Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Columns, Community History.
TEN YEARS AGO A mystery survey was sent to random island residents, regarding Gilchrist Avenue parking? Who sent it? And why? FIFTEEN YEARS AGO A group that included Robert Johnson, sisters Carolyn Ryals and Janette Washington, Chevalia Scurry, Bumps and Janell Johnson and others discussed with the Boca Grande Historical Society what it meant to […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
Thursday morning got a little crazy over on Railroad Avenue, as demolition crews showed up to start on the old Bakery Building at the same time T. Steele Construction was there to work on the new cell phone tower site. Neither crew knew the other would be there, and apparently Aaron Diaz, owner of The Barnichol, didn’t know demo crews would be beginning today, either, and was concerned for the safety of his store patrons. The problem was exacerbated by the fact that the person charged with dealing with the bakery demolition was out of the country.
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Community.
The Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association (GICIA) is pleased to announce that a Bike Path enhancement project began earlier this week. Each year summer maintenance and improvement projects are established for the five miles of the GICIA Bike Path. The focus this year is returning GICIA’s Bike Path property to pre-hurricane condition.
Hurricane Ian destroyed much of the island’s beautiful vegetation. It is estimated that approximately 300 trees and countless grasses and shrubs along the Bike Path were lost to the storm. This week crews began planting nearly 2,500 trees, shrubs and grasses to replace what was lost to Ian.
Written by Boca Grande Health Clinic on . Posted in Health & Wellness, Sports & Outdoors.
Back in 1993, the Professional Golf Association deemed August National Golf Month. For the golf obsessed, this is a great excuse to get out and play a round with family and friends. The month-long celebration is a way to promote the game and introduce new people to the sport.
Tiger Woods was 17 in 1993 and had won the last of his three straight U.S. junior amateur championships. For the majority of the golfing world and certainly for those in the mainstream, not much was known about this 17-year-old from California, but golf insiders thought he could be golf’s next great champion. Fast forward to April 1997. “Tiger Mania” was about to explode, and the “win for the ages” at The Masters cemented him as golf’s best player and changed how golf was perceived as a sport.
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Obituaries.
Sackett Snow Cook died peacefully August 1 at Westview on Main in Fairhaven MA, with his wife of 41 years, Mary Elizabeth (White) Cook, by his side. He was born in Providence RI to Martha Sackett Snow Cook and Benjamin Ladd Cook Jr., president of Starkweather and Shepley Insurance Brokerage. Sackett attended Deerfield Academy and […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Obituaries.
Sadly, our family announces that Joe D’Angelo departed this world on August, 1, 2023, at the youthful age of 86. He peacefully passed away at his home in Rotonda West, Florida. Joe was born in Passaic, New Jersey to Elsie and Tony D’Angelo, a proud Italian family. After Belleville High School he joined the U.S. […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles.
Amy Cyr loves music, and she has since she was very young. Now she has joined The Island School as its music teacher, and she hopes to pass that love on to the young people there.
Amy is excited about her new position at The Island School, and she feels it is the ideal place for her.
“I’ve never really wanted to overextend myself to the point where I’m not giving my best to anything. You know, it’s easy to get like that when you want to have your hands in so many different things – you’re not giving your best to any of them. So, I’ve never pursued a full 9 to 5, because I work at night a lot and I’m a stay-at-home mom. Because The Island School is a smaller school, the schedule works out a lot better for me than a traditional K –12 public school. So it was an ideal situation, especially now, with both of my children being in school full-time. That opens up a brand new world. Now I have 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.open; it’s completely different.”
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community.
Drilling equipment to begin construction of the new permanent cell phone tower may show up as early as next week, according to representatives of the Boca Grande Cell Phone Tower Committee. After numerous frustrating delays and red tape, this is definitely good news.
One committee member, Steve Raville, said they had a call earlier this week that has given them some hope.
“There have been a number of delays in the proposed demolition of the bakery, relating to engineering and permitting issues,” he said. “Vertical Bridge has reviewed the situation with the various involved individuals and determined that construction can proceed and need not be delayed by the bakery situation.”
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community History.
There’s a little-known memorial in Boca Grande that is about to get some much-needed love and care. It is the Veterans’ Memorial at the corner of Gilchrist and 5th St., by the entrance to The Gasparilla Inn’s Beach Club parking lot.
There is a flagpole and flags there, but the memorial plaque is gone from the white monument.
While it is currently unmarked, that is about to change with some help from the Boca Grande Historical Society, Lee County and other organizations that feel there should be an upgrade to the marker.
Boca Grande Historical Society’s Executive Director Crystal Diff said details are still under wraps, since they are being finalized, but an official dedication is being planned for Veterans Day.
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Community.
This year, preliminary tax roll values show the Lee County real estate on Boca Grande as valued at just under $3.3 billion. The $3,292,284,149 valuation for the Boca Grande Fire District, up from $3,162,022,991 in 2022, is an increase of 4.12 percent, and contrasts with the Sanibel Fire District, which had valuations drop from about $6.5 billion in 2022 to $4.2 billion in 2023, a 34 percent decrease.
This is the first property assessment year since Hurricane Ian. It reflects the greater damage to Sanibel.