Page A32 Southwest Spotlight November 2011SOUTHWESTNOVEMBER 2011 Vol.2, No.11 FREEEvents, things to do and opportunities to give back to our community in and around Bonita SpringsPRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE PAIDFT MYERS, FLPERMIT #980RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERECRWSSWhy I love livingin Bonita Springs B1Restaurant Guide B22Womanof the Year B11Issues andanswers A16Use this Certificate for an extra 20% OFF the sale price of any area rug in-stock.20% OFFAdditional* ONE CERTIFICATE PER PURCHASE. OFFER EXCLUDES PRIOR PURCHASES AND DISCONTINUED AREA RUGS. EXPIRES 11-30-11.(SWS)239-596-5959naples.abbeycarpet.comRoyal Cove Plaza 13250 Tamiami Trail NorthNaples Finest Flooring ShowroomIOYAL COVE ILAZA 13250 JAMIAMI JRAIL ORTH CNE bLOCK SOUTH OF WIGGINS IASS IOAD APLES, ILORIDA 34110239-596-5959 NAPLES.ABBEYCARPET.COM MONDAY - IRIDAY - o SATURDAY - 5Come Visit the Flooring ExpertsAREA RUGSOn Sale Now!FREEDesign ServiceFREEDelivery & Set up 25% -75% OFF!100s of Closeouts & IISCONTINUED IUGS at 75% OFF!IURRY! SALE NDS 11-30-11Inside20,000 circulation12,000 direct-mailedThe Ship A9Bonita Middle Centerfor the Arts A12By Peter R. OFlinnprof@swspotlight.comBonita Springs When asked for an opinion on competitorsin his City Council race, one candidate expressed a sentimentechoed by all. Everyone running cares deeply about BonitaSprings and wants to make it a better place, he said. Allof the other candidates bring something good to the table,said another. Welcometothenon-partisanDistrict4CityCouncilrace. Class of 2012. Its far from the nattering nabob landoftheflickeringtubeand,apparently,withnoneofthepartisan rancor. At least so far.BarbaraBarnes-Buchanan,RogerBrunswick,WesleyNorrisandPeterSimmonsarevyingtosucceedJohnSpear.Spearchosenottoseekreelection,citingbusinessand family commitments.District 4 includes Bonita Bay, Cedar Creek, HighlandWoods,SanCarlosEstatessouthofStrikeLane,BonitaSpringsGolfandCountryClubwestofParadiseRoadand the Villages of Bonita to the west of that. There are almost 6,000 voters registered in the district.Forty-sevenpercentliveinBonitaBay,withHighlandWoodsandCedarCreekrepresentingabout30percent,according to Lee County Supervisor of Elections office.The four candidates tie the high mark for a City Councilelection, set in District 6 in 2000. That year, the Citys first,seven candidates squared off in the mayoral contest.In early fund raising, Brunswick raised $5,586.03 from25 contributors, Norris raised $3,025 from 16 contributorsand Simmons raised $1,425 from four contributors in thethreemonthperiodendedSeptember30,accordingtocampaign filings with the City Clerks office.January 31,2012 is election day. Dave Grothaus is chal-lenging incumbent Mayor Ben Nelson, Jr. for the mayoralty.Continued on page A15Four for fourStaff Photo | info@swspotlight.comBy Chad Gillisinfo@swspotlight.comBonitaSprings Stacktheflatpackagesprocessed in the Bonita Springs Post Officelengthwiseonanaverageweekthisfalland it would be as tall as the Empire StateBuilding. Addtothat2,340linearfeetoflettersand10,000parcelsanditstartstobecomeclearjusthowmuchgoesonatthe main office along Old 41, even duringthe offseason.A lot of people think it comes to us allsortedandthattheydrivearoundalldayandhandoutmailinthesunshine,saidPostmaster Cindi DeBrino. But its tougherthan that.Bonita deliversContinued on page A27SS_NOV_A_Cover and 3210/27/113:54 PMPage 1Page A2 Southwest Spotlight November 2011Locally owned andoperated since 2010(239) 287-6474info@swspotlight.comPO Box 1946Bonita Springs, FL 34133Southwest Spotlight, LLCswspotlight.comSOUTHWESTPublisherPeter A. O'Flinnpeter@swspotlight.comThis monthA6 A fun gameA6 The Elephantin the boothA9 The ShipA10 Historical houseA12 Bonita MiddleA16 Issues and answersA18 Project HopeA22 Live from FGCUA23 Magic diamond dustA24 Blankets for BonitaA28 Mayoral race updateB9 Taste of BonitaB11 Woman of the YearTrish LeonardB12 RiverFest resultsEvery IssueA5 Ben Nelsons columnA6 Up and Down the TrailA21 SpotlightReal Estate WatchA25 Opportunitiesto give backA26 Bonita Business BeatA31 Sunset of the monthB1 Why I love living inBonita SpringsB2 EventsB7 Bonitas Best FriendsB14 Artist of the monthJan PiscitelliB19 Teacher SpotlightJoy CooperB21 Catch of the monthB22 Restaurant GuideAdvertising SalesKathy O'Flinnkathy@swspotlight.comOffice ManagerKatie O'Flinnkatie@swspotlight.comContributing WritersBill BarnesCharles J. CavaliereD. K. ChristiMeghan EasterlyChad GillisMax Harris Dorota HarrisBen Nelson Jr.Peter R. O'FlinnHeather ThomsonContributing PhotographersWilliam L. MeyersDavid MichaelLogan NewellRobert L. SmithB7B12SS_NOV 2011_Section A10/27/113:56 PMPage A2November 2011 Southwest Spotlight Page A3SS_NOV 2011_Section A10/27/113:56 PMPage A3THANK YOU TO ALL OURSEASONAL CUSTOMERS.WELCOME BACK!FIRSTPLACEFlorida

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Page A4 Southwest Spotlight November 2011SS_NOV 2011_Section A10/27/113:56 PMPage A4By Ben Nelson Jr.info@swspotlight.comBonita Springs My fatherwas a good man and a hardworker.ButasIdiscoveredat a very young age, he wasperhaps a bit too anxious togetsomeoneelseshandsdirty.Imnotbeingdisre-spectful, because he was real-lyproudofit.OneofhisfavoriteshirtshadwrittenacrossthefrontSomuchto do...So few people to doit for me! Its a funny shirt...unlessyouwere,likeme,one of his chosen few.TheyoungestoffourtoughFloridaCrackerbrothers, he had never for-gottenthatifyouwerethesmallest... then you had bet-ter be the smartest. Life on the family home-stead in the woods of South-westFloridainthe1930swasbrutalandthefourbrothershadtoearnextramoneyforthefamilybyworking part time for localfarmers.Ononeparticularday,theNelsonBoysandtwooftheirfriendstookajob hoeing okra. As the griz-zled old farmer handed outbrand new red shovels to alltheboys,hewarnedthem.Imgoinintotown,butdont you worry... Ill knowwho did the most work! AndIm gonna give that feller anextradollar!Nowmydadrealized that being 10 yearsold,hehadnochanceofcompeting in an all day shov-elingcontestandlikelywouldntgetpaidatallnomatter how hard he worked.So when the farmer left, thesmall boy scratched his chinand thought for a momentbefore walking over and sit-tingdownunderanearbytree.HisbrotherCharlie,whowasalreadyhardatwork, looked over at the boyunder the tree. As he turnedanothershovelfullofdirtoverhetauntedtheappar-ently dejected boy under thetreeLookatpoorlittleBenny!Heaintgonnagetpaid nothin! All the otherboys chuckled and kept dig-ging... but my dad just pulledhishatdownoverhiseyesand relaxed further back intothe tree.Eightlonghourslater,justbeforethefarmerwasdueback,myDadsatup,grabbed a rock that he hadcarefully selected and casuallystartedscrapingthepaintoff the shovels blade.Thisstruck his brother as partic-ularly bizarre behavior andas he took the rag out of hisback pocket and wiped thesweat from his eyes he yelledWhattheheckareyoudoin?Areyoutouchedinthe head? After a few min-utes all the paint was scrapedclean from the shovels bladeand without saying a word,my dad stood up and starteddigging furiously. The otherboysdidntknowwhattothink about this, but as theyallstoodtherewiththeirheads all cocked sideways...here came the farmer aroundthecornerinhisModelAtruck.Hecrawledoutofthedirtyblackbuggyandholleredfortheyoungstersto gather around him.Allright... let me see the workinendsofthemshovels!Ashe went down the row andcame to my dads apparentlywornoutgardentool,theold farmer slapped his handstogether and hooted, Dangboy! You might be the small-estbutyousuregavetheseotherboysalesson!Hesurely had. Dad collected hisextradollarandashewaswalking off he looked backathisbrotherswithabiggrin, tapping the side of hishead with his finger.AsIthinkbacktomyUncle Charlie telling me thisstory several years ago, withmy dad sitting next to himgrinningfromeartoear,Iwonder exactly what the reallesson might have been.Thefarmer,mydadandhisbrothers all came away tellingthe same story but Im bet-ting that they had differenttakesonwhattheyhadlearned. One thing is prettyclearthoughyoucantaccuratelyjudgeabook,aperson, or a shovel by theirappearance. November 2011 Southwest Spotlight Page A5Dont judge a shovel by its appearanceNeil Nelson | Special to the SpotlightSo much to do...So few people to do it for me!SS_NOV 2011_Section A10/27/113:56 PMPage A5Spotlight Staff Reportinfo@swspotlight.comJanet Martingets good newsWhen the clock clicked 5p.m.onOctober20,itwasofficial. No other candidatehadfiledtoopposeJanetMartin for the City CouncilDistrict2seat.SoMartinwill serve a second four-yearterm.A couple of minutes after5,wewerelookingattheclockandsayingO,myGosh, said an ecstatic Martinwhen contacted by the Spot-light about a half hour later.Theanticipationhasbeenkilling us, it was almost likewe were back four years agowhen they were counting theballots.Itisexciting.Youhatethe whole process of accept-ingmoneyforsignsandmailers, when I would reallyrathertelleverybodyGivethe money to Bonita Assis-tance Office or your favoritecharity, she said.Ifcompetitionhademerged,Martinandherteam were ready to kick intoaction. Her campaign Face-book page was ready, as washerwebsite.Ihavebeenoptimistic,shesaid,butthey always say Run like youare losing. So my team wasready.In 2008, Martin received56percentofthevoteindefeatingAlexGranttforthe District 2 seat. The districtstraddlesEastTerryStreetin Old Bonita.and so does Bill Lonkart Bill Lonkart will serve asecondfour-yeartermasDistrict6Councilmember.No other candidate emergedto oppose his reelection bid.District6runseastofOld41andsouthofImperialRiver.Whenaskedhowhefeltat the moment he knew hisreelection would be uncon-tested,Lonkartdescribedafeelingofquietsatisfactionand accomplishment.IfeltthatbeingontheCouncil and working togeth-erforthemostparthasprovedfruitful,hesaid,because of the positive reac-tionofthepeopleIcomeinto contact with across theCity.In 2008, Lonkart received52percentofthevoteindefeatingRondaLylesLawhon fortheDistrict6seat. Lonkart tried first in 2000,theyearoftheCitysfirstelection. That was interest-ing, he said. I was a novicein terms of running for polit-ical office. The crowded fieldincluded another candidatefrom his