sanibel are no cause for alarm, reported the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife. page 2 Bridge repairs Save a friend Fruits of Speak out the tropics a done deal '03 San-Cap's sandy soil and By Erik Burriss Students put out the word temperate weather proves Staff writer a natural treat. By Sarah Darmody Designs for repairs to the Sanibel Staff writer —See page 16 Causeway's first span and drawbridge should be ready by April 2003 and the Sanibel School students Stephanie work done about a year later. Albert and Scott Messinger were The Lee County Department of charged with passing on a painful mes- Transportation has begun the process sage to their schoolmates this week. for finding a design consultant for work • ENVIRONMENT page 5 Under the guidance of. their School on the northern span of the Causeway Resource Officer Kurt Schulte, Bridge. Firms have until March 14 to • LOOKING BACK page 8 Stephanie and Scott produced a very submit packages and a short list will be Lee County Electric Cooperative sophisticated video production called compiled by March 18, said Don • OPINION page 9 Coming down 'Bully', which they used to demon- Deberry, senior project manager. strate the devastating impact that • BUSINESS page 12 A consultant should be selected m There's a recycling effort going on just beyond weapons related violence can have in April, Deberry said, with design work the span of the Sanibel Causeway bridges, and schools. « DATELINE. page IS it's taking a 120-foot barge with bucket truck to See BRIDGE get it under way. See MESSAGE • TV LISTINGS page 24 page 2 See story, page 2. page 3 « CLASSIFIEDS., page 28 2 • Week of Feb. 28-March 6, 2002 • ISLAND REPORTER • CITY PLANNING COMMISSION Old poles laid to rest By Anna Liakas monuments keeping quiet vigil Wyckoff warns: Staff Writer over the history of the bay, marking places and times in the islands' his- There's a recycling effort going tory now almost forgotten. Potential planning on just beyond the span of the More than likely, the old poles Sanibel Causeway bridges. If your are slated to be laid to rest on an curiosity was peaked by the sight of artificial reef site, Ryan said. But problems pontificate a 120-foot barge carrying a bucket Danny Kelly, who owns the barge truck around on its back just off the operations, said it may not be quite Causeway last week, right-smack in that simple. There are other uses By Erik Burriss the middle of the waters of Pine for the old poles, he explained, like Staff writer Island Sound, it was most likely the lighting poles for a ballfield or con- A routine hearing for a conditional use permit and a men and women of Lee County struction site. Sometimes their use Electric Cooperative busy at work, development permit resulted in a series of warnings from on a reef site isn't possible as the city attorney Tuesday about the way the Planning LCEC spokesperson Karen Ryan they're needed elsewhere, he said. Lee County Electric Cooperative said of work crews plucking out the Commission conducts its quasi-judicial proceedings. Kelly's barging operation has Heather Hawkins, the applicants' attorney, was set to weathered-grey poles of the old dis- been in operation in Lee County for on- and off-island. This week those tribution Line from St. James City to poles — witnesses to the first cars close her portion of the hearing without submitting any 27 years, providing crews to help documents showing how the proposal complied with the be carted away by the Kelly Bros. repair the Sanibel bridges. The that made their winter sojourn from Barge Company. the mainland to the island of Land Development Code when City Attorney Doug crews will be back on the water this Wyckoff reminded her that the Commission can only act The old line, installed 20 years Sanibel; stalwart, barren trees that week to finish the job. on evidence that is presented during the hearing. ago, was deenergized, Ryan said, have raised an arm to many a sleepy "We've only pulled out half of Hawkins represented James and Carmen Courier, who right after the new, more advanced shorebird and held fast against the the old poles," Kelly said. "There's want to build a boat dock and lift at their Tarpon Bay line was laid down across the slap from the sleeker, faster, still about 15 or so more to remove property. sound. from the line." smoother wakes of passing boats — The towering, splintered-wood So pay heed, just off the cause- are being ferried silently away to Without that evidence, Wyckoff said that "there was crosses have stretched across the way, when you're stuck in the thick, their new resting place across the nothing in the record" which, at a full-fledged judicial water for years like silent, solitary taffy pull of traffic winding its way bay. hearing, would result in a dismissal of the matter. Hawkins submitted the appropriate documents but, at a later stage of the meeting, Wyckoff (old commissioners that kind of assistance may be looked askance al by attorneys representing Ihird parlies opposed lo a proposal before the commission. "You're setting yourself up lo be overlurned,'" Wyckoff said. The Planning Commission is scheduled lo consider a resolution approving I he permits on March 12. Documents and exhibits that need to go in the record are things that are .submitted to the Planning Department Set- WARNS page 24 beginning shortly thereafter. The design phase for the BRIDGE work, which includes electri- From page 1 cal and mechanical work as well as replacing the railings and concrete, should take around a year. Construction will take another year, he said. "There may be some short closings at "night," Deberry s:iid, although the deparlment will (ry to keep the bridge open at all times. Selection of the designers for the other two spans and hardening of the road on the Causeway Islands will take place later in the summer. The project will be the first major work on the bridge since it was built in 1963, Deberry said.

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