Qualifying continues. 4
Happy place. 8 Stylin’ 4 charity. 17
AsTheWorldTerns play the Name Game. 6
JUNE 20, 2018 FREE
VOLUME 26, NO. 34
Op-Ed
The Islander editorial, reader letters. 6
10-20 YEARS AGO
From the archives. 7
Meetings
On the government calendar. 8 AM redefines grand trees, OKs removals. 9 Make plans, save a date. 10
Happenings
Community announcements. 11
HB planners talk rising sea levels. 12
Obituaries. 15 BB discusses stormwater drainage. 16
Streetlife. 18 Defendant seeks reduced charges in shark-dragging case. 19
“Red tide� on Capitol Hill. 23
Adult soccer season ends. 24 Summertime pattern, great fishing. 25
ISL BIZ Business roundup. 26-27 CLASSIFIEDS. 28 No. 0610 RUSH-HOUR HEADACHES
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RELEASE DATE: 6/17/2018
NYT Sunday crossword puzzle. 31
The Best News on Anna Maria Island Since 1992
www.islander.org
Pier demolition begins, 250 engraved planks removed
By Ryan Paice Islander Reporter It was a clear, blue morning and the Anna Maria City Pier was buzzing with activity. But not the kind you think. Workers were removing planks. The demolition of the pier began June 11 with the removal of some 250 requested planks from the 800-foot-long walkway. Early that day, Frank Agnelli, owner of Agnelli Pools & Construction, 6000 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, and Anna Maria public works manager Dean Jones and their crews began removing and cataloging the pier planks — first the requested planks and, later, the remainder. Almost 250 people, according to Mayor Dan Murphy, asked for planks from the 1,000 boards bought and installed during the pier centennial 2010-11. The remaining engraved planks will be stored for use in memorial fences at City Pier Park, 101 N. Bay Blvd., and the Anna Maria Historical Society park at 402 Pine Ave. Agnelli volunteered for the job. The requested planks are being held and distributed by the city, while Agnelli will store the other boards until the city is ready to install fences. Demolition of the superstructure is
expected to be completed in September. The initial removal of planks was the first stage for the city pier demolition. The final plank removal will come later, as the walkway is needed to access the T-end. The city commission voted 4-1 June 6 to authorize Murphy to contract Speeler and Associates to bring down the pier. Commissioner Dale Woodland voted no. PLEASE SEE Pier PAGE 3
By Terry O’Connor Islander Reporter Traffic signals could become obsolete on Anna Maria Island. Roundabouts planned in the barrier island traffic study by the Florida Department of Transportation have the hurricanehardening benefit of eliminating traffic signals. Police Chief Bill Tokajer questioned a DOT-proposed roundabout in Holmes Beach at the intersection of East Bay and Gulf drives. “There’s so little traffic there going anywhere but north-south,� he said. Frank Domingo, DOT consultant project engineer, said if the East Bay-Gulf Drive roundabout is scrapped, the traffic light at the intersection would be the only lighted signal in Holmes Beach — after the other planned roundabouts are built. Domingo’s point of view swayed Tokajer, who noted the power outage during Hur-
ricane Irma knocked out all traffic lights on the island. “That is an improvement for that intersection,� said Nathan Kautz, traffic services engineer for District 1. “It might be beneficial to put a roundabout there to do away with traffic signals,� Tokajer said. “That way we would have no signalized lighting in Holmes Beach at all.� Other Holmes Beach roundabouts proposed in the study include intersections at Palm/Marina-Key Royale drives, and Marina-Gulf drives. Thirty people attended the final steering committee meeting June 8 at CrossPointe Fellowship in Holmes Beach where the DOT updated the $675,000 barrier island traffic study. The BITS goal is to make operational improvements in the short term, develop alternatives to driving to the island and PLEASE SEE trAffic PAGE 2
A drone view June 16 of the Anna Maria City Pier — minus about 250 engraved planks — reaches north on Pine Avenue from the T-end in Tampa Bay to the Gulf of Mexico. See more photos and video online. Islander Photo: Jack Elka
AMI trafďŹ c lights may go dark
At loggerheads on Shore Drive A disoriented loggerhead was found early June 13 crossing North Shore Drive in Anna Maria. While female sea turtle apparently did not nest, Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring volunteers turned her around to find the shore and return to the water. For more sea turtle news, go to page 22. Islander Photo: Courtesy AMITW/Amy Evans