Bonita Springs September 11, 2001 was acrystalline day, with the kind of crisp, clearand cloudless weather you can get in Man-hattan when summer is not quite over butfall has not arrived. Like millions of otherNewYorkers,Ipacedthroughamorningritualcommute;inmycase,thereliable8:15traintoGrandCentralStationandthen the walk to work. That day, as I remember it, I walked upMadisonAvenue,andthencrosstownthrough Rockefeller Center to my office ata law firm that had moved uptown 20 yearsearlierfrom itsprevious locationnear theWorld Trade Center. Alongtheway,Ibrieflynoticedanalertflashingonatelevisionscreeninthe window of a Bank of America branch.Butwasnttherealwayssomekindofbreaking news on TV? I moved on.Ontheelevator,awomansaidasightseeing SOUTHWESTSEPTEMBER 2011 Vol.2, No.9 FREEEvents, things to do and opportunities to give back to our community in and around Bonita SpringsPRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE PAIDFT MYERS, FLPERMIT #980RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERECRWSSRay Judahon Bonita 13St. Matthewsexplained 30Splash Dogs 23Inside20,000 circulation12,000 direct-mailedBy Peter R. OFlinn prof@swspotlight.comBonita Springs Lisa PacesofficeatCityHallisfilledwith neatly arranged budgetbooks, financial statements,and scores of other financialreports dating to the Citysfounding10yearsago.NumberssurroundPace,Bonita Springs Finance Di-rector for six years, and shelikesitthatway.Iwentintoaccounting,shesays,because numbers dont everhave a bad day.Paces days are busy latelyas she and her staff put thefinishingtouchesonthebudgetfortheCitysnextfiscal year, which begins Oc-tober 1. In September CityCouncil will hold hearingsand approve a final budgetpackage.InlateJuly,CityCouncil held its first budgetworkshop.We are in good financialcondition, despite the econ-omy,saidCityManagerCarl Schwing at the budgetworkshop. He credited theCitys sure financial footingto the efforts of City Coun-cil,formerCityManagerGaryPrice,andPaceandher staff.Property taxes and revenueProperty value decline isoneyardstickoffinancialpainfeltinthelastfouryears.At$7.5billion, assessedvalueofpropertyintheCityisnowat2004levels.As property values havefallen, so have property tax-es.TheCityhastightenedits fiscal belt and given prop-erty owners a break ratherthanincreasethetaxrateto fully compensate for de-clining property values. Un-dertheproposedbudgetproperty taxes will be $2.5millionlessthanin2007,whenpropertyvaluespeaked at over $13 billion. This year, average prop-erty values have declined 3percent but the tax rate willstaythesame.Asaresult,taxeswilldecreaseonthetypical home. Some will farebetter than others depend-inguponassessedvalue Continued on page 28Couponing for a cause 25Cityreorganization 6Bonitasbalanced budgetIn RemembranceContinued on page 26Staff Photo | info@swspotlight.comPage 2 Southwest Spotlight September 2011Locally owned andoperated since 2010(239) 287-6474info@swspotlight.comPO Box 1946Bonita Springs, FL 34133Southwest Spotlight, LLCswspotlight.comSOUTHWESTPublisherPeter A. O'Flinnpeter@swspotlight.comThis month5 Sixteen crayons6 City reorganization9 First grade10 Economic development11 Woman of the Year13 Ray Judahon Bonita14 Edible landscaping19 Learning by teaching22 Coastal Cleanup23 Splash Dogs25 Couponingfor a cause30 St. MatthewsexplainedEvery Issue23115 Ben Nelsons column6 Up and Down the Trail9 Teacher SpotlightBeverly Laney10 Bonita Business Beat11 Town Talk17 Events19 Artist of the monthPatty Kane20 Spotlight Real EstateWatch22 Opportunities to give back23 Bonitas Best Friends27 Catch of the month31 Sunset of the monthAdvertising SalesKathy O'Flinnkathy@swspotlight.comOffice ManagerKatie O'Flinnkatie@swspotlight.comContributing WritersBill BarnesCharles J. CavaliereD. K. ChristiMeghan EasterlyMax Harris Dorota HarrisBen Nelson Jr.Peter R. O'FlinnHeather ThomsonContributing PhotographersWilliam L. MeyersDavid MichaelLogan NewellRobert L. SmithSeptember 2011 Southwest Spotlight Page 3For the first timeI read the Southwest Spotlight today for the first time and enjoyed it immensely. The layout,articles and writing are excellent and I wish you great success. Your paper is what good newsreporting should be, i.e., reporting the news without the personal opinion of the writer. Keepup the good work!Peter Paul , Bonita SpringsTranquility and beautyThank you for a great paper, you always have so many interesting articles. I really enjoyedtherecentoneonourhiddenparkssuchasIslandPark.Thedifferentparksareallunique;howevertheyareallassetstotheCityandlocationsforpeopletoenjoytranquilityandthebeauty of the outdoors. I call Nature Place an urban oasis and thats what they all are.Kathy McGrath, Bonita SpringsSuffering from dual responseI praise you for the coverage of the Bonita Springs Fire Departments desire to expand itscity-wideemergencymedicaltreatmentuptoandincludingtransportingpatientstothehospital.I dare to say that the residents of Bonita Springs, Lee County Emergency Medical Servicesand the Bonita Fire Department have suffered the problems associated with dual responses ofFire Department trucks and Lee County EMS ambulances for over two decades. That is not tosay that the public is not well served with the cooperative effort of these agencies but it mustberecognizedthatthepublicdoesnotacceptdualresponsesasbeingcosteffective,noranefficientuseoftheirtaxdollars.Theywantthepresentsystemchangedtoguaranteethatresponse times are low and the unit arriving has the total capability to treat the patient and gethim/her to the hospital as soon as possible.TheBonitaSpringsFireDepartmentbelievesthatthebestwaytoservethecombinedcritical Fire and Medical Emergency needs of a community is to have that responsibility in thehands of one agency the Bonita Springs Fire Control & Rescue District. The Bonita SpringsFire Control & Rescue District has that capacity, desire and commitment, and most importantlythe confidence of the public, to deliver a much improved total emergency response system tothe taxpayer at a lower total cost.We have petitioned the Lee County Board of Commissioners for approval to demonstrateourabilitytoprovidethemostefficientandeffective AdvancedLifeSupporttreatmentandtransport service that is available today. With the support of the citizens of Bonita Springs wewillobtaintheapprovaltofullyserveandsatisfytheneedsofthiscommunityfarintothefuture.Ed FitzGerald, Fire Commissioner, Bonita Springs Fire Control & Rescue DistrictShoppes at Pelican Landing24600 Tamiami Trail S#204Bonita Springs, FL 34134(239) 498-6808Open Daily 5 - 10 pmClosed Sundays in SeptemberFor menu & wine list visit us at lafontanellarestaurant.netWe specialize in Pasta, Veal, Chicken, Seafood & SteakEntireCheck15% Gratuityadded before discountMaximum discount $75 per table. Expires 9/30/1130% OFF 30% OFFLetters to the EditorWnn1 :LUcxGc11cDcWi1nI1ln mo||ors ol monoy, i|s no| obou| luck. l|s obou| oxpor|iso ond porsonol o||on|ion |o do|oil. l|s obou|building rolo|ionships - ond mos| impor|on|ly, |rus|. A|FinoMorkMo|ionolBonk&Trus|,woplocopor|iculoromphosis on oorning your |rus|.Chooso FinoMork. Moko your mork. |c: ' |,o: s|cr ' uSp:rqs|up| osvvv. |rouu: | |ur|. .cu 2o' 4! :'00|ou|o: |D|C. /r |quu| |cusrq |ordo:. :us' urd |rvos'uor' So:v.os u:o rc' |D|C rsu:od, u:o rc' quu:ur'ood |, '|o |ur| urd uu, |cso vu|uo.Page 4 Southwest Spotlight September 2011By Ben Nelson Jr.info@swspotlight.comBonitaSpringsOutofpaper!Igotupfrommydeskandsnaggedabrandnew legal pad from the stor-agecloset.AsIfannedthrough the crisp new leaves,I was struck by the familiarsmell of fresh ink and paper.Ismiled.Thefirstdayofschool!Thebeginningofanotherschoolyearmeantnew things. New paper, newpencils, a notebook, clothes...Everythingwasdifferent,even me. I was taller, skinnier,my ears were bigger and myhair shorter. FourthgradewasMrs.OConnersclassatBonitaSprings Elementary. She wastough I heard... so I wantedtobeready.MyMomhadtaken me to the departmentstoreandIhadfilledtherequiredsupplylistenthu-siastically...exceptforthecrayons. A box of 16 is whatwas required, but then thereontheshelfwasthenewCrayola box of 64 withabuiltinsharpener!Beingabuddingartist,Isawnopointinlimitingmyselfto16colors,butmymothersaid Ms. OConner had otherideasandsheplacedthepunyboxinthecart.AsIrode home, sulking next tomy mom, I tried to think ofa reason that someone wouldeven create a rule that limitshow many crayons you couldhave.Ifinallyblurtedout.I just dont get it...Are yousureitsarule?Imean,itsoundslikeasuggestion,because why would she makeitarule?Doesshethinkhaving too many colors willconfusekids?Shouldntwebeabletocolorwhatevercolorwewant?Mymomrolled her eyes. Look, I dontknowwhyitsarule...itsjustarule,OK?Ilookedoutthewindowwithmyarmscrossed,watchingthewater filled ditch next to theTamiami Trail go by. I mum-bled. Well its a pretty stupidrule.Mymomjuststaredstraightaheadanddrovealittlefaster.ApparentlyIwould have to argue my caseto the teacher.The next morning I wason my way to school, with anewcrewcut,completewithasinglebutch-waxedtuft of hair on my otherwisebarrenhead,ahugebrandnew pair of dark blue jeansthat had room enough formetogrowinto(theyfitgreatnow!)andmynewschoolsupplies,including16stupidcrayons.Onthebus, as we were all comparingour supplies and I was takinga ribbing for my dispropor-tionateheadtoearratio,Inoticed that one of the boyshad the 64 pack of crayons.Arrrgh!IyelledgrabbingatthehairontopofmyheadthatIstilldonthave.You cant have those!Youresupposed to get the 16 packJoey!Joeyshruggedasheput them away. Theyre justcrayonsman.Ilookedathim like he had two heads.What?Youdontcare?Nope.saidJoeycasuallyshrugging.IsizedJoeyupfor a second and then instinctkickedinandIbecame...my father!Okay Joey.But,howdoyoufeelabout...IRON MAN! And I pulledout a brand new comic bookfrom my note book. Whoa!saideveryboyonthebus.