southwest spotlight - july 2011

8/6/2019 Southwest Spotlight - July 2011

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S O U T H W E S T

JULY 2011Vol.2, No.7 FREE

Events, things to do and opportunities to give back to our community in and around Bonita Springs PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE PA

FT MYERS, FLPERMIT #980

RESIDENTIAL CUSTOECRWSS

Fire training

YMCA update

An odyssey

Doctors ordersTown Talk

State ofreal estate

Artist of theMonth

Inside

17,000circulation

Y ManStaying

in Bonita

Staff Photo | [email protected] Rogers sculpture, Away, located in Riverside Park, is staying in BonitaSprings.

By Peter R. [email protected]

Bonita Springs The Y may

have left the building, butthe Y man is staying put.

The gleaming 12-footstainless steel sculpture withits red head stands on apedestal in Riverside Parkaside Old 41, directly acrossfrom Bensons Grocery.

It has the feeling of aperson stretching his armsupwards and away, and hishands going up in a Y, kindof like the YMCA guys, saysDale Rogers, the sculptor.

Yes, he is letter Y fromthe song, said Rogers.

The sculpture faces eastwelcoming the morning sun,toward the now very well

known Bonita YMCA build-ing two miles away.

While the drama of theBonita YMCA has been play-ing out, it appeared that this

sculpture, named Away,might be on its way out oftown.

But, like the YMCA, thosewho brought it here workedhard to keep it here. Thanksto their efforts, and the gra-ciousness of the sculptorwho did not grab for thelast buck, Away is stayingin Bonita Springs.

The fate of the sculpturehas left some thinking thatjust maybe, with a dollop ofkarma, it portends hope forthe building on Kent Road.When told of the coincidenceof the two events Rogers,the sculptor, said Yeah, man,if it helps in any waythatscool.

Dale Rogers has a na-tional reputation as a metalsculptor, and is best knownfor his iconic AmericanDog pieces. My love for

Continued on page 10


Bonita Springs Ben NelsonJr. recently declared his can-

didacy for re-election as May-or of Bonita Springs. Electionday is in late January 2012.

In a recent extensive in-terview with the Spotlight,

Nelson talked about the may-oralty and city government,his hopes for the city, andabout matters ranging from

Continued on page 20

Spotlight Interview: Ben Nelson on theMayoralty and City Government


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Page 2 Southwest Spotlight July

Advertising SalesKathy O'[email protected]

Office Manager

Katie O'[email protected]

Contributing WritersCharles J. CavaliereMeghan EasterlyMax HarrisDorota HarrisBen Nelson Jr.Peter R. O'Flinn

Contributing PhotographeWilliam L. MeyersDavid MichaelLogan NewellRobert L. Smith

Locally owned and

operated since 2010(239) [email protected]

PO Box 1946

Bonita Springs, FL 34133

Southwest Spotlight, LLC

swspotlight.com

S O U T H W E S T

PublisherPeter A. O'Flinn

[email protected]

This month5 Doctors orders

9 Real EstatesPresident

13 YMCA update

19 An odyssey

20 Community actiRichard Barber

29 City elections

30 Fire training

Every Issue

27

1

3 Sunset of the month5 Ben Nelsons Column6 Town Talk13 Up and Down the Trail

15 Bonitas Best Friends

16 Events23 Bonita Business Beat24 Opportunities to give B

24 Catch of the month

27 Artist of the monthEd Tacaks


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July 2011 Southwest Spotlight Pa

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By Ben Nelson [email protected]

Bonita Springs I knowthat Wave Runners make you angry, buzzing noisilyaround your boat while

youre trying to fish or flyingback and forth past yourfavorite relaxing sunbathingspot, but I will make you abet no matter how much you hate them, as soon asyou get on one, open up thethrottle and go skippingacross the waves you willautomatically smile. Its acomplex phenomenon called fun. I know, I know!They are evil, stinky, dan-gerous, devil machines thatmany people think shouldbe outlawed but Im justsaying, they are fun and willmake the meanest old poopgrin like an eight-year-old.

And therein lies the problem.They also have a tendencyto make you act like an eightyear old. Case in point.

I admit it several yearsago we owned a Wave Run-ner. It was great. Lori and Iwould cruise around, Loriwith her arms around meas I drove around, stoppingat secluded beaches, havinglunch at dockside restau-

rants. It was all great fun.Of course the more we rodearound the better we got atmaneuvering it. It was anamazing machine! Even withLori seated behind me I gotto where I could be going

30 mph and then by justcranking the handle bar tothe side, immediately spinaround and be going theopposite direction with-out wiping out. And I neverlost Lori once!

Anyway, that went on fora couple of months and thenone day Lori tells me, Youknow, that seems like fun I want to do it. Lori is a

great driver so I wasnt wor-ried. As soon as we changedplaces, Lori punched thethrottle and took off. Wewere shooting out into theGulf going at least 50 mph,Lori hunkered down overthe handlebars and me hang-ing on around her waist both of us with maniacalgrins on our faces. Suddenly,Lori leaned back and yelled,

So, do I just turn the handlebars to make it spinaround? I put my mouthup to her ear and yelledYeah, but And thatsthe last thing I remember until I noticed that it

had become absolutely quietand I was on my back look-ing up in the air. But, Iwasnt touching the waterand the wind was blowingreally hard AARGGGHH!I realized that I was flyingthrough the air at 50 mph and then I hit the water!After flipping and spinningthrough every yoga pose inthe book I finally came to ahalt and bobbed there inthe water. I looked aroundbehind me and there wasLori, laughing hystericallyand about 300 feet behindher was the stupid WaveRunner still upright and

idling quietly, slowly turningin a circle like an animal ina cage. I swam over to Lori,made sure she still had allher parts and then said, AsI was saying Yeah, butyou have to slow down first!

Although we thought wewere okay, the next morningwe both woke up withextreme whiplash and whatour family doctor diagnosed

later that day as a case ofstrained everything. In thedoctors office after theexamination he calmly wrotea prescription out. This

should take care of it, hesaid as he ripped it off thepad and handed it to me.Usually you cant read theirwriting but this one was

written very clearly anfully. It said SELLWAVE RUNNER! the cheapest prescrIve ever filled.


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TOWN TALKThe Captainand theCommodore

Breakfast with the PresidentsNational Association of RealtorsPresident Ron Phipps spoke last month in

Bonita Springs at Spanish Wells CountryClub. Turn to page 9 to learn more. Fromleft, Gerry Teeven, Vice President ofElement Funding, Pam Olsen, President ofBonita Springs Estero Association ofRealtors, Ron Phipps, Heather Wightman,President of Bonita Springs Estero Chapterof Womens Council of Realtors, BenNelson, Mayor of Bonita Springs, andNigel Fullick, Vice President of ElementFunding. Logan Newell | McLogan Photography

Relay for Life

Bobbi Bird, Chair ofthe Bonita Springs

Relay for Life, at aplanning meeting lastmonth at Hodges Uni-

versity. The next relay,raising money for the

American CancerSociety, is coming toRiverside Park in April.

