When most of
us think of “Bike Week” we think of loud Harleys,
leather jackets and do-rags! This will not be the
case for Punta Gorda.
“Bicycle
Week – Save Money, Reduce Pollution and Save Gas” in
Punta Gorda, from June 7-14, 2008, will promote our
city as a bicycle-friendly community and encourage
its residents to bicycle to work, to go shopping or
just for fun activities. The City Council and the
Charlotte County Commissioners have proclaimed the
week as supporting biking. The Police Department
will sponsor safety lectures and distribute free
bike helmets for kids.
Several
biking activities have been scheduled to take place
during the Hibiscus Festival on June 14th
with registration at 8 a.m. at Gilchrist Park:
A
62-mile Century Group Ride
A
30-mile Group Ride
7-mile City Manager’s Ride, led by City Manager
Howard Kunik
A 6-mile
Secret Hibiscus Garden Tour ride
For more
information and registration forms, please log onto
www.teampuntagorda.org.
We hope all
of the above will encourage our residents to get
involved in TEAM’s Rails-to-Trails Committee, which
is looking into other long-range plans for Punta
Gorda and Charlotte County, as well as trails from
Fort Myers, Arcadia and Sarasota. Rails-to-Trails
is a national program whose mission is to create a
nationwide network of trails from former rail lines.
Please log onto the above website or contact the
TEAM office at 941-637-8326 if you are interested in
becoming involved.
Hector House Plaza
By Suzanne McCormick
Our
hard-working volunteers did it again! Hector House
Plaza was paved in record time on June 3rd.
City staff was amazed at how quickly and how well
TEAM volunteers accomplished the task. I guess we
are getting to be old hands at laying pavers.
Hector House
Plaza, a pocket park located across from the old
Court House, has great historic significance to the
city of Punta Gorda. The City Charter was signed
there. It was a meeting place for citizens in times
past. Previously, TEAM volunteers assisted city
employees in the planting of trees and shrubs at the
park.
This is
community activism at its best: Citizens and the
City partnering together. Stop by and admire the
handiwork.
Design Award Recipient
By Nancy Prafke
The TEAM
Punta Gorda “Citizens’ Master Plan Design Award” was
conceived in 2006 to recognize those organizations
who have successfully implemented the concepts
expressed in the Citizens’ Master Plan 2005. Our
latest recipient is Trabue Woods Estate, an
affordable-living facility built by the Trabue Woods
Economic Development, LLC in East Punta Gorda at the
corner of East Virginia Avenue and Milus Avenue. On
May 15th, at the grand opening and
dedication, TWED, LLC Board members Anna Callwood,
Roscoe Hill, Sonja Milliner and Isaac Thomas
accepted The Citizens’ Master Plan Design Award from
TEAM Punta Gorda Board member Marilyn Thomas.
Trabue Woods Estate, a beautifully designed,
old-Florida style building, features two one-bedroom
apartments and three two-and three-bedroom
townhomes. You’ll be able to read more about this
in our column in the Charlotte Sun on June 28th.
The Great Loop
On May 20th,
Nancy Prafke spoke before the Charlotte County
Commissioners, along with several other civic
leaders from Punta Gorda, in support of The Great
Loop. The main obstacle to county staff approval
was the impact of traffic along US 41. The County
Commissioners unanimously approved the project.
We’re looking forward to new shopping opportunities,
as well as more tax revenue, coming into the area.
TEAM Office Staff
TEAM is
always looking for volunteers to work in the
office. If you have time to help out, please
contact Gini Pender at
hob@embarqmail.com or call the office at
941-637-TEAM (8326). It’s a fun time and you’ll be
‘in the know’ about what’s happening in Punta Gorda.
Bits of News
We are
establishing a new communications committee.
Marilyn Thomas has done this job, almost
single-handedly, and would like to take a break.
The committee will be charged with writing and
disseminating news releases, taking pictures at our
events or at other events where TEAM members are
participating, writing articles for the website,
reviewing public documents and columns, and whatever
else we can come up with. If you have any interest
in helping organize this new committee, please
contact Dianne Sandler (pauldisandler@comcast.net).
Guess how
long it took our TEAM volunteers to lay all of the
brick pavers at Hector House Plaza (see article
above). Here’s a clue – we used four and a half
pallets of brick pavers. Here’s another clue – 15
volunteers participated. If your answer was 95
minutes, you win bragging rights for your correct
guess. What a TEAM!
What did 42
bicycle riders do on the morning of June 7th
to help raise awareness for bicycle riding in Punta
Gorda? They participated in TEAM’s first Brunch and
Bikes event. Participants received complimentary
brunch from The Ornery Attitude, Pressellers Deli,
Charlotte State Bank and Café Ruelle. It was so
much fun that the riders want to do this again
soon. It was a successful first event for the
Rails-to-Trails Committee.