(Idseenmydadhorsetrade in the store hundredsoftimes.)Idangledthecomic by one corner. Joey,Ill trade you this comic bookandmyboxofcrayonsforyourboxofcrayons.Joeyjumpedatthedeal,whichmadeusbothhappy.NowallIhadtodowastocon-vince Mrs. OConnor.For days I waited for myopportunitytoargueforcrayon freedom and thenfinally as she was slowly cir-clingtheroominspectingourwork,Mrs.OConnorstoppedatmydesk.Ikeptcoloring, looking down, mygiant box of crayons stickingoutlikeasorethumbonthetopofmydesk.Nicejob Benny. she said. (Wow,Im in the clear!) I thoughtand then she tapped gentlyon the crayon box. Are thesethe crayons you traded withJoey?IturnedslowlyandglaredatJoeywhowasslouchedinhischair,hisface red as a beet.Although my interpreta-tionofMrs.OConnersguidelineshadbeencor-rect, Joeys parents apparentlydidnt attach the same valueto IronManastheirson.So, I ended up with a dog-eared comic and a box of 14bluntandbrokencrayons.Myparentswerentexactlyhappy,buttheymusthavehadsomeappreciationformy impassioned argument,because I finally got a brandnew box of 64 crayons.SweetCrayonFreedom!September 2011 Southwest Spotlight Page 5Sixteen crayonsContributed | Special to the SpotlightBen Nelson Jr., 4th grade, Bonita Springs Elemen-taryShouldnt we beable to color whatever color we want?Spotlight Staff Reportinfo@swspotlight.comCity adds economic development post Sometimessomeonestrides onto the stage of lifeand performs a role in suchasingularfashionthathedefinesit.Followingthatpersons footsteps can presentachallengeortwo.CarlSchwing maynothavethesamechallengesasFrankSinatra,Jr.But,inarecentCityCouncilmeeting,hefound it necessary to informone Councilmember, I amnot Gary Price.GaryPrice,BonitaSpringsfirstandonlyCityManager until he retired inJune, left his imprint on theCity in many ways. Schwing,a pros pro, readily and pub-licly acknowledges the con-tributions of his predecessor(see,forexample,thismonthsarticleontheCitybudget.)ButSchwinghasbeenaroundtheblocktoo,withover thirty years of city gov-ernmentexperiencebeforehesteppedintoCityHall.Now, just three hot summermonthsintohistenure,Bonitians are starting to seethe first tracings of Schwingsimprint.As part of City staff reor-ganizationannouncedinAugust, an economic devel-opmentpositionhasbeencreated.SchwingtappedArleenSheehan,formerlySpecialEventsandParksCoordinator, for the job. Hisreorganization plan, intend-edtoimproveefficiencyinaddressingcitypriorities,was approved by City Coun-cil.TheCouncilhasmadeit clear ever since I have hadcontactwiththeCitythateconomicdevelopmentisbigontheradarscreen,SchwingtoldtheSpotlight.It is important for the com-munity now for jobs, for fill-ingvacantspaceaswellasdevelopingnewpropertiesandbringinginnewbusi-nesses.He said it was importantto partner as closely as wecanwiththeBonitaSprings/EsteroEconomicDevelopmentCouncilandthe Chamber of Commerceinattractingbusinessestothe City. But, Schwing said, attract-ing business is only half thejob.Theotherhalfisastreamlineddevelopmentprocess. Youcansellitalldaylong,butifyoucantdeliversomethingthatiseasy to navigate for the cus-tomer,wewillnothaveagood reputation.Sheehan is well preparedfor her new responsibilities,withaMastersdegreeinUrbanandRegionalPlan-ning from Florida State Uni-versity.Sheisacertifiedplanner through the Amer-icanInstituteofCertifiedPlanners. I am very exitedabout the opportunity, saidSheehan,Ihavegreatlyenjoyed the events positionandtheexperiencesIhavehad in the community.In announcing the reor-ganization,Schwingsaid,We have a lot of very dedi-cated talented people on ourstaff.SeveralotherCityemployeesnowhavenewpositions and responsibilities,including City Clerk DianneLynn,DirectorofAdmin -istrative Services, Lora Tay-lor,whoaddedSpecialEvents responsibilities, MegWeiss,HumanResourcesManager,NicolePerino,Parks and Recreation Direc-tor;DarylWalk,PublicWorksDirectorandChrisCampbell,CodeEnforce-ment Manager. Assistant CityManager John Gucciardosportfolio was expanded. City Charter contretemps Twoyearsago,StevieTomatos applied for a spe-cialexemptionundertheCityszoninglawtoallowconsumption of alcohol out-side its premises. The processtook about five months, toolongintheviewofsomeCity Council members. Theyfelt, to facilitate business, thetime taken to process futurespecial exceptions should beshortened. In February, afterconsiderabledebate,a4-3voteofCityCouncilapproved changes to stream-line the process.StevieTomatosisgonefromthePradoshoppingcenter, but the dispute overstreamlininglingers,intheform of a lawsuit against theCity by a group called BonitaCitizensforResponsibleGovernment.ItsmembersincludePatrickMcCourt,former Bonita Springs CityCouncilman,Marty RoachandotherBonitaSpringsresidents.Why did the Stevie Toma-tosprocesstakeuptofivemonths?SincetheCitysinceptionin2000,theapprovalofspecialexemp-tionsandmostvariancesrequiredthepassageofanordinance, or law. Significantwaitingperiodswererequired before, between andafterpublichearingsandfinal adoption of the law. The City Councils actiontochangetheprocessper-mitted variance and specialexemptions to be approvedbyCityCouncilresolutionrather than adoption of anordinance.Proponentsofthe change emphasized thattherigorofreviewwouldbemaintained,includingpublic hearings. Only noticeperiodsandwaitingtimeswouldbeshortened,byupto three months. The result,they said, would be a processmore responsive to area busi-nesseswithoutcurtailingpublic participation. In its lawsuit, Bonita Cit-izens takes no issue with thethegoalofincreasedeffi-ciencyintheapprovalprocess, but it objects to themeansbywhichthatwasaccomplished. It says allow-ingapprovalofaspecialexception or variance by res-olution, rather than an ordi-nance,requiresvoterapproval to change the Boni-ta Springs City Charter. Thatchange, it says,would notpass muster with its citizen-ry.Itdrawsattentiontothe plainlanguageoftheCharterthatlists Regulateland use and Developmentas among those acts of theCity that shall be by ordi-nance. Notso,saystheotherside.TheCityCouncilcaninterprettheCharter,andbytheway,somevarianceandotherchangeshavealwaysbeenapprovedbyresolution.Beforeanysubstantiveargumentscanbeheard,Page 6 Southwest Spotlight September 2011Molinos Molinos# 1 I T A L I A N R I S T O R A N T EOPEN DAILY FOR DINNER, 5:00 PM- 9:00 PMRESERVE A PRIVATE WINE CELLAR DINING ROOMReservations Required - 992-7025\a.i+.+ 6 ... L.i.. 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Page 8 Southwest Spotlight September 2011By Heather Thomsoninfo@swspotlight.comBonitaSpringsIn1921,Bonitas first school openedits doors to its first students.Lastmonth,ninetyyearslater, that same brick buildingwelcomed a new generationof over 400 youngsters. Mon-daythroughFridaymorn-ings,studentsfillthebrickhallwaysofthishistoricschool;andfortwoweeksprior, impassioned teachersprepared for their studentsarrivals. Earlymorninginthefront office, phones are ring-ing and teachers are bustlingin and out of offices, prepar-ing for the start of anotherday. At 8:30 am, one teacherin particular makes her wayto the principals office beforeshes even had her first cupofcoffee.MeetBeverleeLaney: first grade. How long have you beenteaching at Bonita SpringsElementary?I started in 1987, so thisis my twenty-fifth year here.I have been teaching for 30years total.Haveyoualwaysimag-ined yourself teaching in asmallerarealikeBonitaSprings,ordidyouteachin a bigger area before this?I started teaching in Jack-sonville,butItaughtinasmall school there, so I reallyliked the small school feel. IfirstcametoNaples,buttheyhadahiringfreezeatthetime.SoIwenttoLeeCounty and they were verygoodtomesoItaughtatPelican, which is a big school. Ihadaverygoodexpe-rience there, but I was drivingfifty-fivemilesonewaytoschool. The next year therewasanopeninghere(atBonitaSpringsElementarySchool)andatthetimeIdidnt even know this schoolexisted.ButIcameandIgot such a good feel for theschoolandthesize,anditseemed like everybody kneweach other. I just liked it. SoI interviewed for a first gradeteachingpositiontheteacherwasretiringandSeptember 2011 Southwest Spotlight Page 9Heather Thomson | info@swspotlight.comBeverleeLaneyhasbeenteachingfirstgradeatBonita Springs Elementary for 25 years.Brick walls and butterflies:Welcome to first grade!Ivebeenhereeversince.Whatdoyoufindisthe toughest part of start-ing a new school year?I think the kids are reallyready to come back to schooleveniftheydontsaytheyare.Theywanttoseetheirfriends; they want to get intoadifferentroutine.Thetoughest part is getting themback into the school routine,especially the little ones. Theirfondest memory is their lastteacher. Butbeingtheagethattheyare,theyacclimatesoquicklyandsoreadily.Itsexciting,kindoflike getting ready forChristmas:itshecticand crazy but in the endit pays off and if someoneweretotellyounottodosomethingyoualwaysdo,you would miss it. Thebrickschoolhouseholdsalotofsignificancefor Bonita Springs as a city.Do you find it symbolic orinterestingasateachertohave a historic building likethis to come to every day?Its funny because whenI first started working herethis (the interior of the orig-Continued on