Golf cart use may be expanded

By Pat Copeland
sun staff writer

HOLMES BEACH — More golf carts on Island streets may be an idea whose time has come.

City commissioners recently asked Police Chief Jay Romine to recommend more streets for golf cart use after they received a request from residents Jerry, Betsy and Kia Kern.

The Kerns said they have a golf cart and have "enjoyed driving it to Publix, the public beach and especially to school where parking has been nightmare."

The Kerns said they were stopped by a police officer, who told them that only certain streets in the city are approved for golf cart use. The said they learned that most of their favorite streets are not on the list.

"The city has put in bike paths and encouraged people to use the trolley as alternative modes of transportation," the Kerns said. "Why discourage golf carts? Golf carts should be allowed on all side streets that run parallel to Gulf Drive and Manatee Avenue."

"I think golf carts are a real good thing and I think we should do everything we can do to encourage their use in safe places," Commissioner Roger Lutz stressed. "I know sooner or later somebody’s going to get in a wreck and get hurt on one, but more people get in wrecks on motorcycles and bicycles."

"Our minimum speed is 25, so I don’t see a problem with it," Mayor Carol Whitmore said.

Currently golf carts are allowed on the streets of Key Royale; Marina Drive north of Key Royale Drive; all streets north of Key Royale Drive and east of Palm Drive; 71st, 75th and 77th streets from the bay to the Gulf; Holmes Boulevard from Gulf Drive to 75th Street; White Avenue from Gulf Drive to Aqua Lane, Flotilla Drive and 62nd Street.

Golf carts used on streets "must be equipped with efficient brakes, reliable steering apparatus, safe tires, a rearview mirror and red reflectorized warning devices in both front and rear," according to the city’s code. They can be operated between sunrise and sunset.

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Ring in the New Year with a boom

By Tom Vaught
sun staff writer

BRADENTON BEACH – As it has done so many times in the past, the BeachHouse restaurant, 200 Gulf Drive N., will host the only legal fireworks show on the Island on New Year’s Eve, weather permitting.

Instead of watching the ball drop on the television, many Island residents and those who live on the mainland nearby come out to the beach to watch the display by James "Captain Happy" Taylor, owner of Taylor Pyrotechnics. The fireworks will be shot from the beach and there is normally plenty of space on the beach to get a bird’s eye view.

For those who want to make a night of it, the BeachHouse has a special package, according to manager Lisa Schottenhamel.

"We have a VIP party package for $85 per person plus tax and gratuity," she said. "It starts at 9 p.m. and lasts until everyone leaves after the fireworks."

Schottenhamel said there would be live music and dancing for the VIP party, and they will view the fireworks from the comfort of seating on the deck.

Parking is available at Cortez Beach, several blocks south of the BeachHouse, and at the city’s business district parking lot on First Street west of Gulf Drive.

For more information or to make reservations, call the BeachHouse restaurant at 779-2222.

 

AME tree removal imminent

By Cindy Lane
sun staff writer

HOLMES BEACH – In the face of state regulations, a looming deadline and a high price tag, Cortez landscaper Rob Crafts remains committed to saving a ficus tree in front of Anna Maria Elementary School.

The tree is scheduled to be destroyed on Jan. 2 as part of the school’s renovation. The Manatee County School Board has told people who want the tree saved that Florida Department of Education regulations require non-native species such as most ficus trees to be removed from school property. And the School Board is no longer offering to pay to rent a crane to relocate the tree, since it can’t be moved to another place on the school property.

"I’m not as concerned about the money as I am with saving the tree," Crafts said, adding that he could dig it up before the Jan. 2 deadline and store it somewhere until a new home is found.

The tree would have to be trimmed back by about two-thirds of its size to be moved under electrical wires, he said.

The cities of Anna Maria and Holmes Beach are investigating whether they can take the tree. Bradenton Beach has an ordinance against planting non-native species in the city.

Holmes Beach Public Works Director Joe Duennes referred the issue last week to the city’s parks and beautificaton board, member John Molyneux said.

"We have identified what we think is a suitable site," he said, behind the CVS store on Manatee Avenue and East Bay Drive. But the city doesn’t have the money to relocate the tree, he added.

"My personal opinion is that the tree is best located on the school site," Molyneux said. "That is where people over the years have enjoyed it. But it has to come off the school property, so a big portion of the reason for keeping the tree is lost.”