Logan Newell | McLogan Ph

Rebecca Antelis | [email protected]

The stage at RiversidePark will be graced withreal pirate history and an-tiques from the late 1600sto late 1800s during StarSpangled Bonita on July 4at 6 p.m. It has taken

Johnny O and YellowBeard over 10 years ofplundering to gather theirprivate collection. JohnnyO is played by BonitaSprings resident JohnOKelly.


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By Peter A. [email protected]

Bonita Springs Pam Olsen,President of the Bonita SpringsEstero Association of Realtors,

surveyed the large crowd settledin at the Spanish Wells CountryClub last month and declared,You are all here today to wit-ness history.

Ron Phipps, the Presidentof the National Association ofRealtors, travelled from Wash-ington D.C. to address the Junemeeting, the first such visit toSouthwest Florida by a sittingPresident of the organizationin over a decade.

Bonita Springs was proudto have Phipps. And Nigel Ful-lick was proud of Bonita. Weshould be proud of Bonita Were not Naples, were notFort Myers, were Bonita

Springs and we have an identity,this is a special place, and weshould start selling Bonita,said Fullick, Vice President ofElement Funding in BonitaSprings.

Fullicks colleague GerryTeeven introduced Phipps, hisfriend since their days 40 yearsago at Bishop Hendricken HighSchool in Warwick, RI. At thattime Phipps, an elected school

leader, was busy organizinghunger walks and visiting theelderly.

Phippss talk was, in part,motivational. Seize the day,he said. You can not be a

spectator in your own life. Itis your responsibility to beproactive and engaged.

Just as you have the Gulf,said Phipps, in real estate thetide goes up and down, andvalues can do the same. What

you look at is the long-termtrend.

For a long time in realestate we enjoyed a tremendousflow of value and activity, hesaid. We were so busyresponding to the immediateneed of our customers andclients we werent watchingthe horizon, we werent watch-ing how it was happening.Hopefully, history will not

repeat itself, because welearned.In largest measure, Phipps

talk was informative, reflectingknowledge of an industry vet-eran who spends much of hisdays in the corridors of thenations capital reminding peo-ple that, Its in our nationalbest interest to encourage homeownership if we want self-reliance.

Phipps is concerned thatencouraging hints of improve-ment are being swamped by

reports that persistently focuson just market averages. Theproblem is the national media

looks at sum total, and whatyou know about averagesis that a very bad situation canbring all of the numbersdown, he said. Nationaldynamics should not be

ignored, he said, but thefocus should be on the localmarket.

Phipps described the chal-lenges of the political environ-ment in Washington. Excessesin loose mortgage underwritinghave been cleaned up, he said,

and he is concerned that thependulum is swinging toofar back.

We met recently with aCongressional Committee andwe said to the committee,Youve already amputated thegangrene underwriting arm.Its gone. People who cantsustain homeownership cantget financing. Stop giving uschemotherapy.

Phipps recounted versation with SecreHousing and Urban Dment Shaun DonovanSecretary, itd really bthe administration just

stopped talking about h I dont mean to bspectful, but every tim

have this new idea tomarket you cause myand my sellers to pauthe market seek its owitll work it out.

The number one of the National AssociRealtors is the reliablecapital. Leaders of theation have met with largest lenders as well Fannie Mae and Fredd

Phipps is concernthe time required to mortgage applicatiowhat he views as unrea


The state of real estate

Logan Newell | McLogan Photography

Ron Phipps, President of the National Association ofRealtors, addressed a crowd of over 200 people atSpanish Wells Country Club in Bonita Springs lastmonth.

We should be proud of Bonita Were not Naples, were not Fort My

were Bonita Springs and we have aidentity, this is a special place, and

should start selling Bonita.Nigel Fullick, Vice President of Element Fu

Continuedo


10/32


sculpture is abstract geo-metric and that is how I liketo do my design, he said.

Nigel Fullick, chair of thevolunteer Bonita Springs Artin Public Places Board,recalled his first meetingwith Rogers two years ago.

One Sunday afternoon, Ful-lick received a call from JackieHauserman, a fellow boardmember.

She was all excited, saidFullick.

I have found this piece.You have to see it, she said,referring to Rogers work atthe Bonita Springs NationalArt Festival.

Great, said Fullick, whowas in Fort Lauderdale, Illgive you a ring on Monday.

Nigel, Hauserman said,He is leaving for Massa-chusetts tonight.

So, I drove like a lunatic

140 miles across AlligatorAlley, said Fullick.

Rogers described theRiverside Park location Ful-lick showed him. It is reallya flagship location, he said.But, Rogers reckoned, hisexisting smaller Awaysculpture really did not holdenough volume for the pre-poured pedestal and location.He suggested that he design

the larger 12-foot sculpturethat stands there today.

The name Away fitsthe upward stretching ofthe piece that, Rogers says,conveys a sense of family,community and harmony.I enjoy putting accents inmy work, he said, referringto the flock of birds lasercut into the side. They giveit a little pop and discoverywhen you are movingaround the piece.

And what about money?When told by Fullick of thevery limited budget of theArt in Public Places Board,

Rogers offered toAway to the City ofSprings cost-free for emonths.

As that period wasing to a close earliyear, a large company wto purchase the piecemeantime, We becamfond of it. But we coafford it, said Fullic

Fullick proposed

year lease. Rogers He also agreed thacan find a sponsor, oof purchasing the piwill sell it to us for $which is $4,000 less twould get if he sold it said Fullick. He hamore than gracious w

Bonita Springs han enthusiastic and ciative art communitRogers. I am happypart of it and I jus you can continue more art coming.

As for Fullick, he hmore pedestals ready

Y Manfrom page 1


11/32

July 2011 Southwest Spotlight Pag

TOWN TALKRotarianof the Year

Steve Agius and SheilaSeacat, at the RotaryClub of Bonita SpringsNoon installation partylast month. Steve receivedthe Rotarian of the Yearaward at the RotaryDisctrict 6960 confer-ence. He also receivedthe Dave Clark PullingEach Other Alongaward. The district in-cludes all Rotary Clubsfrom Sarasota to Naples.Staff Photo | [email protected]

The Stagegives back

The grand finale of the

Going to NashvilleKaraoke Contest at theStage was held lastmonth in Bonita Springs.Maribel Slabaugh,center, Executive Directorof Bonita Springs

Assistance, was on handto accept a donation of $1,030 from the Stage. Mayor Ben Nelson Jr., left, and LoriNelson, right, helped judge the contest. Las Vegas tribute bands perform everyThursday night this month at the Stage.

