Coastal Breeze News

Richard A. Washak, Sr. 12/1/32 – 7/14/12 Richard A. Washak of East Bridgewater, MA died July 14, at the age of 79. Richard was the loving son of the late Edward and Helen (Keleher) Washak and was a graduate of Christopher Columbus High School. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1954 and served in the reserves until 1972. Richard was proud of his service and retired as a chief petty officer. Richard moved to East Bridgewater in 1991. Richard’s father founded Ever-Hot All Copper, a water heating company in South Boston where Richard worked for many years. Richard later ... Read More »

By Coastal Breeze News Staff There is a single program that has been one of the most popular summer camps in the history of the City of Marco Island Parks and Rec. It began almost 10 years ago. The program grew; it was refined and became great. It is the sailing program. This program went through a number of changes this past year including a name change and location change. It is better now than anyone dreamed it could be when it began. The Micky’s Sailing program has gone through a complete metamorphosis to become the Marco Island Community Sailing ... Read More »

ALL THAT GLITTERS  Richard Alan  [email protected] The jewelry business will never be the same; it’s a simple fact. I guess I will always remember the good old days. Funny thing is it was not that long ago. In the good old days, like only four years PAST, I rarely missed a trade or buying show both here and abroad. My wife and I loved traveling through Europe hunting for the unusual and what would be the rage in the months to come. Year after year, we were successful in our search for innovative styles of jewelry and gifts that would be ... Read More »

By Coastal Breeze News Staff Marco Island’s Police Department is reorganizing. It’s a move calculated to assure greater efficiency and furnish increased security while improving cost effectiveness. Police Chief Don Hunter and City Manager Jim Riviere have developed a new structure for the department. In place of an organization that had department components reporting to the Chief through an Assistant Chief there will be four functions directly responsible to the Chief. They are: • The Assistant Chief, who will be responsible for a variety of functions, including support services such as evidence and records, police officer school resource, recruiting, training, ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom [email protected] With the summer coming to a close, local schools are busy prepping for the upcoming school year. Marco Island Academy High School is no exception. Going into its second year, the school has come a long way since opening its doors last fall. The charter high school is looking forward to some big changes, including some new teachers, new coursework and a new school site. Joining the MIA team this year are three new staff members. Ms. Betsy Klemme has signed on as the school’s guidance counselor. Graduating from FGCU with a Master’s in School Counseling ... Read More »

By Coastal Breeze News Staff  “Marco is a 100% alternative water source.” Justin Martin’s statement sums up both the challenges and successes dealt to the city’s water utility as it supplies between seven and nine million gallons of fresh water daily to an island surrounded by salt water. When the city took over from Florida Water Services the utility facilities located on Elkcam Circle, it inherited operations equipment built in the 1970’s, now becoming inefficient and obsolete. Martin, an operations manager, and the rest of the staff have worked to identify and implement new technology suited to the utility’s unique ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom  [email protected]  The Caxambas boat ramp on Marco Island played host to a team of rescue workers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission and The Lowry Zoo of Tampa on July 30. “Caxy,” a manatee injured due to a boat collision in April, was released back into the wild amid a crowd of onlookers who took photographs and even had a chance to pet the manatee before she made her way back to sea. After receiving a report of an injured manatee near Caxambas Bay on the FWC’s Manatee Hotline, rescuers began the arduous task of reinning ... Read More »

By Coastal Breeze News Staff  Rotarians, Kiwanians, Chamber Members, MICA members, Floridians, Californians, Texans, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Undecideds, Men, Women, Children, Children who act like Men, Men who act like children… Said another way, EVERYONE is invited to the next After Five! Mangos Dockside Bistro at the Esplanade will host the event that begins at 5:00 PM with complimentary hors d’oeuvres, happy hour drink pricing and the music compliments of Dave Gardner. All proceeds from the $10.00 entry fee will benefit Meals of Hope. Proceeds will go to purchase raw food materials for the November 17, 2012 Meals of Hope ... Read More »

By Coastal Breeze News Staff  Tony Costantino of Marco Island won “best of show” at last week’s Corvette show held at the Seminole Casino in Immokalee. The winning car is a modified 2009 ZO6 Corvette. Tony is a member of the Marco Island Corvette and Muscle Car Club and has been working on his ZO6 for the past two years in the hopes of winning a top trophy at a major event. The Marco Island Corvette and Muscle Car Club is held every Friday evening at 8:00 PM at the Town Center parking lot near Susie’s Diner. All Corvettes and ... Read More »

Donna Fiala [email protected] It’s summer and, although there has been a little rain on the other side of the bridge, Marco Island hasn’t seen much of it. In talking with Bryan Hauser, he said there have been 13 days without rain until August 4th, and Bryan would know. On the other side of that bridge there is more than rain! There are a couple of restaurants you might want to try during our quiet summer without a very long wait. One of them is Cracklin’ Jack’s on 951/Collier Blvd. near the intersection of Rattlesnake Hammock Rd. This wonderful place has ... Read More »

