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Property purchase deferred, Goodland development OK'd
QUENTIN ROUX
City Attorney Alan Gabriel, left, talks with new city councilors-elect Frank Recker, Jerry Gibson and Wayne Waldack about the Florida government and the Sunshine Laws at a session before their first official council meeting in the second week of March. At right is acting city manager Tony Shoemaker, and rear is City Clerk Laura Litzan.
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A big-budget item before City Council on Monday night was deferred again as the council opted to allow the newly elected City Council cast the deciding votes come March.
In the first session following the election, the current council decided to defer a vote on whether to pursue purchase of a half-acre tract of land adjacent to the city’s northern water treatment plant. The land has been appraised at roughly $1 million, and Councilor Glenn Tucker, who will leave his seat in March due to term limits, said he wanted to allow the new council to make the call on a purchase that large.
New councilors will be sworn in during the second meeting in March, leaving Tucker, Chair Mike Minozzi and Terri DiSciullo with just two more meetings to attend. Incumbent Bill Trotter and newly elected councilors Jerry Gibson, Frank Recker and Wayne Waldack will take their seats after that.
Council also approved the second reading of a plan Tuesday for developers to build a 45-unit hotel and expanded marina on the current site of the Calusa Island Marina and Yacht Club, just north of Goodland. Whereas the first vote went 7-0, Monday’s vote was 6-1, with Ted Forcht dissenting.
Forcht was quiet about his reservations during the meeting, but following the session he explained that he had grown concerned about the increase in traffic such a development would cause for Marco Island and for the Goodland Bridge, which has received mediocre safety ratings from the state in recent years.
“It’s creating what is the essence of density, which is traffic,” Forcht said following the meetings. “I’ve talked to residents who are concerned about the dangers of the (Goodland) Bridge.” The development, which was stalled before the Planning Board since 2005 amid numerous concerns, was approved by the planning board through a unanimous vote in 2007.
Council also approved a contract to Eli Contracting for the construction of new reuse water irrigation lines on South Collier Boulevard from Winterberry Drive to Collier Court, at a cost of $777,800.
Council approved the contract unanimously, but with one caveat.
Plans called for the island’s south water plant to be used as a staging area, but councilors DiSciullo and Rob Popoff expressed concerns on behalf of residents who live in the vicinity of the water plant who they say have contacted them regularly to complain about the disruption caused to their lives by construction activities near the plant.
“I will support this, but I won’t support it if it’s staged from the south plant,” DiSciullo said.
Popoff backed her up, eventually making the motion to award the contract as long as construction did not happen out of the south plant.
“We’ve got some residents that it’s really adversely affecting. I’m with Ms. DiSciullo,” he said.
Public Works Director Rony Joel said plans only called for staging construction from the plant because he was of the belief that council wanted construction materials to stay as much out of the public eye as possible so the island did not have the appearance of being so heavily under construction.
“The option is to put it in the right-of-way and the island will look like it’s under construction again, or to stage it in the residential area,” he said.
He also said that the city could not wait and do the work off-season, because a grant from the South Florida Water Management District for up to half of the costs would sunset on July 31. Yielding to the concerns of the residents living near that plant, council opted to stage the materials in the city right-of-way instead.
“I’m disappointed that we’re going to have to tear up sidewalks at this time of year, but I feel very strongly that that’s where the pipe material should go; it should go in the right-of-way,” DiSciullo said.
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If Coucilwoman DiSciullo is so disappointed that the sidewalks must be destroyed at this time of year, why did she agree for construction to occur now? To save money? Why not adequately plan for major projects so as to limit negative impact on our community? If that is not now possible, develop and pass an ordinance to prohibit ANY construction unless it is an emergency, from occurring during the high season? If money and not quality of life is going to direct how we schedule work on this island, then stop the charade, stop bringing projects to the Council for approval. Simply give Rony Joel his head and let him dig all year long. A review of almost all major projects approved by this Council will show that Rony Joel has used significant savings to manipulate the council to spend and schedule HIS projects when he wants to do them. Rony Joel has never left a dollar on the table as evidenced by his recent attempt to use 1 million dollars to make an unnecessary property acquistion recently. Planning is not difficult once you get the hang of it. Successful resort communities restrict periods of construction all over the world.
