WEEk of JulY 12, 2023 FLIER INSIDE
60th anniversary Matlacha/Pine Island Fire Control District to hold special celebration Friday — INSIDE pINEISlaND-EaglE.com
VolumE 47, NumbEr 10
Locals reach agreement to purchase Alden Pines By PAULETTE LeBLANC
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
A group of residents of the Alden Pines community in Bokeelia, as well as some other concerned citizens, signed an agreement Friday, June 30, to purchase the Alden Pines Country Club golf course from the Robertson family of Sarasota. Alden Pines resident and media relations expert Lance Van Auken said the purchase is not being made by the homeowners association (HOA), which holds no stringent guidelines or directives, but has, thus far, been more communal by nature. “You can live there and not be a member and you can live there and not follow its rules — it’s more of a social
“Even though it’s very early in the process, this group wanted to get the word out to people that the course is going to be 18 holes again — and it’s even going to be lengthened to more than 6,000 yards.” — Alden Pines resident Lance Van Auken group, but it was a way to get people together to guage their interest in proposals that were made,” Van Auken said. One proposal for Alden Pines, he explained, came from a developer, who had intentions of utilizing part of the golf course to build homes and to reduce the number
of holes on the course. In an effort to prevent sacrificing the golf course land to more new houses being built, he said the group made a plan to raise enough money to buy the golf course. “Even though it’s very early in the process, this group wanted to get the word out to people that the course is going to be 18 holes again — and it’s even going to be lengthened to more than 6,000 yards,” Van Auken said. One aspect in discussing a solution for the community of Alden Pines was that a natural consequence of building more homes would be bringing more traffic on and off the island. This agreement will soon put that issue See ALDEN PINES, page 14
MangoMania set for Saturday Island celebration to be held at Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church in Bokeelia By PAULETTE LeBLANC
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
M/PIFCD firefighters conduct training on donated house Group's session dealt with 'Reading the Smoke' and vertical ventilation By PAULETTE LeBLANC
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
On Thursday, July 6, Capt. Cliff Simer of the Matlacha/Pine Island Fire Control District led a training session in vertical ventilation. Simer, who has been with the department for 32 years, said this is one of the steps that fire departments take to decrease the chances of a flashover or a backdraft during a fire. “A flashover and a backdraft happen when the fire burns so hot that it runs out of oxygen — so it’s in a ready state, so that if you open a door or a window, all that oxygen is going to rush in and it pretty much creates an explosion,” Simer said. There are “Reading the Smoke” signs to let someone know these things might occur, he said, such as heavy flowing smoke, dark windows and no longer seeing flame. At that point, the structure needs to be ventilated. This is done by cutting a 4X4 hole in the roof, to allow smoke and gasses to escape from the top. He went on to explain that this is done because the fire won’t pull oxy-
Greater Pine Island Chamber of Commerce board member Cynthia Welch said the board is very excited to announce Pine Island’s tropical fruit fair, MangoMania, for this year, where over 70 island businesses will be represented. “This event celebrates our wonderful tropical island. Even Hurricane Ian can’t keep Pine Islanders from celebrating the beauty of the mango,” Welch said. “Pine Island may look a bit different, but our spirit is the same — so, we’re hoping many come to MangoMania to support local farmers and businesses. The island’s tropical fruit farms suffered losses but the local growers will be present at MangoMania this year along with numerous See MANGOMANIA, page 20
gen back in through the roof, since hot air rises. This life safety training session was done at the home of Bob and Kim Russell, who donated the residence specifically for the use of fire training. “This is our second one in the last year. We did one just before Hurricane Ian, in Cape Coral,” Simer said. Whenever an opportunity arises for a place permitted to have safety training, it helps the fire department to stay current and active in safety measures that ultimately protect islanders. This particular training session included 12 firefighters, he said. An amazing feat, he said, since these sessions can arise with very little notice. See TRAINING, page 14 The M/PIFCD firefighters involved in the training line the roof of the home.
Mangoes and other locally grown fruit will be featured Saturday at MangoMania, the islands’ tropical fruit fair. PHOTOS PROVIDED BY CYNTHIA WELCH
PHOTOS BY ASSISTANT CHIEF DAVIS
insidetoday CERT Update.....................7 Island Mahjongg.............20 Tides................................21 Classifieds & Obituaries Cat of the Week...............21
Guest Comments.........4&6
On the Water....................16