ISLAND LIFE: THINGS TO DO ' ON THE ISLANDS — Ii) filoon] •-•.-.•• - PAGE207W -PAGE IB -•' .'." ' MAY 2(, 1987 ' v ..-•• " "• . VOLUME 15 NUMBER 28 «•- - - . 2 SECTIONS, 56 PAGES , ..'•: SANIBEL AND CAPTIVA, FLORIDA Demand for building ,, Causeway inspection \, lots is high now , report due in 45 days says Realtors' president By M3ry Coleman . ' . - ~ he results of last week's inspection of Sanibel Causeway will be made'juublic Twithin 45 days, according to Steve.Floelhe, \ t information officer for the Florida Department of Transportation Regional Office in Fort Myers." The routine inspection, which is a federal rp quirement every two years, was made on all three, spans both above and below the water by Kiss; inger, Campo and Associates, a Tampa engineering firm which acts as consultant to the state. ^ Floethe said divers were underwater during the daylight hours and a rherrypicker was also to ., - "look for obvious things jike cracking and stress- T By Mary Coleman points. * Metal corn pone nts were examined for *" ••:••-• *Tt is still too early to get concrete statistics rust, pears and electrical contacts were chocked «n I on the recent run on Sanibel building lots, the drawbridge: Finally, the drainage system on . Aaccording to president of the local Board of !! the bridge and other safety features wire studied. Realtors Juanila Hermes. Rumors have been fly- The inspection cqst taxpayers slightly less than ing in the-last few weeks about speculators buying $1,000, Fiocthv said. He rxpUined thai'vthilr that >jp lots for fantastic profits in turnaround sales. figure sounds almost ridictilnu.sly low, Kissinger, Hermes did confirm that "demand is high now Campo niakos it realistic by the volume of insprc- ti"!is the firm dor? for the region. ."-"••'-• " •• for lots." ; •• .--•' . - ; '-;-'*• She .said that due to the delay in time between - Snr.ibc-t Causeway received a .48.5 ^yffirienrv " > writing an offer and closing a sale, there is a delay , falinff in;ifit 19^5 insprclion which was itaM* by a-. in information. The figures for sales in the quarter "iJiffcrcnt engineering company, said Kloi-thR. lit ending in JuntTwill be available in mid-July. osaid the federal government rtgards a bridge with- ; Hermes said she had no information about the a rating of 50 or Wlnw as iiVandidatc for reptatO: : ; number of "buildable" lots remaining on Sanibel. mt-nt. This standard would apply to fedrral or Planning Director Bruce Rogers claimed that the state bridge's: . -. '.., , city has "never tried to guess at the number of Modern misses celebrate Sanibel Causeway is a county bridge. Floethe ^ buildable lots that are left/*- , centennial • . ••• • said that if the rating "drops'helow 40. they watch : -• Shaming off SaniM's beauty in mire than' <: V Hermes said she docs not believe the abolition ! •'-.-• \- " " • please sec* page 27A of Sanibcl's Rate of Growth Ordinance earlier this one u-dif, ifnsm.kfil, Kilrinf: La Croijr, !' . year has had any effect on sales of undeveloped Kirslen La Croix and KatieXrepin rode "the , land. "It's just a cycle on the island," she said. WateCity ofr Sanibel use "float reache in the recentd Lee Conn- '-••-.. "Any property that is realistically priced and ly Centennial paradc.'Cl •• '•', has good location and is available will sell,*' she record high May 7 • maintained. - _ . - . „ ; ,,• By Malt Pcrei n * ; :,, "<*.- . Terry Blackmore is an island resident who has With tourist season finished and ihe rainy •! ' ^ been trying to buy a lot to build a house on this season approaching in June, Island Water AsyiciV spring. She said she has made several offers, but • lion reports its highest demand ever on Sanibel - ": has consistently been too late. ••• .was May 7, ti" " • • - - •. • • :T Molly Clement,* of Merrill Lynch, with whom '" or : Boh Hollander of IWA said 3,863,000 gai-on^of Ail Blackmore has been working, confirming" i- > '-' water were used that day. IWA currently is serv- Blackmore's suspicion that "the minute (a lot) hits ing 9,856 "demand units", which includes 4,285 -y[- the multiple listing book, it's gone." hotels, condominiums and duplexes on Sanibel ando •' :i Clement said she is inclined to believe that "peo- ; 1,155 of the multiple family units on Captiva.;; pie who still have lots are holding on to them." - Hollander said production has always met de:^. £••-•'_•• Blackmore said the bottom price for^a Sanibel . mand. The previous record usage was March 9,.^~ lot now is $45,000, including lots that arc not on 19S5. Water usage onthe islands usually soars 'A'Uut we may decide to accelerate that," said *• city-maintained streets. Hermes said thai the "lots from an average September low of 1,500,000 , that are selling are good lots." Hollander, "depending on whether growth is going- gallons to a seasonal April high average.of :' . to be "faster." « '- ,;.. .. " • "' • Most parties interested in the suhject agree :t,000,000 gallons. ,; -/• :; , that the force at work in the real estate market is IWA boasts the second brsl water quality - the age-old law of supply and demand.D Construction of new W3ter facilities is included rating in Southwest. Florida, behind Cape Coral, in aniWA five-year plan. ^ ]'- ^hdddG : *: The Sanibel surface water management'• ?