page 10Spotlight Staff Reportinfo@swspotlight.comBonitaSprings BonitaSprings/EsteroEconomicDevelopment Council chairRichardMancinirecentlyreportedtoCityCouncilondevelopments.Heiscautiously optimistic thatcontactsdevelopedwitha$50millionorganizationlooking to relocate into theareamaybearfruit.Staytuned. The internal structure ofthe EDC has been finalized,saidMancini.Intheearlystages,thesmallbusinessdevelopment center at Flori-da Gulf Coast University ismeetingwithbusinessesinexistence three years or morethat have at least five employ-ees and revenues of at least$500,000. A demographic and busi-nessprofileoftheareaisbeingdeveloped,andanexistingbusinesssurveyisbeingplanned.TheEDCwants toidentifywhatweasacommunitydorightand what we as a communitydont do as well as we couldto make the area more con-duciveforbusinessgrowthanddevelopment,saidMancini.A marketing andbrandingcampaignisalsoin the works. In August,CityCouncilapproved $50,250 to matchdonationstheEDChasreceived from donors. Thatsupplements $25,000 in seedmoney the City contributedearlier this year.The Bonita Springs AreaChamberofCommerce will hold its annual meetingandawardsluncheon September21at11:30amat the Bonita Bay Club. Out-goingChairoftheBoardSabraSmith willgivetheStateoftheChamberaddress. Incoming Chair oftheBoardJamesDati willlayouthisvisionforthefuture. Page 10 Southwest Spotlight September 2011inalbuilding)didntlookanything like it does now. Ithadbeenseventies-ized,withloweredceilingsandthefloorscoveredinlinoleum. It looked very out-dated. And then we had therenovation13/14yearsagoandtheygotridofthoseceilingsandexposedthewoodfloors.Theybroughtit back to what it used to be.Itwaslikewalkingintoapageofadesignmagazineor something. It was just sobeautiful. They kept the his-toricintegrity,butmadeitlook new and fresh. Do a lot of the studentshere know about the historyof the building, and do theyseemtothinkitsprettyneat?I think the ones that reallyget it are the older kids; theyareabitmoreexposedtothat. We have a lot of picturesfromwhenthiswasjustaone-room schoolhouse andthere was a fence around itto keep the cows out, and Ithink they kind of get it. I had a little girl yesterday;she came up to me and said,Mrs. Laney, you taught mymother! (laughs) But thosestudents kind of understandit a little more because theirparentstalkaboutwhatitwas like. And some of them,its the grandchild thats com-ingthroughhere,sothatspretty cool.IstheBonitaSpringscommunityveryinvolvedwith the school?We have so many friendsand partners and organiza-tionsthathavetakenusundertheirwing.Wejusthave to think it, and we haveit.Wejustputoutalittleblurb, whether it be by wordof mouth or newspaper, andwe get it. ChristmasaroundhereiswhatyouthinkatrueChristmasshouldbe.Wehavepeoplebringinginboxes and boxes and cratesandcratesandgiftsforthekids.Justabouteverybodygoeshomewithpresents:clothes, everything. Are there any big projectsyou have planned for yourstudentsthisyear,orany-thing you are encouragingthem to get involved in?Well, every year I kind ofliketofeedintowhattheclassisinterestedin.Onethingweliketodowiththem because we have estab-lished a butterfly garden onthe campus and weve donealotwiththelandscapingwiththechildrenandwithcommunitypartners,isabutterflyproject.Wehavethechildrenwitnessthestages of the monarch but-terfly in its natural environ-ment. We do a lot of thingsoutdoors, simply because wecan. Ivespokenwithmanyteacherswhohavewishedfor more hours in the day.If you could have one wishgrantedasateacherwhatwould it be?That I didnt have to sleep.(laughs)Thatwouldgiveme more time. I would havethose quiet moments wheneveryoneelseissleepingtoget all that paperwork donethat needs to get done. As ateacher,youreallyhavetothinkoftheonethingyouwill not let go of during theday, and make sure that thatgets priority. Brick walls and butterfliesfrom page 9Bonita Business BeatContributed | Special to the SpotlightThe Bonita Springs Area Chamber of Commerce celebrated the grand openingof McLogan Photography last month. Holding the scissors is Logan Newell, heenjoys capturing moments, not just taking pictures. City Council approved $50,250 tomatch donations theEDC has receivedfrom donors.September 2011 Southwest Spotlight Page 1199AAMCO (239) 992-2626NO CREDIT CHECK FINANCING AVAILABLE!Extended Warranty Plans Honored HereAAMCO ofBonita SpringsOld 41RestaurantCourtesy A/C CheckHONDA and ACURA OwnersCustomer ChoiceCourtesy Brake InspectionFREE WipersorFREE Tire RotationorFREE Air FilterFREE Brake Fluid Flush with Brake Servicing!FREE Freon, Oil & Dye with A/C Repairs!Transmission Rebuild!$500 OFFCHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON? LLIIGGHHTT OOONN?? LLIIGGGHHTT OONN??Stop by AAMCO of Bonita Springs today AND GET IT CHECKED FOR FREE!25090 Bernwood Drive, Bonita Springs, FL34135with Full-Service $24.95 Oil Change Service!All offers Good on Most Vehicles.Must present coupon at vehicle check-in.Exp. 10/31/11 All offers Good on Most Vehicles.Must present coupon at vehicle check-in.Exp. 10/31/11 All offers Good on Most Vehicles.Must present coupon at vehicle check-in.Exp. 10/31/11 All offers Good on Most Vehicles.Must present coupon at vehicle check-in.Exp. 10/31/11SPECIAL PROMOTION!Sizzling Summer Specials! Sizzling Summer Specials!Our ASE Certied Master Technicians are experts at repairing almost any part of your vehicle.Dont risk getting a bad repair.WE FIX IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME and GUARANTEE OUR WORK!9!ransmissions93%.)49,1'.453654 Alr Condltlonlng Tune Ups Advanoed Dlagnostlos Eleotrloal Dlfferentlals Transfer Cases Exhaust Englne Replaoements lgnltlon Systems Steerlng & Suspenslon Faotory MalntenanoeUPTOTOWN TALKWoman of the Year Young artists showThe Zonta Club of Bonita Springshas named Trish Leonard the 2011Woman of the Year. She is a dynamo of a woman with endlessenergy and a positive, can-do attitude She is a perfect rolemodel for area women and throughher example will surely encourageothers to become involved in civicand fundraising events, says PattyGift, Zonta Club President. Leonardwill be presented her award duringthe Clubs Third Annual Glass Slip-per Ball in November.Budding young artists in Childrens HomeSocietys summer programs presented their works during an art show at FloridaGulf Banks Coconut Point banking office inEstero last month. Lianny Velaquez displays her painting Brown Owl.Contributed | towntalk@swspotlight.comContributed | towntalk@swspotlight.comFREE DELIVERY, SET UP & REMOVALwi tha$400anduppurchase3 LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU&RPHLQWRGD\WRQGRXWKRZ\RXFDQJHW WKHEHVWVOHHSRI\RXUOLIHVWDUWLQJWRQLJKWNORTH NAPLES/BONITA13800 Tamiami Trail N(Corner of US 41 and Old US 41)239-597-5333DOWNTOWN99 9th St S(US 41 and 1st Ave S)239-261-3922EAST TRAIL 11566 Tamiami Trail E.(US 41 and Barefoot Williams Rd.)239-530-2333Naplesmattress.comGREAT SELECTIONOF MATTRESSES& PILLOWS!Open 7 Days Mon-Fri 9:30-7:00, Sat 9:30-6:00, Sun 10:30-5:00Page 12 Southwest Spotlight September 2011By Peter R. OFlinn prof@swspotlight.comFortMyers Inarecentinterview with the Spotlightat his Old Lee County Court-houseoffice,LeeCountyCommissionerRayJudahtalked about Bonita Springsissues, including the libraryexpansion,useof20/20funds and the Bonita SpringsFireDistrictsproposaltoprovideambulanceemer-gency transport services.Library expansionThe Lee County proposedbudget for Library projectsnow contains a line item forBonitaSpringsLibraryexpansion.Thatisapieceof good news for those whohave worked hard to improvethe Bonita Springs Library,which Judah called insuffi-cient, size wise, for the cur-rentpopulationofBonitaSprings, at a joint meetingof Bonita Springs City Coun-cilandtheCountyCom-mission in May. At that time,he reiterated his past supportof$4millionforlibraryexpansion.However, it may be a bitearlytodeclare,missionaccomplished.TheLeeCounty budget notes, Theamountandtimingoftheprojecttobedetermined.In2007theLeeCountyLibraryfund,whichcoverscapitalprojectsaswellasoperations,totaledalmost$60million.Notanymore.ThenewCountybudgetprojects library fund reservesat just $9.5 million. That isyour worst fund, said assis-tantcountymanagerPeteWinton at a recent CountyCommissionersmeeting,referringtothesufficiencyof fund reserves.Startingin2008,theCounty reduced the librarytax rate and tapped reservefundstosupportspendingforoperations,aswellaslibrary construction on CapeCoral and in downtown FortMyers. Judah has been a pro-ponentofmaintainingreserves.Lastyear,librarytaxrateswereadjustedtocompensateforassessedvalue decreases.So then, how will libraryimprovements in Bonita befunded? Judah referred to a com-mitment that had been dis-cussed over time by severalmembersoftheBoard. Ifit means that I will have tosupportpulling$4millionfrom general fund reserves,orunincorporatedMSTU(municipalservicetaxingunit) reserves or increasingthe library millage in ordertoachievethat,Iamsup-portive of all those optionstomakethecommitmentto Bonita Springs, he said. Some commissioners areprobablygoingtosaywenevermadethecommit-ment,saidJudah.Iamgoingtohavetoremindthem that (Bonita Springs)is a contributing memberofoursystemandwearebetterofftohavethemasco-partnersasopposedtogoing off on their own. Itbehoovesustoseethisasaninvestmentinthepart-nership.IremainhopefulthatothermembersoftheBoardwillseethewisdomof that and support BonitaSprings request.Astothepathforward,Bonita needs to have a sin-gularfocusonwhattheywant to do, said Judah. Dothey want to expand on theexisting facility, about whichI understand there are sometalks,ordotheywanttobuildawholenewfacility?Oncetheygetfocusedontheapproachtheywanttotake,thentheycanmaketheir submittal to this Board. He said that until a defin-itiveplanisdevelopeditwouldbeprematuretosetaside funds in the budget.CityandLeeCountystaffshavebeenworkingtogether to review differentoptionsforlibraryexpan-sion, including the viabilityof using the existing librarysiteonPineAvenue,saidAssistant City Manager JohnGucciardo. Bonita Fire EMS bidInJulyBonitaSpringsFireControlandRescue District requested Lee Coun-tyCommissionersholdapublichearingontheFireDistricts continuing requestto provide emergency trans-portservices.Thatjobiscurrently performed by LeeCounty Emergency MedicalServices.I am fine with a hearing,saidJudah. IamperfectlyfinewithcloserscrutinyofthenumberspresentedtotheBoardbyPublicSafetyand the numbers being pre-sented by the Bonita SpringsFire District. I am happy toreview those numbers. Lee County Public Safetystaff analyses show the costforBonitaFireDistricttoprovidetheserviceswouldsignificantly exceed the cur-rentCountyEMScosts.Bonita Fire District analysesshow it would cost less, notmore, for it to run the service.Itsaysestimatespreparedby County staff inflate BonitaFireDistrictscostbyimproperlyincludingfire-fighting and related expenses. 