Contributed | [email protected]


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Bonita Springs The firsttime Richard Barber walkedthrough the doors of theBonita Springs YMCA itwas under doctors orders,in 2006. I needed to get inshape, and I was told theway to do it was to get intoa fitness program, he said.

The newly opened Boni-ta YMCA was the place, andBarber started on a cardioworkout regimen that hecontinues to this day fiveto six times a week. Onweekdays, his workoutbegins at 5:30 a.m., givinghim enough time before

work as Naples Postmaster.In 2006, Barber couldhardly have foreseen thatjust five years later he wouldemerge as a grassroots leaderin the fight to preserve theBonita Springs YMCA. Yetthere he was, stirring thepot, at a Bonita Springs CityCouncil meeting in earlyJune.

June 1, 2011 is the dayour Y closed, said Barber.From my side of the podi-um, it feels lousy.

The decision of theYMCA of the Palms, aNaples based organization,to close the Bonita YMCA

has proved controversial tomany in Bonita Springs.The YMCA of the Palmscited financial problems andbalked at handing the facilityto another Y that was willingto take and run the opera-tion.

South County Y is inter-ested in us, to take overresponsible management ofthis YMCA. Can that hap-pen? If it can, it should,said Barber. Will theYMCA of the Palms be

taken to task for what theyhave done? That remains

to be seen.There is nothing moreimportant in my mind thanyour YMCA, he said. It isa place of normalcy in trou-bled times. I have beencalled in my home by CEOsof YMCAs from all over thenation. Strangers who dontknow us. They are implor-ing me to stay the course,to keep on pounding andto keep it in the publicview.

Barbers trip to City Hallthat night was his secondin just two weeks. The firsttime he led scores of YMCAmembers in urging City

Council members to sup-port his request for a foren-sic audit of the Y. CityCouncil member John Spearthanked Barber for his

efforts. I am thrilled thatthis community has wokenup to the frustrations thatare associated with theYMCA, said Spear.

The City Council wasonly one stop in Barberstravels since the Bonita

YMCAs closure wasannounced on May 3. Hehas been a ubiquitous pres-ence, rallying his fellow Yusers, handing out fliers,attending meetings and gettogethers, like a BonitaSprings Chamber of Com-merce gathering at the grey-hound track, and calling intelevision reporters fromFort Myers.

I can not swear to whathappens at Golds Gym orsome place like that, said

Barber. All I knowwhen you went

YMCA on Kent Roada total family packawas a hotbed of actiwas truly a commgathering place.

Barber has met from all walks of the YMCA, retireesSilver Sneaker promembers of the 5:3basketball league, fusing the day care fasoccer league membEstero High School a

Barber, who mathe accent of his Nebirthplace, has been aSprings resident sinearly 1970s. His gra

activism dates to thand, literally, to grasLee County gave

sod for the ball fieWest Terry Street

early 1970s, said BTwelve of us lay thon four baseball fieldday after work. We fledgling group of teethat had no directionearly 1970s. We money and four yea

they had a place oown. Today that plgrown into the reccenter on West Terry

When this camsaid Barber, referrinYMCA closure, it pback in the mode 70s and 80s whenpeople had to grab thand run with it, or yogoing to be forgottenI saw this as an oppoto do the most gooshort period of time


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Richard Barber


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By Max Harris andDorota HarrisBonitas Best Friends

Bonita Springs This month

we are writing about a breedwhich everybody instantlyrecognizes but to behonest, we were not veryfamiliar with the dog atfirst hand. We mean theEnglish Bulldog.

The Bulldog is ubiquitousas a symbol of tenacity andstrength. England of courseadopts the bulldog as anemblem most particularlyon mugs and T-shirts for the

tourists. But others who haverecognized its value as a mas-cot range from Mack Trucks,thru a litany of high schoolsand universities, to the UnitedStates Marine Corps.

So it was with great antic-ipation that we invited Busterto meet us in our home,bringing in tow his ownersSally and Dave. (Buster isthe kind of dog that looks asthough he could tow the car

too if they ran out of gas).And really, Buster was

very charming a true gentlegiant. In a word, a softie!Sally and Dick had ownedtwo bulldogs before and areobviously big fans of thebreed. Buster was bought onthe internet something they

dont recommend to others and was supposed to becalled Betsy after their grand-daughter. Unfortunately,when they met him at theairport and he rolled happilyonto his back, it was obvioushe was no Betsy. He becameBuster from that day on.

Early on Dave and Sallytook Buster to day-care toensure he was properly social-ized. Things did not gosmoothly. He stole a toy froma Doberman, refused to giveit back under any circum-stances, and was thrown outof the group for stirring up

trouble. We werent surprisedto hear this upon arrivalin our home Buster hadinstantly seized a bone, andmade it clear he would keepit come what may (eventually,he left the house with it!)Luckily our standard poodleBlue has more commonsense than a Doberman he could see the writing onthe wall, and gracefully aban-doned his bone to the visitor!(No offense intended toDobermans we had two,and they were wonderfuldogs, but common sense wasnot their strong suit).

Now some interestingfacts about English Bulldogs.They do not need a lot ofphysical exercise, so they arewell suited to life in apart-ments. And since they are

also very sensitive to heat,they should not spend muchtime outdoors in Florida inthe summer.

They also of course havean unusual body shape,characterized by a head thatis exceptionally large rela-tive to the body. This makestheir birth difficult, andover 80 percent of bulldogpuppies are delivered bycaesarean section.

Most importantcenturies have passethe dog was used fobaiting, and time halowed the breed. Todinvariably described bwho know it well as ples dog. We could Buster was truly affecand thrived on the atof people around himbulldogs are famouswith children.

So we enjoyed Bvisit, and conclude tEnglish Bulldog is velous dog for thohave time and affeclavish upon him andnot short of either, iscompanionable dog.


A symbol of tenacity and strength

Max Harris | [email protected] arrival at the Harris residence Buster had instantly seized a bone, andmade it clear he would keep it.

Bonitas BFriendsIf you have a dog

you think is particuwonderful, contact [email protected] he or she coulthe next dog featu

in this column.

Bulldogs arefamously goodwith children.


16/32


Arts and Entertainment

4th of July ParadeMon., July 4, 9 a.m.Watch the parade as it beginsin downtown Bonita. This

years theme is Honoring OurCommunity Service People.Watch out for water balloons!

Star Spangled BonitaMon., July 4, 6 p.m.Party in the park with livemusic from Cahlua & Creamand Jay Frost & 3 Below. Theevening includes a laser lightshow and firework finale.Pirates, relay races, hotdog& watermelon & ice creameating contests and fun forthe whole family. More infoat cityofbonitasprings.org.