Worthington neigh-borhood, Frank Howe. Lonkart learned from theexperience, most importantlythe need to build a well-runorganization. Itworks,hesaid. You need other peopleto help you. You cant do itby yourself.A Fun game for children,and candidates tooAtleasttwocandidatesinthecrowdedDistrict4City Council race appear tobe enjoying an adult versionofachildsgame,MusicalChairs.FormonthscandidateRoger Brunswickhas attend-edCityCouncilmeetings,often seated in the aisle chairinthesecondrowoftheaudience.ButwhenMayorBenNelson calledCityCounciltoorderforalateOctober meeting, Brunswickwas not in that chair. Insteaditwasoccupiedbyoneofhis opponents in the District4 race, Peter Simmons, whois also a meeting regular.Whatssoimportantaboutsittinginthatchair?Habitual viewers of CouncildeliberationsonBTVmayknow, and see, the difference.ItturnsoutthatwhentheeyeintheskyinCouncilchambers pivots to focus onthe speakers podium, its fieldofviewclearlyincludestheoccupantofrow2ontheaisle.Face time for candidatesintheaislechairisatimehonored City Hall tradition.IfyouaregoingtoattendCouncilmeetings,sittingthereforhours,youmightaswellbeincameraview,just like City Council mem-bers. With a chuckle, Coun-cilmanSteveMcIntoshrecalledadvicehereceivedwhen he ran for the District1 Council position in 2010.A former City Councilmansuggested McIntosh move torow 2 on the aisle but I washappysittingintheback,said McIntosh.WithSimmonsplantedintheaisleseat,Brunswicksat stage right barely in cam-erarange,nearwhereSim-monshassatinpastmeetings.The second row aisle seatis a good spot to be in cameraview.Itsnotthebest.Thatdistinctionbelongstothefirstrowaisleseat,the locationoftheSteinmeyerChairofPoliticalScience, asMcIntoshdubsit.RickSteinmeyer, who sits there,takescitizenparticipationseriously. He dutifully readsCityCouncilpacketsinadvanceandofferscogentandsometimescolorfulremarks during public com-mentperiods.Steinmeyer,whohasnotmissedaCityCouncil meeting in memory,is not about to be displaced.The Elephant in the boothWhat do Michele Bach-man, Mitt Romney, HermanCain andRickPerry havetodowithBonitaSpringsCity issues? Nothing, it seems.As far as we know, they havenottakenapositiononlibraryexpansion,develop-ment in the DRGR, Old 41redevelopment,staffingofBonitaNaturePlace,Eco-nomic Development Councilfunding,orwhopaysforbeach nourishment on LittleHickory Island. Not to men-tionagriculturalzoninginSan Carlos Estates, the Citybudget or the pace of dump-ster enclosures on Old 41.But there is nothing likeamaineventtodrawacrowd.ThatiswhattheRepublican presidential can-didateswilldoonJanuary31,2012,thedateoftheFlorida presidential primaryelection, a decidedly partisanevent. Ifpastisprologue,theprimary will boost the votefortheundercardthatday,thedecidedlynonpartisanBonita Springs City election.Cityelectionshavebeennonpartisanfromdayone.Bonita Springs City Chartersection 14 provides they shallbe nonpartisan without thedesignationofanypoliticalaffiliation for any candidateon any ballot. The Citys IncorporationCommittee crafted the BonitaSprings City Charter, enactedby the Florida legislature andapprovedbyvoterreferen-dum in November 1999. RichardBecker,achairof the Incorporation Com-mittee,recentlyrecalleditsdeliberations.Thenotionofpartisanelections was discussed earlyonbutdidnotlastverylongbecauseitwasalmostunanimousthatthenon-partisan approach to life wasthewayforthenewcitytoproceed,BeckertoldtheSpotlight, It has been work-ing ever since.The Incorporation Com-mittee believed nonpartisanelections eliminated the dis-tractionsofpartypolitics,and provided a level playingfield, he said, We had seena lot of what went on in par-tisan politics large and small.You are building a city fromthegroundup.WewantedtogivetheCitythebestadvantagetoeliminatePage A6 Southwest Spotlight November 2011Up and Down the TrailContinued on page A23SS_NOV 2011_Section A10/27/113:56 PMPage A6November 2011 Southwest Spotlight Page A7SS_NOV 2011_Section A10/27/113:56 PMPage A7Page A8 Southwest Spotlight November 2011SS_NOV 2011_Section A10/27/113:56 PMPage A8By D.K. Christiinfo@swspotlight.comBonitaSpringsAfterthedouble-takeasTheShipcomes into view on the westsideofUS41,youmightaskthesamequestionposed by a prospective work-manduringthe1994con-struction phase of The ShipRestaurant, Once its built,how are you going to get ittothewater?RobFowler,ofFowlerConstructionansweredwithoutskippinga beat, Well build a canal.Dom Trentadue of BonitaSprings tells about his grand-sonasking,Grampa,howdidthatshipgethere?Towhich he responded, It musthavebeenahurricaneandno one has figured out howto move it back.Manystoriesaretoldabout the unique restaurantbuiltinthemid1990sinwhatwasthenunincorpo-rated Lee County, 24080 N.Tamiami Trail. The site pur-chase included Springs Gar-denRestaurantandtheownershome,3.62acresfrom U.S. 41 to Walden Cen-terDrive.NowaBonitaSprings landmark, its waitingforlaunch,victimtomanychanging trends in the econ-omy,oftenwearingaforsale sign. The ship idea came fromseasoned restaurant ownersAlfredoRussoandTonyScialdonewhoalsoownAnthonysontheGulfandJunkanoo in Ft. Myers Beach.Theysawashiprestaurantin New England and broughttheconcepttoFloridassouthwestcoast. WeknewTony Scialdone had an imag-inative spirit, for sure, whenhe came to us with the idea.Weoftenfaceuniquechal-lengesintheprojectsweundertake. This one was noexception, said Rob Fowler. Robhadjustreturnedhome to join the family busi-nesswhenhisdadhandedhimasetofblueprintsinItalian and said, Build this.The plans for a 16th CenturySpanish Galleon originatedwithamodellocatedinamuseum in Spain. In thosedays, models were construct-ed first to sell the construc-tion project. Once purchasedbyaKingorQueen,thebuilders up scaled from themodel.TheItalianplanscamefroma1950sItalianmovieproductionthatintended to build that Span-ish Galleon.ConstructioninBonitaSprings required new tools.Anexperiencedcarpentersaidfromthebow, thisisthe first time I worked on aproject for more than threemonths without picking upalevel.Thecurvatureandattention to nautical detailsrequiredloftinglinesformeasurement.Themastscame from telephone poles.Marineengineersandshipmodelers provided technicalassistance. The details includ-edthickwarboardsatthewater line and special redand yellow paint to projectthe illusion of cannons. Thiswas a treasure galleon, not awar ship.Thetreasurewasfoundintheinterior.Customersat the original Ship Restau-rant selected their own fishorbeefcutsfromcases.Dessertincludedanicecreamandpastrybar.Theship area was a comfortableloungewhiletheoriginalbut renovated Springs Gar-den Restaurant provided thediningandkitchenareas.Wood finishes approximatedthelookandfeelofaship.Perhapsitwasaheadofits time; Bonita Springs hadnot reached its zenith. It hasgonebymanynamessinceitfirstopenedastheShipRestaurantincludingTheLandmark Ship, the BonitaChop House, Bogerts ChopHouse, the Bonita Rib RoomandClubRoyale,theVIPClub Bonita, and it was evenabingoparlor.Onetenantchangedtheexteriorbypaintingoveritsclosetoauthentic colors with blackand white. Thechangesjustdidntcapture the imagination longenoughfornewtenantstogain a following. The open-ing of Coconut Mall and thegrowthalongthatUS41corridormightyetleadtotreasure.Aforsalesignbeckons.Inthemeantime,if directions that begin withjustbeyondtheshiporjustbeforetheshipseemalittlestrangesofarfromthe Gulf, you know the restof the story.November 2011 Southwest Spotlight Page A9Contributed | info@swspotlight.comThe Ship has gone by many names since it first opened as the Ship Restaurantin the 1990s including The Landmark Ship, the Bonita Chop House, BogertsChop House, the Bonita Rib Room and Club Royale, the VIP Club Bonita.The plans for a 16thCentury SpanishGalleon originatedwith a model located in a museum in Spain.The Ships treasureSS_NOV 2011_Section A10/27/113:56 PMPage A9By Chad Gillisinfo@swspotlight.comBonita Springs Volunteersand local businesses are mak-ingafinalpushtoraiseupwardsof$8,000foranairconditioningsystemneeded to protect the historicJoseph McSwain house alongOld41RoadindowntownBonita Springs. Bonita Springs HistoricalSocietyPresidentDonnaNemsick said members andvolunteers have worked mostweekends this calendar yearto save and restore the 1915home,whichwasdonatedto the Society by Hudon andAlice Humphries in January.The Humphries family pur-chasedthehomefromtheMcSwainsinthe1970s,according to Historical Soci-ety records. Nemsick said an anony-mousNorthFortMyersfoundation recently donated$3,000inmatchinggrantmoneytohelppayfortheair conditioning system. Nowmembers must raise $3,000fromlocalindividualsandbusinessestosecurethematching funds. Backedbyvolunteers,Society members hired con-tractorstoripoutwalls,install a completely new elec-trical system as well as hand-icapped accessible restroomfacilities and entry and exitramps. Idbethrilledifitwasdone by the end of the year,Nemsick said. Then we canraisefundseasierbecausepeople can actually visit thehouse.NemsicksaidtheMcSwainhousewilleven-tually include three facets: agallery in the home, a com-munity meeting facility thatwill be located in a detachedbuilding and an open back-yardformusicalperform-ances and public events. In all, Nemsick said about$25,000 of work needs to bedone before the facility canbe opened to the public.Nemsick pleaded to Boni-ta Springs City Council ear-lierthisyearfor$6,000forthe air conditioning system.Council member John Spearsaid at the time that the citydidnt have a proper mech-anism for funding charities.HealsosaidtheSocietyshould approach individualsandlocalbusinessesfordonations. Hebackedthatupthisweek by writing a $100 checkto the Society. Its $200 if the founda-tion matches my $100, Spearsaid.