20/20 PrioritiesJudah was present at thecreation when, he recalls, abipartisan group led by thosehe calls some of the greats,like Porter Goss, helped forgeaCountycomprehensiveplanthatfosteredgrowthwhileprotectingtheenvi-ronment.Goss,aCountyCommissioner in the 1980s,wentontotheU.S.Houseof Representatives and, even-tually,tothepostofCIAdirector in President GeorgeW. Bushs administration.JudahwasLeeCountysfirst environmental planner.After his election to CountyCommissionin1988,hehelpedcrafttheCountys20/20 program, approved bythevoters,amongmanyother environmental initia-tives.Weneedtoprotectour water supplies and openspace,saidJudah.Today,there are 42 preserves in the20/20 program, formed fromtheacquisitionof24,000acres of land. Theacquisitioncriteriafor20/20propertiesfavorslargeparcels,aconcerntocitieslikeBonitaSpringswhere many environmentallysensitive parcels are smallerinsize.Ivehementlydis-agreed with our County staffon that issue, said Judah, Ihave always supported buy-ing small pieces of land. Heexplainedthat,withthe recent precipitous dropin funding for the program,there is a huge laundry listof tracts of land and limiteddollars to buy them.September 2011 Southwest Spotlight Page 13Ray Judahon Bonita Springs issuesContributed | Special to the SpotlightLee County Commis-sioner Ray JudahBy D. K. Christiinfo@swspotlight.comBonita Springs What hap-pens when Florida FriendlyLandscapingmeetsEdibleLandscaping?Itsaperfectmatch made in nature. Snappeasandbeanshave beautiful flowers; pep-perplantsarestunning;aborderofcabbages,cauli-flower,broccoliandkaleislow maintenance with hightastevalue.Inwinter,Ifillmypotswithrootcrops:carrots, radishes, onions andgarlic.Fivelettucevarietiesaddcolor.Growingsweettasting vegetables also savesmoneyandprovidesrelax-ation when I get home fromwork,saysBonitaSpringsresident Tom Umscheid.Umscheidsedibleland-scaping provides his family,friends and neighbors with healthy,freshproduce.Hehad some failures; an ECHO(EducationalConcernsforHunger Organization) classconfirmed that cucumbers,zucchiniandsquashareachallenge.Startsmall,hesuggests. Break open a garliccloveandplantitinapot.Grow herbs.Becky Pomerson at Key-stoneGardenCenteralsolikes herbs. Keep them justoutsideyourdoorforthefragrance,theflowersandthebutterflies.Fennelanddill in particular attract but-terflies.Rosemaryhasastrongfragrance.Youcanalso create a decorative veg-etablewall.Useclimbingpeasandbeansandhangdecorative herb and vegetablepots on a trellis and engagethewholefamily.IhelpedeagerBonitaSpringsEle-mentary School children pre-pare decorated pots of seedsto grow flowers and vegeta-bles for a Mothers Day gift.ECHOhasalsohelpedtheschoolwithagardenandthe Keystone Garden Centeroften donates seeds.Umscheidprepareshisowncompost.SuzyValen-tine,PresidentoftheGulfCoast Garden Club uses fourrainbarrelstoconserveground water. Just go to the local creektoscoopupenoughmos-quito eating fish to keep bar-rels mosquito free. Add waterplantstothetopfordeco-ration, says Valentine.Her cacao beans, vanillabean orchid and kumquatsteasethepalate.HeartlandGardens,anot-for-profit,one-acre community garden,shaped in a labyrinth, growsorganicvegetables,herbs,fruits,nutsandfungi,andteachesclasses.Their500Gardens Project helps newgardenersgrow300lbs.offoodin100squarefeetin15 minutes a day, said BennyPena, CEO of Heartland Gar-dens. ThomasBecker,FloridaYardsandNeighborhoodsExtension Agent, IFAS, andvolunteer Master Gardenershelp homeowners and com-munitiesdevelopFloridaFriendly landscapes. Initially,thecoststobuyspecificplants may seem higher thangrass;butovertime,thebeauty and benefits pay offstart small, but the ultimategoalistoincorporatefoodcropsindecorativeland-scapingsotheeffortpaysofftwice:onceinbenefitsto the environment and sec-ond,inbenefitstotheeyeand the palate.ThegrowingseasoninFlorida is nearly 365 days ayear.Theheatofsummercanbeadetrimentunlesscarefulplanningprovidesforshadepartoftheday.ManygardenerscombineFlorida Friendly ornamentalswith edible plants to balancethe year and provide roomsin their landscape with plantsneeding shade near fruit treesor in other shaded groupings.Pathways often wind throughthegardenswithbenchesforcontemplation.Raisedbedsandcolorfulpotsareoften mixed for eye appeal.September is the start of themain vegetable growing sea-son.Nurseriesreceivetheirstock while gardeners preparetheir soil for seeds and bed-ding plants. The non-profitorganizationsofferclassesinlocationswithsufficientrequests. The costs are gen-erally low. Check their web-sites(inthesidebar)forcurrent class schedules. Becker cautions, A majorchallengeisovercomingFloridiansexpectationofgrass and palms, when theycouldenjoyshade,wildlifeand a bounty of edible fruitsandvegetableswithalittlepre-planningandinstruc-tion. Page 14 Southwest Spotlight September 2011Fifteen minutes a day to beauty and bountyFor moreinformationFlorida FriendlyLandscapingwww.floridayards.orgEducational Concerns forHunger Organizationwww.echonet.orgHeartland Gardenswww.heartlandgardens.orgUniversity of FloridaInstitute of Food and Agriculture Scienceshttp://ifas.ufl.edu/Staff Photo | info@swspotlight.comJalapeo plants require little maintenance and lovethe sun.MangoPomegranateLemonBananaStaff Photo | info@swspotlight.comBasil is a great herb to grow in a pot in your back-yard or on your lanai.OrangeSeptember 2011 Southwest Spotlight Page 15Page 16 Southwest Spotlight September 2011Patriot Day ServiceSun., Sept. 11, 9 a.m.The Bonita Springs Fire andControl Rescue District, LeeCounty Sheriff s Office andtheCityofBonitaSpringsinvite the public to a remem-brance service in observanceofthe10yearanniversaryof the September 11 attacks.Theprogramwillbehon-oring all emergency responsepersonnel. There will also beaspecialpresentationhon-oring fallen flight crewmem-bers.Theceremonywillinclude a Final Alarm Bell, a21GunSaluteandaper-formance by Bonita SpringsElementary School students.Where: Riverside Park. Cost:Free. For more information,call 239-949-6262.Coastal CleanupSat. Sept. 17, 9 a.m. to noonVolunteersaretreatedtobreakfastbyDocsBeachHouse,thenaresuppliedwith bags, gloves and a datacollectionform.NelsonMarine Construction is thesite coordinator. Garbage isbroughtbacktotheparkand weighed, then volunteersenjoyahotdogorham-burgerfromBuffaloChipsand Royal Scoop ice cream.Where:BonitaBeachParkArts & EntertainmentPortrait and Figure ExhibitionFri., Sept. 2, 6 to 8 p.m.Memberandguestscanenjoyaneveningofsocial-izing,artandlighthorsdoeuvres. Where: The Cen-terforthe Arts.Cost:Free.AuditionsYouthTheaterWed. & Thur., Sept 7 & 8, 5to7p.m.Ages10andupwill have an opportunity toauditionforthenextpro-duction,DressRehearsalfor Murder.Auditions areby appointment. Where: TheCenter for the Arts. For moreinformation,call239-495-8989.Films for Film LoversMon., Sept. 12 & 26, 7 p.m.This 22 film series offers for-eign and independent filmsmeanttoofferinsightintothelivesandculturesthatexist around the world. Thethemeofthismonthstwomovies is living under com-munism. The Lives of OthersonSept.12andGoodbyeLeninonSept.26.Where:PromenadeatBonitaBay,Space 114. Cost: $8. For moreinformation,call239-495-8989.Acoustic eveningThur., Sept. 15, 7 p.m.KelvinFischerpresentsaneveningofacousticmusicfromhisnewCDDrawnto the Light, as well as otherfavorites from the band LoveHunter. Where: PromenadeatBonitaBay.Cost:$15members/$20non-mem-bers. For more information,call 239-495-8989.Raku & YouTues., Sept. 27, 5:30 p.m.Learn how to glaze potteryusing a centuries old glazingand firing process.Enjoyapicnic-stylemealwhile waiting for the kiln toheatup.Bringhomeyourownmasterpiece.Where:The Center for the Arts. Cost:$40 per person. Call the Cen-terfortheArts239-495-8989 to register.Art WalkThur., Sept. 29, 4 to 7 p.m.ThelastThursdayofeachmonth you can visit ArtistsStudios,viewtheirart,demonstrationsandenjoya live concert, light refresh-ments, and visit other mer-chants.Where:ThePromenadeatBonitaBay.Cost: Free. For more infor-mation, call The Center forthe Arts 239-495-8989.SportsTitle fightSat., Sept. 10, 7:30 p.m.WelterweightTitleFight,Amaya