Alla Prima, Alla Fun,PearsThurs., July 7, 5:30to 8:30 p.m.This is a new way to learnthe basics of painting whileenjoying the company offriends with wine and dinner.Youll take home your ownfinished masterpiece. Where:The Center for the Arts. Cost:$42 per person. Call 239-

495-8989 to register.

Country westernThur., July 7, 7 p.m.Put on your cowboy hats and

boots and hear Nashvillesinger Joe Taylor sing songsfrom his new album, Live at

the Promenade. Where:Promenade at Bonita Bay.Cost: $15 members/$20 non-members. For more infor-mation, call The Center forthe Arts of Bonita Springs at239-495-8989.

Hot, Hot, HotFri., July 8, 6 to 8 p.m.The opening reception forthis summer themed art showand campus-wide open house

will feature artist demonstra-tions and displays. Where:The Center for the Arts ofBonita Springs. Cost: Free.

King of the jungleMon., July 11, 6:30 p.m.Family Movie Night at thePromenade is a recipe forfun and entertainment thismonth with the Disney classicThe Lion King. Refresh-ments are available. Where:Promenade at Bonita Bay.Cost: $8 adults/$5 children.

Art WalkThur., July 28, 4 to 7 p.m.Visit Artists Studios, viewtheir art, demonstrations andenjoy a live concert, lightrefreshments, and visit othermerchants. Where: Prome-nade at Bonita Bay. Cost: Free

Fundraisers

Sounds of SinatraFri., July 5, 6 to 8 p.m.Enjoy an evening of yourfavorite Frank Sinatra songsperformed live by nationallyacclaimed celebrity stylistTony Avalon. Proceeds benefitSt. Matthews House. Where:Naples Philharmonic Centerfor the Arts Daniels Pavilion.Cost: Tickets are $100/coupleor $75/person and includeheavy hors doeuvres and two

complimentary drinks. Call239-298-5033 to register.

Guys Night Outfor CharityTues., August 2, 6 to 9 p.m.The guys raised $4,000 inFebruary to support the Boysand Girls Clubs. This month,the Bonita Springs AssistanceOffice will be the beneficiaryof Guys Night Out for Char-ity. Where: Hurricane Grill& Wings, Coconut PointMall. Cost: $40. To register,go to www.bonitaassistance.org.

Contact usIs your organization holding afundraiser to benefit a localcharity? Let us know at [email protected].

Sports

Extreme fireworks skiingSat., July 2, 6:30 p.m.

Come watch the SoExtreme Water SkiTeam and the Annuapendence Day Celeband Fireworks DWhere: Miromar OCost: Free.

A bunch of bullsFri. & Sat., July 8 & 9The Professional BullPro Division Touringto town this month. Shappens when you adrenaline charged con the back of a h

snorting, temperam2,000 pound bull. Itsicas original extremand one of the fastest gsports in the country.Germain Arena. Costgermainarena.com foprices.

Roller HockeyChampionshipsFri., July 15 to Sun., JuThe national champfinals of hockey withice are coming to GArena. Visit germaicom for game tim

schedule. Where: GArena. Cost: Free.

Meetings

Come watch the aclive and in personWed., July 6, 5:30 p.mWed., July 20, 9 a.m.Bonita Springs City CWhere: City Council

bers, 9101 Bonita BeFor more informatio239-949-6262.

Business After HouThur., July 14, 5:30to 7:30 p.m.Enjoy networkingdoeuvres and door Where: Hampton InSuites/Fort Myers-Cost: Contact [email protected].

All dates, times andare subject to change.

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By Meghan [email protected]

Bonita Springs Students inBonita Springs began an

Odyssey of their Minds this year that took them on anunforgettable journey. Teamsfrom Bonita Middle Schooland Spring Creek Elementarywon first place in state andlocal competitions of Odysseyof the Mind and traveled tothe World Championships atthe University of Maryland.

Odyssey of the Mind(OOTM) is an internationaleducational program that chal-lenges students to use theirimaginations to solve problemscreatively.

OOTM helps studentsexercise their creativity andproblem solving skills in a fun

and exciting way, said RobinRichards, coach of the SpringCreek Elementary Team. Lifeis full of opportunities andchallenges, OOTM helps stu-dents see that all challengeswe face can be overcome withcreative thought, teamworkand action.

Teams are given a problemto solve and each student bringsa skill set to the table. Each

problem has definite criteriathat will be judged.

How spectacularly theysolve the problem will set themapart from the rest of the

teams, said Kristi Parrish,coach of the Bonita MiddleSchool team. My team usuallystarts by brainstorming aboutthe different scenarios or storylines that they could use, usuallythere is some role playinginvolved while they narrowdown the theme and mainidea behind their perform-ance.

This year the elementaryteam was given a long-termproblem called Full Circlethat was sponsored by NASA.This type of problem is onethey can work on before com-petition. The team had to createa play that had something

change three times and thenturn back to its original formand had a signal notifying theaudience of the change. Theplay had to have a serious char-acter, a funny character, some-thing in the play made ofrecyclables, an original songand an original dance. Theteam created the play, the set,costumes, wrote a song andcreated a dance.

It is amazing to watchthese kids create their solutions;the wheels are just spinningall the time, Richards said.They share stories and ideasand recall random thoughtsthat end up taking flight. Theyare naturally creative andOOTM is a place where they

can explore their creativity.The team started by coming

up with a story line. One oftheir students told a story aboutputting on a red towel with ahood and creating a rap calledLittle Red in the Hood. Theteam created a humorous storyincluding many not-so-tradi-

tional fairy tale characters whohelped Little Red learn somelife lessons along the way.

She understands at theend that she liked being herself

and the Fairy God Hobo justwanted her to like who shewas and not try to be anyoneelse, said fourth-grader HaleyAdkins.

The most challenging partwas making sure that every-thing was working with thesets and costumes, said fifth-grade student Bradley Mel.We had to keep tweaking theprops to make them better sothat they would work at com-petition time.

Besides working on thelong-term project during theschool year, students also haveto prepare for a spontaneousproblem that they will be pre-

sented with at competitions.The judges give them a smalltime allotment to solve a verbal,hands-on or combinationproblem.

We practice spontaneousproblems which keep theirbrains sharp and creative,Parrish said. The spontaneousportion of the competitioncounts as one-third of the scor-ing and shouldnt be over-

looked.Both the midd

elementary teams placin the local and state titions. When they wen

world competition at tversity of Maryland, justof Washington, D.C.Creek placed ninth outeams. Bonita Middle14th out of 79 teams.

