TEAM Punta Gorda

2012 marks the 125th Anniversary of Punta Gorda and fun things are being planned to celebrate.

From October through December 7, the actual anniversary date, there will be planned parades, entertainment and holiday events to commemorate the founding of our great city.

If you've driven around Punta Gorda or the Isles recently, you've seen a lot of new home construction. The City reports that 36 single family permits and two duplex permits have been issued in the last eight months. Also, good news for the folks on Magadalina, at least four units of the ill-fated Magadalina Gardens, caught in the Chinese drywall debacle, will soon be refurbished.

But the best news is the property at the corner of Cooper Street and Airport Road is destined to be developed to house seniors of low, moderate or middle incomes. Sixty units are planned. The project will be under the Punta Gorda Housing Authority. 

The Punta Gorda Historic Train Depot beautification project has been successfully completed by our intrepid beautification committee and volunteers. Be sure to drop by to check it out. The location is 1009 Taylor Road and Carmalita Street.

Suzanne McCormick says the next stop for her hard working team is the Historic Courthouse on Taylor Street. 

To help fund the purchase of landscape materials, Suzanne is working on a special paver program for the Courthouse. We'll let you know the details as soon as the plans are completed. 

 Apparently it is NOT a good thing to dump those compact fluorescent lamps into the garbage or your recycling bins. Those are the little spiral energy saving bulbs which are supposed to replace incandescent bulbs.

They contain mercury.

Home Depot has a designated box in their stores where you can safely dispose of them.

The City has also advised that you can dispose of those bulbs, along with other hazardous items, at the Charlotte County Mini-Transfer Station, 19675 Kenilworth Blvd. in Port Charlotte. They are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Be sure to take along a proof of residency such as a driver's license, tax bill or utility bill.

Hazardous materials include paint, pool chemicals, antifreeze, cleaners, and pesticides.

Above all, do NOT dump any of this in your trash for curb pickup!

Speaking of curb pickup, the City has a special service for pickups of items that are too large for the weekly garbage service. You can call 941-575-5050 and arrange for pickup of appliances, large stacks of yard waste, but not whole trees or lot clearing debris. The pickups are on Tuesdays.

While on the subject of sanitation, Code Compliance has requested that you NOT deposit yard waste or clippings on the vacant lots. They should be placed in front of your residence curb-side for your regular yard waste pickup day.

Lastly, pet owners, please observe the City's Code and pick up after your dogs, even in the vacant lots. Tell your friends, snowbirds and neighbors, too.

Let's work to keep Punta Gorda a beautiful and clean city.

Hearing an alarming story in the news last week of a young man attacked by an alligator while swimming in a river, we thought we would pass along important safety tips about those toothy critters that we received from the City.

Alligators are most active between dusk and dawn. If you see one, do not disturb it.

 Keep children and pets away from canal edges and other freshwater bodies that may be inhabited by gators.

 Never feed an alligator. This is a big one to remember! Alligators overcome their natural wariness and learn to associate people with food.

If you want to photograph a gator, do so from a safe distance. Better to use a zoom lens! These critters can run really fast.

And if you are on a golf course and hit a shot that lands by a sleeping gator, don't get out the ball retriever, just let him keep the ball! They may outrun your golf cart!

Visit the following website to learn more about our Florida alligators. 

Punta Gorda Police Department's "Do the Right Thing" program is looking for sponsors for this year. This is a great program that rewards students of all ages for their efforts to do exactly that, do the right thing. Whether it is turning in a bully, helping an injured animal, or honestly returning found money, these students receive the recognition they deserve by the police department and the City.

For more information and to learn about corporate sponsorships, please contact Lt. Joe King at 575-5525.

The Peace River Wildlife Center needs money and supplies. To that end, they are holding a fundraiser at Visani on July 18. Tickets are only $10 and 100% of the sales go to the center. They are also selling tickets to the Charlotte Stone Crabs game on August 11 for $12. Their immediate needs are paper towels, Kleenex, 55-gallon construction-weight trash bags and, of course, cash is always welcome as they exist totally on donations. You can get tickets and drop off supplies at the center located at 3400 Ponce de Leon Parkway. Call 637-3830 for more information about their efforts.

  TPG's Spokes and Trails Committee under the leadership of Court Nederveld is rolling right along with an exciting new project. They are working with artist Clif Lundberg to design signage for bicycle pathways. They will make a formal presentation to the appropriate government entities within the City for approval.

"It's a Free Ride," a brochure produced by TPG, offers a map of bike routes throughout the city as well as locations for the free loaner yellow bicycles. The new route signage, if approved, coupled with the brochure will certainly help to showcase the great cycling around our town. 

And in conjunction with our ongoing efforts to support a bicycle-friendly community, the Pedal & Play Committee is hard at work on the April 2013 event! More volunteers are needed as this is a huge endeavor. Last year we had 438 participants, the largest on record. The card above, courtesy of Rapid Graphix, a TEAM Punta Gorda sponsor, contains contact information for you to join in or help out with this great event.                                                                                                         

July 17: 3rd Annual Celebrity Host Happy Hour to benefit the Guardian ad Litem Project, Voices for Kids of Southwest Florida. Our own CEO Nancy Prafke will be participating. Special happy hour prices. Jack's Restaurant, 201 W. Marion Avenue. 5 p.m to 7:30 p.m.

July 20: Downtown Punta Gorda Gallery Walk, 5-8 p.m. TEAM will be offering pavers for sale to support the fountain and beautification project at the Veteran's Memorial. For more information, visit http://www.pgdowntownmerchants.com

July 27 -29: Pirate Fest at Fishermen's Village. Live entertainment, food, drinks and plenty of pirates! For more information visit http://www.fishermensvillagepiratefest.com/ or call 941-575-3067. 

Save the Dates

October 21: 3rd Annual Tour de North Port. Features 15-, 35-, 65- and 100-mile routes thoughout North Port. Benefits development of the Tree Whiz environmental center. For information www.peoplefortrees.com

October 29: TEAM Punta Gorda Annual Meeting. Punta Gorda Civic Association Building.

November 17: Punta Gorda Civic Association, as part of its 50th anniversary celebration, is hosting "A Harbor Happening." Boaters are invited to anchor in the harbor or hook up to a mooring ball for an aerial photograph that will be taken to promote Punta Gorda as a boating community. A picnic will be held at Laishley Park from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. and music plays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

November 24: Latin Fest presented by the Punta Gorda Chamber of Commerce featuring Jose Feliciano. Edison College. Tickets start at $55. Available online at

www.puntagorda-chamber.com

December 7: Finale of the City of Punta Gorda's 125th Anniversary Celebration. Council would like your ideas on how to commemorate it. Send to City Manager Howard Kunik at hkunik@pgorda.us

December 15: Fifth Annual Mistletoe Ball benefiting Charlotte County Homeless Coalition at the Charlotte Harbor Event & Conference Center. Contact Rex Koch

941-637-0544 for more information.

February 16: Annual Wine & Jazz Festival featuring Sergio Mendez, Richard Elliott, Rick Braun and Mindi Abair. Special event on Sunday with Mindi Abair! Visit Punta Gorda Chamber of Commerce for tickets and details www.puntagorda-chamber.com

Judy Brentano, Editor, jbrentano@mindspring.com 

team@teampuntagorda.org

941-637-8326