vs. Lawrence. Where:Germain Arena. Cost: TicketsavailablethroughTicket-master.FundraisersPatriot Golf TournamentFri., Sept. 2, 9 a.m.The primary fundraiser fortheFoldsofHonorFoun-dation,isanannualeventto raise money for post-sec-ondaryeducationalschol-arshipsforchildrenandspousesofmilitaryservicemenandwomenkilledordisabledwhileservingourgreatnation.Themissionof Folds of Honor is to helpensure that no family is leftbehind in the field of battlebyhonoringtheirsacrificeandeducatingtheirlegacy.Where: The Colony Golf &CountryClub.Cost:$95guest/$65members.Formore information call 239-390-471.Dog Days of SummerThur., Sept. 15, 4 to 7:30 p.m.Ahotdogbarbecuewithfreefood,beveragesandmusic.Rafflesanda50/50willbenefittheMake-A-Wish Foundation of South-ernFlorida. Where:ClassicFloors & Countertops, 25150Bernwood Drive #7, BonitaSprings. Cost: Free. For moreinformation,call239-948-1570.Contact UsIs your organization holdinga fundraiser to benefit a localcharity?Letusknowatinfo@swspotlight.com.MeetingsCome watch the actionlive and in personWed., Sept. 7, 5:30 p.m.Wed., Sept. 21, 9 a.m.Bonita Springs City Council.Where: City Council Cham-bers,9101BonitaBeachRoad. For more information,call 239-949-6262.Business after HoursThurs., Sept. 8, 5:30 to 7:30Enjoynetworking,horsdoeuvresanddoorprizes.Where: Worthington Coun-try Club. Cost: Contact kim@bonitaspringschamber.comfor pricing.Alldates,timesandpricesare subject to change.September 2011 Southwest Spotlight Page 17EVENTSll h Page 18 Southwest Spotlight September 2011Ristorante Enrico26831 Tamiami Trail S.off West Terry Street (239) 949-2204Mon-Sat 10-10, Sun 11-10Three years in the same locationEuro Kitchen Designs239.234.1587 Euro Kitchen DesignsGuaranteed Better Pricing than Lowes or The Home DepotSave Up To 50%Contemporary Traditional10800 Corkscrew Road, Suite 101/105 Estero, FL 33928(In the Miromar Design Center, across from Miromar Outlets)M-F 9:30-5:30 Sat 10-5Please call for your free consultation and design.By Meghan Easterlyinfo@swspotlight.comBonita Springs Artist PattyKaneislivingherdream.Her life is filled with creativityand simplicity, the two thingsthatgiveherbreathandmake life perfect. Kane splits her art careerbetween teaching and sellingher own work. In her water-colorpaintings,peoplegetaviewofthethingsKaneloves. Her work is filled withsnippetsofpeopleatthebeach or at the pool enjoyingtheSouthwestFloridasun.Hernaturepaintingsmayshowthesameplacemanytimes,butasinlife,eachpainting is different on eachnewday.WithherEveryDayisaNewSkyseries,Kanetakesthesamesceneofpalmtreesandpaintsiteachday.Everypaintingisdifferent, depending on thecolorsofthesky.AsmostSouthwest Floridians know,theskyisneverthesame.Number21ofthisserieswontheCongressionalAward.Ifyoupainteveryday,whyisitthatthatonegotthe recognition? Kane says.Thatisallpartofmyprocess;Idonthitahomerun every day.InKanesstudioatTheRosen Gallery & Studios inNaples,thewallsarefilledwith works in progress. Oftenthepaintingsarethesamesubject painted over and overagain. Each one is different,with its own personality. You have to play, Kanesays. Kanewasntalwaysapainter;shehadadayjoband a family. As her kids gotolder,shehadmorefreetime.Ialwayshadcreativityin my life with my children,but once they started gettingolder,theydidntneed metofeedthemthatcre-ativity, Kane says. I startedgetting bunched up and said,how do I channel that cre-ativity?She enrolled in a drawingand painting class and stud-ied at the Creald School ofArt in Winter Park. The nextthingsheknewitwastimetoquitherdayjobandgofull-time with her art.Itwasaleapoffaith,Kane says.This made all the differ-ence.Kanescreativityhadan outlet and this fulfillmentledtoaricherandhappierlife.Seeingthisjoy,Kaneshusband Tom followed suit.After years as an automotiveexecutive, he decided to leavehis high paying job and seekout his joy of coaching highschool basketball. The coupledownsized, moved to South-westFloridain2006andnowenjoythebeachandthe sunset and every breathof their lives.I pinch myself every day,Kane says. I am so gratefulto be living this close to thecoast and I dont take it forgranted. I see beauty in myeveryday life.Kane brings this gift intoherwork.Sheworksinawatercolor technique of lay-eringtransparentcoloronpaper. This allows the paintto do the work and producesunexpected bursts of color.Myfavoritethingtoteachislayeringoftrans-parent;itsasimplifiedapproachtowatercolor,Kane says. This is not to beconfused with easy.In Kanes watercolor class-es students dont have to buyarainbowofcolors,theybuy three tubes of primarycolor and create the rainbowon their pallets. She teachesthem to see the white of thepaper and how to layer colorto create dramatic effect.I get more out of teach-ingthanmystudentsdo,Kane says. I teach what wasthe hardest for me to learnand I always do things morethan once.Theartistsaysshelovesteaching and learning fromher students. She meets peo-ple from all walks of life thatcometoherbecausetheylike to learn.Itsthebestjobintheworld, Kane says.She teaches at The CenterfortheArtsinBonitaSprings,attheVonLiebig,at the Fort Myers Beach ArtAssociation and at Big ArtsSanibel.Herworkcanbeviewed in shows throughoutSouthwestFlorida,attheRosen Gallery in Naples andattheTurtleShopandtheSurvey Cafe in Bonita.AtSurveyCafe,itisinthe Ladies Room, Kane sayslaughing.Iwantedtobesomewhere where I had theirfull attention.Herworkisalsofound atgalleriesinOrlandoandJacksonville as well as privateandcorporatecollectionsthroughouttheUnitedStates.IpaintthingsIknowandlove,Kanesays. Welivesmallandmakethosetinysafehavensforourselves.Thereisjoyinsimplicity.September 2011 Southwest Spotlight Page 19Learning by teachingMeghan Easterly | info@swspotlight.comPattyKaneteachesatTheCenterfortheArtsinBonita Springs, at the Von Liebig, at the Fort MyersBeach Art Association and at Big Arts Sanibel.Artist Brushes watercolor by Patty Kane.Alexa at Poolside watercolor by Patty KaneFlorida Beauty watercolor by Patty KaneBy Bill BarnesChief Executive OfficerBonita Springs Estero Association of RealtorsBonitaSprings TheRealEstateMarketlocallyandnationallyespeciallyonthebuyersideoftransactionsisvery affected by daily nationalnews. This year we have seenthe graphs of sales and listingsshowachoppylineofresponses.Traditionallyrealestaatehasbeenachartofslow rising or descending lines. The most important dataforourareaisthatcondosalesin2011comparedto2010 are up from 84 in 2010to 108 in July of 2011 a riseof24units.Alongwiththecondos, single family homessales are up from 56 in July2010to71inJulyof2011.Thereistrulyaslowreturnof the market area. Comparing 2011 to 2010we have sold 129 more singlefamilyhomesin2011thanin2010.Prospectivebuyerstellusthattheirinterestinbuyinghereisslowedorstoppedbytheirabilitytosell in their former towns ofthe Midwest. The single family homesentering the market in Julywere 133 which continue inthe 143-133 range which isthesameasthepastthreemonths. The Bonita Springs-Estero area still is consistentin its number of single familyhomes entering the marketas we were not as impactedby foreclosures as other partsof the county. TheCondominiumsentering the market in Julywas 139 which is a nine unitincrease after three monthsofcondolistingsdecline.July sales of condos contin-uedafivemonthdeclinefrom 175 in March down to108salesinJuly.Thesalesof Single Family Homes were71 units which was the lowestsinceJanuarywhenitwas69.Thepricerangeof$100,000to$200,000con-tained 75 percent of all thecondoandhomesalesinJuly. Julys top 10 closed salesshowaverystrongmarketforexpensivehomes.NineofthemonthsTopTenwere over one million dollarsinprice.PelicanLandingand the Brooks both hostedthree sales over one million.Quail West hosted two mil-lion plus including the TopClosed Sale of $1,900,000. ThemarketresearchdepartmentatB.E.A.R.hasexpandedthedatathatwillappear in our monthly mar-ket reports to include all areasSouth of Alico Road.Page 20 Southwest Spotlight September 2011Spotlight Real Estate Watch 70 70 CE: SOUR 605040302010 605040302010 ck o D t a o B & d n a L , t o L 0 lla i /V o nd Coily m a F e l Sing Highlightsfrom Julys top 10 sales13630 Pondview Cir.,Quail West$1,900,0009540 Lakebend Preserve Ct.,Shadow Wood at the Brooks$1,800,0004875 Pelican Colony Blvd.,Pelican Landing$1,800,00026732 Hickory Blvd.,Bonita Beach$1,335,0002010 November 125January 160 December 177February 175 2011March 219 January 165April 263 February 215May 174 March 271June 179 April 312July 144 May 236August 132 June 216September 121 July 183October 80 Monthly TransactionsNumber of real estate transactions in the Bonita Springs Estero marketSeptember 2011 Southwest Spotlight Page 21The First Choice of South FIorida's ProfessionaI ReaItors Since 2007Visit us at: www.EIementFunding.comConventionaI, Jumbo, FHA/VA/USDA and Foreign NationaI Loans.Great Rates, Programs... and People.When you absoIuteIy, positiveIy need to cIose on time!Gerry Teeven239-633-9460Mary Adams239-777-62611oanne Brenenstuhl239-470-1711Nigel P. Fullick239-495-4101Vito Leone239-340-2532Nick DiLorenzo239-333-932326269 Tamiami TraiI S. Bonita Springs, FL 341343255 Tamiami TraiI N.NapIes, FL 34103Primary Residential Mortgage, nc., DBA Element Funding, NMLS #3094; Florida Offce of Financial Regulation, ML-0500392.Spotlight Staff Reportinfo@swspotlightCoastal CleanupSat. Sept. 17,9 a.m. to noonVolunteersmeetatBonitaBeach Park and are treatedto breakfast by Docs BeachHouse,thenaresuppliedwith bags, gloves and a datacollectionform.NelsonMarine