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TEAM Punta Gorda Newsletter
TopJoanne and Richard Collins, Editors
                                       February 2016
In This Issue
Message from TEAM CEO
 
Nancy J
TEAM Punta Gorda is involved in a great deal of community planning these days, a natural role for us. It was TEAM Punta Gorda that gathered input for the Citizens' Master Plan after Hurricane Charley. Later, TEAM produced the Waterfront Master Plan, again from citizen input. Most of the recommendations presented have been accomplished, including codifying many of the community's ideas into our City's Land Development Regulations.
 
There are a number of important public projects in the pipeline:
 
Punta Gorda Library: The County had good attendance at their first public meeting about the proposed Punta Gorda Library. It will be built by Charlotte County on land provided by the City of Punta Gorda adjacent to the History Park on Shreve Street. TEAM is following this process closely. There are two main considerations: First, the building design must complement the historic site as well as other buildings on the edge of the historic district. Second, the Library must provide the services that the community wants and needs. The Friends of the Library, many of whom are also library volunteers, will be helpful in providing input. The next public meeting is on March 17 at 4 p.m. at the Event Center. For the people who are unable to attend a public meetings regarding the South County Library, you can now go 
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CW68GMZ to express your opinion through a survey. As TEAM completes construction of the History Park Community Garden, we see many possibilities for cross programming between the garden, the History Park and the Library.
 
Waterfront Activity Center: In 2021, the City of Punta Gorda plans to begin construction on a new Waterfront Activity Center in Gilchrist Park, one of several proposed sales tax projects. At the city council meeting held on Jan. 6, Council asked TEAM Punta Gorda to lead a citizen input process. We will soon be designing an objective process for gathering data that is inclusive of all stakeholders who are interested in this project.

 

Bicycle and Pedestrian Friendly Communities: In 2015 City Council ask TEAM Punta Gorda to work with staff to develop a detailed plan outlining how the city might become a more bicycle and pedestrian friendly community. The objective is to help make Punta Gorda safer and more convenient for bicyclists, pedestrians and motorists. This initiative has an extensive list of public and private partners all working toward the same goal. In January, City staff presented a menu of bicycle infrastructure road projects and costs for Council's consideration. Criteria for the selection of actual projects should focus on improved public safety, cost effectiveness and connectivity. For example, bike lanes created by re-striping are low cost yet provide the separation that bicyclists and motorists need to feel safe. We hear continually that in their frustration, bicyclists, motorists and pedestrians are rude to each other. This is not the Punta Gorda way! Please try to share the roadways and treat each other with respect.
 
Another TEAM Punta Gorda project is Paint Your Heart Out on Feb. 27, when 100 volunteers will paint eight houses for homeowners who need a helping hand. A VIP paint team will include our Mayor, City Manager, Police Chief and other community leaders. "Paint your Heart Out, Punta Gorda" is looking forward to its third successful year in partnership with Charlotte County Habitat for Humanity.

Join us for the next TEAM Punta Gorda Mixer on Tuesday, Feb. 23, at the Torch Bar and Grill from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
 
Nancy Johnson
CEO

TEAM February Mixer on the Horizon  

Meet us at the Torch for another great mixer!
   Save this date for the next TEAM Mixer 


       Tuesday, Feb. 23
              5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
            Torch Bar & Grill
       2113 Tamiami Trail, PG
         
 
The Torch will provide appetizers and a cash bar with an emphasis on cash. No credit cards will keep the drink prices more affordable. Come hear about events coming up, e.g., TEAM's Golf Outing and Pedal & Play.

Of course, raffle prizes!

Don't miss out.  Meet our volunteers!


Paint Your Heart Out set for Feb. 27
 
Yes, you can!  Be part of the paint crew!
Do you know that TEAM with Charlotte County Habitat for Humanity are partners in helping elderly, disabled and needy residents paint their homes? 
 
On Feb. 27, for the third year in Punta Gorda, hundreds of volunteers will join together to beautify our community. This will send a message of pride and build a sense of community spirit that will last long after the paintbrushes have dried.

In partnership with Habitat, we signed up eight homes to be painted! The owners are thrilled about their upcoming facelift. What a gratifying feeling! And YOU can be part of it.

And there is more!  TEAM's Beautification Committee will be assisting the project by doing plant maintenance around the houses prior to painting. In addition, one house will be selected to be landscaped. TEAM could use a few volunteers to help with this project.

