Parking draft differences in club email

Church group questions  wording

Emails being sent out to support a proposed parking regulation in Boca Grande have not clarified details sought by Gilchrist Avenue churches.

An email sent out by the Boca Grande Men’s Club regarding ongoing parking regulations being reviewed by Lee County for Gasparilla Island has resulted in an email sent to the Beacon by Peter Soderberg, chair, Church Council, Lighthouse United Methodist Church. The church had on May 13 announced an agreement with neighbors on parking.

Soderberg wrote:

“During the past week many Island residents and institutions have received a communication from the Boca Grande Men’s club seeking support for an amendment to an earlier draft of the Parking Ordinance circulated by Lee County,” Soderberg wrote. “As we churches have received a number of inquiries from friends and congregants as to whether the suggested changes reflect the agreement we churches had with the neighborhood group announced at our recent Town Hall meeting. We appreciate these questions and, in fact, feel obliged to publicly correct the record that the Men’s Club document is based on an earlier draft that does not fully reflect our agreement. What’s lacking in the summary section of the Men’s Club is the provision that attendees to Church sponsored events can park in residential areas adjacent to and within one block of each of our respective churches. Wording for the revised statutes reflecting our agreement with the Gilchrist neighbors is now in the hands of the County and its Commissioners.”

Soderberg told the Beacon that he had communicated with the club, and they were “considering appropriate clarification to their members.”

 Resident Hugh Sullivan has been working with neighbors, churches and others on the island to come up with a proposed draft that is acceptable. He wrote to the Beacon:

“This morning, I learned of a concern that the summary of the proposed ordinance included in an email being circulated to the community did not state the fact that the proposal that was attached includes a provision that allows church members to park on residential streets when attending a church meeting. That provision is contained in the ordinance that is attached to the email being circulated, and it has since been refined as a part of ongoing communication with the churches.”  

Sullivan continued:

“I am pleased to say that the churches and the neighbors have been working in a cooperative manner on all matters of substance. The provision regarding parking by church members on residential streets was not included in the summary contained in the email because it is not controversial and is consistent with the overall intent of the ordinance. In retrospect, I see that including it in the summary would have helped church members to understand that their needs are being addressed in a reasonable manner.”

What could be in the ordinance is ultimately up to Lee County staff, as there is no formal draft of the ordinance available. Last week, Lee County told the Beacon that they were “working on a county-authored draft that will reflect the direction given during the May 6 meeting.”

Find all aspects of the parking story at bocabeacon.com/parking