(But)Idontthinkcouncilshouldbepassingouttaxdollars.Itsahardsituation to say no to some-bodyeventhoughwesup-port what theyre doing.Still,Spearhasbeenalong-timer supporter of theHistoricalSocietyandsaidhed like to see the McSwainhouse turn into a successfulendeavor. We can get this done bytheendoftheyear,Spearsaid.Wejustneedsomepeople to step up to the plateand write small checks, $50to $100.Accordingtohistoricalrecords,JosephMcSwainandhisfamilymovedtowhatwasthenthesettle-mentofSurveyfromMis-sissippiin1901.TheyfirstlivedinacabinalongtheImperial River before it waswashed away during a flood. JosephMcSwainbuiltwhats now referred to simplyas the McSwain home alongwith the help of local fami-lies. The family moved intothe structure in 1915 and itwas owned by the McSwainsfor several generations.Page A10 Southwest Spotlight November 2011Historical Society seeking to match grantContributed | Special to the SpotlightTheMcSwainhouse,furthestleft,onOld41wasbuiltin1915.TheBonitaSprings Historical Society plans to save and restore the home. We can get this done by the endof the year. We just need some peopleto step up to the plate and write smallchecks, $50 to $100. Councilman John SpearThe Plan The Historical Societys planfor the McSwain houseincludes:I a galleryI a community meeting facilityI an open backyard for musical performances and events(239) 992-2626NO CREDIT CHECK FINANCING AVAILABLE!Extended Warranty Plans Honored HereAAMCO ofBonita SpringsOld 41RestaurantTransmission Service SpecialHONDA and ACURA OwnersCustomer ChoiceCourtesy Brake InspectionFREE WipersorFREE Tire RotationorFREE Air FilterFREE Brake Fluid Flush with Brake Servicing!Fluid and Filter ChangeTransmission 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. 11/30/11 All offers Good on Most Vehicles.Must present coupon at vehicle check-in.Exp. 11/30/11 All offers Good on Most Vehicles. Must present coupon at vehicle check-in.Exp. 11/30/11SPECIAL PROMOTION!Celebrating 3 years in Business!! Celebrating 3 years in Business!!Our ASE Certied 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! Transmissions Brakes Shooks & Struts Alr Condltlonlng Tune Ups Advanoed Dlagnostlos Eleotrloal Dlfferentlals Transfer Cases Exhaust Englne Replaoements lgnltlon Systems Steerlng & Suspenslon Faotory MalntenanoeUPTO$12999Most Vehicles / PLEASE ask! Must present coupon at check in. Exp. 11/30/11SS_NOV 2011_Section A10/27/113:56 PMPage A10November 2011 Southwest Spotlight Page A11SS_NOV 2011_Section A10/27/113:56 PMPage A11By Heather Thomsoninfo@swspotlight.comBonitaSpringsOutof706 students at Bonita Mid-dle, 90 percent are registeredfor arts classes. Walking uptothenondescriptbrickbuildingonWestTerryStreet, there is a new posterhanging that states Proudto be an A school! Certainlyat this school there is muchto be proud of.As of this academic year,BonitaMiddleisanArtsSchool.Theyhaveallnewartsequipmentintheartwingoftheirbuilding.Allthe rooms existed previous-ly, but everything has beenre-vamped. The dance roomhas new floors and new mir-rorsliningthewalls,andsoontheartroomwillberemodeledaswell.Witharenewed mission statementofExpandingminds,strengtheningbodies,andnurturing souls for life-longsuccess, it seems that BonitaSpringsMiddleCenterforthe Arts is working to maketheirschoolnotonlya premierArtsschool,butalsoonethattheBonitaSprings community can beproud of.ButwhatisanArtsschool? What makes it dif-ferentfromthepreviouscurriculum?IntheBonitaSpringsMiddleCenterforthe Arts brochure, it statesAllstudentsareprovidedwith an exploratory relatedartscoursesuchas:Band,Dance,Drama,Chorus,Handbells, Orchestra, VisualArts,BusinessTechnologyEducation,orHealthandPhysicalEducation.Andmostofthestudentsthatyou see filing in and out oftheschooleverymorningand afternoon are enrolledinmorethanoneofthoseclasses. Fortheteachersespe-cially,itisaveryexcitingtime at the school. Its greatbecause many of these kidshave never even picked upinstruments before, but youwalkpasttheorchestraroom and you can see themplaying the violin, says oneteacher.Andthekidsarejust as excited.Ifyoupokeyourheadinto one of Ms. DeAngelissdanceclasses,youcanseethededicationandenthu-siasm everyone talks about.Thestudentslineupobe-dientlyandperformThriller,andthentheydanceahiphopnumber,everyone smiling the wholetime. At the end, even whenthe bell rings for lunch, theyareallyelling, Onemore!One more! Their teacherssaytheyneverhearthatkind of thing from students,except in the Arts wing. Intheorchestraandbandrooms,youllheartheFrench horn and the guitar.Thestudentsguideeachother through the notes andexpertlytunetheirinstru-ments, their teachers lookingon and helping them whennecessary.StudentsperformedThrillerlastmonthatRiverside Park during Hal-loweeninthePark.Theirart work was also on displayduringlastmonthsRiver-fest.Theartsprogramsgivethe students the opportunitytoexercisetheircreativityand give them a break fromtheirroutineclasses.Withsomanyartsprogramsbeing cut from curriculums,Bonita Middle has managedto revitalize its programs inawaythatwillensuregrowth and vitality in theirstudents, as well as a greaterappreciation for the arts ingeneral.Parents,teachers,and the Bonita Springs com-munitycanlookonthisschool and boast a vibrantand enthusiastic communityof young adults.Page A12 Southwest Spotlight November 2011Bonita Springs Middle Center for the ArtsHeather Thomson | info@swspotlight.comLast month at Riverside Park, students performedThriller at Halloween in the Park.Heather Thomson | info@swspotlight.comStudents at Bonita Middle guide each other throughnotes and expertly tune their instruments.As of this academic year,Bonita Middle is an Arts School.SS_NOV 2011_Section A10/27/113:57 PMPage A12November 2011 Southwest Spotlight Page A13SS_NOV 2011_Section A10/27/113:57 PMPage A13Page A14 Southwest Spotlight November 2011 Hair Design Keratin Treatments Color Manicure Shellac Pedicures Facials Waxingwww.nuusalon.com239.949.68004450 Bonita Beach Rd.Bonita Springs, FL 34134(West of 41 in the Liberty Bank Plaza-Opposite the Sea Shell Company)Hours:Mon. - Fri. 10-5PMSat.9 -3PMQuality Services at Reasonable Prices BRI NGI NTHI SADFORSPECI ALSNuU Salon & SpaRI NG I N THSpecialsNormally $150Now $75Keratin Smoothing Treatment ii SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS tthhhhiii TTT tMon thru ThurA $72 ValueSpa Manicure & Pedicure On the Go $50F U L LS E R V I C E S F O R ME N & WO ME NSS_NOV 2011_Section A10/27/113:57 PMPage A14District2CouncilmemberJanet Martin and District 6Councilmember Bill Lonkartare unopposed.Before recent City Charteramendments, a run off wasrequiredifnocandidatereceivedmorethanhalfofthe votes cast. Now, whoeverhas the most votes wins. The Spotlight conductedextensiveinterviewswitheach candidate. Their pro-files follow. See the accom-panyingarticlefortheirviews on key citywide issuesincludingthebudget,Citypriorities, the library, socialservices,Old41andeco-nomic development.A Planner planning tochange chairsAsAssistantCityman-ager and in other roles, Bar-baraBarnes-Buchananspenteightyearssittingacross the table from BonitaSprings City Council mem-bers.Now,shewantstochange her chair. I am for-tunatethatIhavealotoftheskillsneededtobeanup and running member ofCity Council, she said.Thereisacommonthreadinmyviews,saidBarnes-Buchanan. We needtobemorecreativeinful-fillingourgoals.ThatiswhereIamcomingfrom.She stressed the importanceofconsensusbuildingamongresidents,fulltimeandparttime.Theyliveherealmosthalftheyear,she said referring to the lat-ter group. This is a big partof their life.And she goes a step fur-ther. She is looking forwardto getting to know the othercandidates to see if we cancollectivelycomeupwithsome good ideas.Barnes-Buchanan,anativeFloridian,haslivedinBonitaSpringsfor25years. A realtor, she is a cer-tified planner with a mastersdegree in business. Duringthe 1990s her work for theSouthwest Florida Interna-tional Airport port authorityincludedprojectslikethenew midfield terminal andrunway extensions. Itwouldbequickertolist the projects she did notworkonfortheCitythanthose she did, said Barnes-Buchanan.Amongothers,she worked on the compre-hensive plan, transportationinfrastructure, tourist devel-opmentandblockgrants,acquisitionsandspecialevents.Barnes-Buchanan left herAssistant City Manager posi-tionunderwhatsomesaywere less than fully harmo-nious circumstances. It wasasituationofmanagerialdifferencesandapproach,she said, noting that budgetconstraintsanddwindlinggrant proceeds put pressureonfundingherposition.Lookingbackonit,shereflected that in tough eco-nomic times, A good man-ager has to do what he hasto do.Learning to improve the CityRoger Brunswick recallsthe stop sign at new 41 andBonita Beach Road. ThatswhenyoucoulddrivebetweenBonitaandFortMyersintwentyminutes.Then they opened the Mobilgas station where you couldstopandgetabottleofwater.AftermanyyearslivinginsouthwestFlorida,withbusinessexperienceandcommunityserviceunderhis belt, Brunswick felt therewas still more to learn abouthis community. He enrolledintheLeadershipBonitaProgram sponsored by theBonita Springs Area Cham-ber of Commerce. It all came together formewhenIwentthroughLeadershipBonita,saidBrunswick, Itopenedmyeyes to all the pieces of thegreatpuzzlethatmakesBonitasuchawonderfulcommunity.Thecurricu-lumintroducesleadershipminded community mem-berstoallaspectsoftheCity, including government,education,publicsafety,socialissuesandtheenvi-ronment.I would recom-mendittoanyonewhowants to get involved in thisgreatcitythatwelivein,he said.WhileIwillrepresentthepeopleofDistrict4,Iwillalsoalwaysdowhatisbest for the people of BonitaSprings,saidBrunswick,It does not stop at the dis-trictline.Thatismyphi-losophy.WehaveagreatCity,andIwanttokeepitgreat.Brunswickis proudtobe a member of the morn-ing Rotary Club, serves ontheadvisorycommitteeoftheBonitaSpringsCom-munity Development Fund,andwasamemberofthetransitioncommitteeforthe Bonita Bay CommunityAssociation.Hehasbeenpresident of his homeown-ersassociationforeightyears.Since2010BrunswickhasbeenamemberoftheBonitaSpringsZoningBoard. AnativeofCleveland,Ohio, Brunswick is a realtor.Hisearliercareerwasasamanufacturers representa-tive and in the office equip-ment business. A volunteer for all seasons, particularly oneWes Norris has an exten-siveresumeofvolunteerserviceinBonitaSprings,butashedescribedoneasparkle came to his eye. Foras long as he can remember,he said, each December hehas played the part of a cer-tain man in a red suit and abeardattheFlesherFarmChristmas display on BonitaGrande Drive.Norrisservedfornineyears as a member of BonitaSpringsZoningBoard,anexperience where he enjoyedthelearningcurve.Onething I learned on the Zon-ing Board, he said. I wouldgetmy(briefing)packet.Iwouldreaditandthink,This