COMMUNITY CALENDAR: Ongoing and Upcoming Events, PAGE 5 Florida Georgia Line coming to Orange Beach The Islander PAGE 39 INSIDE MARCH 22, 2017 | GulfCoastNewsToday.com | 75¢ This week’s Spring Breakers While out and about Luke Bryan concert at The Wharf on the Island this week, you may run into in-state Spring Breakers from Faulkner University and the Montgomery County schools. St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl Last week saw the return of the be- loved annual Gulf Shores St. Patrick’s Day Walking Parade and Pub Crawl. For pictures of all the fun festivities from this year’s event, turn to PHOTOS BY CAPT. MARK ROBINSON Page 6. It was a fun time in Orange Beach last week as Luke Bryan visited The Wharf Friday for an amazing concert. The seats were packed as people enjoyed Bryan and his opening acts, Brett Young and Brett Eldredge. For more photos from this event, turn to Page 2 or visit our website at gulfcoastnewstoday.com. School Gulf Shores board residents speak out on beach recognizes access issues Orange Beach Concierge gains GSHS Council passes new chef Acclaimed local Chef students Hangout Festival, Sam McLeod has joined on with the Three helped retail study team at Orange Beach BCBE Board Member Angie Swiger recognizes several people for their Concierge. To learn victims injured in work and help in the aftermath of the Gulf Shores Mardi Gras parade agreements more about this, turn accident in which 12 students were transported to local hospitals for injuries. By CRYSTAL COLE to Page 38. parade accident [email protected] STAFF REPORT professionalism and calm in a trying time. “Honestly, they looked just like the other first Issues about public beach ac- During a work session last week, the Baldwin responders that were helping people on the cess in the west beach area of Gulf DEATHS PAGE 21 County Board of Education took time to recog- scene,” Swiger said. “The training they had re- Shores were the topic of much discussion during last week’s Gulf Lillian H. Gregorius nize several individuals who helped deal with the ceived just kicked in and they went into helping mode. They were in the right place at the right Shores city council meeting. Numer- Seth Daniel Hillard aftermath of the Gulf Shores Mardi Gras parade accident, including three Gulf Shores High Stu- time and were able to give help to a lot of people.” ous residents showed up to express Ella M. Kubina dents. All were given letters of commendation from their concerns about a proposed Theodore J. McClain GSHS students Gary Roberts, Saylor Ham- the school board and received a standing ova- amendment to the city’s ordinances. Barbara Ann Owen mett and Alex Gaugh, along with their training tion from the assembled people at Summerdale The amendment would have Timothy Glenn Parker instructor Lt. Ron West, were among those recog- School for the meeting. granted cottage subdivisions and Arlene F. Perez nized by the board for their heroic acts and quick “It’s a small token of our gratitude to give these developments the ability to seek Billy LaRue Rumbley thinking during the incident. letters of commendation,” Swiger said. “We ap- public beach access in two different The students jumped in and worked to help preciate what you did for your fellow students on ways: using an existing beach access treat fellow classmates that saw less severe inju- that day, and we thank you for stepping up when by granted right or by obtaining new ries in the accident. you were needed.” beach access, which would only be BCBE member Angie Swiger said they exuded SEE BEACH ACCESS, PAGE 2 INDEX Gulf BALDWIN LIVING, 7-8 OUT & ABOUT, 25 Coast CLASSIFIED, 10-11 PUZZLES, 9 Media HEALTH, 23-25 SPORTS, 14-16 VOLUME 41 • ISSUE 13 LEGALS, 26-35 TV LISTINGS, 17-20 1 SECTION • 40 PAGES OPINION, 12-13 2 • The Islander • March 22, 2017 • Gulf Coast Media on the north and private side,” Moore said. and the city will have to items to different staging exceed $40,000, which was BEACH ACCESS property rights for those Leonard Kaiser, whose take some sort of action on areas off of the public within the budget this year CONTINUED FROM 1 on the south side of the family is involved in one of this,” Craft said. properties and in locations for the Economic Develop- road.” the cottage developments that can be made easier ment department. allowed if the city chose Some of those south side slated for the area, spoke and readily accessible for “What we plan to do is to issue a conditional use residents rose to speak on in favor of the changes, Hangout Festival them to start their build look at three distinct areas permit. the matter, and most were said his family’s proposed changes approved process,” Brown said. of our community: the