Construction is thesite coordinator. Garbage isbroughtbacktotheparkandweighed,thenvolun-teersenjoyahotdogorhamburgerfromBuffaloChips and Royal Scoop icecream.Music for Minors FoundationThe Foundation worksclose-ly with middle school stringorchestra and band leadersto identify qualified seventhgrade students who have hada year of orchestra or band,thatdemonstrateasinceredesire, and that have a finan-cialneed.Thecandidatesare then interviewed for par-ticipation in the MFM pro-gram. The students that areacceptedintotheprogramare notified and invited to areceptionwheretheyarehonored with a yearly grantfortheinstrumentoftheirchoice.Eachyearthestu-dentsarere-certifiedtoensure they continue to meetFoundationrequirements.Theorganizationoffersavariety of volunteer oppor-tunitiesforindividualsorgroups who have an interestinfurtheringthemusicaleducationofchildren.Formore information, call 239-947-1943.Meals on WheelsMeals-on-Wheels serves theinfirmandhomeboundbyproviding one meal a day tothoseinneed.MondaythroughFridayrecipientsreceive hot meals. For week-endstheyreceivefrozenmeals. Almost 200 volunteerdriversmaketheprogrampossiblebyprovidingtheirowncarsandgasoline.Inanaveragemonth,driverscoveralmost4,500miles,delivering over 6,000 meals.If you would like to becomea volunteer delivering mealsto the homebound, call 239-775-0443.Friends of BarefootBeach PreserveBarefoot Beach is one of thelast stretches of undevelopedbeachfrontlandinSouthFlorida. It remains as naturaland unspoiled as it was hun-dreds of years ago. The pre-serveconsistsof342acreson a barrier island, separatedfrom the mainland by man-groveswampsandtidalcreeks.Forinformationonhow to become a volunteer,callMargaretWinn,Presi-dent of the Friends of Bare-footBeachPreserve,at239-495-9100,orvisitfobbp.org.Page 22 Southwest Spotlight September 2011 BONITAT A S T E O FSunday, November 20, 2011SPONSORSHIPS NOW AVAILABLESOUTHWESTEvents, things to do and opportunities to give back to our community in and around Bonita SpringsBonitasCommunity Newspaperwww.tasteofbonita.comSPONSORSHIPS NOW A A VVAIL RSHIPS NOW AAV ABLE AIL T F O y to the event.no cost for entrestaurants, a childr ea r ar8,000 and 10,000 people.The day featurlargest annual events, with attendance estimated between downtown Bonita Springs. T, N to be held Sunday y to the event. ea and live music. Ther ens play ar estaurants, a childres food fr 8,000 and 10,000 people.The day featurlargest annual events, with attendance estimated between aste of Bonita is on rings. TTaste of Bonita is one of the cityovember 20, 2011 at Rive e isea and live music. Therom over 25es food frlargest annual events, with attendance estimated between saste of Bonita is one of the cityark inerside P of Bonita Springs Noon supports throf charitable causes and organizations which The Rotarom T oceeds fr The net pr, family with a worthypublicized event. In addition, your business becomes associated opportunity for considerable exposuraste of Bonita p The TTaste of Bonita pry to the event. oughout the year of Bonita Springs Noon supports throf charitable causes and organizations which The Rotaraste of Bonita go towar m T Taste of Bonita go towar-oriented community cause., familypublicized event. In addition, your business becomes associated e in a high-pr opportunity for considerable exposurovides your business with a uniqueaste of Bonita pr , includingoughout the yeary Clubof charitable causes and organizations which The Rotard a wide rangeaste of Bonita go towar-oriented community cause. publicized event. In addition, your business becomes associated ole, welle in a high-provides your business with a unique www.tasteofbonita.co Full sponsorship details arand many others. Hospital), Shelter Box USA, Gifehab of pediatric oors at L Ofce, Jenns Kids (ro High School scholarships, Bonita Springs AssistanceEsterof Bonita Springs Noon supports thr om. For questions, call 239-331-1432.e available on line atFull sponsorship details art of Life, Wheelchair FoundationHospital), Shelter Box USA, Gifehab of pediatric oors at Lo High School scholarships, Bonita Springs Assistance oughout the year of Bonita Springs Noon supports thr 9-331-1432.t of Life, Wheelchair Foundation ee Memorial LLee Memorial o High School scholarships, Bonita Springs Assistance , includingoughout the year www. tasteofbonita.com www. tasteofbonita.com] rrr1]-trc r/($ Summer \ktt \, rt-trets t /|ss|ke--|ts sc/sc Ms|c SIR GROUTAccentON HEARINGPROUDSPONSORS-rrrr- ]]]-- ]r]r tt -- IR GROUUT RSOpportunitiesto give backByMaxHarrisandDorota HarrisBonitas Best FriendsSantaRosa,CAThismonthwearewritingourcolumn from California. Thetrip has turned into a voyageofdiscoverysofarasdogsare concerned.AttheSonomaCountyFair, we came upon a SplashDogs contest. This is a high-ly-organizedcompetitiveevent,inwhichdogsleapfromadockintoaswim-mingpool-sizedtankofwater,andgainpointsforthe distance achieved. Dogsnotonlycompetetowintheirlocalcompetition(inthiscase,theCountyFair),butalsoparticipateinanational ranking table.InSonomathemainbreeds we saw participatingwere (predictably) Labradorsand Retrievers, plus GermanShepherds. The enthusiasmofallthedogsknewnobounds,andtheythrewthemselves from the edge ofthe dock with the most enor-mousdetermination.Theywereencouragedtoleaptowards a small barbell sus-pended over the pool, whichwoulddetachiftheysuc-ceededintakingitintheirmouths.Thosewhodidsowould paddle in circles wait-ingfortheapplausetodiedownbeforeswimmingtotheexitramp.Thosewhofailed would look comicallyupwards from the water withanexpressionthatclearlysaid Icantbelieveitsstillhanging there.ThewebsiteofSplashDogshassomeinterestinginformation.Theall-timerecord jump is logged at 27feet 8 inches. And here comesanother discovery; the breedthat holds this record is theCatahoula. Now maybe you,our knowledgeable readers,knowwhataCatahoulais,but we did not. It turns outtobetheCatahoulaCur,also known as the LouisianaCatahoula Leopard Dog. Yes,reallyitisnamedafterCatahoula Parish in the Stateof Louisiana, was a favoritebreedofJimBowiewhoallegedlysleptwithoneathis feet, can have patchy coatcolorslikealeopard,hasbeentheofficialStateDogof Louisiana since 1979, andcan jump 27-plus feet. Andweneverheardofituntilnow!Of course it may just bethatwedonthangoutinthe right places! Friends heretellusthatCatahoulaCurscan be found on farms andranches across North Amer-ica.The Splash Dogs websitealsotellsusthatthebreedwiththeshortestjumprecord, of 2 feet 6 inches, isthe Norfolk Terrier. We dontwant to be rude about Nor-folkTerriersbutifyouhadadogwhoseleapingabilities topped out at 2 feet6 inches, would you enter itin competitions?Our stan-dardpoodlecaninadver-tentlyachievethat,bywalkingtotheedgeandfallingin.Bycontrast,therecordleapbythemuchsmaller Chihuahua is 5 feet.Butthebottom-lineisthattheeventwashighlyentertaining hugely enthu-siasticdogswhichcouldscarcelywaittotaketheplunge, highly motivated andcompetitiveowners,andgreat cooperation and teamspiritbetweenthetwo.Arealpleasuretowatchand a spectacle that can keepsmall children (we had threewithus)enthralledtothepoint that they simply dontwant to leave!SplashDogsiscomingtoFortMyersOctober21to 23. For more information,go to splashdogs.com.September 2011 Southwest Spotlight Page 23animal wellnesscenter of bonitawww.animalwellnesscenterofbonita.com- 0a-s|te 0|q|ta| K-ras- Me6|ca| !er|ces- !arq|ca| !er|ces- 0eat|str- 0eata| 0|q|ta| K-ras- M|crech|p |0- Natr|t|eaa| & 8eha|era| Ceaase||aq- Vacc|aat|eas & |reeatat|es- Na|| C||pp|aq, 8ath|aq239-405-VETS (8387)10347 Bonita Beach Rd. SE #118, Bonita Springs, FLHours: Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri: 8am-5pm Sat: 8am-Noon$75OFFFREE Nail Clipping orK9 Heartworm Test DENTALPROCEDURENew Patients only with coupon.Limit 1 per Family.Not to be combined with any other offers.Limit 1 per Family.Not to be combined with any other offers.Proof of Vaccination & Exam RequiredW|th |a|t|a| lxamNow open Wednesday evenings from 4 to 8 pmContributed | Special to the SpotlightDogs will throw themselves from the edge of thedock next month in Fort Myers. Splash DogsContributed | Special to the Spotlightthere are procedural objec-tions to be resolved. PapersfiledbycitycounselJamesHumphrey assert that BonitaCitizenshasnolegalright,orstanding,tobringthecase. That, he asserts, wouldrequire an actual controversywherethosecomplainingsufferedharmthroughtheuseofthenewresolutionprocedure. Theymayormaynotberightonthestandingissues,saidMcCourt,butinmyviewthatisnotthepointThepointisthisisasimplecaseofwhethertheybrokethelaw,ortheydidnt.Thatisallwewantthejudgetodetermineforus.AcourthearingonthecaseisanticipatedinlateSeptember or early October.MeanderingsAt a recent City Councilmeeting,CaptainKathyRairden of the Lee CountySheriff s Office said that inFlorida an average of sevenpeopleadayaredyinginFloridafromoverdoseofpillsdispensedfrompainmanagementclinics.Wehave our thumb on the prob-lemhereinBonitaandaredoing everything we legallycantoaddressthatissue,she saidIn a different vein,shereportedthatthatanarrest was made for molest-ing a sea turtle nestUnderthe new census counts, leg-islative district lines are beingredrawn. City Council wantsthe entire city to be containedin one State Senate districtCouncilman Stephen McIn-toshsnewbook,TheArtand Science of Leadership,comes out this monthFredPartin ofBonitaSpringsUtilities said water levels arestilllowinspiteofrecentrains.Page 24 Southwest Spotlight September 2011VotedBonitasBest10 YearsFamily Ownedand OperatedComplete Automotive Repair Air Conditioning Brakes Exhaust Shocks Heating &Cooling Struts Lube/Oil/Filter Starting & ChargingGeneral Maintenance & More27790 Tamiami TrailBonita SpringsPowerWindowRepairSHELLOil Change& FilterPLUSFree TireRotationBack-to-School PackageFREEA/CCheck andAdviseCheck EngineLight On?Brake ServiceExpires 9/30/11Call for Appointment. Limited timeoffer. Not valid with other discounts/offers. Expires 9/30/11Up to 5 Qts.Additional Fees May ApplyCall for appt. Expires 9/30/11Not valid with any sale prices orother discounts. Expires 9/30/11Expires 9/30/11Expires 9/30/11FREE Brake InspectionLifetime Warranted4-Wheel $50 OFF2-Wheel$25 OFFSaveonourcompletelineoflifetime warrantedbrakepadsandshoes- good for as long as you own your car. Additionalfeesmayapply.Inlieuof other offers. Most cars and light trucks.$25 off$5 off$99Engine Scan*Most vehicles*Dexcool additionalOil Change & FilterBrake InspectionCoolant Flush Battery Check4-Tire Rotation17 Point VehicleAlignment Check Inspection991 2 Price