Partnering with the Visual Arts Center, the existing mailboxes will be removed and replaced with new mailboxes painted by the artist with colorful flowers or scenes.  

Contact TEAM at [email protected] 941-637-8326 or Habitat for Humanity at 941-639-3162 to help.
 
 
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2016 Golf Tournament in memory of Judy Brentano

Last year's Happy Participants!


Don't miss out on this year's annual "scramble" golf tournament!  Once again it will be played at the Saint Andrews South Golf Club on Saturday March 19. 

Prizes for winning teams, longest drives, closest to the pin and line AND for the teams with the Best Costumes!  This event is always a bunch of fun and is sure to sell out early. 

 
If you want to enter as either an individual (you'll be paired up with other individual entries) or if you want to enter a foursome, you can download the registration form from TEAM's website or alternatively, you can contact TEAM's golf committee chairman, Ed Bouton, at [email protected] or phone 703-599-5401.  Sign up today!
  
             
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Join Pedal and Play in Paradise on April 1 and 2

New for 2016! TEAM's 2016 Pedal and Play event has:
  
One price, Two days - an expanded event!
                                                             When you check in Friday to pick up your packet, don't go back home. Friday at 5 p.m. offers the City Manager's "Here and There" ride, a slow ride to Ponce de Leon Park ending with yoga by sunset. Finish off the evening at a wine and cheese fundraiser or, if you prefer beer, use your free sampler tickets at various libation establishments.

The next day has all the traditional rides through Punta Gorda, including a brand new Mystery Ride.  But wait - we didn't leave out the kids. Don't leave them at home, bring an adult guardian and watch them learn bicycling safety through a bike rodeo. The kids will receive lots of free cool stuff, including a T-shirt and certificate of completion. Also stationed at the Kids Zone will be Punta Gorda Police Department's Interactive Trailer, with some exciting activities.
  
Can't make it Saturday for the traditional ride? No worries! A low cost Friday Only event is available. As always, this event has a noble cause of benefiting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and TEAM's Bicycle Friendly Initiative, hosted by TEAM Punta Gorda and Isles Yacht Club. 


Calling All Boaters  

TEAM Punta Gorda 
invites you, your boating club 
and or Yacht Club to cruise to 
Punta Gorda,
The Best Small City in Florida!
Our motto is "It's Happening on the Harbor!" 

We are a boater friendly city where you can enjoy Fishermen's Village, two first-rate yacht clubs, two full service municipal marinas, a large uncluttered anchorage, dinghy docks and a free city pump-out boat that operates Mondays and Thursdays.
 
We are an easy cruise from the Intracoastal Waterway at Boca Grande Pass through Charlotte Harbor where you'll see dolphin, stingrays and an assortment of native sea and shore birds. Our Punta Gorda anchorage, moorings and marinas boast easy access to the beautiful historic downtown district. There you will find free loaner bikes from several locations along the waterfront, delicious dining alternatives, quaint shops, galleries, hardware, parks and awesome sunsets! Old Towne Convenience Store and Deli, with delicious prime rib sandwiches on Friday and beer and wine every day, is a short walk from Gilchrist Park. Or, for a package store, there's CJ's downtown on 41NB just south of Marion. At Gilchrist you'll find both tennis and pickleball courts. We have 18 miles of bicycle and pedestrian trails with maps to help you explore like a local. Major grocery and drugstores are an easy bike ride from the harbor. Check out www.Boat2PuntaGorda.com for valuable information for visiting boaters.

                                                                                                        

Bike Art is Part of TEAM's Story
Our bikes as art
 
Have you noticed?
 
Our bike art, of course!
                                    
Punta Gorda recently received press in Vancouver when one of their reporters took a vacation here and wrote an article about our Bikes As Art.  "Way Cool," he said.
 
He pointed out that displaying public art is not unique to our city. Many cities have done so. For example, Chicago displayed fiberglass cows that were decorated by local artists. They were then placed around the city, and how they were painted reflected local culture. They were even auctioned off. Of course, there are no current plans to auction off our beautiful bikes. We just want to display them as works of art to Keep Punta Gorda Beautiful.
 
