OO3 ". H--J Magical realism ; see page 10 Week of Sept. 19-25, 2002 SANIBEL & CAPTIVA, FLORIDA VOLUME 29, NUMBER 37, 20 PAGES 75 CENTS ii IKE HEWS 3-2 vote in $41 million total budget Wet and wild A wild and cia^y day By Erik Burriss ing the intern position from the Legal De- things for landlocked \\ omen Staff Writer partment — City Council voted to approve a West Gulf Drive resident Steve Smith $41 million total budget for fiscal year 2002- expressed concern about the city's appiopna- —See page 3 Members of the public, concerned by a 2003. The city's fiscal year begins in October tions which have gone from $9 million in steady increase in the city's budgets over the Councilmen Dick Walsh and Marty Harnty's 1999-2000 to $14 million in the new budget last few years, urged City Council to exercise attempts to eliminate a proposed new adminis- "The taxpayers are paying $14 million and Freedom fiscal restraint at Tuesday evening's budget trative position were defeated in the 3-2 vote there's no way around that," Smith said of information meeting approving the budget The community educa- With a few late additions — a pair of grants tor will coordinate volunteer efforts and com- See BUDGET 2002 sees nation lollback totalling $30,000 and a subtraction, eliminat- munity hurricane education among other in state openness, laws page 20 —See page 7 Public workshop A crown Circle of ages New deal City record of the for Brown Aug 28 city workshop structured on appropriately-sized By Erik Burriss houses Part I Staff Writer Wyckoff resignation Consultants speak accepted by city Councilman Steve —See page 7 Brown received anothei By Erik Burriss title Tuesday: King of Staff Writer Civility. Brown had requested Doug Wyckoff will get that City Council revisit a his immediately \ested proclamation declaring pension plan after all as f Special ruling May to have been Civility part of a settlement negoti- Month Duiing the discus- ated with the city FWC ippio\«.s K> new sion. Councilwoman Judy Citv Count.\\ u,nuu\e- inai I pi 1'L^tn i >n s Workman who had a heat- u Ui LU -.K ti w uli [,ii)\ n lb IIU L\•>t_ I j PI )[ I 1 lh \ \ •A'M.1 JH U IC-L H v i. i _, sued homes issue at the dUuiiu,^ auvl p»v WjiVoli Sept. 7 council meeting, Dann deBoer photo three months severance got up, walked ovei to pay, accrued vacation and Brown, and placed a card- A city of Sanibel flag was given as a gift to the Sanibel Schooi by City Councif sick time, plus a lump sum board crown emblazoned at last week's joint ceremony in memory of Sept. 11, 2001. Before Council of $60,652 as well as set- island gardening with the word "CIVILI- members, refuge staff and fellow students, third-grader Elizabeth Sitton read ting up the retirement plan TY " on his head. her essay in honor of her country's protectors and service in times of peril. and contributing $25,000 "I would like to pio- to it. Initial care critical nounce Steve the King of In exchange, Wyckoff 'o coconut palms Civility," Workman said will not file suit against 911 grief, pain find resting the city under a variety of —See page 0 Brown and Councilman Marty Hanity spent the state and federal discrimi- ic >t of the day putting it on place in heart of islands nation and civil rights at \anous points duiing statutes the meeting 'The mattei has been tmk. By Dawn deBoer the leahty of general terror one year lesolved," "Wyckoff said Managing Editor ago Monday Variance " A city of Sanibel flag was given to City Council \oted to or denial yplield The islands, set back out of the the school this da> file Wyckotf Aug. 6 send- numstieam. lemained still with the Earlier that merning, outside the ing him a letter the next the I u-,t Amendment City Council upheld a nation last Wednesday in leflections of Sanibel hrehouse. a moment of silence day Six days later. Wyck- iinong other Planning Commission Sept 11. 