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the llBrenda BerginDownsizing & Moving Coordinator NEED ASSISTANCE DOWNSIZING & MOVING?Call: 239-248-7284 or email: BrendaBergin@earthlink.net Member: National Association of Senior Moe Managerswww.SeniorHomeMoves.comfree in-home consultationsLicensedBonded Insured 4 8 228 772 - 8 4 224 - 9 3 223 : ll: lll a CN A TTA S I S S A D E E N

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ghtsn me k r o w and rs e mov e rse e ov and le u d cheme ho g n i g ran ar and g n i packs m e it d e t an w n u of n io t a n do r o len desig plan r og n i pack l a n sio fesg n i iz anationsd e ur ns IInslt tations u home consUp and Downfrom page 6TOWN TALKBusiness before BusinessDavid Di Martino | Photography by David MichaelTrevor Watson of the Diamond Districtand Dallas Revord of First CommunityBank at the Chamber of CommercesBusiness before Business event last monthat The Salon Corinnes as you like it.David Di Martino | Photography by David MichaelDebbie Helman of the Villages at Country Creek and Karyl Walter of EyeCenters of Florida at the Chamber ofCommerces Business before Businessevent last month.New nameEvelio Rodriguez andSylvia Conner of CapitalBank were at B.E.A.R.s 5 oclock somewhere event last month. TIBBank recently changed its name to Capital Bank.David Di Martino | Photography by David MichaelSeptember 2011 Southwest Spotlight Page 25 *UP TO $3.00.CANNOT BE COMBINED WITH OTHER OFFERS OR DISCOUNTS.NO CASH VALUE.EXP. 9/30/11!"##$%&&%'( )*+,(-*./0*12'3-4&%5New September hours... (regular hours resume in October)Open for Breakfast & Lunch 8:00 am - 2:00 pmTuesday - Sunday (closed Mondays in September) 10530 Wilson St Downtown Bonita Springsthesurveycafe.com992-CAF (2233)Across from Riverside Park, one block east Old 416789:#*!:;"7?="8555*>=6@=:555*:=7B555*7;@6CBest Key Lime Pie in Bonita!StepbackintimetowhenBonitaSpringswas knownasSurveyandenjoyold-fashionsouthern hospitalityinthishistorichometurnedCafwhere local art and antique tools adorn the walls.A nostalgic Florida experience. your new favorite place!Breakfast Specials ~ Sandwiches ~ Wraps ~ Smoothies Espresso ~ Fresh Baked Desserts ~ Beer & WineTrendy Tours, LLCSEPTEMBER 7th, OCTOBER 12th - Isle of Capri Casino - $49. ppInc: $25 Slot Voucher - Clean, Non-Smoking Casino in Florida!SEPTEMBER 8th - Tampa Aquarium, Ybor City, Dinner at Troyers - $89. ppSEPTEMBER 12th - Hard Rock Casino in Tampa w/dinner at Troyers - $69. ppInc: $25 Slot Voucher, $5.00 Food Voucher, Delicious Amish Dinner in SarasotaSEPTEMBER 21st - Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens & Lunch - $89. ppSEPTEMBER 25th - 29th 5 Day Tour to Charleston - $729. ppdo, $979 singleInc: 4 Nights Hotel, 11 Meals, Boone Hall Plantation Tour, Guided Historic Charleston Tour,Narrated Boat Tour to Ft Sumter, Citadel & Rainbow Row Tour & MoreOCTOBER 5th, NOVEMBER 17th Miami South Beach Tour - $75. ppOCTOBER 11th - Sarasota Lunch Cruise & St. Armands Circle - $89. OCTOBER 18th - Miamis Spanish Roots & Little Havana w/ Lunch - $99OCTOBER 20th - OPA! Tarpon Springs w/Lunch & Sponge Boat - $85. ppOCTOBER 26th - Hairspray at the Actors Playhouse in Miami w/Lunch - $99NOVEMBER 6th - 10th - Branson Christmas Memories w/Air from Ft. MyersNOVEMBER 14th -16th - 3 Day Deluxe St. Augustine - $499. ppdo, $699 singleInc: 2 Nights at Historic Casa Monica Hotel, 6 Meals, Morse Museum in Winter Park, Guided St. Augustine Tour, All Day Tram Pass, Lunch Cruise on St. Johns River & moreDECEMBER 5th - 8th - 4 Day Trip to Savannah - $599. ppdo, $799. singleInc: 3 Nights in Historic Savannah, 9 Meals, Tybee Island, Savannah Theatre Christmas Show, moreDeluxe Escorted Bus Tours with SuzanneAll of our tours include round trip deluxe motorcoach transportation!When quality counts, you can count on Trendy Tours!We offer over 100 escorted tours a yearfor reservations or for our latest tour list,CALL 449-5065Spotlight Staff Reportinfo@swspotlight.comBonitaSprings Thefirsttime Mary Saunders saw peo-ple saving thousands of dol-larsontherealityTVshowExtreme Couponing she wasintrigued. Isaid,ifthesepeoplearesavingthousandsandthousands of dollars on gro-ceries,Icandothesamething,recountsSaunders.MaryandherhusbandChadwick have since donatedover$1000ofgroceriestothe Bonita Springs AssistanceOffice. All of those items costthem$0bycombiningcoupons and sales. Many gro-cery stores accept competitorcoupons, online coupons andmanufacturercouponsallwhilestillhavingtheirownsales.Combiningcouponswith other sales leads to get-ting food for free.Sometimesreadingthefineprintonacouponcanmakethestorebetheonethatpaysattheendofthetransaction. Therewasamanufac-turerscouponfor2dollarsoff and it didnt have anylimitationsonthesizeofitem, said Mary. Most coupons restrict size.ThetrialsizeDialsoapatWal-Mart was 97 cents. Aftertax, Wal-Mart paid them 97cents for each bar.A similar occurrence hap-penedinJulywhentheymade their first donation ofover$400worthofBayeraspirin. The overage was thenused to purchase additionaldonateditemsincludingpasta, pens and scissors.They look at a few websitesseveraltimesaweekwhereusers post and identify deals. Illcheckoutmultiplesites, said Mary. Theres notreally one 100 percent reliablesourcetoalwaysgotoSometimes they miss a deal.LastmonthMaryandChadwick donated 500 Ger-berGraduatesmeals.Onceagain, the food was free. Nor-mally sold for $1.50, the mealswere on sale at Publix for 75cents.Thiswascombinedwith a $1 off coupon foundin the Publixs Big Baby Bar-gainscouponbook.TheymadeaspecialorderwiththePublixstoreattheShoppesatGrandOaks.Clearingtheshelveswouldpreventotherpeoplefromparticipating in the sale. Theadditional 25 cents per mealthat Publix would have paidthemwasusedtopurchasemore donated food.Were taking this oppor-tunitytogivebacktoourcommunity because we knowthe need is real, said Mary.MaryandChadwickareboth graduates of the Lead-ership Bonita Program. Partofthesocialissuesdayoftheleadershipprogramincluded visiting the BonitaSprings Assistance Office. Im so grateful that Chadand Mary are taking the lead,takingthetimetheyaremakingtheeffortandtheylook for the best things thattheyknowweneedinthepantry,saidMaribelSlabaugh, Direct of the BonitaSpringsAssistanceOffice.The only thing that they areaskingustodoisaskthecommunitytobringthecoupons and they will do therest.UnusedcouponscanbedroppedoffattheBonitaSprings AssistanceOfficeat25300BernwoodDr.,Suite6,nexttotheLeeCountyTaxCollectorsofficein Bonita Springs.Couponing for a causeWere taking thisopportunity to giveback to our community because we knowthe need is real. Mary SaundersStaff Photo | info@swspotlight.comMary and Chadwick Saunders have donated over$1000 of groceries to the Bonita Springs AssistanceOffice.Itallcostthem$0bycombiningcouponsand sales.Page 26 Southwest Spotlight September 2011adjustments and the vagariesof the homestead exemption. Property taxes fund abouta third of the Citys budget.Anotherthirdcomesfromgasoline, sales and other taxesthat the state collects. Impact,permitandfranchisefeesfundanadditional25per-cent.TheCityreceivesabout5 percent of property taxespaidinBonitaSprings,anamountthatisdwarfedbytheshareofothertaxingauthorities.Reduced spendingIn the proposed budget,expenditureswillbeabout$18.9 million, around $900thousandlessthanantici-pated current year spending.To support spending, theCity will reach into its piggybank, but not break it. About$1.2millionofthenewbudget will be funded fromsurplus accumulated in bet-tertimes,aboutthesameamount as this years surplusspending. Surplus funds totalalmost$8million,inaddi-tion to operating and disasterreserves of $5 million. Thebiggestcutintheproposedbudget,ascom-pared to current year spend-ing, is in road capital projectspending. City employees, who havenothadageneralsalaryincreaseorcostoflivingadjustmentinoverthreeyears, will see their take homepay decrease this year. In thespring,GovernorScottsigned legislation requiringstate employees to contributethree percent of their salariesto fund pensions. Since Cityemployees participate in thesamepensionsystem,theyaredraggedalongfortheride. Their contributions willsave the City about $180,000.Expense increases includecosts for 2012 City electionsandreplacementofthreecommunity-policingvehi-cles,andincreasedhealthinsurance and Florida unem-ployment tax costs.