This new initiative began with a revision of the "Beautiful Bikes in Paradise" by TEAM's Betsy Spagnolo and her volunteers just a few months ago. It has made an impression already with our northern neighbors. Hope it has with you, too!
                                                                                                        

TEAM announces new Board Members
  
TEAM announces new Board officers as follows:
 
Shelly Harris, President
Merritt Brown, Vice President
Dennis O'Brien, Treasurer/CFO
Lew Morrissey, Secretary
  
Thank you to Craig Esterly, our retiring Vice President for his service. Craig remains on the TEAM Board. Also on the Board are Legal Counsel Jeff Kuhns, Martha Bireda, Eric DeYoung, Brandon Downey, Ellen Harvey, Mike Ruiz and Michelle Rumreich.
                                                              

A Great New Year Resolution: How about becoming a TEAM Contributing Member?
  
 
We would like you to consider becoming a contributing member of TEAM Punta Gorda. Your membership helps enhance the lives of thousands in our community. It's truly happening on the harbor in the "Best Small City in Florida." In the 10 years since the devastation of Hurricane Charley, we have helped strengthen the fabric of Punta Gorda while preserving its distinctive character with a track record of outstanding achievements and an array of ongoing public service initiatives. We need your help now more than ever. Please get involved. Help TEAM impact the future of our community with your annual tax deductible membership, your ideas, your time, your talents, and/or your hands-on participation. We will make the most of your membership fee; nearly every dollar goes directly toward fostering community service projects because we are an all- volunteer organization. Thank you for your generosity!

Sign-up for membership at www.teampuntagorda.org
 
                                                                               Nancy Johnson, CEO
                                                                               Shelly Harris, President

                                                                                                        

New Chair for School Community Gardens
 
Marilyn's selfie
 
Welcome, Marilyn Pachota, who will chair the School Community Gardens. Marilyn wrote this introduction for you: "I am a snowbird from Livonia and Lupton, Michigan. I am a member of the Punta Gorda Garden Club and have been involved with youth garden clubs for some time. I was recently asked to take on the job of school gardens. It will be a tough job to follow in Mary Francis Adair's shoes but I will do my best. Gardening has been my passion and hobby for most of my adult life. I would like to instill this passion in the youngsters  of our community. I look forward to meeting the other members of Team Punta Gorda."
 
Many thanks to Mary Francis Adair for shaping this program and operating it for two years. With her leadership, TEAM helped eight schools develop school gardening programs. These programs are not only used to teach healthy eating and nutrition, but  also are linked to STEM curricula. Marilyn hopes to expand the program to other youth organizations who are interested, and she could use a co-chair to work with her. Let us know if you are interested.

                                                                                                        

Annual Community Meeting Wrap-up

Did you attend the Annual Community Meeting on Thursday night? Both Nancy Johnson and Mayor Rachel Keesling addressed a packed house at the PG Civic Association.
Mayor Keesling and CEO, Nancy Johnson, spoke about TEAM's collaborative initiatives

Nancy Johnson's remarks focused upon 2015, an exceptional year for TEAM initiatives. Hundreds of volunteers, with the support of sponsors and members: created and sustained community and school gardens, painted homes for neighbors in need and pedaled for charity. But there was more: volunteers initiated a harbor conservation program, replaced an aging fleet of Loaner Bikes, landscaped community buildings with shrubs and bike art, and facilitated a Bicycle Friendly initiative which includes creating an education program for cyclists, pedestrians and motorists called "Share the Lane." TEAM moved to a beautiful new home in the Charlotte Community Foundation building and developed a new website. More than 350 volunteers, members and friends exchanged ideas at five mixers during the year and membership continues to grow. 

Mayor Keesling's engaging presentation updated us on several developments of interest to residents. Included in the discussion were plans for the new Punta Gorda library, renovation and re-development of Fishermen's Village, Western Michigan University's expansion into Punta Gorda and long-range plans for the enhancement of the waterfront. Members of the audience had a chance to voice their opinions on each topic with individual hand-held "clickers" that displayed immediate onscreen results.

Special recognition awards were presented to TEAM's 2015 Platinum Sponsors: The Mosaic Company, Koch & Company CPA, Bayfront Health Punta Gorda, Waste Management, Jerry Hayes Real Estate and Time Insurance Agency. Beautification Chair Suzanne McCormick presented the 2015 Beautification award to Brian Chapman of State Insurance.

A full report on TEAM's 2015 activities can be found in the ANNUAL REPORT, (scroll up to the top box called Quick Links in left corner) and click NEW Annual Report or alternatively, it is archived at www.teampuntagorda.org. TEAM's current sponsors and members are highlighted on their own respective page.
                                                                                                        

Mural Society asks for your help 

The Punta Gorda Historic Mural Society is in need of help to do preventive maintenance on a Community Mural located on Quality Self Storage Building, 901 Taylor St.
 