There were approx860 teams that competcountries includingAfrica, Germany, SwitzPoland, Canada, MexicoKorea, Japan and moUS was represented majority of states.

This year, our teaincredibly talented; sethe team members coand made most of ttumes, Parrish said.

seasoned set builders wcomfortable using powand we had experiencformers who could sand dance. In my opinmost important traitOMER (OOTM teamber) are that they mustative and fearless!

We all get so clospretty much a family


Contributed | Special to the SpotlightThis team from Bonita Middle School traveled to theOdyssey of the Mind World Champions at the Uni-versity of Maryland. Back row, left to right: Madi-son Cernohous, Chloe Pallak, Drake Philip, Amanda

Patterson, Jared Harrison. Front row, left to right:Savannah Faulkner & Elise Parrish

An Odyssey of the Mind

Continued on


20/32

downtown redevelopment toSt. Matthews House.

Those who attend meetingsat City Hall, or watch endlessreruns of City Council meetingson BTV Channel 98, can observeNelson trying to coax a cheerfulgood morning from a preoc-cupied crowd, always asking:Councilman Slachta, will you

please lead us in the pledge ofallegiance?, or cajoling anunruly group: As Americans,we want people with dissentingviews to be comfortable here.So you need to ratchet it backso that people are not booed orapplauded.

At one time, Strangelyenough, I was painfully bashful,says Nelson. Not anymore. Heenjoys a laugh and not infre-quently tries to get a laugh atCity Council meetings, often athis own expense. During a recentYMCA discussion at City Hall,a Silvers Sneakers participantrecounted that his wife hadharangued him to get to the

gym on a regular basis. Broth-er, Nelson interjected, I feel

your pain.Sometimes the laughs seem

aimed at breaking tension, likehis comment to a Vasari resident,who approached the City Coun-cil podium amidst an unpleasantcommunity rumble. Red shirtand red shoes. Very nicely done.Like I am a clotheshorse? Right.

Behind the mirth, there is

more than a little moxie. Enoughso that Nelson is the only personto serve on City Council sinceits inception. Starting with theDistrict Six Council seat (Ibarely won my first election,but I did) to which he was re-elected, Nelson became Mayorafter defeating Jay Arend, BonitaSprings second Mayor, in a 2008run-off election.

Nelson repeatedly stressed

his belief that, for Bonita Springsto be most successful, it needsto continually build relationshipswith other governmental agen-cies that have an effect on BonitaSprings. People said You needto be tough on them, saidNelson. My philosophy wasNo.

It is not like we are goingto pick up and move from LeeCounty, he said. We are alwaysgoing to be doing business withthem, he said. When we aredone working with them on theBonita Beach Road widening,we are going to be working onthe library, and when we aredone with the library it is going

to be something else. So thatrelationship needs to be respect-ful, strong and polite.

Nelson recounted the com-ments he made at a public meet-ing with the South Florida WaterManagement District shortlyafter his election as Mayor. Onbehalf of the 46,000 people inBonita Springs, he said, I wantto say that you are doing a great

job. If there is anything we can

do to help you, let me know.Support, he says, enables otheragencies to do their job better.

He believes being nice paysoff. Because we have been ableto forge relationships, it has paida lot of dividends, he says. Asexamples, he cited the Cityscollaboration with Lee Countyto advance the six-lane projectfor Bonita Beach Road, and theSouth Florida Water Manage-ment Districts investment of

$500,000 in the Citys stormwater master plan and relatedprojects. That is what they aresupposed to do, but they getsidetracked sometimes, saidNelson.

Nelson complimented hisfellow City Council members.I am very proud of this Coun-cil, he said. I have seen whathappens in a lot of cities. Thereis argument, fighting, embar-

rassment, tension, screamingand drama. I dont want thatfor my City.

We lowered taxes three yearsin a row at a time when most

cities are scrambling on how todo things. That is a tribute not

only to this Council and staff,but to previous City Councilsas well. They set the templateon how to do business.

Nelsons near term priorityis supporting new City ManagerCarl Schwing. He is a veryintelligent, savvy, polite, awesomeperson but Council cant expecthim to know the history ofalmost every issue, said Nelson.Not that you shouldnt take a

shot at solving it in a differentmanner, but you need to knowwhat that history is and whatthe true collective will of theCouncil is.

He has several other priori-ties, including higher education

(We are hoping to get EdisonState College to come downhere.), road projects (Thereis not much money to goaround. We need to use it inplaces like Bonita Beach Road,where there is a definite pay-back.) and Old 41 redevelop-ment (It is all about designingthe walkable community. Thetemplate is setwith differentincentives. We need to get more

people to use the park.The City needs to wo

the residents of Hickoryvard, Nelson said, to coverlay designed to protvision for the Bonita Bea

We are twice the siCity of Naples, and whave a city planner. Ithat there needs to be swho develops an hiknowledge, he said.

And what aboMatthews House? I knsome people think thbeginning of the end oas we know it, and sommay have translated myingness to publicly judas tacit approval or tacof that, Nelson said. it is a zoning case, I going to judge these until I am asked to doproper legal forum. Th

judicial functions, he The only thing y

hope for, in my positionyou are judged by the of your character andentirety of your recor

Nelson.We need to keep b

Bonitas reputation, becis a wonderful place wehe said. More people know about that. Mopeople who live here understand what a truplace they live in.

Disclosure: Ben Nelson Jr.human-interest column appeSouthwest Spotlight.


Nelson from page 1

Staff Photo | [email protected] Nelson declared his candidacy for re-election as Mayor of Bonita Springslast month at the Survey Caf in downtown Bonita Springs.

We need to keep building Bonitasreputation, because this is a wonderful

place we live in.Ben Nelson Jr.


21/32


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Staff [email protected]

Bonita Springs Businessis growing in Bonita Springs.Randys Paradise Shrimp isnow open at 25010 Bern-wood Drive off Old U.S. 41

in Bonita Springs.The popular Naples restau-rants new location is muchmore than a restaurant andfish market. Its also a foodmanufacturing facility fornational distribution of Randysproducts. Key lime pies, soups,cocktail sauces, seafood dips,and key lime pie slices on a

stick dipped in chocolate areprepared and packaged fornational distribution.

More than 35 newemployees have been hired.In season it should go up toaround 50 or 60, said RandyEssig, owner of Randys Par-

adise Shrimp.A lot of time and money

has been invested in Bonita.It took Randy 17 weeks tobuild out the facility. Syn-ovus Bankhas helped withpart of the funding.

The Bonita Springs AreaChamber of Commercelaunched a new program

last month, Where YouWant to Belong. The pro-gram is designed to reener-gize its existing membersand to attract new members

to our areas only Five-StarAccredited Chamber.

