2b 1 01 SUN 1 00/00/00 MARCH 12, 1993 SANIBEL LIBRARY VOLUME 22 LIBRARY WAY NUMBER 11 3 SECTIONS, 52 PAGES SANIBEL FL 33957 REPORTER SANIBEL AND CAPTIVA, FLORID Diver dies Man suffered heart attack after surfacing LIVE SHELL EXHIBIT : By MaryJeanne McAward Staff Writer An experienced diver died 8 1/2 miles off Sanibel Wednesday evening, March 10 during a pleasure dive with friends. Yesterday morn- ing, the Lee County Medical Examiner said the man drowned after suffering a heart attack. Bob Davis, 62, of North Fort Myers, was diving the Jaycees Reef with friends Ron Croteau and Frank Cassidy when the trio sur- faced after a half-hour recreational dive Cas- sidy termed "non-strenuous." "We had a great dive, and surfaced at 7:20 p.m.," Cassidy said, adding at the time there were no signs Davis was in trouble. The divers were in the water, getting ready for another dive at 7:25 p.m. when Cassidy and Croteau saw Davis was in trouble. He was floating in the water with his flota- One of the most popular aspects of the Shell Fair, shell exhibit, drew a constant crowd. For inter- tion vest inflated. a Sanibel Elementary fifth grade student live views with some award winners, see page IB, • please see page 4A Insulating 'hot' wires may be too costly? Co-op says By MaryJeanne McAward neering department to look into Staff Writer this," Reno said. "It could be very Non-insulated, so-called "hot" expensive, though. There's 5,000 wires on utility poles have been miles of line out there." killing island birds, according to It is unclear whether Reno re- John Kubisz, executive director ferred to Insulating all electric and veterinarian at Care and Re- wires, or the short, jumper wire habilitation of Wildlife (CROW). on each pole which the veterinar- However, Lee County Electric Co- ian said is the major problem. op officials say it may be too ex- Ken Laborde, a claims special- pensive to insulate the wires to ist at the Co-op, said he is not fa- protect birds. miliar with the cost of insulating Ralph Reno, manager of com- wires but also said it would be a munications for the Co-op, said very expensive undertaking. since being contacted by the Is- He was not sure insulating the land Reporter about the issue last bare jumper wire—the short piece week, he has not looked into the which runs from the main line to matter, primarily because he has the insulators and transformers— been busy with preparations for was possible. the upcoming annual meeting of Kubisz contends in his former the Co-op. home state of Wisconsin, electric Jumper wires, which connect transformers to power lines, are not insulated "We fully intend to get the engi- ' / • please see page 2A and are believed to be electrocuting birds in the area as they land atop poles. Chico's goes public By MaryJeanne McAward tional market system symbol will Staff Writer be CHCS. Chico's Folk Art Specialties Lead underwriters for the stock (FAS), Inc.. which grew from a offering are Robert W. Baird & Co. lone store at Periwinkle Place in Incorporated in Milwaukee; sec- Sanibel into 58 company-owned ondary underwriter is Raymond stores and 18 franchised stores James & Associates of St. Peters- across the country, has filed a reg- burg. istration statement with the Se- A prospectus related to the of- curities and Exchange Commis- fering is available by contacting sion for a proposed, initial public Robert W. Baird & Co., (414) 765- offering of 1,400,000 shares of 3500. or Raymond James & Asso- stock. ciates. (813) 573-3800. The initial offering price will Incorporated in 1983 by Sani- hi r be between $12 and $14 per share bel residents Marvin J. Gralnick. and the company will go public in chief executive officer and direc- late March or early April, accord- tor, and Helene B. Gralnick, se- ing to the Financial Relations nior vice president-merchandise Board, acting as counsel for concept, secretary and director, Volunteers rushed to the Island Water Association Friday to rescue a Chico's FAS. the store started as a Mexican man who was injured atop this water tower. For details, see page 2A. The proposed NASDAQ na- • please see page 2A 3 o CO Injured man plucked from atop water tank 1 By MaryJeann, e McAward harness kept the injured man on r— .—. mm.