is the way I feel. Butwhen I went in and listenedtobothsidesoftheissue,sometimes I would changemy thinking.Iamagoodlistener.Iknow the problems and theissuesinBonitaSprings,said Norris I think there isamiddlegroundtomostevery issue. Sometimes thereis not. Sometimes it has tobe no. But I will always tryto find the middle ground.A native of Floridas pan-handle, Norris served in the101st Airborne Division ofthe United States Army. Hecame to Bonita Springs 30yearsago.For25yearshewas a vice president of Hick-ory Homes, a local builder.He also worked in retail andcommercial insurance.Norris is the founder oftheareasOptimistClub,the international volunteerorganizationdedicatedtobringingoutthebestinkids.TheOptimistsgolftournament,whichhehastwicechaired,brings650children from 38 countriesand48statestoPGANational in Palm Beach Gar-dens each year.For more than 25 years,Norris has helped organizecamping trips for over 120childrenwithFortMyersPoliceDepartmentmem-bers. Those kids learn thatpoliceofficersarehumanbeings too, he said. A lifelong interest in politicsPeter Simmons has a life-long interest in politics. Infact,almostliterally,itsinhis blood. When Simmonsfather returned from servingin Vietnam, he was electedtotheNewHampshireHouseofRepresentatives. Attheageofsix,Sim-monshadwhatmaybearosebudmomentinhispolitical life. His dads workrequired a trip to Concordand young Peter went along,right to the state capital, tothegovernorsofficeandthen to the governors chair.Therehesat,unscriptedandunattended,asSim-mons puts it. Simmonshasvisitedsouthwest Florida since the1970s,andseveralfamilymembers live in the area. Afewyearsbackheandhiswife decided to make BonitaSpringstheirhome.ThesmalltownfeelofBonitaSprings reminds him of theseaside town where he grewup, he says.People are coming herebecausetheywanttobeinvolved and want to makea difference, said Simmons.Thatiswhywearehere.I want to be a new voice,afreshvoice.Iknowthepassion and drive that I willbring to the position. I wanttobeavoiceforfamilies,children,education,smallbusinessSimmonsexpressedhisbeliefinlessgovernmentandlessper-sonal interference. Mypassionandmyinterestismyfamily,saidSimmons,whovolunteersat his childrens school. Simmons career has beeninandaroundpolitics.Whileworkingtowardhismastersdegreeheservedas a congressional intern inWashington,D.C.Hewaschief of staff to a Michiganstatesenator.In2003,hestarted the Simmons Group,whichconsultsandfund -raises for political and non-profitgroupslocallyandaround the country.November 2011 Southwest Spotlight Page A15Four for Fourfrom page 1We need to bemore creative in fulfilling our goals. Barbara Barnes-BuchananWhile I will repre-sent the people ofDistrict 4, I will alsoalways do what isbest for the people ofBonita Springs. Roger BrunswickI think there is amiddle ground tomost every issue.Sometimes there isnot. Sometimes ithas to be no. But Iwill always try tofind the middleground. Wes NorrisI want to be a newvoice, a fresh voice. I know the passionand drive that I will bring to the position. Peter SimmonsSOUTHWESTBonita SpringsRestaurant Guidepage B222for1HappyHourBuy 1,Get 1FREESS_NOV 2011_Section A10/27/113:57 PMPage A15By Peter R. OFlinninfo@swspotlight.comBonita Springs The Spot-light conductedextendedinterviews with each District4CityCouncilcandidateabout five topics of Citywideinterest, as well as District 4issues.BarbaraBarnes-Buchanan, Roger Brunswick,Wes Norris and Peter Sim-mons are running. Here, intheirownwords,aretheirviews.The Library. City Councilconcluded that the LeeCounty Library in BonitaSprings is not adequate,and noted that City tax-payers have paid manymillions into the system.City Council has askedLee County to contribute$4 million to an ex-panded library. What isyour view?Barnes-Buchanan:Theexpansionofthefacilityisdefinitely needed. Ive beengoing there for 25 years. Thishasbeenanongoingissue.Four years ago we commis-sioned Johnson Engineeringto do a study. Frommyperspectivein2011,theCityshouldbelookingathowthelibrarycouldbeused.Lifehaschangedandthelibraryneedstobelookedatasamultiresourcecenterapeopleplacewheregroupsand organizations can actu-allymeet.ThesegroupsenhanceourqualityoflifeandmaketheCitysmallerand much more appealing.Yes, we have been puttingourdollarsintoitandinaperfect world they would beavailable. Regardless of that$4million,therearewaysthat the community can docertainthings.Obviously,theelectedofficialswouldneed to buy into the process. IdontthinktheCityshouldpullawayfromtheCountylibrarysystem.Wehaveputtoomuchintoitandtogiveupaccesstoahugeinventoryresourcewould be foolish. Brunswick: I have a littledifferent take on the libraryingeneral.Iseebrickandmortar libraries as the futuredinosaursofthiscountry.The printed page is in jeop-ardy. What I want to find Ican find in an instant online.If the public thinks thereisaneedforadditionalcapacity, then to me it wouldmake sense to have perhapsa satellite branch that couldgointooneofourmanyvacantexistingstorefronts.Perhapswecouldhaveacouple of them within walk-ingdistanceofdifferentneighborhoods. These wouldbevirtuallibraries,withbanksofcomputerswherethe public could pull up alltheinformationtheyarelooking for. Thelibraryfundscomefrom the County the way itis structured now. It shouldbetheCountysresponsi-bility.Norris: Thisisoneofthosetimesthatyoumaynothaveanansweruntilyougetallthefacts.Youhave the group who say thatthelibraryisinadequate,and they were put in a posi-tion to find that answer out.Ontheothersideoftheissue my question is Are weseeing declines in the use ofthe library with all the elec-tronicmedia?Iamguiltyas the next person using myKindle. I would have to listen toboth sides of that issue, andIwouldgowithanopenmind. I dont know that youcanbuilda36,000squarefoot building for $4 million.IftheCountycomesbackandsaysWehavethe$4millionwehavetofigurehowmuchmorewilltheCity have to come up with.I think we are foolish if wesay, Iwoulddothisordothat at this point.Simmons: I wholeheart-edly support expanding theexistinglibrary.Ihavethoughtalotaboutthat.The times I have been thereit has been packed; very con-gested.CommissionerRayJudah has promised that LeeCountyhas$4millionfortheprojectandIwhole-heartedly support that. Wehavetolookatalldifferent avenues to get thisbuilt and I want to start withthe benchmark of $4 millionandgofromthere.OneofthereasonsIbelieveinexpandingtheexistinglibrary is to hold the line oncosts,butnotsacrificeoncomputers, study space, peri-odicals, books, childrens sec-tions. There is a lot we needto add. I believe the passionis there from the Mayor andthe existing City Council togo get that money.City Priorities. What doyou see as the City Councils priorities overthe next 2 to 3 years?Brunswick: My numberone priority is what can bedone to develop business inBonitaSpringsandsur-roundingareas.Iamallabouteconomicdevelop-ment, working with entitieslike the Bonita Chamber andPage A16 Southwest Spotlight November 2011Issues and answers Four candidates want the District 4 City Council seatBarnes-Buchanan Brunswick Norris Simmonsthe county and state level. Iwanttogalvanizemanyoftheretiredbusinessleadersthat live in the area. A lot ofthemaretiredofplayinggolfandtennis.Theyhavegoodideasandweneedtogather those people togetherand get them more involvedin the community.We need to fill all of thevacancies.Ifwefillthatwecreate jobs.Norris: We need to haveatwo-prongedpriority.Number one is to focus hardon filling up the 1.8 millionsquarefeetofemptyspacewe have in this community,built and ready to occupy.Ihavebeenheresince1981 and it is very discour-agingtoseesomeoftheshoppingcenterswithsomuch vacant space. If thereisgoingtobeadentistsoffice do we waive some oftheimpactfeeswemightnormally get? Maybe we willnotchargesomepropertytaxes for a few years. My second priority is thatweneedtodiversifyfromthe real estate, constructionand tourism based economy.WehaveI-75,northandsouth,andanairportcen-trally located. We have a rail-roadhere.Weshouldlookat light manufacturing. Simmons: One of my toppriorities is holding the taxrateat.83,keepingitverylow.ThatisthelowestintheCounty,byfar.BonitaSpringsCityCouncilhasdone an outstanding job tohold the line. The library is absolutelyoneofmytoppriorities.Ihave a ten-year-old daughterand a nine-year-old son.Iamverysupportiveofless regulation and less gov-ernment in peoples personalSS_NOV 2011_Section A10/27/113:57 PMPage A16lives and in their businesses.ThiswillkeepBonitaevenbusiness friendlier.We need to maintain thebeauty of Hickory BoulevardandthebeachesthatmakeBonitaadestinationspot,andweneedtomaintainroads for the town folk andvisitors.Barnes-Buchanan:Wedonthavetheunlimitedresources.Fromastrategicperspectiveitwouldbeimportant to research thoseprograms where there is rev-enue the city can go after. TheCityspentalotofmoneyonproperties,andwehavearealsurplusofpropertiesthathavebeensittingtherethatcouldbeutilizedforavarietyofthings.Ifeelthatitwouldbeofinteresttocitizenstogo back in there and look atsomeofthereuseoptions. TheDogTrackandShangri-la, two of the largerproperties in the City underprivateownership,couldhold a key to the Citys eco-nomicdevelopmentinthefuture.ItwouldbetotheCitys benefit to coordinatecloselywiththepropertyowners. OurrelationshipwithFlorida Gulf Coast Universityhasbeenunderutilized,including the work they arecurrentlydoinginwhatisreferredtoasCrackervilleon Bonita Beach Road. ThatissomethingthattheCitycouldfocusinonintheform of aquaculture. The Economic Develop-ment Council. The Cityhas contributed $75,000to the Bonita Springs Es-tero Economic Develop-ment Council. Do youagree with this?Norris: I am not opposedto that. The more people wecan get in here the broaderthattaxbaseissothat.83millageratecanstaythere.Butweneedagoal,andadatecertaintoseeresults.Sixmonthsfromnowweneed to know what compa-niestheyhavecontacted,what the results are and whatisthepotential.Therearestrings attached.Simmons: I wholeheart-edlysupporttheeffortsofthe Economic DevelopmentCouncilandIsupportthemoney the City gave to theCouncil. At the same time Iwant to closely monitor theireffortsandtheirprogress.Every six months we shouldgetanupdateonhowtheyare doing. The Economic