As the economy beginsto recover and the businesscommunity moves forward,we want to ensure that our

members are fully engagedand that they understandthe benefits we provide,said Christine Ross, Presi-dent and CEO of the Cham-ber. We go far beyondnetworking at business afterhours, extending our reach

to economic development,government affairs andbuilding relationships amongour business and City part-ners, said Ross.

Cliff Welles and JudyUnderwood, of DecoratingDen, were at the ChambersBusiness-to-Business-Expolast month at Vi at Bentley

Village. Welles and Under-wood were recently namedFranchise Business Ownersof the Year. Previous awardsthey have won includeDream Room Design, indi-vidual sales, franchise sales,regional sales and region of

the year.In other business news,

Corinne Kleinberger, ofTheSalon in the Bonita BayPlaza, recently raised $693for the Everglades Founda-tion. The vision of the foun-dation is to restore andreclaim the Everglades andits surrounding estuaries.

For more info aboEverglades Foundatto evergladesfoundati

A Taste of BroPizzeria in Pelican LPublix Plaza is nowPizzeria and IKitchen. Due to a

deal of confusionanother pizza place iproximity and namhave made the tougsion to change the bname, said Joe Rowner of Pinos PizzeItalian Kitchen. Ruoriginally from BensoBrooklyn.


Contributed | Special to theThe Bonita Springs Area Chamber of Commerce kicked off its Where you want to belong program last month. The new program is designed to reinvigour local business community.

Bonita Business Beat

More than 35

new employees havebeen hired.


24/32


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Contributed | catch@swspoBarry Nicholls with his personal record Scamp (10 pounds) caught on pinfish in 180 feet of water last month off of Fort Myers while fishing wittain Chick Melfi and Yasmin Workman on her 33 foot Contender. Emaiphotos to [email protected] and your photo could be the next catchmonth.

Staff [email protected]

For the troopsAmerican Legion Post 388will hold a collection forour troops July 9 from 8a.m.to 12 p.m. at Bonita SpringsCity Hall. You may also dropoff items at City Hall duringbusiness hours Monday toFriday leading up to thecollection. Bring snacks, toi-

letry items and readingmaterials to be distributedto our troops serving inAfghanistan.

Blood drive July 4The bloodmobile will be atStans Super Subs & Delion July 4 from 8 a.m. tonoon. The drive takes placebefore, during and after the4th of July parade throughdowntown Bonita Springs.Donors will receive a specialdonor gift and a $1 off cardfrom Stans Super Subs &Deli. The blood drive ismade possible by StansSuper Subs & Deli and

Bonita Springs ProfessionalFirefighters Local 3444.Stans Super Subs & Deli is

located in Nelson Plaza at26880 Old 41 Road, justnorth of Terry Street.

Hurricane suppliesThe Bonita Estero Associa-tion of Realtors is collectinghurricane supplies thismonth. Supplies will be dis-tributed to the needy by theBonita Springs Fire & Res-cue District. Donations canbe dropped off at theB.E.A.R. offices at 25300Bernwood Drive off OldU.S. 41 Rd., next to the LeeCounty Tax Collector.B.E.A.R. is also collectingbooks for the VA clinic and

non-perishable food itemsfor area food pantries. Formore information call 239-992-6771.

Wee Waggin RescueWee Waggin Rescue is anon-profit, no-kill rescueorganization that rescuesdogs in danger of beingeuthanized in over-crowdedshelters, turned in by ownerswho can no longer care for

them and abandonedThe Bonita Springs ization finds lovin

homes for these dogWaggin Rescue is fentirely by donatiois manned exclusivvolunteers. If you like to volunteer,weewaggin.com or c344-9538. Wee Waggcue, Inc. is a 5tax-exempt organiAll donations ardeductible.

Parkinson AssociatSouthwest FloridaThe mission of the PaAssociation of SouFlorida is to promote

of life for personParkinson Disease ancare partners. Their sare available at no coare paid for through mdonations, grants andevents. Volunteers arefor office reception, oa week for three fundraising and eduDonations are welcomexercise classes for pwith Parkinson Disetheir care partners aon Mondays and Wedat Community Hall, aOld 41 Road. For intion, email pasfi@aoor call 239-417-3465

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By Meghan [email protected]

Bonita Springs When thepaintbrush of Ed Tacakstouches the canvas, some-thing magical happens; a

bird takes flight across a pre-viously white canvas, an ele-phant stares into a viewerseyes, a hippo glides beneaththe water. Animals come tolife and are captured in timefor the viewer to watch andenjoy forever.

I have always loved ani-mals, Tacaks says whilepainting in his Center forthe Arts Studio at The Prom-enade at Bonita Bay. I didmy first drawing in kinder-

garten and then when I wasworking at Burger King inhigh school I started doingdog portraits, because thatwas much better than work-ing at Burger King.

When his art teachers sawhis work, they arranged forTacaks to study figure draw-ing at the University ofMiami.

They wouldnt let youdraw nudes in high schoolso they sent me to theUniversity and it was a great

experience, Tacaks says. Ilearned a lot about drawingand I have just always lovedto draw.

The artist says that wasthe extent of his formal train-ing. When viewers look at

the detail of his work andthe life and personality ofhis wildlife subjects theyknow that this is a naturallygifted artist that truly seeslife as it stands before him.

Without looking at thelists of awards and honorsTakacs has received or know-ing how well his work isreceived by galleries, anyonecan see where his talent, andhis love, lies.

I feel lucky that I amdoing what I want, Takacssays. Im doing what I loveand this is all I can do now.

Takacs works in oil,acrylic and watercolor, what-

ever media lends itself bestto his subject. He works fromphotographs he has taken,first sketching the subjectand then painting. His paint-ings may come from onephotograph, or a collectionof shots, depending on whathe wants to show.

Thats the good thingabout being an artist, youcan change it on the canvas,Takacs says. You change thebackground, change the tuskof an elephant, move a legout; but you really have toknow a lot about musclesbefore you start movingthings around.

A lot of his work involvesstudying animals up closeand taking good photo-graphs that he can use inhis studio. He does this bystudying local birds in theirhabitat, visiting zoos andanimal wildlife refuges andby traveling throughout theUnited States and to Africa.He says he takes as manyphotos as he can while he isobserving the animals sothat he has good referenceswhen he sits down to work.

With the zoos I reallylove just getting up closeto the animals, I think thatis sometimes why I do alot of portrait style paint-ings, Takacs says. Butsince going to Africa, its

a little more scenery.He has traveled to Africa

twice and plans to returnnext year. This fall he is goingto Alaska. His work reflectsanimals from all over theUnited States and other areas.He says that when he canplan his excursions out tostudy animals he thinksabout the light and the timeof the day, but often on guid-

ed trips and safaris, he hasno control over the time ofday and just shoots a lot ofphotos.