-"- ~~ "-""*" "" " - — • C\f r~ Staff Writer the tank. X A painting company contractor Lee County medics, the Sanibel o suffered a laceration to the leg fire department and Sanibel po- DC from a pressure wand and was lice responded to the scene and < plucked from the roof of a five several men climbed a ladder to D million gallon tank at Island Wa- the top of the tank. cc ter Association (IWA) by a cherry Meanwhile, Sanibel police con- LU picker Friday morning, March 5. tacted Sanibel Tree Service, an is- o Scott Lee Boots, 34, of North land tree company with a 5 5-foot a. ui Fort Myers, an employee of Vic's cherry-picker truck, owned by cc Painting, was strapped into a part-time Sanibel police officer a safety harness and using a pres- Jamie Phillips and volunteer sure washer to blast an old coat- Sanibel firefighter Steve Walters. (I) ing from the top of the tank, 40 Phillips left a job on Dixie feet from the ground, when the in- Beach Boulevard and was met by cident occurred at the water com- police, who escorted him to the pany's reverse osmosis plant on plant. Within minutes, Phillips Santbel-Captiva Road. raised the bucket to the roof and According to Dick Derowitsch, brought the injured man down. engineering supervisor for IWA, Boots was treated by medics at Boots and a partner were using the scene and then flown by heli- Scott Lee Boots, 34, was injured at the reverse osmosis plant last Friday. 10,000 pounds per square inch copter to Lee Memorial Hospital. pressure when the stream acci- According to a medic, he may dentally hit Boot's right leg, leav- have suffered a water or air em- ing a four-inch laceration. bolism in the knee, but was in Boot's partner said the safety good condition otherwise. INSULATING brought to CROW, Kubisz esti- • from page 1A mated eight to 10 are injured this utilities insulate this three to way in the wild, do not receive four-foot long "hot" wire both to treatment and do not survive. protect wildlife and transform- Kubisz said repeated calls he ers, which can be damaged if made to the utility in recent shorted out. months, regarding insulating the According to Assistant City jumper wire, resulted In nothing Manager Bill Mills, the City of more than a worker visiting the Sanibel has not been asked by facility and making out a report. anyone to step in to solve the Bev Anderson, an assistant problem. property manager at South Seas "If we got a request, we'd look Plantation in Captlva, saw two Boots was rushed to the hospital, where he was reported in good condition. into it," he said. birds electrocuted on the same Lee Sanibel's mission to protect County Electric Cooperative util- the wildlife within its bounds ity pole, located near her office does not extend to regulatory last year. power which might force the util- Although she called Lee County 'Take Pride* tomorrow ity to insulate wires within the Electric Co-op last-yearrshe noted Tomorrow is the "Take Pride In workers will bring either a gopher city, according to City Attorney nothing was done to insulate the Your Wildlife" celebration at the tortoise or a pelican. Babcock BobPritt. wire or protect birds from it. Tarpon Bay Barrier Island Re- Wilderness Adventures will bring "Most electric utility matters Then two weeks ago, she search Lab from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. an alligator. are preempted by the state and watched an osprey land atop the The annual event is sponsored A natural sounds contest be- fall within jurisdiction of the pole, crumple and plummet to the by the Sanibel/Captiva Conserva- gins at 11 a.m. and participants Florida Public Service Commis- ground. tion Foundation and the J.N. can choose to mimic any aspect of sion," he said. She brought the bird to CROW "Ding" Darling National Wildlife the natural world. The problem of birds dying by where It was treated for a punc- Refuge. electrocution is widespread, ac- ture wound to the wing—not elec- Other organizations with ex- The winners of Sanibel Ele- cording to Kubisz. trocution. hibits will be the International mentary's "My Favorite Wildlife" Kubisz said two pileated wood- While this osprey recovered Osprey Foundation, the Sani- poster contest will be given peckers were electrocuted on the and was released. Anderson's bel/Captiva Shell Club, the awards at 10:30 a.m. while the barrier islands two weeks ago and Immediately placed a call to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, the conservation foundation will brought to CROW. Several months claims specialist Laborde. This Sanibel/Captiva Audubon Soci- award the three best photographs ago, he witnessed a baby barn owl phone call resulted in a wire on ety, the Save the Manatee Club of its seventh annual photo con- the pole being insulated and a and Turtle Time. test. Entries are displayed at the raised at the wildlife facility land promise that an osprey nesting Care and Rehabilitation of foundation's auditorium. on a wire in the CROW compound platform will be erected atop the Wildlife will display photographs For more information, call and die.