Develop-mentCouncilhasexperi-encedpeople.TheyknowwhattheyaredoingandIlookforwardtoworkingwith them.Barnes-Buchanan: Theconcept of economic devel-opmentisveryimportant.As to the Economic Devel-opment Council, it dependson what uses the money wasearmarked for. Without hav-ingthespecificsIcannotreallytellyouthat.Isitsalariesandsuppliesandofficespace?IfIwereonCouncil and something likethat came up I would wanttoknowexactlywhatthe$25,000 plus the $75,000 to$100,000wasfor.Iwouldbesurprisedifthatinfor-mation did not exist. I knowthe Council members. Theyareverysmartpeoplesothey would probably be ask-ing similar questions.Brunswick: I am in favorofwhattheCityhasdoneto support economic devel-opment and the money thattheyhaveallocatedtoit.Itis kind of a Save our Citysituation. In order to prosperwe need to create economicdevelopment. The Old 41 Area. Old 41redevelopment has beenon the table for at leastas long as the City is old.Most people agree that itneeds work. What is yourvision for Old 41 andwhat is the Citys role?Simmons: Rightnowtherearealotofdifferentideas. There is not one clearvisionthatIhaveheardatthemoment.Youaskfivedifferentpeoplewhattheirvision is for Old 41 and youwill get five different answers. ButwouldntitbenicetoimagineanOld41withour existing beautiful park,CityHalldowntown,thesheriff sofficedowntown,one or two anchor businessesdowntown,whererestau-rants and shops and pedes-trianfoottrafficwouldfollow. The ebb and flow oftrafficwoulddrawpeoplenaturally to the area. Think of Fifth Avenue inNapleswherepeoplestop,andshopandspend.Thatis my vision for Old 41. Peo-plewillenjoytheareaandthenaturalbeautythatwehave there, while preservingthehistoricalsignificanceandwonderfulhistoryofdowntown Bonita. Barnes-Buchanan: TheRiversideParksideofOld41hasbeenwellutilized.But on the other side of thestreetyouhaveBamboo.Itissittingthere.Thereareavariety of things that can bedone. At one time there wasa plan to enhance the riveropportunities.Iwouldlikethat to be more in the fore-ground now. It will also lenditself to economic develop-ment there.The true heart of the cityofBonitaistheImperialRiver.Wehaveoneofthemostnaturalandpristinesmallrivers.Theresourcepotential is there. Lets use alotofthingsthatwehave.Youreusethingsandyouget creative.ThevisionforOld41thateveryonehashadforclose to 40 years was alwaysa good vision. I dont thinkanyone anticipated changesin the socio economic pop-ulationandculturaldiffer-ences. I think the City mightwant to consider what mightbedonetohavesomesyn-ergybetweenthedifferentcultures.Brunswick: At the presenttimetheCityhasdoneallthat it can do financially.TheCityneedstoworkwiththeexistingbusinessowners to help them expandtheirbusiness.ThegroupfromScoreisopeninganofficeattheartscottagesandtheLileshotel.Theireffortswillhelpbusinessesimprovetheirbottomline. Wehavesomeprimepropertythatisripefordevelopment.Bamboo Vil-lage is one of them. We needtofindthedeveloperouttherewhowouldbeinter-ested in that property. Thatcouldbeabeautifulresi-dential neighborhood alongthe river.ItwouldbegreatifthefolkswhoownShangri-Lacouldgetoffdeadcenter.Thatcouldbethecatalystthat opens all of this up.Norris:Allthevisualimprovementsarehelpingdowntown.RiversideParkisgreat.Butintheseeco-nomictimesarewegoingto get a developer to developtheBambooproperty?Idont see that happening forawhile.Iknowthattheyare trying to develop a mer-chantsassociationdown-town.Weareseeingsomeimprovement.ButatthistimeIdontseetheCitydoing a whole lot more. District 4 issues. AnySpecial District 4 issues?Barnes-Buchanan:Oneof the biggest issues in Dis-trict4hastodowiththeBonitaSpringsGolfandCountry Club. At one timeFlorida Gulf Coast Universitywas looking at it. So I thinkthatdiscussionsshouldbeentertainedwithFGCUtosee if they could utilize it asateachingfacilityforgolf.There may be an opportunityin off peak periods for peopletoplaygolf.Ofcourseitisprivately owned. There are water manage-mentissuesinthatsamearea, much like most of theCity. Brunswick: The numberonepriorityIamhearingabout is to have the expan-sion of Shangri-La Road goforward. It will give the peo-pleontheeastsideofthedistrictaccesstoImperialParkway from Old 41.SomeofthefolkswhoNovember 2011 Southwest Spotlight Page A17Continued on page A28SS_NOV 2011_Section A10/27/113:57 PMPage A17By Heather Thomsoninfo@swspotlight.comBonitaSprings Itwasasea of pink at the Susan G.Komen for the Cure South-west Florida offices in BonitaSprings.Aharpwassoftlyplucked in one corner of theroom,andhugswereexchanged often and earnest-ly.LastmonthwasBreastCancerAwarenessMonth,andtheseladiesstarteditwithamilestoneeventforour community. ProjectHopeprovidesnewly diagnosed breast can-cer patients with hand-knit-ted tote bags filled with morethan 25 items, such as edu-cationalmaterials,supportinformation,andpersonalcomforts.Volunteersbringthe materials together, stuffthe bags, and distribute themtopatientsinourregion.This simple, yet exceptionalideaallbeganwithonewoman.KellieBurnsofNBC-2Newswelcomedthegrouptothegathering,andexplainedProjectHopetoeveryone. Rosalie Seigel cameup with the idea with a groupof friends one day. Itisagreatway,saysBurns, to take a simple ideaand shed light on someonesdarkest hour. Rosalie Seigel created andintroduced Project Hope in2008,andthisyearKomenis proud to have provided its1000thbagtonewlydiag-nosed breast cancer patients.Rosalie passed away on April16,2011ofmetastaticmelanoma,themorningofthe Relay for Life for whichshewasthe ViceChair.Shededicated much of her timetophilanthropicorganiza-tions, including the Relay forLife, The Ladies of St. AgnesChurch, and of course SusanG.KomenfortheCureofSouthwestFlorida.Rosaliesfamily her daughter Jaclyn,husbandBruce,andcousinKaren were all at the dedi-cation,andwerepresentedwith a beautiful plaque com-memorating Rosalies involve-ment in Project Hope.MariannMcDonald,president of Komens BoardofDirectors,spokeaboutRosalies dedication to Proj-ectHopeandtoSusanG.Komen. At one time, Rosaliewanted to quilt all the bagsherself! Anything you askedhertodo,shedid,andshedid it well. The love for Ros-alie in the room was infec-tious,andeveryonewaswelcomed in it.AfterbeingdiagnosedwithbreastcancerinSep-tember2010,SandiShankreceived her bag. She recallsseeing the bags in her oncol-ogistsofficeandthinkingthey were so beautiful. Thedayshereceivedhers,theytold her, You are not alone. Sanditoldthecrowd,alittle teary-eyed but smilingallthesame,Evenwhenyourefeelingugly,thebagispretty.Youknowsome-bodylovesyou.Andthelove in the room was palpa-ble.Everyonewassmilingand ready to give their loveto each other.WhentheSeigelfamilyapproachedthepodium,there was a reverent silencein the room. Bruce, Rosalieshusband, talked about Ros-aliesfavorite buzzword:hope. He told the room, Hersayingwas,Getup.Getdressed.Getout.Wearehonoredtorepresentherlegacy. BrucespokefondlyofRosalies dedication and herlove for helping others. Shethrived on instilling hope inothers, and would be proudto see her legacy continuingtoday.Inclosing,hesaid,InhonorofRosalie,lettherebehopeinallofourlives.Page A18 Southwest Spotlight November 20113705 BAY CREEK DR$1,725,000Visit us at TheFaganTeam.comDotti Fagan239-272-4946Bob Fagan239-272-3006Mike Fagan239-340-5455Sandy Kass 239-292-4044Ashley Wells239-498-920027690 MARINA ISLE CT$1,495,000 9083 FALLING LEAF $499,5004140 BAYHEAD DR #205$279,0004801 ISLAND POND CT #1103$749,0008526 SEDONIA CIR $479,900 26661 EGRETS LANDING DR #101$445,00026490 SUNDERLAND DR$215,000 9400 HIGHLAND WOODS BLVD #5202 $149,000 25941 NESTING CT #201$599,000 4801 ISLAND POND CT #304$439,900 26201 SUMMER GREENS$379,000 26463 CLARKSTON DR$289,0009400 HIGHLAND WOODS BLVD #5307 $167,000 26330 SUNDERLAND DR #5102 $159,00026811 S Tamiami TrailBonita Springs, FL 34134

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149,000Project Hope has distributed 1000 bagsHeather Thomson | info@swspotlight.comRosalie Seigel created Project Hope in 2008. Since its inception, 1000 bags havebeen distributed to newly diagnosed cancer patients. The hand-quilted tote bagsare filled with more than 25 items, such as educational materials, support in-formation, and personal comforts. Last month Seigel was honored at a dedica-tion ceremony. It is a great wayto take a simpleidea and shedlight on someonesdarkest hour. Kellie BurnsSS_NOV 2011_Section A10/27/113:57 PMPage A18November 2011 Southwest Spotlight Page A19SS_NOV 2011_Section A10/27/113:57 PMPage A19Page A20 Southwest Spotlight November 2011SS_NOV 2011_Section A10/27/113:57 PMPage A20By Bill BarnesChief Executive OfficerBonita Springs EsteroAssociation of RealtorsBonita Springs The market,based on the September MLSreport, continues to show anincreasing lack of balance incomparing properties com-ingintothemarketwiththose being sold. A balancedmarket is when the numberof properties coming on themarket is about the same asthe number being sold. Boni-ta Springs-Estero is movingtowardamoreunbalancedmarket.ThemostpreviousextremeofanunbalancedmarketwasthisFebruarywhen 448 units came on lineand 171 units or 38 percentsold, resulting in a varianceof 277 units. The best balancemonthwasJunewhen264unitscameonlineandofthat amount 210 units soldor 80 percent. Single familyhomes being listed continuedtogroweverymonthforthree months increasing from139inJuneto207inSep-tember. This follows a trendnationally,someofwhichare foreclosures, and the pro-cessingofforeclosuresofmore expensive homes takeslonger than for less expensivehomes so our higher averagepricewouldnaturallyslowtheprocessintheBonitaSprings Estero area. Secondly,morefamiliesinallpricerangesaremovingoutdueto no jobs and some of thefamilies are moving into con-doswherethatispossible.The arrival of the 2011 LeeCountyTaxbillsmayhavecontributed to the decisionsfor many to move on, eventhough many of the tax billswere less than in 2010.Onsingle-familyhomesales,97salesclosedwhichwas better than every monththis year except April whichshowstherearebuyersoutthere, even in a non-seasonmonth.Condominiumunitscoming into the market inSeptember continue a threemonthclimbto199.Thetrendlineofdecliningcondo sales is the most con-cerningwithsixstraightmonthsofsalesmovingfrom 175 in March to 77 inSeptember.Ofallcondosales 38 percent were in