COMMUNITY CALENDAR: Ongoing and Upcoming Events, PAGE 4 Falconry at 5 Rivers Delta PAGE 5 Out & About: Easter events The Islander PAGE 22 INSIDE APRIL 4, 2018 | GulfCoastNewsToday.com | 75¢ Orange Beach turtle toy boxes Construction update in encourage sharing, wildlife Gulf Shores By CRYSTAL COLE education and recycling [email protected] Meyer fundraiser Courtesy OF THE CITY OF Public Works Director ORANGE BEACH Mark Acreman gave a Mark your calendars for quick construction update Sunday, April 22 from noon Anyone who has visited the to the Gulf Shores City to 5 p.m. for a fun afternoon Alabama Gulf State Park’s pub- Council at its most recent at the amusement park at lic beach accesses in Orange meeting. With many proj- Waterville, USA. This is a Beach the past two summers ects currently in develop- joint partnership between has probably seen the colorful ment and trying to get Meyer Vacation Rentals, turtle signs with handmade completed before summer CENTURY 21 Meyer Real wooden boxes at their bases. season, Acreman has had The words on the boxes say it his hands full keeping ev- Estate and Waterville USA. all: “Need a toy - Take a toy. erything on schedule. For more information on Have a toy - Leave a toy.” He told the council that this fundraiser, see page 35. The turtle boxes have been a the first landscaped me- success since being introduced dian had been completed at the end of the summer of SUBMITTED PHOTO on beach highway near W. 2015. City Administrator Ken Chris Litton finding the bags of volunteers working each nesting 6th Street. He said the city Expedia CruiseShipCen- Grimes said the idea all started toys stored away in the trunk of season along the coastline and wanted a sample so resi- ters franchise open with early morning walks he Grimes’ old city vehicle, the idea marking nests. “So it started to dents could see the city’s would take on the beach in 2012, of having beach-toy recycling make sense that if you can make vision for the beach road. Planning a vacation has before the “Leave Only Foot- boxes sprung to life. “We were people think about collecting “We did that to look at it just become a lot easier for prints” clean beach initiative also trying to promote the Share this stuff and bringing it back to see if that was the rep- families in Gulf Shores. was introduced in Orange Beach the Beach program because for others to use, it could be suc- lica we wanted to repro- With the desire and exper- and Gulf Shores. Grimes would they would be out there too cessful. We had all of these ideas duce down there,” Mayor tise to help their commu- collect plastic toys he found on while I was walking early in the of why it wouldn’t work but it Robert Craft said. “It’s nity find the right vaca- the beach, soon having bags full. morning,” Grimes said, refer- didn’t happen that way.” going to be a beautiful tion, local entrepreneurs Fast-forward a few years and ring to the Alabama Sea Turtle project. I think it’s really Audrey and Steve Nelson with Logistics Coordinator Conservation Program that has SEE TURTLE, PAGE 2 going to make a difference has opened a new Expedia there.” Councilman Gary Sinak asked if the side- CruiseShipCenters fran- walks on Hwy. 59 would chise. Find out more on be moved in the process page 3. Breakfast with the Bunny of lengthening the turn lane into Waterville. “There’s a couple of locations that I saw today where we’ll probably shift them just due to an eleva- tion difference,” Acre- man said. “But there’s not many. We have put DEATHS PAGE 20 the landscape strip in be- tween the two, and when Claire Brown you do that it’ll look a Doris Ann McIntyre (Sasser) lot different. Most of the PHOTOS BY CAPT. MARK ROBINSON / GCM CORRESPONDENT sidewalks are staying in Haywood Children of all ages started their Easter weekend off with a visit from the tact.” Sinak followed up Charles G. Koehler Jr. Easter Bunny himself. Attendees of “Breakfast with the Bunny” got to meet that answer by asking Merlin Edward Miller and take pictures withe the Easter Bunny as well as have a old-fashioned if the sidewalks