Phosphate Strip Mining

Buck Creek Acres

willing; the state has offered the grant, and there's only one little last-minute glitch holding up the deal. Seems the state put a new requirement for the Florida Communities Trust grant, that 10 percent of the total cost be put into an investment account with the earnings to be used for the maintenance of the property.

"We've been awarded this kind of grant in the past," said Brenda Bossman, LBC president. "And usually the requirement was met by an agreement with the county to maintain the property, which in this case will be passive parkland."

Ten percent of the cost amounts to $660,000, which has to be raised in two months.

"This is a great piece of property to preserve," said N. Perry Cook, LBC executive director. "With the rate of development happening in the Cape Haze area, it is a tremendous investment for the future."

See Letter to the Editor on Page 6.

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Community Plan Passes

Continued From Page 1

"We got 98 percent of what we wanted, and I'm pretty happy about that," said Dan Folke, staff planner of Morris-Depew Associates following the hearing. "It looks like we'll have an advisory board instead," said Bayne Stevenson, panel chairman, referring to one of the plan's policies calling for the establishment of an autonomous Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board. "But we will go back on this one. It's not only important to the historic district, but to the implemental phase of the plan as well. We need people who are in Boca Grande, who know the needs of community."

Members of the LPA shot down the policy and agreed with recommendations to deny the inclusion of the policy (6.1.1) by Gloria Sajgo, principal planner who heads up the Historic Preservation Board of Lee County. Sajgo argued that there was sufficient notification now in effect as well as representation. She offered up the idea of forming an advisory board on the island which would then report to the HPB at its meetings in Fort Myers. Currently, Misty Nabers, executive director of the Gasparilla Island Conservation & Improvement Association sits on that board. She was in attendance at the meeting but did not speak.

In a report on the hearing issued Wednesday,

by Ted Hoopes, president of Boca Grande Community Planning Association, Inc., the panel will continue asking for a local historic board on June 1.

"It is the intention of the Applicant and the Boca Grande Community Planning Panel to continue to request that there be a Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board at the Transmittal Hearing before the Board of County Commissioners to be held in Ft. Myers on Wednesday June 1."

Prior to Monday's meeting, other language changes in the plan recommended by Lee County meet with approval. "The Division of Planning recommended in its Staff Report that Policy 6.1.1 with respect to the creation of a Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board not be transmitted. The Division of Planning was provided with the language of the proposed changes to Policies 2.1.3 and 5.2.2 prior to the hearing."

The changes were as follows: Policy 2.1.3. The word "improve" was replace by the words "create a Master Plan for improvements to" so that the Policy as approved reads as follows Lee County will assist private and public efforts to acquire the approximately 9.19 acre F.P.& L./Belcher owned property at the south end of Gasparilla Island. If the Florida Power & Light property on Gasparilla Island is acquired in whole or in part with public funds, Lee County will support a community planning workshop before recommending appropriate uses for that property.

Ted Hoopes and Gloria Sajgo are smiling shortly before LPA heard from the Boca Grande contingency, Monday in Fort Myers.The LPA nixed the policy establishing a BG Historic Preservation Board based on her recommendations.

The change in the policy met with approval by FP&L whose attorney, Pamela Rauch spoke at the hearing, and approved the change and lauded the panel for its work on the community plan. Grover Whidden was also in attendance but did not speak.

All the Panel members except Linda Aley and Mark Spurgeon attended the hearing. Two of Linda Aley's Subcommittee members, Alastair Campbell and Skip Perry, represented Linda.

Panel members, Bill Heisel, Rosemary Bowler, along with Alastair Campbell spoke to the issue of the Preservation Board with Stevenson and Folke making concluding remarks.

The seven-member LPA board made a deletion of the last two sentences of Policy 1.1.5: Whenever possible, public hearings for proposal projects on Boca Grande should be held between the months of October through May. Public hearings which are held during the months of June through September, will require notification of the date and time of the hearing to surrounding property owners a minimum of one month prior to the hearing date.