ARTS, DINING & ENTERTAINMENT — SECTION B OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES — 260 ~ ',.*• BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID SANIBEL, FL. PERMIT #33 POSTAL PATRON Vol. 37, No. 17 Friday, May 1, 1998 Two Sections, 48 pages 75 Cents WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT TASTE TIME! Time: noon to 6 p.m. Date: Sunday, May 3. Place: Gulfside City Park, What? CROW's Taste of the Islands — food, drink, music — all on the beach! See you there! ,...„, See page 3A KAIN DECLARES Councilman Wally Kain an- nounced this week he will run for election to his third four-year term on City Council. Seepage 3A COMMENTARY • Causeway Commentary; Jay Halcrow, former organizer of the Save Our Bridge Committee, gives us her thoughts on the . .'A new causeway plans. • Pepper Commentary: Bill ; Hallstead has a funny (humor- ous) story to tell about Brazilian pepperandthe City of Sanibel. Commentary begins on page ISA OUTDOORS • Excitement is in the air as the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation opens an environ- - mental research facility, : ^ It's turtle time! City Manager Gary Price reminds residents and visitors about the important light ordinance Seepage I7-18A SPORTS • Lions will hold Family Golf and Picnic outing Saturday, A Great Blue Heron stole sonfe bait from a fisherman, and ended up taking his bag as well when it got stuck to its beak. The bag •• Sanibel-Captiva Little League later got caught on a TV.antenna, immobilizing the bird. When CROW heard about the stranded bird, volunteers Lynda and Results. •Richard McCarmick headed on a rescue. By then, the bird was in bad shape but, with loving care, it recovedat CROW and was Seepage 19A • later released. Photo/Lynda and Richard McCormick, ^"'^^ Z£* 8£3L I YOOR NEIGHBORHOOD REALTOR committed to marketing your home BRAND MEWS JUST ILISTEB • Beautiful Gulf Trade Winds Front Home Drive $2,195,000 • 3700 Sq. Ft. 1 2 Story Greatroom 1 3 Bedrooms Face the Gulf • 120' Golf Frontage • Prime Beach Area $469,900!!! Over 2,200 Sq. Ft. Located on the Near Beach Magnificient 9th Hole Plus Pool Priced $80,000 UNDER Impeccable Condition Developer Units! $349,900 Call Saralee Howell after hours 472-1147 WONDERFUL EAST P1E1KLFECT HOME! Lighthouse End of Spacious and Secluded on an Sanibel on Canal! Attractive Well-Cared- Acre+ near Beach Homesite. For Home with "Mother- Great Room, Fireplace, Large in-Law" Quarters. Master Bath Suite, 2170 Sq. Lowest Priced East End Ft. Home on Sanibel. $339,900 Reduced to $249,000 BEAUTIFUL GOLFERS GULF VIEWS Extra Spacious This we II-maintained, 4- Gas Fireplaces, Pool bedroom home is perfect w/Spa Beautifully for your family and guests. Furnished Over 3600 square feet and Spectacular View of beautiful Gulf Views. All Dunes Golf Course offers wil be considered. Over $100,000 in Asking$1,150,000. Improvements 400 WE'RE ON illlllii THE BEACH ompQntj 2807 West Gulf Drive 941-472-4900 » 1-800-472-4375 ISLANDER - Friday, May 1, 1998 - 3A The Front Page Gulf Walk scores $ 14y@0Q for Mope Hospice Island children jump into Earth Day fun Over 200 people walked on Captiva's beaches to raise money for Hope Hospice. See Students from the Children's Center of the Islands and the Sanibel Elementary School page 19B —Island Scene —for more photos. Also see page 9A —On the Street — both had fun outings for Earth Day. Above, pre-schoolers learned about butterflies pom for why individuals became involved in this fundraiser. Photo/Elaine Stacy. Dee Serage. See page 18B —Island Scene —for more photos. Photo/Willow Martell Trailer Park asks for status quo Is Sanibel ready By ANNE BELLEW Islander staf writer Former Planning Commissioner and Mayor Jerry Muench, managing partner of Peri- for a Middle School? winkle Park, came before the Commission Tuesday to request an amendment to the Land Development Code that would establish a special setback rule for manufactured homes and A survey is currently being sent to all parents of school-age students from recreational vehicles. the SanibelSchool Foundation. The trailer park was established in 1967 and was a lawfully existing use when the City The survey is intended to measure the level of community support for the was incorporated, the only trailer park on the island. With the adoption of the Sanibel Plan, it proposed expansion of the Sanibel Elementary to include grades 6 through 8. became a lawfully existing non-conforming use. "I thought the biggest problem would be getting support of the School Board In the beginning, all of the manufactured homes (be they RVs or mobile homes) were — but they are very supportive," said Alex Cook, father of three young children. situated at ground level. In 1990-91 the flood laws were changed and manufactured homes, "Now, I see the biggest hurdle as gaining parental