DONNA FIALA

• Around Town: Still waiting on an answer from FPL about ‘smart meters’ Published 05/01/2012 at 12:33 p.m.

  There is something that puzzles me. Florida Power & Light (FPL) announced they would install a “smart meter” on each home, which would read the usage every month electronically rather than have a meter reader go to each and every ...

• Around Town: Eagle Lakes is finally going to get a community center Published 04/18/2012 at 11:58 a.m.

  There are always a lot of good news items to talk about these days. To start off, the community center at Eagle Lakes Community Park is going to be a reality. It has been 6 long years of fighting to ...

• Around Town: Collier County’s first paddlecraft park ready for paddlers Published 04/04/2012 at 10:17 a.m.

  With much anticipation and excitement, the Isles of Capri Paddlecraft Park has officially opened. The ribbon cutting was held on Friday, March 30, and was attended by Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) officials, Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve ...

• Around Town: I for one will be sad to see our part-time residents head back north Published 03/21/2012 at 11:32 a.m.

  My goodness, isn’t the year going by quickly? I can’t believe it is almost Easter and soon our winter residents will be leaving, which means a huge portion of our volunteers will be leaving. These people come down from up ...

• Around Town: East Naples looking better and better every day Published 03/06/2012 at 10:11 a.m.

  Towne Centre on U.S. 41 East is really looking up. New façade on the buildings on the east end of the shopping center, new decorative additions and updated paint colors, the parking lot has a new layer of asphalt, all ...

• Around Town: Revitalization of East Naples neighborhoods ongoing Published 02/21/2012 at 6:16 p.m.

  Lennar Homes has taken the East Naples community by storm and showered their full force on revitalization projects. Many of you probably already know that they purchased the gorgeous Treviso Bay resort and have been focused on getting it back ...

• Around Town: Improvements should help shopping center draw more customers Published 02/07/2012 at 3:21 p.m.

  Hopefully you have taken a ride through Naples “Towne Centre” (yes, that’s how they spell it) on U.S. 41 East on the side opposite Bealls department store. You might already know that there are eight owners in that shopping center.

• Around Town: Fatal accident in East Naples proof that traffic light is desperately needed Published 01/24/2012 at 11:44 a.m.

  Recently there was a ribbon cutting ceremony as the Judge S.S. Jolley Bridge on Marco Island was officially opened for traffic. Included in the ceremony was a memorial for the late Mike Minozzi, a Marco resident and former Marco Island ...

• Around Town: Saving money, gas and energy at the county landfill Published 01/10/2012 at 10:45 a.m.

  Many people have asked why Collier County doesn’t have a gas to energy plant at the landfill, and I’m happy to tell you we now have one. I promised to write about it in this week’s Collier Citizen, and here ...

• Around Town: Looking forward to a great new year Published 12/27/2011 at 3:27 p.m.

  What a wonderful time of the year! Hopefully each and every one of you had a joyous holiday and are looking forward to a happy and healthy new year!

• Around Town: Get prepared for hurricane season while there is still time Published 05/21/2013 at 12:16 p.m.

  Hurricane season is approaching again, so this is a friendly reminder to begin to prepare. Each year I write a little in my column about being prepared just in case.

• Around Town: Economy showing signs of improvement, particularly in East Naples Published 05/08/2013 at 11:42 a.m.

  Have you wondered if it is really true that the economy is looking better all the time? Last Wednesday, Collier County's Growth Management Division issued 177 permits. Yes, in just one day! It looks like things are really looking up.

• Around Town: Parks and Rec board member needed, another Publix renovation coming soon Published 04/16/2013 at 11:12 a.m.

  Has anyone out there ever wanted to volunteer on a committee that focuses on helping the Collier County Parks Department? The county has an opening for a person interested in joining the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and who can ...

• Around Town: Bayshore CAPA's hopes for performance center ambitious, but achieveable Published 04/01/2013 at 12:41 p.m.

  You might remember me writing about the Bayshore Cultural and Performing Arts (CAPA) efforts to build a performance hall in the Bayshore community.

• Around Town: My fellow Collier commissioners may actually be in agreement with me Published 03/20/2013 at 11:48 a.m.

  At a recent Collier County Commission meeting, I introduced an item during commissioner comments. It seemed that all of the other commissioners agreed with me on the subject.

• Around Town: New electronic permitting system, future lawyers at Lely High and more good news Published 03/05/2013 at 1:18 p.m.

  Recently, there was a high school mock trial competition. Lely High School has had a fine tradition of fielding great teams over the years, but has not fielded a team since 2007.

• Around Town: Mark your calendar for upcoming East Naples Town Hall meeting Updated 02/19/2013 at 1 p.m.

  One and all are invited to attend my East Naples Town Hall meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 27, at the South Regional Library on Lely Cultural Boulevard.

• Around Town: With season back in full gear, be on the lookout for 'unwanted' visitors Updated 02/14/2013 at 12:30 p.m.

  Lots of people are out walking, biking, walking their dogs, running and exercising. While in your neighborhood, wave to your neighbors, remember their cars, and keep a vigilant eye.

• Around Town: Tours of county facilities, communities as popular as ever Published 01/25/2013 at 4 a.m.

  The annual tours are going extremely well. We’ve had waiting lists on every one of them, which tells me people are interested in what is happening in their community and taking the time to actually see for themselves.

• Around Town: Many wonderful accomplishments occurring throughout community Published 01/18/2013 at 3 a.m.

  You’ve heard so often recently about the new majority on the Collier County Commission. I want to make sure you know that for the first 10 years I was on the commission there was never a majority group. You could ...

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