WEEKDAY EDition Post CommEnts At CAPE-CorAl-DAilY-brEEzE.Com s * s Ad Insert Coming Today’ in this week’s City PARADE rivals tangle • Stay Healthy: A Grief That Cape Seahawks Won’t Heal travel to Mariner • Sunday With to take on Tritons ... Simon Cowell Inside ip Codes Parade is featured in *selected Z the weekend Breeze CAPE CORAL BREEZE Cape Coral’s Community Newspaper Since 1961 Vol. 52, No. 84 Wednesday, OCTOBER 23, 2013 50 Cents AT A G LANCE Szerlag gets high marks from most of council By C HUCK BALLARO city manager came as a result of cial sustainability and diversified discussed what it wanted to do with [email protected] telling city council what it didn’t revenue, got a lower cost on the the Golf Course property, owned Cape Coral City Manager John want to necessarily hear, but need - UEP, and created a master plan for by a private developer. Szerlag was brought into town with ed to, and that was the need to sta - road resurfacing. I haven’t always In 2009, the property was a primary goal in mind: bring the bilize and diversify revenues. liked the news, but you made us appraised at $8.7 million for resi - city’s fiscal house in order. “We put you at the helm of the face the truth.” dential and $10.2 million for com - According to a majority of the ship that was out of control and In the end, Szerlag asked that mercial use. city council members who per - you’ve done a god job reining it his contract be amended so he can Szerlag sought direction on how formed his evaluation during in,” Councilmember Marty have the option of being in a 401 to proceed and was told it couldn’t Monday’s regular meeting at city McClain said. “You’ve shared your (a) pension plan or a general city hurt to have the property appraised hall, he has done just that. surprises whether we wanted to employee plan and to have his again to see if the city had the Szerlag got high marks from hear them or not.” housing allowance eliminated, financial wherewithal to buy it. most on council, while his two “We would talk about things at since he decided to rent out his “There’s nothing wrong with an most vocal critics, Mayor John strategy sessions and accomplish house in Troy, Mich. updated appraisal. This is a differ - Sullivan and Councilmember Chris nothing. It was a wish list until The motion passed unanimous - ent age from 2009,” McGrail said. Chulakes-Leetz, sat silent. now,” Councilmember Kevin ly. Inside today’s Perhaps the highest mark for the McGrail said. “We enhanced finan - In other business, the council See SZERLAG, page 12A Breeze 31st annual River Romp City OKs Sailing Regatta held on the Caloosahatchee River in Fort Myers. deals with — Page 6A OOkkttoobbeerrffeesstt!! NEWS OF NOTE Sam’s, looks EHOA to hold candidate forum at kayaking The Everest Home Owners Association will be holding a Candidate Forum lease Tuesday, Oct. 29, at the By C HUCK BALLARO Church of the Epiphany, [email protected] 2507 Del Prado Blvd., One ordinance will bring one of South. At 7 p.m., the doors the nation's largest wholesalers to will open for the public for Cape Coral within a year, while the 2013 mayoral and City another will bring some of the Council candidates. Call world's best athletes to town during 239-673-6462. the winter months to train and spend lots of money. Talk about a win-win. FLORIDA Cape Coral City Council unani - mously approved an ordinance that LOTTERY will allow the building of Sam’s Club on the corner of Pine Island Road and Hancock Bridge Cash 3: Parkway with the required zoning 0-3-7 / 5-7-1 change to "corridor," a special Play 4: exception allowing the use of self- 7-2-2-6 / 6-1-6-4 Fantasy 5: See SAM’S, page 12A 4-5-16-27-32 Mega Money: N/A Sand Flea Mega Millions 2-3-19-52-71 MB 14 Players Lotto 2-3-15-39-44-49 VALARIE HARRING to perform Florida Powerball: Harry Meisenbach, Jim Walker and David Thornton perform with alpenhorns on the out - 9-33-54-56-57 PB 5 side stage in the Beer Garden at the German American Club Oktoberfest celebration Saturday.' ‘The Death INDEX of Dr. Pepper’ Cape Life.......... .......6A Annual festival off to rousing start Classifieds....... ......1B By VALARIE HARRING Florida each October. live entertainment. By TIFFANY REPECKI [email protected] Nearly 35,000 attended last Gabriele and Dieter Reins, [email protected] Community............ ..7A The potato pancakes were hot year and crowds of up to 40,000 from Beverly Hills, Fla., also A comedic murder mystery will Crossword............... 