"•*, /'/V'JBRIJ'ZL \ "ly , WEEK ,DEM,O©ilSTi Discount Council honors three with scholarships By GARY PHILLIPS tolls going [email protected] The first three recipients of the Scholarship for City of Sanibel Employees down Nov. 1 were recognized at Tuesday's meeting of the city council. By GARY PHILLIPS Scholarship winner Kristina Williams is [email protected] entering her sophomore year at Florida Gulf Coast University. Her mother, Jai The cost some people pay to cross the Earle, has been an employee at the Sanibel causeway will soon be reduced. Recreation Department Administrative The Board of Lee County Assistant for nine years. Commissioners voted last week to Seth Gleeson is a student at Elon approve reducing the discount prepaid College1 in North CarolinarTHis mother toll from $3 to $2 beginning November with his mother Code Enforcement Officer 1. The commissioners also reduced the Terri Cummins, who has worked for the discounted tolls for eight other prepaid city six years. and unlimited toll options for the cause- Abbey Gudella is the daughter of Way. ' Finance Department Fiscal Assistant "*.' Those paying cash for their passage to Karen Godella. Abbey has earned her Sanibel will still pay $6 per trip. The medical prerequisites at Edison College cost for annual unlimited crossings will and FGCU and will soon begin the two- dspp from $600 to $400, the annual pre- year Respiratory Care Program at Edison. paid fee will go from $100 per year to Each student receives $1,000 from the $67. Semi-annual unlimited passage will fund which was started to show apprecia- be reduced from $450 to $300, with the tion for the hard work and sacrifice of city semi-annual prepaid fee going from $75 workers after Hurricane Charley struck last down to $50. August. Tax-deductible donations to the An annual combo unlimited plan scholarship fund may be made by mailing Photo by Gary Phillips drops from $930 to $730, the annual a check to Community Foundation of (L-R) Mayor Carla Johnston, Chairman Tom Uhler of the Community Foundation of &b prepaid plan from $140 to $107. Sanibel-Captiva, 8260 College Parkway, Sanibei-Captiva, scholarship winner Kristina Wiiliams and her mother Jai Earle, See TOLLS Suite 101, Fort Myers, FL 33919. More scholarship winner Seth Gleeson and his mother Terri Cummins, and Karen Gudella information is also available at 274-5900. page 3 with her daughter and scholarship winner Abbey Gudeiia. Hefty honored by council upon retirement Arts For ACT coming • next Saturday, Aug. 27 Sharon Stone to reprise auctioneer role By AMY FLEMING [email protected] If the turn out at the Arts for ACT auction preview was any indication, this should be one well-attended event. You couldn't have fit another person into the Robert Rauschenberg Gallery with a shoehorn, so packed was the space at Edison College that evening. Arts for ACT supporters filled the space to get an idea of what they might like to bid on at next Saturday's auc- tion, and to meet this year's featured artist, Olympic dis- cus champion Al Oerter. Oerter grew up in New York in the 1950's where he was exposed to both the growing abstract expressionist movement, as well as athletics. He and Carl Lewis are the only athletes to win gold medals in four consecutive Olympics. Oerter participated in the 1956, 1960, 1964, and 1968 games, setting Olympic and world records each time. He was the 1959 Pan Am champion, as well as a six-time U.S. champion, and a member of the Olympic Photo by Gary Phillips purchase of the Sanibel Sanitary Sewer System. He over- and U.S. Track and Field Hall of Fame. Retiring Utilities Director John Hefty (striped shirt) saw the city's single largest infrastructure project with the Arts for ACT raises funds for Abuse Counseling and poses with the Sanibel City Council after being presented expansion of the system. Treatment Inc., an organization dedicated to the elimina- a proclamation honoring his 14 years of service to the city. The city still plans to call on Hefty's knowledge and tion of domestic and sexual abuse. They maintain a 24- Hefty was hired in 1991 only two weeks after the city's experience as a consultant when needed. hour hotline, a safe house, and offer counseling, crisis intervention for Lee, Hendry, and Glades counties. In addition to the annual art auction, which draws INDE LIZARD THREAT crowds from all over the country, ACT owns and oper- I iiwtiiii ates the Second ACT Boutique and Thrift Store in Royal • LETlhRs ..page 6 County Sanibel PD on How're we ; Palm Square, and the Arts for ACT Fine Art Gallery & • CROSSWORD .. page 9 commissioners alert for Nile doing? • Studio in downtown Fort Myers. • PKRMII5&DEEDS. .. page 10 Last year's auction had been postponed for three share ideas Monitor Lizard months, first by the hurricanes, and then by scheduling • LOOKING BACK .. .. page 11 conflicts at Harborside Convention Center, resulting in a • Vox Poruii — .. page 13 Bob Tanes and Lizard spotted around Sanibel City Council- somewhat lackluster event. • CAU-\DAR .. page 14 Ray Judah write to our west end of Sanibel. takes a look at goals and This year though, auction regulars are predicting a return to a gala evening, due in large part to the return of. • OBITI.