When walking past thestudio of Takacs at ThePromenade, viewers willoften find the artist absorbedin his work. He sits in thewindow painting and seemsnot to notice the passersby.Before him, the wall is linedwith canvas after canvas ofanimals, all with their ownpersonalities staring out. His

work can also be found onhis Web site at www.edtakacs.com and in galleriesin Fort Myers, Key West and

other parts of Floridaa regular in shows Center for the Arts ofSprings and the Vonin Naples. Others mognize his work froJuly/August 2010 edFlorida Wildlife MaHe says that most are interested in thbehind the paintinthat is part of the reaenjoys traveling to dareas to photograph wfor his paintings.

People ask you, did you get this, whyou get that? TakaWell, I was there.


Animals come to life

Call for Artists2nd Annual "Deck the Walls" juried art sho

December 2 - 4, 2011Deadline is September 15

The Literacy Council of Bonita SpringsArtists will be juried based on samples of their current w

For more information go to bonitaliteracy.org

Ed Tacaks | Special to thEd Tacaks took pictures of this elephant during

to Kruger National Park in South Africa. His ings come from one photograph, or a collectshots, depending on what he wants to show.

Ed Tacaks | Special to the SpotlightEd acquired the rights to a photograph by Tim Rucciused for reference for this painting. Ed is going toAlaska in September where he hopes to see somemore puffins.

Ed Tacaks | Special to the SpotlightEd Tacaks won first place in the 2010 Florida Wildlife Magazine art contest with Egrets. Thispainting is on the cover of the July/August 2010issue of Florida Wildlife Magazine.

Meghan Easterly |[email protected]

Ed Tacaks, at his Centerfor the Arts Studio at ThePromenade at BonitaBay, works in oil, acrylicand watercolor, what-ever media lends itselfbest to his subject.


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high credit score requirements.His focus is on remindingbanks that if people are creditworthy then lets not make itdifficult for them. Lets makethe process easier, said Ful-lick.

What we are working onin an aggressive way is to try

to protect the opportunityfor the average Americanfamily to own a home, saidPhipps. It takes that family14 years to put 20 percentdown. In 2010, 68 percentof home-buyers put less than20 percent down.

Another challenge to thereal estate industry is findinga successor to Fannie Maeand Freddie Mac, one thatwould provide liquidity tothe market while avoidingtheir mistakes. The privatemarket for mortgages repre-sents less than 3.5 percent ofall of the mortgages outthere, he said. We need tohave mortgages placed some-

where.Phipps believes preserving

the mortgage interest deduc-tion is essential, and that the30-year fixed rate mortgageprovides a predictable costunderpinning sustainablehome ownership.

Rents nation-wgoing up 5 percent thand up 5 percent nextIf you lock-in and yqualify for sustainablownership, you can payment, with oadjustments for taxutilities, but fix that pfor the life of your pthere. Isnt that goomon sense? he said.

At the end of thPhipps shared the persof over three decadebusiness. This storthese rough seas wilhe said but we needisciplined, focused, common sense.

Phippsfrom page 9


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made a commitment to ouremployees to provide themwith a certain standard for thecurrent budget year. I see it asa serious commitment. He,along with members StephenMcIntosh, Janet Martin andMartha Simons voted for theproposal.

This is temporary, saidMartin. People need the timeto adjust and I am willing togive them that time. When weget into the budget cycle itsgoing to be a brand new ballgame.

City employee salaries andbenefits have been frozen forover three years, the result ofthe need to balance the Citybudget in tough economictimes. Recently, City Councilapproved reinstituting aprogram under which quali-fying employees can receivemerit increases of up to 2 per-cent of salary. None have beengranted to date.

City electionsBill Lonkart is running for

a second term as District 6City Councilman. Lonkart saidconstituent service is his firstpriority, whether that is lookingafter sound walls for HuntersRidge and balky traffic lightson Bonita Beach Road or work-ing for a bigger library forBonita Springs. A problem isan unsolved opportunity, hesaid; keeping an open lineis the key. He will also continueto focus on unpaved roads.

We are on the thresholdof some very good times whenthe economy turns. We have

a lot of good stuff going on,Lonkart said, citing activeresidential development incertain areas and commercialprojects in the works for Boni-ta Beach Road. A resident ofBonita Springs since the early1990s, he had a career in theinsurance field.

When John Spear declinedto run for re-election in District

4, he expressed confidence thatthere were many who couldstep up and serve. Electionsare over six months away,and already three people haveformally declared their candi-dacy: Roger Brunswick,Wesley Norris and PeterSimmons. Two others, Bar-bara Barnes-Buchanan andAllen Perry, have expressedserious interest.

Brunswick, a BonitaSprings resident since theearly 1990s, currently serveson the Zoning Board and hasbeen heavily involved in theturnover committee of theBonita Bay Community Asso-ciation. I want to help, hesaid. Bonita Springs is a greatcity, and I want to continueto see it grow and prosper.We really have a need to create

jobs. Brunswick is a realtorwith John R. Wood.

Norris came to BonitaSprings in the early 1980s andwas in the construction busi-ness for almost 25 years. Heserved on the Zoning Board

for nine years. We need to behard at work in bringing cleanindustrial business into thistown, he said. We have I-75,we have a railhead, we havethe workforceWe can eitherstand still or move forward.We have to move forward care-fully.

Bonita Springs is a citybut it has a hometown feel forus, says Simmons. He startedthe Simmons Group to focuson nonprofit and politicalfundraising locally, statewideand nationally. I know thestruggles I go through as asmall business owner, he said.We have to continue to make

Bonita, Lee County and Floridaa business friendly environ-ment. Simmons and hisfamily moved to Bonita Springstwo years ago.

Perry has not formallydeclared, but very little isgoing stop me from running,he said. Perry owns ParadiseSecurity Consulting. He haslived in Bonita Springs since

2002, and worked in the Cityfor eight years as a Lee Countydeputy sheriff, starting in 1999.When I was approached torun by some good friends, Ithought it was a great oppor-tunity because I want to be avoice for the people of District4, he said. I have no otheragenda than to be representa-tive of those people.

As previously reported in

the Spotlight, Barnes-Buch-anan, a realtor and formerassistant city manager, is con-templating a run. She is mon-itoring how the field develops.

City ManagerCarl Schwing

I almost feel guilty becauseit feels so great, said CarlSchwing, who began work asBonita Springs City Managerin early June. The staff, theCity Council members andthe residents I have met havebeen as welcoming as theycould be. I feel very comfortablebeing here and look forward

to the opportunity to make acontribution working as ateam with the staff and theCity Council.

