MAY 16, 1997 VOLUME 24 NUMBER 27 3 SECTIONS, 48 PAGES lliHiii Ready, set, summer! Ward retires By Jill Goodman Staff Writer Sanibel Elementary School Principal, Barbara Ward will be stepping down at the end of this school year. She and her husband, well-known artist Wellington Waul had ill ilined * I'M yK 11, l)tf( ( llM.li 'l 'id Ol n titi'itu i I •ilih i • 1 Vl- ik\ i mill isti.ii.tn SOJ u , and Student;.-, enjoy a «J.i,/ at the Sasdfoel Elesnentaiy GchooJ in the hv'u (Sanibd I !i nienuiry after-school prrogi'iim rum by the Sanibel Recreation School) loi I S yt\-s s," Department. Soaie of the activities include racing against time she said. in an obstacle coarse and participating in the SWAT Swim According to Ward, it Team. Coach Keith Alien offers corrective criticism during tiiu is a school board deci- swim team practice last wsefr. The reti^aiion department is owe sion, a matter of check- of the myriad of sources for .summer programs.for children. For ing the bottom fine. summer camp ideas, please see page 10A. :see page 11A Turner Beach gets Hemingway family gives no^ to Sanibel By Mark S. Krzos from the ones held on Key West. News Editor "We're going to bring something very special to county approval • Make way for the Hemingways. the community/This is a new concept," Brennen said. By Mark S. Krzos In what may be the greatest heist ever to hit this "The family wanted the focus to be on the arts and lit- News Editor island, organizers of the First Annual International erature." The City of Sanibel is going to be doing some Hemingway Festival and the Hemingway family took •please see page 6A major reshuffling of the city's paid parking program away the granddaddy of Key West events— over the next few months. Hemingway Days. Last week Lee County Commissioners finally Tabbed for July 18 through July 20, the First approved the Turner Beach agreement and in so doing Annual International Hemingway Festival promises DCA finds fault will turn over the county's maintenance of the to bring added income for island businesses during Captiva beach and parking lot to the City of Sanibel. the typically slow summer months. Island residents and tourists will now be asked to "We're real happy," Hillary Hemingway said with Sanibel Plan cough up 75 cents an hour to park. Thursday. "We worked real hard on this." By Mark S. Krzos Festival Coordinator Carlene Brennen said that News Editor •please see page 2A Sanibel's Hemingway festival will be vastly different The City of Sanibel received the Objections, Recommendations and Comments Report from the Florida Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Clam Bayou closes its mouth, again regarding outstanding issues that need further atten- tion in the Sanibel Plan last week. By Mark S. Krzos "By and large I thought the report we got back- News Editor was constructive and helpful," Sanibel Planning Clam Bayou was open and flowing out into the Director Bruce Rogers said Tuesday. "It was not Gulf for less than a day, then it closed again. overly long and picky." " Just like the mollusk the bayou is named after, Some of the DCA's objections and recommenda- Clam Bayou acts as though it really is a clam—open- tions include: 1.) revise plan to clearly identify land ing and closing its mouth whenever it feels like it. use categories in which schools are allowable; 2.) "Clam Bayou is doing what its been doing," City Correct deficiencies in the city's roads (Currently Council member George Madison said. the city's roads are rated an F, but the city intends After the 1995 Sanibel and Captiva ronourishment on improving them to D grade); 3.) Address the project, Clam Bayou was closed off for approximate- special needs for Use transportation disadvantaged ly 14 months due to the amount of sand pumped from to provide for public transportation; 4.) Specify the the Gulf and placed on Sanibel's shores. Late last fall, types of land uses Sanibel is prohibiting that pri- the Sanibel City Council and the Captiva Erosion marily serve day visitors; 5.) State how the city Prevention District (CEPD) were set to permanently intends to cooperate with Lee County regarding open Clam Bayou, but on Oct. 8, 1996, Tropical improvements to the Sanibel Causeway; 6.) Storm Josephine blew by the islands bringing with it Clam Bayou will be keeping its mouth shut Demonstrate how the city intends to cooperate with unusually high tides, lakes of rain, and winds in until the end of the sea turtle nesting season. Lee County in regards to improvements to hurri- City Council members said last week the •please sec page 3A •please see page 2A issue would be revisted in November. 