#1 Posted by Lolala on February 5, 2008 at 7:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Lolala - this was asked and apparently we have received over $400,000 in grants to get these pipes down by August and in order to complete by then it has to be started now, I dont know why the time constraint but for a free $400,000 I think it can be dealt with for 120 days....
#2 Posted by happyonmarco on February 5, 2008 at 7:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Lolala: Are you still here? How much louder will Marco Islanders have to speak for you to understand?
#3 Posted by patton1 on February 5, 2008 at 7:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Oh, Lolala, now you are admitting that we are a resort community. You have no idea for which you speak. You would give up a grant for 1/2 of the costs of this project to avoid a little inconvenience ?? That is like Butch Neylon quoting how much it cost to improve Collier Blvd and forgetting the millions and millions of dollars we got from grants and the Marriott. You can't have it both ways.
Ed Issler
#4 Posted by lauralbi1 on February 5, 2008 at 8:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
patton1,The election had nothing to do with this. Are you always so negative? When are you going to pack up your useless self and leave town? Issler, we are soon to become a resort town. That issue was heard loud and clear. As for accepting free money, there are costs attached, nothing is really free. I was only addressing the continued inconvience and offerred a suggestion that could be discussed to slow down future construction during the high season. For your information the Restaurant Association of Marco Island has made a similar recommendation. Are you now at war with them too? Or do you just never have a posititive view towards quality of life issues in this community?
#5 Posted by Lolala on February 5, 2008 at 4:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Lolala....I didn't mean to start a whole rampage on you, I was simply trying to state a fact. I am a year round resident and while I really would rather not have construction in-season (or ever for that matter) it is a fact of life. It sucks that the traffic is worse but it is the south end of the island, it is sidewalk work if I understand it correctly and the 4 months will pass quickly - I hope. I think our friends from the north can handle a little construction, goodness knows we are experts at it...Have a nice evening.
#6 Posted by happyonmarco on February 5, 2008 at 7:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)
..and so the density begins.. starting at Goodland and should sweep nicely over Marco by 2014.
Hey Marco Your gonna get what you wished for.
#7 Posted by lowus on February 5, 2008 at 10:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Actually, a good point is made. Why must we conduct infrastructure improvements during the high season? Restricting road construction at the very least to the summer months would improve traffic during the high season months when the island has so many visitors. Good suggestions should be encouraged and not dismissed out of hand.
#8 Posted by Beowulf on February 6, 2008 at 7:32 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It rains in the Summer Months. We also have those little storms called Hurricanes. I know all you Northerners think that the weather is this good all season long. I think the city does a good job of limiting constructions to off season times. However, sometimes things have to be done during season. It is hard to do construction when you are getting 5 or 6 inches of rain and 150 mph winds. Guys please stop complaining about everything. You really need to enjoy life on Marco. It is funny to me. All you winter residents complain about everything. You expect the full time people to have to put up with construction etc. when you are not here. You expect to come down and have everything perfect. If something inconveniences you in the least you fell it is your right to complain. Please understand this is a small island. It can not take you that long to get where you are going. If everyone would just enjoy life and the great Island we have things would be so much better.
#9 Posted by MarcoAvenger on February 6, 2008 at 8:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I love that people twist stuff to fit their opinions. The reason Collier Blvd took longer to construct is that the Restaurant Association worked with the city to get construction stopped during season. That is what happened.
Marco was always supposed to be a mix of resort, residential and transient/snowbirds. That is the REAL Mackle vision. Why the h..l do you think they built a hotel, had the beach front zoned RT (Residential TOURIST) and had a PUD approved for what is now Cape Marco that included several hundred additonal hotel rooms.
Go up to any visitor in any restaurant or shop on Marco and ask them if they think Marco is a resort. 99.9% of them will look at you as if you were nuts and say "Of Course."
The density comment is so ridiculous that it does not deserve a response.
#10 Posted by lovemarco on February 7, 2008 at 12:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)
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