the100to200thousandpricerange.Thecondosalesdeclineseemstobebasedon the decline in ownershipin secondary /resort homesand in some cases the lackof bank financing in condocomplexes where the num-ber of renters exceeded thenumber of owners.The luxury home markethasbouncedbackfromadip in August. There were 9homesalesoveramilliondollarsinvalue.MiromarLakes Beach had four salesover a million, followed by3atPelicanLanding,2atBonita Bay and 1 at ShadowWoods at the Brooks. In allof 2011, over 21 condo/villashavesoldforoveramil-lion.November 2011 Southwest Spotlight Page A21Spotlight Real Estate WatchHighlightsfrom Septembers top 10 sales 4851 Bonita Bay Blvd. #1202Bonita Bay$1.875,00010391 Via Anacapri Ct.Miromar Lakes$1,600,00025131 Ridge Oak Dr.Pelican Landing$1,280,000Shadow Woodat the Brooks$1,089,0002010January 160February 175March 219April 263May 174June 179July 144August 132September 121October 80 Monthly TransactionsNumber of real estate transactions in the Bonita Springs Estero marketDecember 1772011January 165February 215March 271April 312May 236June 216July 183189 August183 SeptemberNovember 125 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 60 6010203040501020304050 0 JodyBurr,oftheMLSService/DataDepartmentofBEAR,contributed to the reporting in this article.SS_NOV 2011_Section A10/27/113:57 PMPage A21By Kathy OFlinnkathy@swspotlight.comWGCU Studios In the weesmallhours,tuckedinbedwith the radio nestled besidehim, young Ros Atkins reg-ularly tuned in to late nighttalk shows. His favorite pro-gram, called Up All Night,featuredsmalltownstoriesfromallovertheworld.Youd be lying in bed, wher-everyouwereinEngland,listening to some guy in Aus-tralia or Kentucky, or wher-ever it was, telling you aboutsome event. I just absolutelyloved hearing about differentpeoples experiences and thathas always really stayed withme, said Atkins.Today, that abiding inter-est is played out every week-day as Atkins hosts the BBCsradio program World HaveYourSaywhichiscarriedby radio stations worldwideincluding our own WGCU.LastmonthAtkinsandhis production team broad-cast live from the studios ofWGCU at Florida Gulf CoastUniversity when they visitedsouthwestFlorida.Local residentsbecamepartof the cast during a lively dis-cussionontheWallStreetoccupation.MaryAnneSpann,aBonita Springs resident andavid listener of the program,said she enjoys hearing peo-ple from all over the worldexpresstheiropinions.Atthebroadcast,peoplefromSaudiaArabia,EgyptandTunisia called in and we wereabletoseethemonthescreen, she said.WorldHaveYourSayisalwaysalivebroadcast,whetherfromitsLondonstudio or a far flung location.Atkins acts as host as ques-tions and comments are sub-mittedviaphonecallsorcalls over the net, text mes-sages, tweets, emails or com-mentsontheirblogfromlisteners worldwide. The lat-est technology allows a globalconversation.The production staff andAtkins pick subjects peopleare already talking about indifferent parts of the world.Weareprettyconfidentwhen we go on the air thatweregoingtohavealivelydiscussion. Were not in thebusiness of starting debates.Wereinthebusinessofreflectingandprovidingaplatform for the debates anddiscussion to continue, saidAtkins.Typicallycallersarenotjust passionate about an issuebut informed and have rel-evantopinions. Partlymyjob is to make it informative.BeforewegoontheairIhave a large amount of infor-mationandmakesureweweave it into the conversationproviding context and rele-vant facts, said Atkins.ThiswasnotthefirsttimetheprogramwasbroadcastfromWGCUsstudios. In early 2010 severalprograms were scheduled atWCGUwhentheearth-quake shook Haiti. Insteadofthepreviouslychosentopic, the producers soughtoutmanyHaitiansinthesouthwest Florida area. Wespent 2 or 3 shows connect-ing them with people backhome and listening to themtalk about their worries andtheirupset.Thatwasanastonishing couple of hoursto listen to, said Atkins.Broadcasting from a loca-tion does have the advantageof taking the listener some-where. When we did a pro-gram from Soweto in SouthAfrica,partofmefeltlikenot saying a word for a cou-ple of minutes and just let-tingpeoplehearwhatthisplacesoundedlike,headded.In Soweto, we went to ashantytownandgatheredtogetheragroupofyoungmothersand sat in one oftheirtemporaryhomesmade out of corrugated iron,brick and concrete. We justtalkedabouttheirdaytodaylivesandIrememberthinkingthisissomethingnotmanybroadcasterswould do and hopefully peo-plelisteningaregettingasmuchoutofhearingthesewomenasIamthesearejust not the kind of peoplewho you would necessarilyhearontheradio,saidAtkins.Whenhewasyounger,Atkins did stints as a DJ inLondonandSouthAfrica,playedinafewbandsanddid quite a lot of theater. Headmitsthat,hostingisaperformance to some extentPage A22 Southwest Spotlight November 2011Euro 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.Live from Florida Gulf Coast UniversityContributed | Special to the SpotlightThe BBCs radio show World Have Your Say was recently broadcast live fromSouthwest Florida. Over 150 listeners packed the stations studio at Florida GulfCoast University to participate in the global discussion. The shows host, RosAtkins, encourages audience members to participate and utilizes Facebook,TwitterandSkypetointeractwithlistenersin70countriesthroughouttheworld. World Have Your Say is broadcast Monday through Friday at 1 p.m. onWGCU 90.1/91.7 FM.Continued on page A27SS_NOV 2011_Section A10/27/113:57 PMPage A22unnecessary pitfalls.Wegotthatideafromthe state legislature, recalledHank Hochstetler, an orig-inatoroftheideaofcityincorporation. We followedthatrecommendationbecause it made good senseto us. We wanted more of agrassrootsparticipationofall citizens, not just politicalparties.What do the current cropofcandidatesthinkaboutnonpartisanelections?TheSpotlight asked the four Dis-trict 4 candidates. I am glad it is nonparti-san, said Roger Brunswick,Itneedstobe.Weareasmallcity.Maybethefactthatwearenonpartisanbringsusclosertogetherasaunit.Weworktogetherbetter.Brunswick,aregisteredRepublican,saidhewouldnotberunningiftheelec-tionswerepartisan. IhavealotoffriendswhoareDemocrats.Ihavealotoffriends who are Republicans.And I am proud of the factthat I am a free thinker.Wes Norris also likes thecurrent system. I dont wantit to be a mudslinging eventbetween a Republican and aDemocratIts not politicalissues that come before CityCouncil, he said.PeterSimmonsand Barbara Barnes-Buchananalsoexpressedviewssup-portingthecurrentsystem. In Bonita Springs, presi-dentialprimarieshavedra-maticallyswelledvoterturnout in the past. Inthe2008presidentialprimary,68percentoftheregistered voters showed upin District 1 (generally cov-eringLittleHickoryIslandand Bonita Shores south tothe Collier line) and District3 (generally Pelican LandingandeastthroughpartsofSan Carlos Estates to CitrusPark). Comparethattotheturnout in the same districtstwo years later. In 2010, withonlylocalelectionsontheballot, 17 percent of the votersshowed up.The turnout has been bet-ter for mayoral elections. Inthe 2008 runoff between BenNelson andJayArend,45percent of voters turned outcitywide.In2004,withasittingRepublicanpresident,thedonkey was in the booth fortheDemocratpresidentialprimary. Come January 2012,its the elephants turn. HalfofBonitaSprings25,000voters are registered Repub-licans.On a pleasant eveninga few months ago, one Dis-trict 4 candidate encampedbytheBonitaBaybeachpark,seekingpetitionsig-natures. He approached a womantaking in the sunset, glass ofwineinhand.IonlyvoteforRepublicans,shesaid.When told that the city elec-tion is nonpartisan and can-didatesrunwithoutpartyaffiliation,shesimplyrefrained,IonlyvoteforRepublicans.Nonplussed,thecandidateassuredherthat he believed in less gov-ernment.Hegotthesigna-ture.HehappenstobeaRepublican. Magic diamond dust neededEventhecasualsportsobserver could not miss thecollapseoftheBostonRedSox this year. In the monthofSeptember,theyspitthebitinepicfashion,surren-dering a 9.5 game wild cardlead to the Tampa Bay Rays.On most nights Boston fans,prayingforanendtotheslide, simply witnessed anoth-ercrimecommittedinthename of baseball.In February JetBlue Park,the Red Sox new spring train-ingfacility,willopenonDanielsParkwaynorthofthe airport. To some thats agoodomen.In2004,LeeCounty took over the currentRed Sox spring facility, Cityof Palms Park, from the Cityof Fort Myers. The Red Soxwontheirfirsttitlesince1918. In 1991 the MinnesotaTwinsmovedintothenewLee County Sports Complex,and promptly won the WorldSeries.Some people think thereisalittlemagicdustintheinfieldthatwedevelopforthesespringtrainingfacili-ties, joked Lee County Com-missionerRayJudah inarecentinterviewwiththeSpotlight. Of course, in 2004,theRedSox$100+millionpayroll may have helped. Butthe suspension of reality is anecessary ingredient for base-ball fandom these days.Lee County is picking upthe$77milliontabfor JetBluePark.Somehaveraisedconcernsabouttheexpenditure of governmentfunds for the park, particu-larlyintougheconomictimes.Onthistopic,Judahwas all business.The stadium is financedsolely by tourism tax dollars.Unlessyoustayatahotel,motelorbedandbreakfastyoudontpayforthenewRedSoxStadium.Peopleneed to understand that, hesaid.The spring training pres-ence of the Red Sox and theTwinsgeneratescloseto$75million,ifnotmoreeachyearinlocalexpendi-tures,saysJudah.Moneyflows through hotels, motelsand attractions. It increasesgas tax, sales tax and providesjobsinthearea.Itisasig-nificantreturnonourmoney.TheRedSoxhadex-pressedconcernthattheexisting City of Palms Parkis two miles from their prac-ticefacility,andcouldnotaccommodate their ongoingplayerdevelopmentpro-gram.I became very concernedwhen I learned that the RedSoxhadmadeoverturestoSarasota County, said Judah.He recalls a phone call fromFrankHaskell. Ray,thisisreally serious, said Haskell,Youneedtomakeeveryefforttoget(anewpark)done. Haskell has operatedthe City of Palms Park score-board since it opened. He ismorefamiliartoBonitians,particularlyatBonitaBayand Pelican Landing, as thefounder of Barbaras Friends.That charity has raised mil-lionsforchildrenscancercareatLeeMemorialHos-pital. Behindaglasscasein thelobbyoftheoldLeeCountyCourthouse,thereisadisplayoflocalspringtrainingmemorabilia.Itincludesabagofsand,themagicdiamonddust.InFebruary