Work consists of wiping cracks, scraping, and caulking. Some ladder work is required.  It would be ideal to have four people work on each mural; therefore, 12 workers in total is the target number. Tentative dates are February 6 or 13. A demo will be provided. If you are "in" to help them with this worthy project, please contact Kelly Gaylord at 941-637-6418.
                                                                                                        

PG Historical Society    

Punta Gorda Historical Society is looking for a volunteer to run the Sunday Farmers Market at the History Park.  The hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.   
                                               
The volunteer will help the vendors set up, oversee the Market and collect rent.                                                             
If you can help, call the Historical Society office at 941-639-1887.
                                                                                                        

Cycling Instructor Seminar

TEAM's Bicycle Friendly Community Committee announces that TEAM Punta Gorda will host a League of American Bicyclists, Cycling Instructor Seminar, on Feb. 26-28. The Seminar will be taught at:
 
Punta Gorda Isles Civic Association
2001 Shreve St.
Punta Gorda
For more information and registration please contact, 


                                                                                                        

FREE Kids Fishing Clinic

Give a child a chance to fish
TEAM's Maritime Committee in partnership with Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center (CHEC) is conducting a series of FREE Kids Fishing Clinics at the Cedar Point Environmental Center in Englewood and Bayshore Park in Port Charlotte. Children ages 8-12 are welcome and must be accompanied by an adult. Registration is limited and mandatory. Clinics will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will include snacks, drinks and a time for the children to fish.

 
Feb. 20    Cedar Point, Englewood
March 26 Bayshore Park, Port Charlotte
April 16    Bayshore Park, Port Charlotte

This hands-on program teaches conservation-based fishing techniques including knot tying, rod and reel use, fish identification and proper fish handling for responsible and ethical saltwater fishing. All sessions will be taught by knowledgeable and experienced local anglers using Florida Fish & Wildlife protocol.

Volunteers are welcome and donations are appreciated. Contact Bobbi Rogers at 941-475-0769 or [email protected] to reserve a spot or to volunteer.
 
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 Help Wanted - TEAM needs YOU in 2016!

        It's a new year!
Do you have time to help 
               TEAM? 
  
 
We can use your help. Here's just a sampling of some of the fun things you can do with just a little bit of your time:
 
 
 
 
  
    - Become a Co-chair for the Marketing Committee or Membership
      Committee
    - Help by becoming a Co-chair of the School Community Gardens
    - Join the Maritime Committee assisting in boating events and issues
    - Become a member of the Outreach Committee and participate in 
      developing socials or help members with special projects (4-6 volunteers 
      needed to work tables at special events, mixers, and/or Farmers Market)
   -  Help monitor our Government Relations and make suggestions
   -  Join the Membership Committee in welcoming new members, obtaining
      and coordinating memorabilia. helping with member recognition and more
   - Assist TEAM with Fundraising
  
 
Interested? Just give a call to
Sue Carman, TEAM Volunteer Coordinator
     



 Save the DATES for TEAM
 
 
 
   Don't forget to put these dates
   in your smartphone or paper calendar!
 
   
          
 
              
              Feb. 23 - TEAM Mixer at Torch
              Feb. 27 - Paint Your Heart Out
              March 19 - Golf Tournament
              April 1 & 2 - Pedal & Play Bike Event


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Whats Happening Logo

HAPPENINGS ON THE HARBOR! 
  
We invite you to visit the community calendars below for more information about upcoming events.

 

Now - March 12,  National Art Exhibition, Visual Arts Center, 210 Maud, Punta Gorda 
Feb 4,  7 - 9 p.m. Toast the Winner Champagne Reception, Visual Arts Center, 210 Maud, Punta Gorda
Feb 23, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m., TEAM Mixer, Torch Bar & Grill, 2113 Tamiami Tr, Punta Gorda
Feb 27, Paint Your Heart Out, call TEAM at 941-764-8100
Feb 26-28, Cycling Seminar, PGICA, 2001 Shreve St., Punta Gorda. See above article.
Mar 4: Dancing with the Charlotte Stars, Charlotte Harbor Event Center, 941-764-8100


Charlotte County Chamber of Commerce Calendar  

Parting Shots

Scenes from January Art Walk - lots of fun!

 

Beautiful new sign outside the VAC.

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Thanks to our "year-round" sponsors