community support." along with everything else, had to be elevated. Now, when an older home is taken out and "If interested at all, let's take the next step," Cook added. The survey is replaced the new model must be elevated 3-7 feet. Commissioner Marty Harrity, whose father intended to judge that support. was in the RV construction business, concurred with the applicant when Muench said, "Today's Letter to the Editor from the Sanibel School Foundation - page!3A (Continued, page 6A) Kain to run for third term CROW'S Year in Review Wally Kain announced today, that he plans to run By Dr. Christine Kreuder for this third four-year term on Sanibel City Council. CROW staff veterinarian Kain is presently serving a second term as the city's 1997 was an unusual year for CROW in many respects. To begin with, it was mayor. " . our busiest year to date. For the first time we received more than 2,000 patients. The City Council elections fall on even years. This year variety of species admitted was as remarkable as the variety of their injuries and two seats are open; in 2000, three candidates will be chosen. Those interested in running for council must illnesses. Some of our unusual patients included two white pelicans, a peregrine complete a Declaration of Intention and obtain an elec- falcon, three bald tion packet from the City's finance office. All qualify- eagles, two crested ca- ing papers must be filed during the week of July 13-17. Taste of the Islands racaras, an American "I feel I have a lot of unfinished business," Kain swallow-tailed kite, a said in announcing his candidacy this week. Sunday, May 3 black tern, a sooty tern, "A lot of good things have happened during my a Caspian tern, a Councilman Wally Kain 11:45 a.m.-6 p.m.—Gates open tenure, and I feel good about those. Plus I have some Bonaparte's gull, four ideas for the future — 12-1:30 p.m.—Motown sounds of Whitehouse 2-3:30 p.m.—Humidity black skimmers, an • Continuing, perhaps even completing, the acquisition of conservation lands. American crocodile, That's the surest way to limit our growth. 3:30-4:30 p.m.—Annual waiter/waitress race • Limiting further commercial development on Periwinkle is another issue. 4:30-6 p.m.—The Juice—"Rhythm and blues with an an indigo snake, two Enough, already! Now I think we should pursue active beautification of the road- attitude." grey foxes, two bob- way. We want what we have to be healthy —• both the plantings and the businesses. 5 p.m.—Special Awards Presentation by NBC 2 anchors cats, two coyote pups, • I'd like to see the causeway issue through and see Sanibel's views and pref- Craig Wolf and Kelly Burns three young eastern erences play a major part in the discussion. Balancing the issues is important — Bring lawn chairs, blankets, bug spray * Free parking • spotted skunks, two make it beautiful, make it safe, all the while keeping both the environmental aspects Bike, hike or boat to the Taste • No pets or coolers • river otter kits, two and the recreational uses in mind. .Beach access to boaters or beach walkers • Admission: $5 (children under 12 free) white tailed deer (Continued, page 4A) (Continued, page 8A) 4A • Friday, May 1, 1998 • ISLANDER Kain,from3A • And I'm interested in facilitating outdoor dining on the island — not on a large scale, but as an option a restaurant might offer. • Another point: as we approach buildout, there will be greater and greater pres- sure to redevelop. We need to be sure that any redevelopment is done in the spirit of the Vision Statement. •And last, but not least, I would say that I think we are doing well with our economy and the city budget. I'd like to think we will continue in that conservative vein." . Kain has sponsored several pieces of legislation in the past that relate to his con- MAILING ADDRESS cerns — sign ordinances, beach preservation ordinances, the original formula restaurant P.O. Box 56 • Sanibel, FL33957 Scott Martell Terri Blackmore legislation, and he had a hand in the beach management plan. "I'd like to see that mature. Fax 472-5302 Rob [Loflin, Natural Resources Director] and Dan [Clark, conservation officer] are re- Editor LOCATION General Manager ally doing some great things but there hasn't been much publicity about it.. Promenade Center Another piece-of-the pie, if you will, is the possibility of-some kind of partner- 695 Tarpon Bay Rd. Unit #13 ship purchase of Bunche Beach. "It's availability as a public beach would not only PHONE: 472-5185 relieve the congestion of the causeway islands but that of both Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel," Kain said, "Ilnuopen to very imaginative collaboration, and I think that issue SUBSCRIPTION RATES is very closely related to the causeway decision." $22.00 $28.00 "I'm not crazy about the timing of my announcement," the candidate said.