perhaps some of itwillbetransportedtothenew Red Sox Park. But moremayberequired.Afterthisyearsperformance,afewtrailer loads of luck may beneeded.MeanderingsTheUSGeologicalSurveyandLeeCounty maintain a gauge ontheImperialRiverjusteastof I-75. During the torrentialrains of October 18 and 19,itshowedtheriverrisingalmostthreefeet,toabouteightfeetinheight.Justintime for the Bonita SpringsRiverfestCityManagerCarlSchwing andFinanceDirector Lisa Pace have fig-uredouthowtopreventRoadImpactFeesfromfallingintoalockbox.Theimpact fees, paid in connec-tion with large developments,arerequiredtobeusedforroad construction, but some-times are received only afterroadshavebeenpaidforwithregularrealestatetaxdollars.UnderFloridalaw,the impact fees cant be usedtoreimbursethosegeneraltax dollars even though theywereusedtobuildroads.The Solution? Lend generaltax dollars for road construc-tiontotheroadimpactfeefund,toberepaidwhenimpact fees show up.November 2011 Southwest Spotlight Page A23Up and Downfrom page A6SS_NOV 2011_Section A10/27/113:57 PMPage A23Page A24 Southwest Spotlight November 2011By Kathy OFlinnkathy@swspotlight.comBonita Springs When thecongregationoftheLight-houseFellowshipCongre-gationalChurchofBonitaSprings decided they wantedtosupportthecommunitywithaholidayeffort,theyapproachedtheBonitaSprings Assistance Office forideas.MaribelSlabaugh,ExecutiveDirectoroftheBonitaSpringsAssistanceOffice,thoughtablanketcollection would be a greateffort. Andso,BlanketsforBonita was born.For the past two or threeyears we have seen familiesable to cover their rent, util-ities, a little bit of food andanyotheremergenciesbuttheydontprepareforthewinters.Theyareusedtotheheatfor10monthsofthe year. A blanket is an extraexpensetheycantafford,said Slabaugh.Many of the needy fami-lies in Bonita live in trailersor duplexes that are not wellinsulated and dont have heat.Blankets would give the chil-drenwarmplacestocomehometoandhelppreventcolds,bronchitisandotherrespiratory illnesses accord-ing to Slabaugh.Merrill Colgrove, a mem-beroftheLighthouseFel-lowshipCongregationalChurch,said,Itssadthatsomepeoplecanbarelyaffordthebasics.Weareasmall church so we cant takeon a huge effort but our goalis to collect 100 new blanketsfor the needy of Bonita.Maribel said she can useevery single blanket we canget.Theyknowwhoneedsit the most, said Colegrove.Newblanketsarepre-ferredforhealthandsani-taryreasons.Blanketdonationscanbedroppedoff, Monday through Friday,at the Bonita Springs Assis-tanceOffice,25300Bern-wood Drive, Unit 6 in Boni-ta Springs. The church canalso arrange to pick up yourdonated blankets by calling239-267-6661.So many wonderful peo-pleliveinthiscommunity,and, unfortunately, many areinneed.Theholidaytimeof year reminds us of Godscommandment to love andhelp our neighbors. We hopeto make Blankets for Bonitaanannualevent,saidLoriMunnerly,thechurchsco-Missions Director.The final collection datefor Blankets for Bonita willculminate at Bonitas Hol-iday in the Park at RiversidePark on December 6.Little church, big heartBlankets for BonitaHow you can help:New blankets can bedonated to help the needy staywarm this winter. Where: Bonita Springs Assistance Office,25300 Bernwood Drive, Unit 6.For more information: Call 239-267-6661.available at over 60 locationsin and around Bonita SpringsReal News. Real Distribution.Real Results.20,000 copies every month12,000 direct-mailedcall to place your ad239-287-6474www.swspotlight.comSS_NOV 2011_Section A10/27/113:57 PMPage A24November 2011 Southwest Spotlight Page A25Spotlight Staff Reportinfo@spotlightHope HospiceNovemberisNationalHos-piceMonth.Hospiceservesanyone facing a life-limitingillness,regardlessofageorillness. Joanns House at HopeHospice is located in BonitaSprings. Ride 4 Hope, sched-uledforNovember20,isafundraiser for Hope Hospice.See Events listing for details.Zonta Clubof Bonita SpringsTheZontaClubofBonitaSprings is an organization ofbusinessandprofessionalwomen dedicated to improv-ingthecircumstancesofwomenatallstagesoflife,locally and globally. The localchapterwillhosttheThirdAnnualGlassSlipperBallNovember 18 to raise fundstohelpvictimsofviolenceagainstwomen.SeeEventslisting for details.Blankets for BonitaTheLighthouseFellowshipCongregationalChurch,inconjunctionwiththeBonitaSprings Assistance Office, haslaunched Blankets for Bonita,collecting new blankets to helptheneedyinBonitaSprings.New blankets can be droppedoff at the Bonita Springs Assis-tance Office, 25300 BernwoodDrive, Unit 6 in Bonita Springsor the church will also arrangeto pick up your blanket dona-tionbycalling239-267-6661to arrange for a pick-up. Thefinal collection will take placeatBonitasHolidayintheParkatRiversideParkonDecember 6. See article in thisissue for more information.Bonita SpringsAssistance OfficeFor over 30 years the BonitaSprings Assistance Office hasservedasaprimarysocialserviceagencyinBonitaSprings. Their objective is toprovide emergency relief forBonitaSpringsresidentstolessen the impact of financialand personal crises. Volunteersare needed to lead food drivesaround the area, to wrap anddistribute Christmas presentsto families, to do grant writ-ing, office work, to translate,andtohelpdistributefoodinthefoodpantry.Ifinter-estedemailinfo@bonitaas-sistance.orgorcall239-992-3034 between 1 p.m. and4 p.m. weekdays.Bonita Springs Lions ClubThis local club has been rec-ognizedasaworldleader-amodel club that funds chari-tableneedsinexcessof$250,000annually.Theirweeklyfarmmarkets,thriftstore and pancake breakfastsduringseasonhelpthemoperate a charitable eye clinicand contribute to the supportofmanylocalcharitableorganizations. For more infor-mationvisittheirwebsitebonitalions.org.Opportunitiesto give backSS_NOV 2011_Section A10/27/113:57 PMPage A25Page A26 Southwest Spotlight November 2011Bonita Business BeatSpotlight Staff Reportinfo@swspotlight.comBonita Springs Like a well-oiled machine the gears wereturninginsync.WhiletheCity Council was deliberatingstrategic priorities at a day-long session at the TrianonHotelinlateOctober,andpushingEconomicDevel-opmenttothetopoftheirlist, only a half mile up theroad the wheels were turningattheEconomicDevelop-ment Council with researchtask forces underway.The creation of this pub-lic-private partnership is atthistimeverysynergistic,said Christine Ross, ExecutiveDirectoroftheBonitaSpringsEsteroEconomicDevelopment Council. Andthats the way its been con-sistentlyforthelastthreeyearswhichiswhythereisfinallysomeinvestmentbeing made in the process,she said.AttheChamberhead-quarters, where Ross is alsoPresident and CEO of theBonita Springs Area Cham-berofCommerce,newoffice space is being readiedfor Arleen Sheehan, Direc-torofDevelopmentServ-ices. In her new additionaloffice space, Sheehan, a cityemployee,willbeabletocollaborateandcommu-nicate more closely and onaregularbasiswiththeEDC. She will have accesstotheCostardatabasewhichprovidescompre-hensive information on therealestatemarket,goingrates for already improvedspace,forrawspaceandwhatsbeenleasedandwhathasntbeenleased,according to Ross.TheEDChasalreadystartedtheirresearchwithThe Economic DevelopmentCenter of Florida Gulf CoastUniversity. Under the direc-tionofDr.GaryJohnson,FGCU is working on an over-allpictureofwhoisintheexisting marketplace. In addi-tion, a small task force fromthe EDC, led by EDC BoardmemberReginaEberweinof Lee Memorial Health Sys-tem,willbeginasurveyofthebusinesscommunitystarting in January.Using the initial researchperformedbyDr.Jackson,this task force will determinewhats important, who theywant to talk to and then, ofcourse,thequestionstobeasked,explainedRoss.Itsanticipatedthat25to50one-on-oneinterviewswillbeconductedwithannualfollow-upsoverthecourseofthenextfewyears.Thenumberofinterviewsisdependent on the manpoweravailable and the EDC hopestorecruitandtrainvolun-teers for this initiative.We have started meetingwith those potentially inter-estedinbeinginthisareaandwevehadacoupleofmeetings so far in which thecityhasbeenrightatthetable, said Ross.A start up business pack-ageisnowavailablefromthecity.Anewwebsite,www.bonitaedc.com,isinthe process and is expectedtobeupandrunningthismonth.The creation of thispublic-privatepartnership is at this time very synergistic. Christine Ross, Executive Directorof theBonita Springs Estero Economic DevelopmentCouncilSS_NOV 2011_Section A10/27/113:57 PMPage A26Some 72 people work fortheBonitaSpringsPostOffice. The first mail of theday arrives at 4:30 a.m. Clerksclockin15minuteslaterand begin arranging lettersand packages for the carriers,who show up between 7:30and9a.m.dependingonthe length of the route. Fromthere, its work until all themails delivered.The classic, unofficial postoffice creed says that Neithersnow nor rain nor heat norgloomofnightstaysthesecouriers from the swift com-pletionoftheirappointedrounds.Majorhurricanes,how-ever, do stop them.TheregionalofficeinTampaclosedseveralloca-tionswhenHurricaneCharley hit the coast in 2004.But other than major tropicalstorms,DeBrinosaidmailruns are super consistent.Ireallycantthinkofanything, DeBrino said. Wehad one incident of flooding,and we had to keep the mailattheofficefortheday....Sometimeswewonderifwe should be out delivering,butatleastwedonthavesnow.Thereare40routesand37 post office trucks servingtheBonitaSpringsarea.Thatsabout10timesthenumberofroutesandvol-ume as the post office han-dled during the early 1970s,whenByronLilesfather,GlennLiles,waspostmas-ter.It was a personal thing,Liles said. Everybody in thecommunity knew everybodythat worked at the post office.Therewasacloseness,anintimacy. It was more or lessasocialsetting.Youdidnthave to tell people your namewhen you walked up to thewindow.LilessaidtouristsofthetimedidnthaveaPOBoxor local address. So everydaythe tourists would gather atthepostofficeandwaitinline for their mail.There would be a crowdof people at the post office,Lilessaid.Theydwaitinline and visit with each otherandopentheirlettersandtelleachotherabouttheirfamilies up north.ThepostofficewasalsoaregularHalloweentargetforyoungpranksters.Lilessaidkidswouldsoaptheclerkwindows,andittookdaysforhisfathertocleanup the mess.Theydrunbicyclesupthe flag pole, Liles said.Oneyearagroupofteenagers picked up a smallcar,carrieditthroughthepostofficefrontdoorandsat it in the lobby.Ittookseveralmentogetitbackout,Lilessaidwith a laugh.While some things are abitdifferentattheBonitaSpringsPostOffietoday, youcanstillbumpintoafriendandyoucanstilldepend on delivery of yourmail,comerainorheatortropical storm. November 2011 Southwest Spotlight Page A27and certainly it is when 200peoplecomealongtoseeyou.Beingupinfrontofpeople was something I usedtoquiteenjoyIlikethehighs and lows of it and thepressure of it and the chal-lengeofkeepingpeopleentertained or informed oratleastmakingthemgladthey came along to see what-ever you were doing.He believes the counsel-ing he did years ago taughthim how to listen to peopleand how to ask them to bemorefrankwithoutbeingrudeorhostile.Hestrivesto serve the listener and beentirelyfairtowhoeverison the program.Atkinsnaturalinquisi-tiveness has served him well.He admits, I am very inter-estedineveryoneslivesImgenuinelyverycuri-ousIlikehearingaboutthedaytodayrealitiesofhow people live. For manypeoplefindingthetimetositdownwithothersandexplore their lives is a luxury.RosAdkinsgetstodoiteveryday.We are pretty confident when we go onthe air that were going to have a lively discussion. Were not in the business of starting debates. Were in the business ofreflecting and providing a platform for thedebates and discussion to continue. Ros AtkinsLive from FGCUfrom page A22

