Chuck Curry: A little slice of Bonita; School Board poison

The building is familiar to anyone who spends or has spent any time along Bonita Beach Road.

The site of the former Charlene's restaurant is nothing if distinctive on the southeast corner of Bonita Beach Road and Old 41 Road.

It has a roof higher than a 1960s bouffant and it appears as much part of Bonita Springs history as the long gone, but not completely forgotten Dome Tavern, whose last image is a newspaper photograph showing it being demolished.

Photo by CHUCK CURRY, Banner

A familiar site for sale.

While certainly not significant architecture along the lines of Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater, the Bonita building offers a distinctive look in a day and age of the glorified Mediterranean strip mall concept.

Along with the Dixie Moon Cafe and a hand full of other Old 41 buildings, Charlene's harkens back to a quieter time in Bonita's historic downtown district.

The long-time tenant of the property, Charlene's, closed it doors nearly a year ago in August.

Road construction hampering access to the site was just one reason for Charlene's closing its doors.

Today the .49-acre site is on the block for $1.3 million, according to CMI's Michael Ferencsik, who says the owner will also consider leasing the property. However, a sale is the preferred way to go.

With only a half-acre and poor access to Bonita Beach Road, it looks as if the site is targeting someone ready to put it together with the dog track land for a comprehensive project.

• The Lee County School Board looks as if it is bound to repeat history.

And, just like the old admonition about those who don't understand history are bound to repeat it, the course appears foolish.

It's not a new story: A schism has broken out between members of the board. The attacks now come at a more personal level and, unfortunately, detract from the mission of all the public officials involved.

It wasn't too long ago that the Collier County School Board appeared poisoned to its marrow. One member challenged the status quo and the bickering did nothing but detract from board business, direction to its superintendent and hurt staff.

Today, Lee board members look to stand ready, willing and able to continue this horrific legacy.

School Board member Robert Chilmonik has set his sights on construction and spending, including discretionary payments through the superintendent's office. Board Chairman Steven Teuber has taken up the challenge to be the anti-Chilmonik and now even cites Dan Brown's fictional best-seller "The Da Vinci Code" in the battle.

"While both Mr. Brown & Mr. Chilmonik have the unequivocal right to present their respective understanding of a particular subject, it is the method and content that requires strict scrutiny by experts in that particular subject to avoid misleading the general public," Teuber writes in a June 14 memo to other board members, a school auditor, the school superintendent and the board's attorney.

The board's attorney, Keith B. Martin, writes in his own June 14 memo approximately two pages of single-spaced lawyer-speak. While contributing a lot of facts, it conveys nothing that will help mend the board's rift.

All sides need to take a step back and consider who they ultimately report to: the public.

A side note: Both Chilmonik and Teuber are up for re-election this year.

Chilmonik needs to get some answers and, unlike in the past, shouldn't have to do a Freedom of Information Act request to get them. Further, for all parties, all this bickering does is to hamper the education of children in Lee County.

Without making too much of the new members of the Bonita Springs City Council, I see two officials with differing municipal philosophies — council members Ben Nelson and Pat McCourt — and they look to have little problem projecting an air of professionalism on council and between themselves.

McCourt, new to the council, is opposite on Nelson on the proposed Imperial Landing issue, but previously called for Nelson to be able to vote on the issue (Nelson originally abstained but has now been cleared to vote by the state Commission on Ethics).

While critics say McCourt might be grandstanding in his praise of Nelson and calling for him to be able to vote, at least the two aren't locked in a public war of words like Chilmonik and Teuber.

Sitting in a seat as the chosen representative of the public, both Chilmonik and Teuber need to take a good look in the mirror and find a middle ground that accomplishes their main mission: make decisions that help Lee County students.

RANDOM THOUGHTS: A tip of my cap on this Father's Day to my own father, while not perfect, had a difficult job.

A further tip of my cap to those fictional fathers with a bad rap: Ward Cleaver (the late Hugh Beaumont, who died in 1982 of a heart attack) and Mike Brady (the late Robert Reed, who died in 1992 of cancer and complications from AIDS).

Both Ward and Mike do not deserve the criticism they receive today — that they were saccharine and good-two shoes.

Watch "Leave it Beaver" reruns. Ward is not perfect and neither are Wally and the Beaver. As for Ward, he is wise and strict and has a wonderful relationship with his boys. Us fathers know you can do much worse than Ward ever did.

As for Mike, it's too bad Reed apparently never had the appreciation for all the good that came through his character. Sure it was schmaltz on TV. Yet he set the bar high for fathers: intelligent, fair and, above all, honest.

Thanks to Dad, Ward and Mike.

• Gas prices have stabilized across the Bonita Springs area. Readers can check prices at seven local gas stations each Friday on the page opposite the editorial page in the Bonita Daily News' Local News section or on BonitaNews.com (Naples readers can find Naples prices on NaplesNews.com).

The price of $2.899 for a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline just about everywhere in Bonita is up 30 cents from just three months ago.

The prices of gas reminds me of a passage in a novel, "Chameleon." Two corporate experts in talking about the price of oil say:

"'American Petroleum (a fictional company in the book) will be showing a five hundred and fifty percent profit increase over last year. Sunset Oil will be up at least four hundred percent. Very nice.

Very nice that the Americans are such sheep. They'll pay through the nose for awhile.

Question is, how long will they put up with it?'

"'Long enough to pay the fattest dividends in history.'"

Was this novel written this year, after an author saw the profits from today's oil companies? No, it was written by William Diehl in 1981.