2A • MAY 16, 1997 • ISLAND REPORTER TURNER BEACH •from page 1A "It's going to become part of stickers, but the rest will go into the Got a news story? SambeFs paid parking program," said paid parking program," Noon said. "We Sanibel Parks and Recreation Director issue more citations there than any- Dick Noon. "Turner Beach, once we where else." Please give a call to get council approval, will cost 75 cents In addition, Noon said City Council an hour to park," will also examine charging for a C the Island Reporter Noon added that a regional pass may sticker for the boat ramp and a univer- be purchased and used for that lot. sal sticker. Editor •-•vv<: Mieh^lM- According to Noon, the Sanibel City "The C permit sticker would be for Moran at 472-1587. Council has to approve amending its the boat ramp," Noon said. "They'll paid parking ordinance to bring the also be looking at a sticker that would Or stop by the office Turner Beach lot, the Blind Pass park- give people the ability to park in any ing lot and the parking lot across the city lot without having to pay on the in The Village Shops, street from the Sanibel Boat Ramp into spot. 2340 Periwinkle Way! its paid parking program. The City of Sanibel officially "The parking lot at Blind Pass will kicked-off its paid parking program in still reserve six parking spaces for AB December of 1995. SHUT YOUR MOUTH •from page 1A First Independence to merge with Colonial of sea turtle nesting season. excess of 50 mph. After the damage By Mark S. Krzos Colonial BancGroup is a multi-bank "They were moving along nicely," from the storm was assessed, CEPD News Editor holding company based in Assistant City Manager Bill Mills said. Director Alison Hagerup was delight- Colonial BancGroup subsidiary Montgomery, Ala., with assets of $6 "All we needed were a couple of nice fully shocked that Mother Nature did Colonial Bank and First Independence billion and 169 full-service offices in days. We tried to pop it open again and the work for them. But within two Bank executed a definitive agreement Alabama, Florida, Georgia and it was open for almost a day. Then a Tennessee. It is traded on the New York months, the flowing river diminished to to merge the two banks May 9. storm came in and elosed-it-upT1' 5tock Exchanger under the symbol a trickle and by December 1996, Clam The-proposed transaction calls foran exchange of Colonial common stock CNB. Bayou was closed again. So what will happen to the $19,875 the CEPD is paying for the project? for First Independence common stock "No stock price has been announced Five weeks ago, the Sanibel City Some of it will be lost for good, Mills and upon regulatory approval and as of yet and the value of the transac- Council, at Natural Resources Director said. But Hagerup said she's optimistic approval by First Independence's share- tion should take place within the next Rob Loflin's urging, voted unanimous- that something could be worked out holders, the merger should be complet- two to three months," Black said. ly to manually open Clam Bayou. ed within the next four to six months. between the CEPD and Subaqueous According to Black, he expects no According to Loflin, Clam Bayou "We signed a definitive agreement reduction in employees and believes Services, Inc/Sloan Pump. needed to be opened because the water (last) Thursday," President and CEO of the move is a positive step for everyone quality had deteriorated to a level that "I don't know yet," said Hagerup First Independence Bank Chip Black involved in Colonial Bank and First may have been harmful to wildlife. noting that she has not seen the final said. Independence Bank. Almost immediately after City bill. "They're trying to work something First Independence, headquartered in "We're excited because Colonial is a Council's approval, work crews includ- out." Fort Myers, had assets of $74 million great community bank," Black said. ing bulldozers were on site and pushing Now the project will have to wait, at as of March 31, 1997 and currently "We're excited for what it will do for sand from Clam Bayou toward Silver least until October, when nesting sea- operates three branches in Fort Myers, our shareholders and our employees." Sanibel and Fort Myers Beach. Key in a speedy dash to beat the arrival son draws to a close. Islands lose generous supporter with Fred Wehmann's death By Michelle Moran Playhouse, Captiva Civic Association (CCA), South "He has been a long term board member and has Editor Seas Plantation and every aspect of island living.