Two types of ficus trees actually are native to this part of Florid,a according to landscape designer Mike Miller, an Island resident and volunteer landscaper for the city of Anna Maria. These are the ficus aurea, or golden or strangler fig, and the ficus citrifolia, or wild banyan or shortleaf fig. The ficus at the school is a ficus microcarpa, or Indian laurel fig, Miller said.

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Fire damages empty duplex

By Tom Vaught
sun staff writer

BRADENTON BEACH – A fire in an empty duplex on the corner of Fourth Street South and Gulf Drive Thursday afternoon caused traffic backups and several thousand dollars worth of damage.

The fire started in the structure around 5:20 p.m. and neighbors reportedly turned garden hoses on it until West Manatee Fire & Rescue trucks arrived to extinguish it. No injuries were reported and the fire damage was limited to the kitchen with smoke damage throughout one unit.

The duplex, which has a for sale"sign in the yard, was unoccupied at the time of the fire. Deputy Fire Marshal Kurt Lathrop said the neighbors disbursed before he could talk with him.

Lathrop is conducting an investigation and is trying to contact the neighbors and passers by who witnessed it. There is no official cause for the fire, which left black smoke marks on the exterior above the kitchen window.

The state fire marshal is still investigating several fires that were apparently set by an arsonist in Bradenton Beach and Cortez. There was no indication this fire could have been set intentionally.

Anyone with information on the fire should contact West Manatee Fire & Rescue at 741-3900.

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Renourishment request on hold

By Tom Vaught
sun staff writer

BRADENTON BEACH – The pipes for the Anna Maria Island renourishment project still end at Katie Pierola Park. A decision on when the project will end is still up in the air, despite a last minute attempt to get a decision on whether to allow the contractor to wait a couple of months until the weather patterns change.

Ron Rutger, of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is overseeing the renourishment, said last week that the main Corps office had received the request from contractor Goodloe Marine, Inc. to delay finishing the project. A conference call was set up for Thursday, but the contracting officer was on holiday leave. Rutger said a decision is expected this week.

Goodloe, which began the project just after the Fourth of July weekend, has been plagued by weather-related delays. With a record number of tropical storms and hurricanes last summer, the delays brought the project into winter, where a series of cold fronts have made it impossible for the dredge to accurately dig the sand out of the designated areas northwest of the Island.

Rutger said without the Corps contracting officer on the phone, they discussed the delay and some alternatives, but came to no conclusion. He said the Corps also received Manatee County’s request to delay the project until May, when season ends.

County Ecosystems Administrator Charlie Hunsicker said that if the delay is granted, he expects that Goodloe will remove the pipes that run from the water down to the park, so that visitors would have easy access to the water and an unobstructed view of the Gulf of Mexico.

Goodloe has already removed the dredge and supply boat from the waters around the Island and returned to its home office in Apollo Beach, north of Tampa. Workers stacked pipes that were not attached to the pipeline south of Katie Pierola Park and left earthmovers and other equipment inside areas isolated by orange temporary fencing before leaving the job three weeks ago.

Rutger said one concern they have with delaying the project to May is the fact that they would be working during turtle season, when sea turtles lay their eggs on the beach. Suzi Fox, head of Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch, said she would prefer that the project be done and the new sand be compacted by the time the mother turtles come upon the beach to next. Fox said she is monitoring the situation.

Goodloe has about 30 days of work left on the last portion of the project, which renourished beaches in Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach that were renourished in 2002. The project is a stopgap to bring the beaches up to the point they should be after erosion during the 2004 hurricane season.

After Goodloe finishes that project, it has contracted to renourish beaches in Anna Maria that were also renourished in 2002. Manatee County is paying for that project.

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Commissioners tweak dock ordinances, user agreements

By Pat Copeland
sun staff writer

HOLMES BEACH — Commissioners made some revisions to the Sunrise Park and T-end canal dock ordinances and user agreements but plan to bring the documents back to another work session for further discussion.

The Sunrise Park dock ordinance addresses docks in the canal at 28th Street and Avenue B. The T-end dock ordinance covers docks in the T-end canals between 72nd and 77th streets.

In earlier work sessions, commissioners agreed to remove all existing docks in both areas, replace them with uniform docks and enter into agreements with qualified residents to use the docks.