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Cannot be combined with other discounts or offers. Valid through 11/30/1115% OFFUSPSfrom page A1Contributed | Special to the SpotlightSS_NOV 2011_Section A10/27/113:57 PMPage A27liveinSanCarlosestateswanttoputagateatthesouthern entrance to reducethroughtrafficaccess.Idontknowifagatewillwork there. Of the people Ihavetalkedto,moreareagainstagatethanforit,buttherearestillalotofpeoplewhowouldliketosee that gated.Norris:ThepeoplewhoI have spoken with in District4havenotbroughtforthany.Iwouldvotethewaymy constituents want me tovote.IfIdisagreeIwouldtrytoconvincethem,butmyjobistovotethewaythey want. Simmons:TheBonitaSprings Golf and County Clubhas been closed. While I dontthink the City is in a positionto purchase or run the prop-erty, I sincerely support privateenterpriseandprivatebusi-nesses purchasing the propertyas the way to go. In that same area in Dis-trict 4 Bonita Springs Utilitiesyearsafterthefactleviedafee on the folks over there. Ithink that was inappropriateandmishandled.Theyadmittedtheirmistakebuta lot of people are suffering.Itsbeendone,thediehasbeen cast but I am extremelydisappointedinthewayBonita Springs Utilities han-dled that. Social Services. What is your view on socialservices in the city?Brunswick:Agrowingcityneedssocialservices.We need to take care of ourpeople. We cant shove themunder the rug and say theyarenottherebecausetheyarelivinghomelessinthewoods someplace or in carparked in the K Mart park-inglot.Therearepeoplegoingthroughhardtimesrightnowthatneedtobeabletohaveameal.Itisnot the Citys responsibilitybut we need to allow a placewhereacharitycanfeedpeople, like the Caf of Life.Weneedasocialservicecampus someplace. I under-stand that nobody wants itintheirbackyard,butweneedtofindaplacethatwill work. Norris: I dont know howanyonecansaytheywouldhavevotedthiswayorthat(on St Matthews House). IcannotdothatuntilIhearthe issues. I have heard thatSt. Matthews House runs aprettytightship.Isitrightfor Bonita? You have to listento all the opinions and issues. Wehaveagoodsocialservices program in Bonita.Canitbetweakedalittle?Yes.BonitaAssistancehasbeenthereaslongasIcanremember. I know they do agoodjobthere.Couldwedo it better? Maybe so.Simmons: We have over60 social services in the areaat the moment. If there is aneed I would be very willingtolookatit.ButIwouldhave to see the need. Barnes-Buchanan: Socialservicesareahardissuetofocusonfromasmallgeo-graphicalbasesuchastheCity. Providing facilities forsocialservicesisaregionalissue. Traditionally, becausethe County was establishedearlier, you basically have therootsofeverythingwithintheCounty.Alotofthoseprogramsareentitlementprograms.Iamnotsureifmany people understand thatthe facilities follow the rev-enuestream.Thatmoneygoes to the County, not thesmaller cities. Thereareprivatedevel-opments that are not neces-sarilytiedtoentitlementprograms.Youwillalwayshavethesespecialgroupsthatcomeforth.Therearenebulousprovisionsinthelanddevelopmentcode.Asa result, there have been zon-ing questions not just on St.MatthewsHousebutalsoCaf of Life.The Budget. Would youhave voted to approvethe Citys $19.5 million2012 budget? Should reserves from prioryears surplus funds havebeen used to balance the budget?Norris:Inthelasttwoyearsourpropertyvalueshavereducedover20per-cent,abigdifference.Tomaintainthesamemillagewithsuchareductioninproperty values is an accom-plishment.TheCityhasdone an excellent job in nothaving to lay anyone off orreduce services. You need to spend a longtime looking at and under-standing the budget. On thesurfaceIbelieveitwasagood deal. Thatiswhyyoubuildthosereserves;tousethemduringthetimesthatyouneed to use them.Simmons: Certainly, theCityCouncilneedstobecommended in this econom-ic downturn time for holdingthe line on the .83 tax rate. Ithinktheywereputintoavery tough spot; either raisethe.83orslightlydippinginto the reserve.TheonlythingdifferentIwoulddointhefutureisto look at alternatives to nothave to dip into the reserve.Iwouldlookattheentirebudget. You have to look atessentialservicesandnonessential services. Wherethemarginwassoclose,Ithink you could find a lot ofdifferent areas where nobodywouldfeelliketheywereshortchanged. Barnes-Buchanan:Iwouldhavevotedforit.Alot of the projects are ongo-ing,wherecontractsarealreadylet.AsaCoun-cilmember, I would have theopportunity to go into it inmore depth and detail. One question is whetheryouhaveenoughreservesfor any type of natural dis-aster. We have been very for-tunateinthatwehavenothad a lot of hurricane issuesin the past. Brunswick: I applaud ourMayor and Councilmembersfor holding the line on taxesfor the fourth year in a row.Its a time to be austere. Thecity has done a good job ofholdingthelineonbudgetitems without sacrificing Cityservices.Reservesaretheretobeusedforgoodpurposes.Maintaining City services inadifficulttimeisagoodenough purpose for me.By Peter R. OFlinnprof@swspotlight.comBonitaSpringsMayoralcandidateDaveGrothausrecentlyofferedhisrecon-sidered view about the Citysfinancial involvement in theBonita Springs Estero Eco-nomic Development Coun-cil,anditsgoaloffillingvacant commercial space inthe area.Itisatravestythatwehave 1.5 million square feetofvacantspace,saidGrothaus.ItdoesnotdoanyofusintheCityanygoodtomakeitlooklikewe are a ghost town. Asreportedinlastmonths Spotlight, GrothauspreviouslyhadexpressedskepticismabouttheCitysfinancialinvolvementwiththe EDC. What is the benefitforthecitizensofBonita,Grothaus had said. The Citydid not develop those build-ings; somebody else did. IthinkIcameoffasanti development, and thatis certainly not my position,said Grothaus, reflecting onhispriorcomments.Iwould do everything in mypower to remedy that situ-ation.Itwouldbeoneofmy top priorities.The City has contributedapproximately$75,000inseedmoneyandmatchinggrants to help fund the startupoftheEDC,thebrain-childofmembersoftheBonita Springs Area Cham-ber of Commerce and otherlocal organizations.I have to credit the Citywith the EDC that they arebuilding, said Grothaus. Iaminfullsupportofthateffort.TheCityshouldmonitor the use of its con-tributedfunds,andtheprogressoftheEDCsendeavors, he said.So it looks like one itemcanbecrossedoffthelist ofpolicydisagreementsbetweenGrothausandincumbent Mayor Ben Nel-sonJr.,whoisrunningfora second term.GrothausviewsontheEDCnowappearalignedwithNelsons,withonlynuanced differences.Nelsonwasanearlyproponentofthe EDC, as well as the Citysinvestmentinthatorgani-zation togetitonitsowntwo feet. When vacant build-ings are filled, the entire com-munity benefits, he has said.Nelsonhasemphasizedthebenefittotheentirecommunity of filling vacantspace.AskthepeopleofBonitaBaywhethertheylike the fact that the Targetsite and other buildings out-side are vacant, he said.*****************Nelsonannouncedhisreelection bid in early sum-mer, and leads in fundrais-ing. According to campaigntreasurers reports filed withtheCityClerksoffice, heraised$12,249.33in the reporting period endedSeptember30.Grothausannouncedhiscandidacylate in the reporting period,so his only reported contri-bution was $500 of his ownmoney.Nelsonscampaignre -ported over 60 contributorsincluding:BobandJillAugustine,FrederickBarber,JanineBecker, Dr. and Mrs. RichardBecker, Harland and BarbaraBeers,RichardBeightol,Anthony Biancaniello, BlackIslandManagementLLC,Bond,Schoeneck&KingPLLC,ThomasandJoyceBriers, Buffalo Chips Restau-rant,KeithButterfield, BarbaraCarlisle,DawnColecchio,C.M.Cook,Jr.,JeffDavis,DarcyErdman,David Farlow, Brian Farrar,TomFirth,EdFitzgerald,NigelFullick,ThomasandSondraGibbons,GilkeyOrganizationLLC,GilkeyRealty,Inc.,LucilleandCharlesGross,ElizabethHagan,JamesHalverson,RyanHenyecz,JeffreyHolzinger, Jasen Berube PA,John Jenkins, PA, John andPatricia Joyce, F. C. and J.M.Kozlowski, Stefan and NancyKrchniak,ThomasLong,JoanMcCarthy,KathleenMcGrath, AngusMartinez,JacquelineandArdenMcCurdy,DavidMcKee,Karin Moe, A.K. Nanda, LoriNelson, Thomas Patterson,Alberto Perez, William andBernicePescosolido,RossRoberts,DaveandKathySchmitt, Peggy Sims, StevenSlachta, Maxine Smith, KarlaSt. John, William and LyndaSteere,MarkSuwyn,Theodore Swanson, RobertThinnes, VictoriaTerre,G.Donald and Kim Thomson,Donald Trew, Joshua Tuyls,Norman and Nancy Vester,Daniel and Suzanne Wagner,MargaretWatters,Cliffordand Patricia Welles and DonZoppi.Page A28 Southwest Spotlight November 2011EDC redux in mayoral raceIssuesfrom page A17SS_NOV 2011_Section A10/27/113:57 PMPage A28November 2011 Southwest Spotlight Page A29SS_NOV 2011_Section A10/27/113:57 PMPage A29Page A30 Southwest Spotlight November 2011Enjoy Real Freedom on the Water!Come to...BOAT CLUBFAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED5124 Bonita Beach Road S.W. 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