Bayne Stevenson, Boca Grande Community Panel chairman, made it official at the panel’s first meeting held since last spring: He’s stepping down at the end of the year, and suggested that panel treasurer Lynn Siebert take his place.
The announcement was made at the end of the meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 20, held at the Amory Chapel.
“We’ve really accomplished a lot … I think we made a substantial difference in Boca Grande,” Stevenson said. “I feel that I would have more effect now as a member of the public. I will still be here, but I will be ‘out there,’ not ‘up here.’”
Stevenson cited several reasons for his departure from the panel, including personal reasons, a lack of time and the urge to travel.
“I know the direction the challenge is moving now is pretty detail oriented,” Stevenson said. “It’s easy to get bogged down in details. I’m more of a visual person than a detail person. The person that would probably be the strongest in taking on the challenge would be Lynn. I’ve watched Lynn work, and I really think that with what this panel’s going to be doing in the next couple of years, she will be the one to meet the challenge. That would be my recommendation. I look forward to calling her up and talking about the issues – and not being constrained by the Sunshine Law.”
Dr. Bill Heisel, another panel member, agreed with Stevenson on his recommendation.
“Lynn has a passion for this, and she has knowledge that none of us have,” he said. “We lean on her to show us the way through a lot of these issues and remind us of how we proceed. She has all the qualifications and the right support.”
Siebert said she would consider taking the position, but she had to make sure there were no personal conflicts.
“I might consider it,” she said, “but Captain won’t be happy,” she said, referring to her husband Tim.
Stevenson praised not only the board but the community as a whole for getting so involved in the future of the island.
“The amount of record-breaking community response we got on the survey we did was tremendous,” he said. “It is just absolutely unheard of … and it goes to show you that a lot of people here care about the future of Boca Grande. It’s a special place.”
Panel member Mark Spurgeon said he also intends to step down from his position on the panel prior to the end of year.
“This project took a few more years than expected,” he said. “My feeling is, I came on this as a panel member, and I feel I’ve served my purpose. Like Bayne, I think I would be more effective off the panel. It will give more options to the people. I’m prepared to be finished at the end of the year as well.”
Stevenson and panel member Ted Hoopes urged Spurgeon to reconsider.
“We can’t have everyone bailing out,” Hoopes said. “I didn’t sign on for all these years myself, but I don’t see how I can bow out. I guess it’s something we all think about, but it’s essential to represent all the facets of the community.”
Spurgeon will serve on the panel through December 19.
The board also discussed one of the controversial aspects of the community plan in light of the pending implementation phase: traffic and parking.
One major concern expressed by all board members was the fact that the traffic study being performed by Ted Treesch of TR Transportation Consultants Inc. is not yet completed.
As far as getting definitive numbers from Treesch, Siebert said she was not pleased with the half-completed study they had received, particularly in reference to the Cape Haze Peninsula.
“We’re not getting any cooperation at all,” she said. “This study doesn’t include half of what’s been built there.”
The board determined that a traffic advisory committee should be formed, and debated whether the community panel should be that committee. Panel member Lyman Randall, a resident of the Charlotte County portion of the island, suggested having an advisory panel with overlapping membership between the two counties.
“Two separate panels can really complicate things,” he said. “It’s not the smoothest way to go. We need both voices present on that panel.”
Stevenson’s suggestion was to form a committee made up of community panel members, as well as members of the public and the bridge authority.
It was determined that after the panel found out what the requirements were to be for the advisory committee, they would publish an announcement asking for volunteers.
As far as daily village traffic is concerned, questions again arose that could only be answered by the completion of Treesch’s study.
The panel determined that not only would they invite Treesch to the next meeting, Stevenson would draft a letter to him with comments and questions on Cape Haze and village traffic information that needs to be obtained.
Stevenson suggesting coordinating future traffic discussions with Treesch and Rick Lamb, the panel’s landscape consultant.
“Lamb is the one who knows how to make it look good,” he said, referring to the landscaping of additional parking places throughout the village for workers, residents and visitors.
The panel also looked over several other sticking points in the plan in an attempt to gain consensus, such as the creation and continuing success of the Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board, supporting local businesses and delivery schedules.
Hoopes praised the newly-created historic board for their efforts.
“We have more interest in keeping them informed than we do in what they do at their meetings,” he said. “It’s a totally different board than what we are.”
Panel member Dave McHugh agreed and said, “We’re not supposed to be policing them. I don’t think we should criticize or oversee them at all.”
“They need to be reminded that the reason they are there is because we fought to get them through,” countered Siebert. “We want to keep them there because of the historic character of the village, and they are constantly faced with projects that are way out scale with the village. They need to remember the principles of our plan.”
As far as the support of local businesses, the board agreed that not only was finding more parking a way of providing that support, but that Lee County officials needed to realize the strain that the business owners are under.
“We need to keep constant pressure on the tax people in Lee County,” Stevenson said. “These business owners are under three different kinds of restrictions: Restriction by lease, by the GICA and by their classification within the Historic District.”
In discussion of delivery schedules and relocation of the postal drop boxes, Stevenson said that the problems are still ongoing.
“The delivery schedule dilemma is one that we really can’t solve,” he said. “There are changes at Hudson’s, though, that are quite an improvement, but we still have big trucks parking in the middle of the road on Park Avenue.”
The panel decided that Spurgeon will speak with Post Office officials about relocating the drop box, and the best place to relocate it to. In June, postal officials said the location of the box is fixed by the service’s agreement with its contract carrier and likely could not be moved.
The next meeting of the Boca Grande Community Panel will be on Friday, Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. at a location to be determined.
<img src=”http://
” alt=”Panel” />
