Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Community, Education.
Trumpeter Rex Richardson, who has played with many of the greats of jazz, gave students at Lemon Bay High School lessons in music, and life, at a Friday seminar sponsored by the Punta Gorda Symphony. Richardson said that no matter what they improvise, the students should never forget the harmony and form, and “always kind […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
The meeting of the Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board on Wednesday, Nov. 8 featured a presentation by Friends of Boca Grande regarding their proposed renovations for the Community Center, The Island School, the Teacherage, the Dishong-Bowen House and the Crowninshield Community House. They wanted to see how the Board perceived their ideas and, to their benefit, everyone on the Board seemed to have no objections at all.
Three speakers were included in the presentation – Bayne Stevenson, from the Friends of Boca Grande Board of Directors; Marta Howell, Chief Executive Director of Friends; and Jeff Mudgett, an architect from Parker/Mudgett/Smith Architects, Inc. out of Fort Myers (the planners of The Island School).
Stevenson spoke first, explaining that the $11 to $12 million dollar project was strictly in the preliminary stages. Friends has sent out about 300 booklets to members of the island, to stress the importance of Louise du Pont Crowninshield’s part in the origin of the community center and the Crowninshield House. Keeping to the original vision and community use of the buildings, as well as the architecture, is vital to them, Stevenson said, as well as honoring its history.
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in News.
Fire Chief C.W. Blosser and the Island EOC Emergency Communications & Interoperability Working Group would like to express their sincere gratitude to the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority (GIBA) for its participation in the island Auxiliary Emergency Radio Communications System (AUXCOMM) project.
The GIBA Board voted to approve “a not-to-exceed amount of $60,000 for the purchase of components of the emergency communications system that will be owned and maintained by GIBA.” This will fund the entire cost of the bridge’s antenna and radio repeater installation, staff handheld radios and extensive training.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News.
According to members of the Boca Grande Cell Phone Tower Committee, everything appears to be on track for complete carrier installation on the new tower by Thanksgiving. “We had a call yesterday with Verizon and today with Vertical Bridge,” said Committee Member Steve Raville. “Everyone maintains that the schedule is still on track to have […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Featured News, News.
The Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority (GIBA) Quarterly Board meeting was held on Thursday, Nov. 2, in the offices of the Authority.
The members were updated on the traffic and revenue figures for the 12 months of the 2023 fiscal year. Toll revenue was up by four percent and traffic was down by three percent, compared to last year.
The Audit Committee report included an update on the fieldwork that was completed last week by auditors from Suplee Shea Cramer and Miller on the fiscal year 2023 audit. The final audit report will be presented to the GIBA Board at the February 2024 meeting.
The Governance Committee report included the approval of the annual contribution to the discretionary employee retirement fund at Corebridge Financial.
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Featured News, News.
New York interior designer and photographer Stephanie Stokes will visit Boca Grande to promote her new Rizzoli book “The World at Your Table” at a signing on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at J. McLaughlin.
The book, published in March, is about tabletops and indigenous architecture. The book evolved out of a series of Instagram posts. The table ideas came after Stokes had a horse accident, one which required numerous surgeries, and recuperation time at home.
“I would just invite one person or two people for dinner each night,” said Stokes. “If you are in crutches, it’s pretty nice to set up dinner.”
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, Featured News.
The Boca Grande Health Clinic Foundation is honored to receive a beautiful one-of-a-kind shell mirror from local artist Samuel Hobbs to be auctioned off at the 29th annual Hank Wright Live Auction and Cocktail Party on Monday, Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. The event will be held at The Gasparilla Inn Beach Club. Samuel Seabury […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Featured News, News.
Kerry Ann Mendez, noted gardening consultant, lecturer, author, columnist, landscape designer and owner of Perennially Yours, a company dedicated to teaching the art of high-impact, low-maintenance flower gardening and landscaping, spoke to an enthusiastic audience of Boca Grande Garden Club members on November 1 in the Community Center auditorium.
The subject of her presentation was based on her best-selling book, “The Right-Size Flower Garden,” which provides time-tested solutions on how to adapt one’s gardening endeavors to changing lifestyles and interests, focusing on both the young and the mature gardener.
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, Featured News.
From New York Times bestselling author Mike Duncan comes the story of the Marquis de Lafayette, to be presented on Wednesday, Nov. 15 at the Boca Grande Community Center. Duncan, a self-described “complete history geek” and one of the most popular American history podcasters, will be giving a lecture on, “The Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution.” This talk is part of Friends of Boca Grande’s History and Heritage series, which lets you experience some of the world’s most significant historical events and individuals through captivating stories.
The Marquis de Lafayette is one of history’s most interesting people.
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, Featured News.
The Johann Fust Community Library has been at the core of the Boca Grande Community for decades, and now, after more than 70 years, the Johann Fust Library Foundation would like to share some of its rich history with the community. In the new year, The Foundation will offer docent-guided tours of the building and […]