They agreed that the Sunrise Park docks would be two-foot-wide finger docks with a total of eight docks with boat 16 spaces. There would be 10 finger docks with 20 dock spaces in each T-end canal. Docks would be 20 feet long.

In addition, the city will provide a water and a fish cleaning station in each T-end canal and in the Sunrise Park boat basin. Boaters will be permitted to add electric to their docks at their expense.

Ordinance revisions
City Attorney Patricia Petruff said staff members had questions regarding various aspects of the ordinances and wanted clarification.

"Once the initial docks are full and there is a waiting list, do you want residents of Sunrise Park and the T-end canals to have first priority? Petruff asked.

The consensus was to give them priority and then open it up to other residents of the city.

Another issue was whether to refund a portion of the user fee if the dock changes hands. Commissioners agreed that if the resident sells his house, the city will prorate and refund a portion of the fee. However, if the city revokes the right to use a dock, the city can decide whether to refund the fee based on the circumstances of the revocation.

In the case where a spouse dies and the other spouse does not want the dock, the city is not obligated to refund the fee.

Commissioners set the date of March 31 as the due date for annual renewals and agreed that the city is not obligated to notify the users that the fee is due.

There was some discussion of whether the city should require users to remove their boats within 24 hours of a hurricane evacuation order. Commissioners agreed that they want to ability to tell users to move the boats if necessary, but it will not be required.

Regarding the user agreement, commissioners discussed whether to make the fee payable annually or quarterly, but made no decision. Petruff said staff members suggested a fee of half the market value, which is $10 per month per foot, but commissioners made no decision on that either. There was also no decision on whether to require a specific amount of insurance or just to require proof of insurance.

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HEART closes out after helping hurricane victims

By Pat Copeland
sun staff writer

HEART, the community group formed to aid hurricane victims, plans to disburse the last of its funds as Christmas gifts to the families it has helped since September.

HEART, or Hurricane Evacuation Assistance Relocation Team, was born after Hurricane Katrina destroyed the Gulf coast of Louisiana and Mississippi. Then when Hurricane Rita followed, its victims were added to the group’s list.

Susan Timmons and Sean Murphy, of the Beach Bistro, in partnership with the Island Community Center, formed the group in September. Members included school, business and community leaders.

Its mission was "to create lasting, positive change in the lives of children and families relocating to our community as evacuees from Katrina and Rita."

Evacuees’ needs included food, clothing, furnishings, health care, housing and employment. The Community Center coordinated donations and developed a database of people and their needs and the community’s resources. Community Center therapist Rosemarie Fisher met with the individuals and families to assess their needs.

The group’s first evacuees were Joe and Michelle White, their 4-year-old son, Riley, and Michelle’s mother, Gerri Bobele, and her roommate, Sharon Oaf, who fled to Bradenton from Mississippi.

The White’s decided to resettle in Gary, Ind., after a woman from Gary, who was visiting Holmes Beach and read their story, contacted her church group, which adopted the family. Bobele and Oaf decided to relocate to Bradenton and received clothing, money and housing until they could get established.

The second family adopted by HEART was Dennis and Johanna Peralta and their children, Viviana, 3, and three-month-old twins, Jennifer and Maia, who fled their home in Louisiana. They received money to pay their utility bills and rent, gift cards and funding to allow Dennis to study for his GED. Students at Anna Maria Elementary School held a diaper drive for the family.

The third evacuee was a single man named David, who needed help with housing, furnishings and clothing. HEART also paid to have his vehicle repaired and gave him gift cards to purchase gas and household supplies.

Two other families with four children came to HEART’s attention. They were from Louisiana and lost everything. Funds raised by Lakewood Ranch residents paid their rent until April 1, 2006. HEART helped them with funding for expenses, clothing and furnishings.

HEART helped another family with two children relocate to Orlando by providing them with $1,000 for moving expenses. HEART volunteers also drove to Orlando to deliver clothing and furnishings and a check.

A final family with two children was helped with a security deposit on a house and rent.

Just before Thanksgiving, the group disbursed half of its remaining funds among the families so they could buy Thanksgiving dinner.

Fortunately, the group had one more success story before ending its mission. A woman called the Community Center with a car to donate, and HEART contacted Oaf. Oaf’s car had just died, so the vehicle is being donated to her with HEART paying the expenses of title transfer.

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