which breakfast. The first 50 children at the event, held at the Erie H. Meyer Civic would be moved would be Center, received complimentary photos. Everyone had a hip-hoppity good too close to the road be- INDEX time. See more photos on page 33. cause of it. BALDWIN LIVING, 5 “I don’t think so,” Acre- man said. “We’re going CLASSIFIED, 8 to have about a foot of HEALTH, 23 separation from the back of the curb; we’re going LEGALS, 26 to have two and a half OPINION, 12 feet of curbing, and then there’s another about six OUT & ABOUT, 22 inches before the stripe. PUZZLES, 10 We’re still going to be about three feet away SPORTS, 13 TV LISTINGS, 16 SEE CONSTRUCTION, PAGE 2 Gulf Coast Media VOLUME 42 • ISSUE 15 1 SECTION • 36 PAGES Serving Baldwin County since 1997 Hwy. 59 So. between Robertsdale & Loxley, Al. 251-964-7283 WWW.EMERALDHOMESLLC.COM 2• The Islander • April 4, 2018 • Gulf Coast Media Local teen wins mens pro surfing contest Commercial Yard of the Month SUBMITTED PHOTO Gulf Shores’ own Mason Broussard came away with the win in the Mens Pro Division re- cently at The Shore LB Throwdown at the Single Fin Showdown in Stuart Beach, Florida. Broussard went pro last year after winning the semi-pro division at Stuart, and this year at age 17, won it. Broussard is a lifelong resident of Gulf Shores and is the first young man from Alabama to win the men’s pro. Broussard is sponsored by Zap Skimboards, Waterboyz, RDS, (all out of Florida) and is a team member of each, as well as Skim USA SUBMITTED PHOTO and United Skim Tour. Broussard offers skateboard and skimboard lessons to help facilitate the travels to and The Orange Beach Garden Club has chosen the Romar House, 24310 Perdido Beach Blvd, as our from his contests. Anyone interested in lessons please email [email protected] Commercial Yard of the Month. Pictured are General Manager Robby Young, KM Brennard Chair- or call 251-223-3563. man of the Landscaping Committee and Brad Traylor C/C JubileeScape. TURTLE Beach Public Works and Pass and the beach ac- “It shows them and brings Litton coordinating it all cess east of Perdido Pass. educational awareness CONTINUED FROM 1 and coming up with the A turtle box is also at to other citizens who are tagline, the turtle boxes the new sand volleyball enjoying the beach. If With the help of art- became a reality. court at the Orange Beach they understand more ist Kerry Parks from The turtle boxes can Sportsplex. about the sea turtles we the Coastal Art Center’s now be found at all of “It addition to encour- can better educate them Hot Shop, Orange Beach the public state beaches aging sharing, it shows about the nesting birds. cabinet maker David Hal- in Orange Beach includ- children how we all need We now have ‘Leave Only lex, teenager Savannah ing Romar Beach, Cot- to coexist with endan- Footprints’ as a platform Townley’s painting skills, ton Bayou Beach, East gered sea turtles on the and sea turtles are one of employees at Orange Alabama Point on Perdido coastline,” Grimes said. the main reasons why we remove all items at night.” Grimes said the turtle box displays are a good photo opportunity for families, too. “Make a memory and remember that we’re all working together to help the sea turtles hatch,” he said. Find more information on Share the Beach go to SUBMITTED PHOTO www.alabamaseaturtles. com. For details on Leave Only Footprints, visit The Islander cleanisland.org. 901 N. McKenzie St., Foley, AL 36535-3546 PHONE: (251) 943-2151 | FAX: (251) 943-3441 CONSTRUCTION [email protected] CONTINUED FROM 1 Parks Rogers Allison Marlow Publisher Senior Features Editor from the travel lane of the [email protected] [email protected] vehicles.” Classified Advertising Cliff McCollum Approved at the council Whisper Edwards Managing Editor [email protected] meeting were: [email protected] • Public assembly permit Crystal Cole Legal Advertising for the NAIA Outdoor Editor April Wallace Track and Field Cham- pionships Marathon set [email protected] [email protected] for Saturday, May 26. 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