By Monte Lazarus [email protected] The event was a high school graduation at an undisclosed location in an undisclosed state, noted for its rather oversized governor. My spouse and I ventured north to witness the graduation of one of our favorite grandsons. An added bonus, or so it’s said, was to mingle with assorted great grandkids (some greater than others – one spent five days just grinning at me). In the stands at the high school football stadium it was sunny, bright and crowded. The graduating class was 408, give or take one or two. One non-diploma receiver was a slightly ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom [email protected] On Wednesday, July 25, Rookery Bay welcomed Wayne Hasson to speak at their summer lecture series featuring marine mammals. The world-renowned Scuba diver and owner of the Aggressor Fleet spoke of his first-hand encounters with the endangered humpback whale. An avid diver for more than 40 years, Hasson began his extensive underwater career while serving as a United States Marine. His love of Scuba led him to develop the Aggressor and Dancer Fleets. These live-a-board yachts offer a home out on the sea for Scuba enthusiasts. With locations in Hawaii, the Maldives, Fiji, the Cayman Islands, ... Read More »

By Coastal Breeze News Staff One of Marco Island’s most beloved firefighters had a send-off from an overflow crowd at the firehouse on July 27th. Steve Fickling retired after 28 years of dedicated service, beginning June 20, 1984. His last position was Driver/Engineer, but he was also the guiding force behind Marco’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) which prepares citizens to deal with emergencies and catastrophes. Many of the well-wishers were CERT members, and numerous others were members of Marco Island’s Fire Rescue Foundation and the Marco Island Police Department. Steve says that he considers himself: “a native Floridian because ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom  [email protected]  John Gowdy, also know as “The Man of Sand,” treated guests at the Marco Island Marriott to a spectacular sand sculpting show over the weekend of July 27. Gowdy, who has sculpted sand on beaches all over the world, created his latest masterpiece inside the lobby, featuring his own take on the Marriott’s Margo the Mermaid statue. Gowdy has been creating sand sculptures at the Marco Island Marriott since 2005. Guests who enter the lobby from the pool are greeted by his sculptures as they ascend the curved staircases that frame both sides of his work. ... Read More »

By Diane Bostick  Bright and early on the morning of July 25th Marco resident Curtis Bostick and his son, fishing guide, Captain Andrew Bostick, headed out in the their flats boat for a trip to Grocery Place to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the day Bostick’s grandfather, Joseph W. Bostick, completed a rain cistern he had constructed there. It was built for the use of the sugar cane plantation that existed at that time. Amazingly they managed to enjoy their visit without the swarms of mosquitoes that must have been a constant plague when it was being used. While there ... Read More »

By Coastal Breeze News Staff On Wednesday, August 1, the Marco Island Marriott was the first hotel to be recognized by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Audubon International’s Green Lodging Program. During a press conference to announce the launch of this partnership recognizing Florida hotels that utilize environmentally sustainable practices, the Marriott was presented with a designation certificate along with a Green Lodging flag. Following the event, Audubon International staff and golf course management personnel led a short site visit to the Marriott’s nearby Hammock Bay Golf & Country Club. The tour showcased sustainable natural resource management ... Read More »

TO YOUR HEALTH  C. Scott Campbell  [email protected]    As a local resident, it’s to my benefit to become actively involved in civic organizations. It is part of my nature to become engaged in the community and build relationships. As the CEO of Physicians Regional- Collier Boulevard, these civic affiliations also enable me to listen and better understand the priorities of the community at large. Every business leader and every citizen has the opportunity to take a small piece of community ownership through volunteerism. The very root of a community’s success is found in their spirit of volunteerism—all of us pulling together ... Read More »

By Coastal Breeze News Staff  Programming offered by the City of Marco Island Parks and Rec Department just got more mobile thanks to the generosity of the Meyer family. In a discussion with Mindy Matusiak, Recreation Manager at the park, Paul Meyer learned they could use a vehicle for transporting those signed up for their programs. Paul discussed it with his family and after an exhaustive search, a 2001 15 passenger Ford Van was on its way. According to the Meyer children, “daddy is looking for a van” was the common theme in the household for some time until one ... Read More »

By Coastal Breeze News Staff    As more and more sea turtle nests are hatching along Marco’s beaches, it is important to consider ways to safeguard the threatened species. One of the best ways to make a personal impact is by properly disposing of your garbage – whether on the beach or not. It is estimated that Americans use 380 billion plastic bags every year. Considering that only two percent of these bags are recycled and the other 98 percent will take 1,000 years to biodegrade, it is no surprise that sea turtles and other marine creatures are beginning to ... Read More »

GOODLAND LIFE  Natalie Strom  [email protected] I have to admit, I have been obsessed with watching the 2012 Olympics in London. From the Opening Ceremony I was hooked. Not because I thought it was that great, but because of the parade of countries. Watching all those tiny island nations showing up with only a handful of Olympians has me thinking… What if Goodland were in the Olympics? Obviously this would only happen if we were our own island nation. So, for the sake of having something to write about, I say that for two weeks during the summer of 2016, we temporarily ... Read More »