Gulf Shores Planning highly opposed to any development actually has The council also unani- “The public beach access Gulf Beach District, Wa- Director Andy Bauer said change being made by the legally deeded access to mously approved the at Gulf Place will be closed terway Village and what this has been a problem city. the Gulf. annual public assembly off the Monday leading we’re calling the Northern that has been talked about “There is really no com- “The cottage develop- permit for this year’s up to that event, which is Highway 59 Commercial for a while. pelling reason for cottage ment style has reduced Hangout Festival without May 15. The detour at the Corridor,” Phelps said. “This has been an ongo- subdivisions to have water the density substantially comment. intersection of 182 and “What they’re going to ing issue for a long time,” access,” resident Sharon for what could have been During the council’s pre- Highway 59 will go into deliver to us is a compre- Bauer said. “Rental prop- Moore said. “Why are we built there,” Kaiser said. vious work session, Gulf effect on Tuesday so they hensive look at our mar- erties on the north side giving multi-family cot- “We have acquired deeded Shores Public Informa- can build all of the physi- ket, understanding who that want to get to the Gulf tages more rights than my access to the Gulf, and we tion Officer Grant Brown cal infrastructure on the our spenders are and who on the south side have al- neighbor across the street just want to be able to use told the council members highway itself.” are the people in our com- ways been an issue in this to access our beaches it. What the city is trying this year’s event had even munity. It helps us under- area.” through private prop- to do is going to make a more projected attendees stand what we look like on Bauer said eight cottage erty?” bad situation better. With than last year’s event. Retail study a seasonal basis, but also a developments had been ap- Moore said she was legal access, you can get “Their assembly permit The council also ap- year-round basis.” proved in the west beach aware of nine current people to the beach and request for 2017 is to ini- proved a retail market Phelps said the study area thus far, which had public beach access points they won’t be breaking the tially approve attendance analysis proposal brought could help identify voids cut down on the potential in the area and questioned law by trespassing.” of up to 45,000 attendees,” to them by the city’s Eco- in the market in both population in that region. why those cottage develop- Property owner Michael Brown said. “The site can nomic Development de- products and retailers that “By allowing cottage de- ment residents couldn’t Holt said he didn’t believe support that increase in partment. could help show the city velopment, we’ve actually simply use those. the narrow parameters attendees, so they’re ask- At the council’s work what type of businesses cut density in those areas “All this is doing is in- given to cottage develop- ing for that amendment to session, Economic Devel- to attract in order to keep by 48 percent,” Bauer creasing the value of the ment residents would be the assembly permit and opment Coordinator Blake people spending within said. “The staff feels this property on the north side able to hold all of them in for more help transporting Phelps said the study Gulf Shores. proposal is balancing two and decreasing the value that acquired area. those additional attend- would be able to help the Phelps said the study competing interests - lim- of those of us who have “There’s no way 100 feet ees.” city target what kinds of was geared strictly toward ited beach access for those property on the south of space would handle that Brown did say the retail growth it wanted to retail and wouldn’t go into many people,” Holt said. West Gulf Place improve- attract. the industrial or aviation “They all want to go right ments now underway “You’ve seen over the side of the city’s economic down to the water line and will slightly change some last several years that development. The Islander that would put them on of the items that will tourism is continuing to Phelps told the council some private property.” go in the parking lot by grow,” Phelps said. “Our the length of the firm’s 901 N. McKenzie St., Foley, AL 36535-3546 Councilman Gary Sinak West 2nd Street, but the residential growth is pick- study was impressive, PHONE: (251) 943-2151 | FAX: (251) 943-3441 attempted a motion to improvements should be ing up tremendously, so since several of the other [email protected] postpone voting on the finished before the start of we want to take a compre- RFPs that came back were amendment until the the festival.