2001 around a floial Hag now growing on otf'& attorney, Patiick Gei- duuul of a \anance foi a City oi Sanibel council membeis the fiont lawn of the station was mtei- aghty. notified the city his r-'t- swimming pool at a city manugei, island lescue teams and ruped by a 8 01 am emergency call client intended to contest i agoon Dave duplex U S Fish and Wildlife staff stood with tor rescue tiuck and ciew, a staik the fit ing Sanibel School students to heai the leminder of the leasons why the Shell The iigieement will With a 4-1 vote, the leading of two essays wntten by then Islands Gaiden Club chose to plant red, take a few weeks to miple- DATELINE agieed with the authois, third-gtader Elizabeth Sitton white and blue flowers. and fifth-giader Rachel Galante, in Calendar of days See CITY reflection of a country's piotectors and See 911 See DEAL page 15 a tragedy that shook the nation with page 12 page 19 The bu/z of ban-cap —Seepage 10 Clam Bayou clams up By Erik Burriss Staff Writer OBITUARIES page 3 In the contest of backhoe versus weather over Clam Bayou, POLICE BI or I LR page 3 weather is ahead on points • PERMlIS&DtLDS .page 3 Tropical systems and high tides continually closed the channel a e • OP-ED PAGI P S 5 hist dug Sept. 9 to relieve high watei threatening the bayou's man- gioves 9 BUSlNtbS . page 9 "Mother Nature worked against us, and won," said Tim Gardner • ENV1RONMEM oi the Clam Bayou Preservation Association. •DMHINr page 10 Although seven inches of ram came down on the area last week, • COMMUNlh page 11 See BAYOU Erik Bui t fss photo • Cl Assil II ns PaKL' 17 page 19 Clam Bayou's emergency cut to Gu!f closed by nature's own forces. 2 J Week of Sept. 19-25, 2002 J ISLAND REPORTER CITY iRIEFING SAN-CAP & State • Dawn deBoer of Sanibel • Dawn deBoer , , Phase I!B extended : j West Nile virus peaks out October completion likely Island trash Sarasota resident inflicted The City of Sanibel extended rates top dollar Lee County Mosquito Control Phase IIB for the East End of the District officials are reporting last island through October. The city will By Dawn deBoer Friday's two cases of West Nile virus — notify the State of Florida Depart- Managing Editor a 83-year-old Sarasota resident and a ment of Environmental Protection on 28-year-old in Escambia County tested project completion and anticipates If you want to see a positive for the disease— are probably the state to take four to six weeks to $1,000 tiash can, the city the peak of a medical alert issued for approve customer connection to the of Sanibel's got two. No Lee and six surrounding counties. new system. Homeowners will be raccoon feet are going to notified by mail when the time get into these babies, if the [J Lee in on national caucus comes to connect and v, ill ha\ e a city can help it. Its year to connect. Stewardship Committee Medicaid draws county reps It is the responsibilty of the which oversees recycling homeowner to connect to the city's on-island found a contain- A national caucus on Medicaid held sewer A licensed plumber is respon- er, albeit a very expensive last week in Washington, D.C., diew sible for pulling the plumbing and container, to fight the Lee County Commission Chairman Bob septic tank abandonment permits. ongoing battle of wildlife Janes and Human Services Director Once connection is made to the interference. Karen Hawes in on Capitol Hill discus- city's sewer system, the septic tank "It's animal proof, it's bear proof, it's Dav.n deBoei photos sion of funding issues. will be abandoned. Septic tanks are raccoon proof, and we're experiment- Double-barreled, animal-proof trash and Meetings with Senate and House not usually removed, but tanks are ing," said City Manager Judie Zimomra. recyclable bins at Bowman's Beach and leadership and state governors' pumped out and limed and a hole The experiment is now going on at at the Sanibel-end of the Causeway. Washington offices of other coalition punched in the bottom of the tank, Bowman's Beach and on the Causeway states, as well as Health and Human then back-filled with sand and Beach. only consider purchasing with grant Services Secretary Tommy Thompson brought to the surface. The surface If the containers work for the funds. and Ruben Barrales, deputy assistant to should be restored to pre-abandon- Everglades, where a few were sighted in The newer container is a two-in-one the President, were focal stages for ment conditions. state parks, the Natural Resources setup, each barrel identified with the states in attendance, which included Once the sewer system has been Department might be mouth to the recyclable barrel only large California, New York, North Carolina completed, and connection has taken pleasantly pleased with enough for a bottle or aluminum can to and New Hampshire. place, homeowners will be billed at an on-island deter- fit In recycling, it takes one trash item The Medicaid County Coalition is a quarterly rate of $97.39. rant to feeding in with recyclables to contaminate the working with the National Association Direct an} questions on dilling.