Preserving historyThe citys volunteer His-

toric Preservation Board,chaired by Charlie Strader,has applied for two grantsthrough the Florida StateBoard of Historic Preserva-tion. One project will providea self-guided audio narrativeof the downtown historicdistrict, for download to aniPad or smartphone. A videowalking tour also will bedistributed to schools and avail-

able for download. The otherproject would sponsor aneducational workshop on thebenefits of heritage tourism,bringing in experts who havedeveloped successful programsin other areas.

John Gucciardo, assistantCity Manager, is optimisticthat the grants will bereceived.


Up and Downfrom page 13

end of it, said eighth-graderAmanda Patterson. I love itbecause it teaches you how towork together, how to workas a team player, and how towork on your own without

your parents, siblings, orfriends outside the team help-ing you. My favorite partwould be competing mostlybecause you get to meet somany new people.

Some of the students havebeen participating in Odysseyfor many years and most saythey plan to stick with theprogram which is open togrades kindergarten throughhigh school.

At world finals my favorite

thing to do was watch thehigh school teams perform,said BMS student DrakePhilip. I enjoyed seeing allthe talent these older teamshad and the quality of theirskits were nearly professional.Watching them made mewonder what OOTM wouldbe like for me in high school.

Odyssey gave me a creativeoutlet to express myself andmeet new people, said fifth-grader Drew Parrish. I mainlyenjoyed the adventure andhumor round every corner.

The students workthroughout the school yearperfecting their problem-solv-ing skills to win the competi-tions and raising money to beable to go to the competitions.The coaches say that they enjoythe program just as much as

the students and appreciatethe support that they get fromthe community.

Once I became involvedwith the program, I washooked, said Coach Parrish.It is an amazing thing to wit-ness creativity in action. I loveseeing what they come upwith and watching their ideasbecome reality!

It takes so much workand standing in the hot Floridasun doing car washes to earnthousands of dollars, but itsall worth it once you get there,Patterson said. You get toexperience talking to peoplefrom all over the world andsee all the different culturescome together. OOTM hasopened up a different way ofsolving things and workingout problems.

Odysseyfrom page 19


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By Kathy [email protected]

Bonita Springs On a darkrainy night a few years ago acar flipped over, pinning a

woman occupant in a flood-ed ditch on I-75. As the waterrose, she was straining tobreathe when Bonita Springsfirefighter Paul DeVanearrived on the scene.

As emergency personnelstruggled to right the car,their jacks sunk into the mud.Seeing this, DeVane slidunder the vehicle, positioninghimself next to the woman.He kept her airway open andthe murky water out of herface.

It was a once-in-a-careermoment for DeVane, a 23- year veteran and fourthgeneration firefighter. He

wasnt supposed to be divingunder a car, and he knew it.But she might have died ifhe hadnt.

We got her out. She sur-vived, he said. When askedwhat he enjoyed most abouthis career, he said, Helpingpeople.

We see things most peo-ple dont get to see or mostdont want to see really, saidLieutenant Paul Phillips.

The Bonita Springs Fireand Rescue District has 81firefighters. 27 are on dutyat any one time, working in24-hour shifts. About halfcome from firefighting fam-

ilies, Phillips said. He is athird generation firefighter.

Phillips is a training leaderfor the district. These fire-fighters dont get an oppor-tunity everyday to fightstructure fires, said Lieu-tenant Phillips, so trainingwith their equipment isessential. You work unsu-pervised a lotyou need toknow moments count.

Maintaining a state ofreadiness requires two hoursof training per day and onehour of physical workoutsin the firehouse gym. Refresh-er classes on procedures andthe increasingly technical

equipment are part of themonthly training schedule.

Recently, Phillips led aladder truck training class atthe Districts facility on Boni-ta Grande Drive.

The ladder truck, knownas Truck 25 43 feet long,11 feet high and weighingover 53 tons, uses outriggersto balance the vehicle, whichstretch 16 feet wide at itsbase.

The truck, barely two years old, responds to allstructural fires. While laddersset up at ground level willonly reach a third story, aerial

truck ladders extend higher,with a reach of 70 feet.

The aerial ladder andbucket also allow for rescues.Several pick offs can be maderapidly from windows andbalconies. The bucket canhold up to 1,000 pounds.Thats four fully equippedfirefighters or two firefightersand several victims.

Truck 25 is a vehicle tobe mastered and an impor-tant part of the firefightingprotocol. The class beganwith light banter but quicklybecame an exchange ofshared experiences, and help-ful facts and figures for work-

ing on the apparatus.The firefighters have a

vocabulary all their own withacronyms like TIC (thermalimaging camera) and RIT(rapid intervention teams),

positive pressure vent, gallonsper minute, flying standpipe,salvage, overhaul, spottingand outriggers.

Positioning this behe-moth at the scene of afire can be a challenge.Each crewmember must size

up the situation. Its calledspotting.

Obstructions such as trees,vehicles and overhead linespresent challenges. Cars andcurbs also present difficultiesfor the outriggers. The crewlooks for a spot as close to

the fire as possible. It needsto know how far and at whatangle it canextend the bucketfrom a location and whetherpump flows will reach thestructure.

Crew responsibilitiesinclude shutting off utilities,

setting up ladders and gettingwater flowing. The fire sourceoften is determined throughthermal imaging.

The company officer hasoverall responsibility but,according to Phillips, theentire crew should always

check the whole bbecause someday thbe riding the fronseat with full respoty.

The crew, or tras they call themselvepull hose lines. The platform has 2 water smanually and remotetrolled. Additional licreate more water s

During the class looked over at FiremaSheffield who was conthe bucket and saioperates it with skideveloped a feel. Yoto put the time in to bficient.

To reduce fire lossare trained to use watcanvas to cover and toproperty inside a strTo extinguish hiddefirefighters will opfloors, walls and ceilingto save as much proppossible. The publicciates it if you can savelectronic equipmereduce their fire lossPhillips.

Its dangerous wobecoming more andtechnical, said Phillifirefighters have devspecialties. Theres

extrication, hazardourials, special operationangle rescue, belowrescue and road rescu

I dont know if a more physically demjob, said Phillips. Firehave a shorter life spathe general public. Thber one killer is heartAccidents involving veither going to a call oing on the scene are sIts demanding phand mentally stressfudont know a firemdoesnt love it, he saikind of have to.


Fire Department prepares to be ready

Staff Photo | [email protected] Greg DeWitt climbs up Bonitas laddertruck.

Staff Photo | i nfo@swspo

Staff Photo | [email protected] Springs firefighters Paul Devan and Bruce Sheffield practice firing 1,645 gallons of water per minuteat their training facility on Bonita Grande Drive in Bonita Springs.

Logan Newell | McLogan PhotographyFirefighters look into to a fire that awaits them during a training exercise lastmonth.


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Page 32 Southwest Spotlight July 2

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