$12.9 million operating budgetTheCitysoperationalbudgettotalsabout$12.9million. Some highlights: Public works, which coversmaintenanceofroads,stormwaterdrainage,canalsandsomeparkmaintenance,isslatedfor$2.7 million. Community developmentandcodeenforcementexpenseis$3.1million,beforefeeincomeof$1.4million. Thecommunitypolicingoperation,forwhichtheCity contracts with the LeeCountySherriff,willcost$1.7 million. OperationalcostsforallCityparksandpropertytotal$1.5million,beforefeeincomeof$150,000.Included are the recreationcenter, pool, ball and soccerfields,CommunityHall,LilesHotel,NaturePlace,RiversideParkandotherpublic parks. $5.9 million for capitalprojects and debtTheproposedbudgetallocatesabout$3millionfor capital projects and $2.9million for debt service. A few short years ago U.S.41,thenseeminglyunderperpetual construction, wasa parking lot in season. Theimprovement of traffic flowhas been an ongoing priorityfor the City, including proj-ects like the construction ofImperial Parkway and BonitaBeach Road widening. Accordingly,roadsareamajorcapitalexpenseforthe City. The City is findingthat money spent while timesare tough can be well spent.For example, the six laningofBonitaBeachRoadbetweenImperialParkwayand Old 41, a joint City andLee County project, was fasttracked several years earlierthan budgeted. The projectcameinabout$3millionunderbudget,savingtheCity$1.5million,saidMayor Ben Nelson Jr. The new budget allocatesapproximately $2 million forroadconstruction,pavingandrelatedprojects.Thelargestshareis$1millionforanongoingprojecttoconnect Shangri-La Road toThreeOaksParkway.Old41widening,WestTerryStreetimprovementsandassorted street paving proj-ects are also planned. TheCityestimatesthatabout85percentofdebtservice expense is attributabletopreviousroadconstruc-tionandimprovements,principallyImperialPark-way.Impact fees pay for a por-tionofroadconstructionexpense.Inaddition,statelaw requires that other funds,likethegastax,beusedtofund road projects. CapitalprojectsinCityparkswilltotal$400,000.The largest share is $110,000for Riverside Park improve-ments.and a few dollars moreDuringthefirstbudgetworkshop,CityCouncilreviewed a score of depart-mental operational and cap-italbudgets.Itthenturnedtoadiscussionofwhethertherewasroomtospendafewmoredollarsina$19million budget. Duringthepubliccom-ment period Heather Thom-son and Dallas Revord spokein favor of a $6,000 requestforparttimestaffattheBonita Nature Place during peakseason,supplantingafulltimepositionremovedfrom the budget. During Council deliber-ations,CouncilmenJohnSpearandBillLonkartexpressed the view that vol-unteers should perform thistask.Wehavetried,saidCouncilwoman Janet Martin.Thedemographicsofthesupporters are young work-ing people with families, andtheycouldnotgetasetschedule.Afterdiscus-sionallCouncilmembersapproved the request.Aparttimesoccerco-ordinatorcosting$12,000,$5,000forcurbingatthenorthendofHickory Boulevard,and$10,000tomatchtwostategrantsforhistoricpreservationpro-gramswerealsounani-mously approved. Afivetotwovote,withmembers Lonkart and Speardissenting, approved a $5,000increase for the Art in PublicPlacesBoard,bringingitstotal budget to $10,000. Budgetfrom page 1I went into accounting becausenumbers dont everhave a bad day Lisa Pace, BonitaSprings Finance DirectorWe are in good financial condition,despite the economy Carl Schwing,City Managerwww.swspotlight.comSeptember 2011 Southwest Spotlight Page 27Catch of the monthContributed | catch@swspotlight.comRecreational Angler Gregg Bedell, Owner/Manager of Captain Ed's CharterBoats, Dean Polley, Dock master of Bonita Bay Marina and Tibe Larson, Man-ager of Bonita Bay Marina with Mahi Mahi caught trolling with fresh bait ear-lier this summer in Marathon in the Keys.plane had hit the Trade Cen-ter. But,whilestandingonthecoffeelineinthethecafeteria,itbecameclearthat something really wronghad happened.Thetwintowerswerehit,saidonesecretary.Iknow, a small plane No,no,thereweretwoplanes,one in each building.Thatwasthebeginningof creeping horror and con-fusion, though nothing likethe agony suffered 80 blocksdowntown.My colleague in the nextofficewaitedtohearfromhiswife.LizworkedintheWorld Trade Center. Hourswent by until, safe at home,she was able to reach John.Onanynormalday,shemighthavebeensittingatherdeskatthetimetheplanes hit, but this day wasaprimaryelectiondayinNew York. Liz had stoppedtovote.Thelinewaslongenough that she was late towork. She exited the subwayjust after the first plane hit.Then, as subway service shutdown and with cell phone-serviceinoperable,sheworkedherwaybackuptownamidstthechaos.Aswediscussedtheadvisability of sending staffhome, we received instruc-tionsthatnoNewYorkerever expects from the NewYorkPoliceDepartment.Until further notice, we weretold,allemployeesshouldstaynearworkandshouldnotattemptthecommutehome.Subwayandtrainservice had been suspended,andbridgesandtunnelswere reserved for emergencyvehicles. Further notice came at 3p.m.,andthetrekhomebegan. Like many, I avoidedthemainconcourseofGrand Central and instead,usedthediscretenorthernentrance. That night I called a dearfriend,mymentoratthefirm for many years. I knewhis daughter worked in theTradeCenter.Evenasthephonerang,Iwasunsureof what I would say, or ask.ButwhenIsaidhello,hesaidsimply,Shedidnotcomehomefromworktoday.Youneverknewhisdaughter,butyetyoudo.She lived next door, aroundthecorner,oracrosstown.The one who was achievingrightthroughhighschool,shewentawaytocollegeandfinishedatthetopofher class. She was editor ofthe school newspaper, a fero-ciousfieldhockeyplayer.Shewasthoughtful,andpretty too.When asked by the NewYorkTimes ifshehadanyfaults,herboyfriendresponded,Shewasnotgreat with driving directionsand wed get lost quite often.Butthatwasabonus.Itallowedustospendmoretime together.Hundredsattendedhermemorial service, held at abeautifulchurchonthedunes of Southampton, NewYork.IntheeveningofSep-tember11,MayorGuilianisaid, The number of casu-alties will be more than anyof us can bear. He was right. Bonita Springs will com-memoratethosewhodiedon 9/11 at Riverside Park at9a.m.onSeptember11,2011. Ifyougetachancethatday,youmightsayashortprayerforagirlyouneverknew. Today she would havebeen33yearsofage,withplenty of bright tomorrowsahead of her. Peter R. OFlinn Page 28 Southwest Spotlight September 2011In Remembrancefrom page 1Treat yourself to something special...you deserve it!ONLY STERILE PRODUCTS USED239.947.085210020 Looonut |ooo =136 Bonita Springs, FL(In Sweetbay Plaza)Mon.-Sat. 9-7pm Sunday 10-4pm|u|| 5ot |||| |ns Man|curo od|curo 5ho||acBest Nails in TownL I F E S T Y L E S A L O N & S P AFind us onFacebookALL SALON SERVICES. 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R00l8f88lkN0$ff 1 l 0 l l F N l $ NT CUUM DEPOUS 41S. CH RD A BEArreSpotlight Staff Reportinfo@spotlight.comBonitaSprings InBonitaSpringsCityHallthereisanartifactfromtheWorldTrade Center. It is housed in a display casein the back corner of City Council chambers. The four by two-inch piece of scorchedsteelpassedthroughseveralhandsonitswaytoBonitaSprings.ItisagiftofMikeBarryofMorristown,NewJersey.Barryreceived it through the efforts of a formersheriff of Morris County who was involvedin clean up efforts at the Trade Center. Barrygaveittoagoodfriend,HoneyBelton, a Bonita Springs area resident. Wewenttoa9/11ceremonyintheparkinBonita, and Mike was impressed by the cer-emony, said Belton. Barryhas been a volunteer fire-maninMountKemble,New Jersey for over thirtyyears.Beltonandherhus-band Roger eat at DollysonBonitaBeachRoadmostMondays.Theybecameacquaintedwithformer Mayor Jay Arendover lunch there, and pre-sented the artifact to himseveral years ago. World Trade Centerartifact at City HallStaff Photo | info@swspotlight.comThispieceofsteelfromtheWorldTrade Center is ondisplay at City Hallin the back cornerofCityCouncilchambers.Page 30 Southwest Spotlight September 2011By Peter R. OFlinnprof@swspotlight.comEastNaples St.MatthewsHouse,theCollier County based organization that pro-vides transitional housing for the homeless,recentlyannouncedthatitwasdroppingits plans to open a new facility at the Cause-wayLumberyardsite,locatedonOld41,aboutaquartermilebelowBonitaBeachRoad.In an interview with the Spotlight severalhoursbeforetheannouncement,St.Matthew's House chief executive ReverendVann Ellison described factors leading himtoreconsidertheCausewaysiteandhiscriteria for selection of a replacement site.The decision to reconsider the Causewaysite was influenced by mounting expensesfor the zoning appli-cationprocessrequired "to get to aCityCouncilvote,"hesaid.Theseexpenses,hesaid,were exacerbated byrequirementsout-sidethescopeofwhat would be nor-mal in zoning appli-cations.UndertheBonitaSpringszoninglaw,lightindustrialusesarepermittedattheCausewaysite.Asaresult,St.Matthewsapplication for its facility required a changeinthezoninglaw,inadditiontonormalapprovals required for a planned develop-ment.TheprocessforanapplicationofthattypemustfollowapaththroughtheBonitaSpringsCommunityDevelopmentoffice, and then to the Citys Zoning Boardwith final decision-making by Bonita SpringsCity Council. Whentheapplicationwasfiled,allofthis was known. But as the process evolved,Ellison said, St. Matthews became increas-inglyconcernedwithmountingcostsincurred, and, he believed, would continuetoincur,inconnectionwiththezoningapplication process. Initially, City Community Developmentstaff asked 17 pages of questions to whichSt.Matthewsrespondedwith35pagesofanswers.Thatgeneratedanother10pagesof questions fro