Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Columns, Community.
With Thanksgiving right around the corner I started looking at some recipes that have been given to me. I stumbled across a recipe that I made for Thanksgiving back in 2020. The recipe is from a lady named Karen Fitzgerald who I never met. I was given the recipe from one of her relatives, whose […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
The dog park at Wheeler Road Community Park, closed since June, will reopen to the public at dawn on Wednesday, Nov. 22, in time for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The county started construction on the dog park in June 2022. The project was 90 percent complete, but the opening was delayed due to Hurricane Ian. […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
A new meeting has been scheduled for late November for Commissioner Kevin Ruane to meet with the Boca Grande Parking Panel, in order to sort out the details in the creation of a rough draft proposal to present to Lee County Commissioners regarding Gilchrist Avenue and Historic District beach access parking. Parking Panel Chair Mary O’Bannon […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Community.
Bringing a message of love and hope, the Rt. Rev. William Mostert will be the guest preacher at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church this weekend on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Bishop William recently retired as Bishop of the Diocese of Christ the King in Johannesburg, South Africa. “I’m retired, but not tired,” he quipped. Traveling to […]
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 Staff Report on . Posted in Featured News, News.
Last Friday morning, Nov. 3, the process of removing the sailboat at 9th Street was over and done before it barely began. All that can be seen now are two metal poles sticking out of the sand, adding to the mystery of whether or not the base of the boat still remains under the sand. […]
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.”