\RY readers. Police ask public to be results so far. : .. page 16 Sharon Stone as celebrity auctioneer. Stone last served as • TV US TNCS .. page 17 aien. • POLK > BEAT .. page 17 — See pa^e 4 — See page 12 — See page 9 See ACT • Ct WM-IFDS page 21 page 3 2 • WeekofAugust18-24, 2005 • ISLAND REPORTER City council noiiiF Lee Sheriff visits By GARY PHILLIPS Regarding homeland security, Scott praised his coun- [email protected] terpart, Collier County Sheriff Don Hafoef/RfegKm.fr. nates Sanibel City (southwest Florida) Director5for'thb'DdmeWc'Seciirity" Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott spoke to Sanibel City Task Force. Each county, including Lee, have members, Council at their Tuesday meeting. City leaders asked assigned tb ttie task forceV"••""" ' "••<•>•;.••*• Manager for award Scott to attend the meeting and give a briefing on what "We are vejy much tuned in SvM'thUt whdlfe^pera- his department is doing to promote safety and traffic tion," Scott'said; adding thafotff c6asffinisf'aiid'bbi-ders By GARY PHILLIPS control on the causeway while the new one is under are as secure as can be 'expected: "tJnfoititnitelyj the [email protected] construction. ' perimeter of ftiis country rehiaihsvery rjor^jr^hey-are- Scott said most of the sheriff's department marine arresting nearly 3,O0t) people every day around the' bor- Sanibel City Manager patrol activity takes place near the Sanibel Causeway; ders of the United-States. However they'are turneifloose' Judie Zimomra is being He said Global Positioning System (GPS) trackers are almost immediately with-a summons,1 like a notice to nominated by city council installed on their vessels to track their location and appear. Well, 98 percent of those people do not appear for the award of the movement. He presented an illustration which showed a back for their proceedings." ; Florida League of Cities vast majority of the patrols are indeed around the cause- Scott also.said a new boat is being acquired by his "City Manager of the way. department, to be used ina more concerted effort to Year." Council discussed "I know there's been some concerns and issues thwart those.attempting to smuggle narcotics, illegal the matter at their regarding the causeway," Scott said. "One way we can irnimgraritsfor, other contraband into Lee County. Tuesday meeting. clearly help patrol the island is by water." A resolution proposed Scott _said his departmeiit.also has two airplanes and by Councilman Steve two helicopters. Brown stated "the criteria,,, "We- fly missions over the barrier islands," he said. utilized to select the City "Just the other day we flew over. From time to time our Manager of the Year aircraft are called to assist on the islands." include judgement, initia- Scott said a third way the Lee County Sheriff's tive, integrity, profession- Department can niake their involvement known is the alism, commitment and Judie Zimomra old-fashioned way, with patrol deputies in marked citizen relations. Sanibel units. City Manager Judith Ann Zimomra has demonstrated "We have tried to increase our presence on the these characteristics honorably while facing numerous causeway," he said. "I want to assure the members of and daunting challenges this past year." the community and the council that we'll continue to try The resolution further said Zimomra faced the chal- to be vigilant on the causeway. It doesn't seem like it's lenges of a 143 m.p.h. hurricane which damaged her ever enough in law enforcement. It's difficult to be city and her own home, a fatal alligator attack in the everywhere at all times." city, a significant loss in city revenues and the transition Sanibel Police Chief Bill Tomlinson said he appreci- and orientation of three new city council members. ates the cooperation of Scott and his department. Brown also amended the resolution to include praise for "We work very well together and have a great work- Zimomra's long work hours and cheery disposition. ing relationship, not only with individual officers but on "I've never seen anybody more popular on this different levels" he said. "From homeland security all island," Brown said. "She could run for city council and the way down to patrolling the streets. We back each win." other up. I appreciate all the assistance the sheriff gives The resolution passed unanimously.