User profile: MarthaSimons
Joined: Jan. 14, 2006
Comments posted: 359
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Comments by MarthaSimons
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Posted on August 21 at 8:58 a.m.
Biff,
Please call me at 200-1583.
Doc, the principle on which we might have defended as a government may have been on infringement of our local decision making authority. Council's reasoning was not considered from the beginning of the administative hearing process. Who doesn't like eagles?
Bonita Springs1
I would be proud to have someone like Janet Martin as my sister. She listens and works very hard for the residents in her district. She does her homework when making tough decisions for the city.
East of 1-75? Smart growth was mentioned here. I and others on council have pushed to make the projects at the interchange as green friendly and resident friendly as much as we legally can at this time. We approved only when the owners agreed to the trip cap recommended by our transportation expert. Would I have preferred to have saved a cypress dome? You bet. I tried. Instead, the Kehl canal will be restored to a natural state. A kayak launch will be built and public access given. Very very wide vegetative buffers will be preserved way beyond what was legally required. Setbacks were signficantly expanded. Easements for the Bonita River trail has been extended all the way along the south side of the river from Bonita Grande to just east of I-75 at no cost to the city. Would I like to have the city ordered to pay more than $20 million in compensatory damages? No. You would never let me here the end of how we ruined our city finances. It would not have been responsible. I know you wouldn't want that Ron.
Posted on August 20 at 4:41 p.m.
Rockford. This issue wasn't about treehuggers or if people liked eagles, gophers turtles or trees, however they are the reason so many people originally invested and moved here.
Bonita Springs will never be what it was but it would be nice to preserve those things of which we have been most proud and have been privileged to enjoy.
Posted on August 20 at 7:05 a.m.
Algonquin,
I would bet the bloggers here were raised to hold respect, honesty and civility as worthy ideals to practice. How did how our public dialogue get so coarse?
It would be interesting to see if you could get a pledge to practice such on this website
Posted on August 20 at 12:14 a.m.
The fringes howl at one another while most people get turned off and bored by it. This is a sure fire way to drive democracy into the grave.
How are we going to save our country from being completely devoid of the ideals we are based on? The solution is deeper than a presidential election.
Surprisingly enough Americans have more in common than not but we waste our time arguing over what amounts to be probably 3% in differing personal opinions while "Rome" burns.
I am sure you are all very active and busy people. I wonder if you didn;t know eachother by your screen names and worked on a community project together that you wouldn't all be slapping eachother on the back, having a beer and saying how ya'll need to get together and do it again.
Just a thought.
Posted on August 17 at 9:47 p.m.
James Middlebrooks vs. Jean Dozier.
Vote Middlebrooks. He has active hands on experience. He has been lifting up schools from the inside. Exactly what our Lee County schools need. Here's someone who knows how to bring the parents, teachers and students together to improve education without asking for more tax dollars.
A creative and disciplined educator and administrator who understands budgets and finance
On Editorial: School board primary races offer experience, and change
Posted on August 6 at 8:51 a.m.
Jimenez has a lot going for her and for Collier County. A good choice
On Editorial: State legislative races Caldwell, Jimenez rise above legislature
Posted on August 6 at 8:41 a.m.
Bulbat, hit the nail on the head ( and thank goodness, he doesn't need a permit for that)
Posted on August 4 at 9:09 a.m.
HI Doc,
I think where we agree is that we need to find the most practical cost and fuel efficient way to get the job done.
I don't know as much as I should about cars on natural gas. I am not the T Boone Pickens of Bonita however, it seems to me that the kinetic energy produced in a hybrid is free. The cost for the smaller hybrid SUV we bought for Code Enforcement was not much more than the non hybrid. Doesn't natural gas currently pose its own problems? Where does one fill up? Compressed air cars are supposed to be the best but at what price?
Parks and Rec uses trailers. Code Enforcement picks up a lot of the snipe signs. i mentioned that one reason we have thr trucks is for weather emergencies. The trucks were a blessing during Wilma and Charlie when Parks and Rec went out and put up blue tarps on residents roofs, cleared debris off roads. moved supplies around etc. However are we going to have a Wilma and Charlie every year ? Probably not.
I asked for a fuel efficiency report a year and a half ago. I think we can do much better. Some factors I am thinking about. With the demand for large vehicles down, trade in value will be in the dumps. When is it going to make $ sense to get new fuel efficient vehicles? Should we just ride out the ones we have for a few years and adjust practices? I am asking questions about the law and gov employees re: car use.
Posted on August 3 at 12:08 p.m.
Doc, you are absolutely right. I like it when we agree. I encouraged the City to buy a hybrid for Code Enforcement last year and we did. As mentioned in the article , even small daily fuel savings make a difference over a year's time. The cost difference for the hybrid was minor however buying new vehicles now might not make up the dollars spent buying the older trucks and SUV's . When we do have do buy new, we must buy fuel efficient vehicles.
Code Enforcement picks up alot of signs , that's why they want SUV's but do all of the vehicles need to be SUV's? Parks and Rec employees do haul around a lot of equipment and heavy trucks are good for battling through weather emergencies and road projects but do all of Public Works and Parks and Rec vehicles need to be gas guzzlers? I say not. We need to look at use and what we need.
We also need to make sure our employees stick to an idling policy. Fuel is too expensive to waste it letting a car idle.
I agree that we don't need to buy fleet cars for city employees. With cost for car purchase, fuel, maintenance and insurance for a fleet vehicle, it looks like the per mile reimbursement is more cost efficient.
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Posted on August 21 at 11:26 a.m.
Oops
>> You would never let me here the end of how we ruined our city finances.<<<
You would never let me > hear< the end of how we ruined our city finances.
Well, you know what I meant.
I hope everybody stays safe and dry. Here comes Fay again.
On Bonita ends fight over eagles' nest