5B and crispy, the schnitzel bigger are not unusual. enjoy the dancing and live music. take the stage Saturday at the Cape Among the crowd this past “We were here last year,” said Coral Italian American Club. Cryptoquip.............5B than the bun and dripping gravy. And the beer? weekend were Barbara and Gene Gabriele, attired in a pink and The Sand Flea Players will per - Editorial...................4A It was cold and plentiful, Welch, who came over from Lake green drindl. “We like it. We try form “The Death of Dr. Pepper,” written by Eileen Moushey, at 8 Education................8A served up by the pitcher, stein and Placid. to attend all of the Oktoberfests overflowing cup by lederhosen- “We’re here every year,” said possible; it’s our heritage.” p.m. The play is about famed plas - Health................9A garbed volunteers Saturday as the Barbara, whose black and red Celebration of one's roots was tic surgeon Dr. Paul Pepper, who Legals.................1-8B first weekend of the German drindl ensemble included the tra - a common theme among atten - has risen to the top in all areas of American Club’s annual ditional bodice, blouse, skirt and dees. his life but has one weakness — Obituaries..............5A Oktoberfest celebration got into apron. “We’re of German decent; “We’re all German,” said a women, and he is most fond of Police Blotter.........2A full swing. we love it.” chicken-hatted JoAnne actresses, according to director She and Gene also love to Howanietz, when asked why she Anne Palmer. Sudoku...................5B Now in its 28th year, the Cape Coral fest that opened Friday is dance; for them, it’s the high point and her party of six attended. “It’s Pepper soon meets the Rose sis - Sports...............10-11A the largest of its kind in the state. of Oktoberfest. our heritage; it’s what it’s all ters, who are in the chorus of a touring company of “Gypsy.” After Tides........................2A The two-weekend, six-day event “We dance every dance,” she about.” attracts festival-loving, beer- said while taking a break in courting all three women, he mar - Weather....................2A drinking, polka-dancing visitors between songs near the outside See OKTOBERFEST, ries one. However, the sisters have by the thousands from all over music stage, one of three featuring page 12A See PLAYERS, page 12A 7 48445 46010 1 First Zombifest a huge hit downtown By C HUCK BALLARO Event organizer Ragen St. Peter [email protected] said attendance was steady and it Downtown Cape Coral had its share turned into a big event for the area, of ghastly sights Saturday night as it something they would do again next hosted the first Zombifest Saturday on year. the corner of Southeast 47th Terrace “You always look for a venue, and Southeast 11th Place, next door to something controlled, especially when Dixie Roadhouse. you charge at the door. With this The block party featured four live venue, with the street and buildings on bands, plenty of food and drink, ven - both sides, it’s easy and inexpensive to dors, cool sideshows, contests and, of control,” St. Peter said. course, zombies — and those who would love nothing more than kill See ZOMBIEFEST, page 12A them. Fans put on the bloodiest outfits they could find and headed downtown Jimmy and Jeannie Serrago at to hear some of the best new rock the first Zombifest in down - around, including performances from town Cape Coral on Saturday. Ionia, XFactor1, One-Eyed Doll and Mushroomhead, the headliner. CHUCK BALLARO Page 2A Wednesday, October 23, 2013 cape-coral-daily-breeze.com Teen struck by car near school last week released from hospital By TIFFANY REPECKI CAPE [email protected] CORAL BREEZE A teen struck by a car last week in Cape Coral has been ed by the damage to the car's windshield. She was taken to released from the hospital. the hospital in critical condition. As of Tuesday, Anastasiya Fairall, 16, had been dis- According to fire officials, visual cues at the scene charged from Lee Memorial Hospital. including the vehicle's location indicate that Anastasiya had been attempting to cross Santa Barbara away from a At approximately 6:45 a.m., Oct. 16, Anastasiya tried designated crosswalk. to cross Santa Barbara Boulevard, South, in the 2300 The accident occurred in front of Cape Coral High block when she was hit by a southbound white car, accord- School, where the teen is enrolled as a junior. ing to the Cape Coral Fire Department. When firefighters arrived, the teen was unconscious POLICE and appeared to have a significant head injury, as indicat- (The police blotter contains public information obtainedBLOTTER from the Cape Coral Police Department, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Lee County Jail booking log.