>jMnn, shwn inUue.izbmttti Storm water plan thr west by Jamaica Urivr. oil the ai,«! by Beach. Rmd, on thf. nt/rlh bij ~ Sunibfi-OtptivaRoadatulPmwirJik lYauhndonthrsouthhyWoift for Sanibel • Drii^CiwiYbtiRMdandAfvtdUGulfpria.Thf^wtrmtlinnotfai now underway^ fhown in HUP ami the rirrrlitie is shown muramjc, -^ - By Matt Perez anibcl's surface water management system is unable to cope with c-un one inch % J.N, "Ding" Darting ^. c Sof daily rainfall, according to a 127-pafte : r- S •'' report-by Johnson Engi nee ring, Ino. of Fort : Myers.. L - \' • •' . • • "' - - To prevent Sanibel Island from becoming New . I Atlantis, a plan is now"nfficially underway to "revamp the city surface water management system. ' " '~ Trie system is a bowl -like? indention "in Sanibel's topography from Peach Hoail westward to Jamaica Drive, bordered on the north by Sanibel Captiva : Road and i'c-riwinkle Way and on the south by ^ _"'• •. please see page 23A •©. Mr. Rear had to ity's hurricane meeting. „ derided between :, . set for next Tuesday" ^ skipping «ff to South"*:' The annual hurricane meeting for the city of Amtritn or paying ianihe! will he held at the Community Center at 7 W$l.m in ticket "•"•" ".m. on Tuesday, May 2fi'. " ' charges,"He could not Hill Zeliff of the Weather .Wagon, the consultant afford tt; pay the'- or the city, will ixPat thn mVetinp *o inffirm charges because he • itizeii.s of the hest ways to enpe with the .spent all his money lousibiiitit's.of a hurrkaniii - ,.( "; on pizza. Sergeant'Jack Primm, riirrrtor of Saiiihci ' / l.'itimatelv, Hewitt KmtTgcr.ry Preparedness, urges the public to at- said, the class decid tend in order to be better prepared for the upcom cd Mr. Hear would '._ ng hurricarn* season.fl. •",.'. view the lickot-s as ': -r legitimate. So he,sold '; his red r'navertible .:- • Lamborghini Coun- % 'farh Tor J50-.0H0 UW._ ' stinffnts nad a kn,iek~ for di-uil,:said '' 0 '•_ The bear,the Lnmborghini and the pizza Hewitt). •• . • ,i '•: uf the pupik "Vt-ry • friiind a uniijut- . With thi* iiu.nry - Southwest Florida •sophisticattii hen-..." (.•hsr;trtrri?nikm fur from th'isile, Mr. Hear bought ii ' -. frrc!nhiT wr'iu-r, ; At most sVht.Mis '•"-. the bear. They \ Porsche and had '•'•' "-when* stir hvld : created a e<Mfito ami bromfhl tar polar, VZAM) left. IW pw'H < hear In sunny."' t-It'ravs, the bear •Sanilit'l Elementary "found himself or -. " -." Io round out the |)i.it. = »rf thelk-kt-t-s. - '• ; Then, inroad of ,\VVdnuMi.iy. herself In an arctic • ;: HowiU hriofiy r ! It was a prop: a setting wilh Santa . retold the story that ; ifoipg back to.bo a .- hear prop. --, : Claus at his North the fourth gr.iflo' ""»- -. lazy pol.ir bear, he. It ivas the - Pole home, with .class iTt-ati't!; , opined a \i\hi\ parlor, characlor: a bear penguins and the Mr: Hear lived on and learned how to make friends by tfiv- '• 'character."Anil she • like. .Sanibtl and owned a inn away free pizza; used the furry stuff-,, "I'm accustomed to : red convert ililc I.ani From the mouths ed toy as the subject bears being caught borjjhini Conn tar h. • of babes.:.D " •'• -. in stories written by under ice noes and "-. That's a $100,000--. penguins coming to third and fourth * ; auto- Hot stuff. - "• 'V' : grade students as rescue them," she Mr. Hear an?asse<i Above:Patricia '- '• » part of a writing ~ said of those stories. ; 38 parking tickets nn Hewitt wit A thrie . Dumpsier duo clinic she conducted. Not Sanibel _'• , Santh'cl whew hi* Sanibet Elementary - "A"coupte.of bud- Elementary. '•-. suspected a vindic- story writers; Andrew- StarJkii and Hutch, aka, (Ac Itlurs Brother's, are ding yourijj'wriii'rs in : Mrs. Sharp's -• live police chief was Schultz, Aflam Scbaid in need nf a Jidmc to cult (hfir own. Tkfixe two there," Hewitt said fourth grade class - - out to got him! ami Andy Jahjisiyn. adnrahh kit tins, fivf. to six months old. u:tre found in 'l dumpsier and txrvtd arer to the. ., Sanibv! Police Department.nhuut a month ago. - another islander in Sanibcl a New York City is an PAWS. Inc.. the Protection uf Animal Welfare It's a v the Dig Apple. /-V ' Art Stevens fan. A Keiiy we o visit. : Society, is now truing to find them a home. small world regular subscriber to As fate would have - ' ;l • . lioth kittens have had their shuts. PA WSaho '•''' Sanibel rcsidcnl - the Island Reporter, >-Jt, "Shell Shocked' j reting" needs volunteers to help feed the many cats :* Julie U-prec Kelly, she hied herself into under their care as well at aitjrs (« house them.