|
|
 |
|
| September 2010 | A BRAND NEW LOOK! |
|
Welcome back to TEAM Punta Gorda's monthly newsletter. We've changed the name from Impulse to TEAM Talk and given it a facelift. We hope you enjoy it.
Judy Brentano, Editor
|
|
 | And the Award Goes to . . . |
|  |
. . . TEAM Punta Gorda!  The Charlotte Community Foundation has awarded TPG a grant in the amount of $7500. The funds are in support of the Artisans' Atelier in Herald Court Centre. Thanks go to TEAM's grant writer, Nancy Johnson, for her excellent work on this project.
Pictured receiving the check at the CCF Awards Banquet are Clarisa Parodi, Artisans' AtelierChair; Nancy Johnson; CEO Nancy Prafke; and Brian Presley, CCF Chairman. |
| And the Next Award Goes to . . . |
| | |
. . . The City of Punta Gorda  The City's Parks and Recreation Master Plan has been given an "Award of Merit" by the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association for its "Grass Roots Initative." Kudos go to the TPG Architecture Committee for their outstanding contribution to the Plan. The award will be presented to the City at the American Planning Association's annual conference in Tampa on September 15. |
| One Potato, Two Potato |
| |
Punta Gorda Farmer's Market Top Vote Getter  In the 2010 America's Favorite Farmers Markets contest, the Punta Gorda Farmer's Market placed 15th overall in the country in the Top 20 Small Markets category. The best news- it placed number one in the state of Florida! Congratulations go to Jerry Presseller and the Downtown Merchants' Association for their vision and hard work bringing this Saturday morning happenin' to our city. |
| 2010 TEAM Punta Gorda Annual Meeting |
| |
Save the Date!  The annual meeting of TPG has officially been set for Monday, November 8, at 7 p.m. It will be held at the Punta Gorda Isles Civic Association. The theme this year is "Results through Collaboration." We'll be announcing the 2010 Citizens' Master Plan Design Award winners and recognizing our collaborative partners who are participating in TPG's projects. Jimmy Dean, Publisher of Harbor Style magazine, will emcee. The keynote speaker will be announced closer to the meeting date. Mark your calendars! |
| World Sailng Event Coming to Punta Gorda |
| |
2012 Combined World Disabled Sailing Championships
 Punta Gorda is proud to announce that it will be the host site for the Combined World Disabled Sailing Championships, January 6-16, 2012. About 350-500 people are expected to attend. The last two years the championships were held in Holland and Greece.
|
| Happenin's on the Harbor |
| |
Brats, Beer, and Oom-pah-pah  Get out your lederhosen! There will be plenty of great German food, beer and live music at Oktoberfest 2010 , on Friday, October 1, in front of the Historic Courthouse on Taylor Street. The festival runs from 6 to 10 p.m. |
| Main Street Punta Gorda |
| | |
25th Annual Florida Main Street Conference  Punta Gorda is host to the annual Main Street Conference to be held at the Charlotte Harbor Event and Conference Center, September 15-17. TEAM will be handing out information explaining our bicycle loaner program on the 15th. Volunteers are still needed to assist as meeting room proctors and other duties. It's a great chance to hear about Main Street cities - their plans and progress. Contact Eileen Finney at erfinney@embarqmail.com |
| Under Construction |
| |
 Thanks to Dave Milligan, Charlotte County Project Manager, for responding to TEAM's request to dress up the planter boxes around the Event Center entryway. The work has been completed and it looks great! The City reported that compared to this time last year, contractor certificate renewals have more than doubled. That's good job news. And there's a lot of pounding and hammering going on as we see an increase in new homes being built in Punta Gorda. The number of building permits doubled from this time last year according to City reports. |
| Brick by Brick, Paver by Paver . . . |
| |
. . . we're covering Punta Gorda with names.  If you enjoy the beautiful interactive fountain in Laishley Park, you can thank all those folks who puchased a TPG commemorative paver. Sales of these classic stones made the project possible. You'll note pavers in Hector House Park and along Herald Court. All funds received go directly to TPG's beautification projects, like the one featured below. Visit our website and place your order. The paver you buy today, could be a palm tree tomorrow! www.teampuntagorda.org |
| Herald Court Gets Facelift |
| |
Beautification Committee Lends the City a Hand
 The construction of Herald Court Centre took its toll on the landscaping and walkway along the north side of the street. TPG, in partnership with the City, held a clean-up day on August 13. TEAM provided a significant quantity of new plants as well as new foxtail palms to replace those that didn't make it during construction. The installation was started on September 10.
|
|
|
|
| Question of the Month |
| |
What's Up With the Aqui Esta Widening?  The new bridge and roadway do not look any wider, and what's happened to the sidewalk and bicycle lane? Our CEO Nancy Prafke called and got the answers. The road plan calls for it to be two 12-foot lanes with a 2-foot shoulder on each side, which is 10 feet wider than the original road. A sidewalk is to be installed on one side of the road in the section of Aqui Esta located in the City. Upon completion of this federally-funded expansion, the County will install a sidewalk along their section of the road. However, until all the culvert drains are installed and the driveways finished, work cannot begin on the sidewalk installation. Unfortunately, the materials used in the culvert boxes did not meet FDOT requirements, consequently roadwork came to a grinding halt on August 30. The reduction from three lanes to two lanes wasbecause of the state pulling most of the funding for this project. No word on when work will resume as Florida and the contractors hammer out their differences. |
| Volunteer Spotlight |
| |
Kathy Dieke  Kathy has ben a part of TEAM's operations since 2005 when the first office opened. She keeps the bills paid and the books balanced. She and her husband, Lou, moved to PGI from Illinois where Kathy was employed by McDonald's in their corportate office as an accountant. Kathy was attracted to TPG by the concept of people working together to improve the town and signed on to be part of it. A fun tidbit about Kathy is she is a graduate of McDonald's Hamburger University. |
| Fun Finale |
| |
Punta Gorda Packs 'em In!  Walking around town on Saturday, September 11, it was thrilling to see hundreds of people enjoying our Downtown Farmer's Market. The Sullivan Street Annual Crafts Fair was jammed with browsers and shoppers. The Herald Court Parking Garage was filling up fast! Sidewalk tables in front of restaurants were crowded with people enjoying the fine faire and beautiful weather PG has to offer. The Event Center parking lot was overflowing, while inside a well-attended Tae Kwon Do tournament took place. At Fishermen's Village, the Pirate's Day festivities were under way with another huge crowd, narry a parking spot to be found! Proof that Punta Gorda is gaining attention as a great day-tripper destination! THE LAST WORD: The PG Chamber of Commerce Annual Business Awards have been announced! Congratulations go out to Jack's Restaurant for Large Business of the Year, Creative Window Treatments, Small Business of the Year, Octagon Wildlife Sanctuary for Members Choice Award, and The Visual Arts Center, for Non-profit of the Year. |
| | |
| Contact Information
TEAM's Phone: 941-637-8326
If you enjoyed TEAM Talk, please forward it on to your friends. | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
