by SC Reporter Ariadna Ampudia
The City of Sanibel has received applications for three citizen committees: Recreation Financial Assistance, Historical Preservation and Vegetation. Current members have applied for reappointment to their respective committee, and there are a few new applicants for each committee. Council will appoint members to each committee in its March 1 meeting.
Recreation Financial Assistance Committee
Richard McCurry, Gabriela Bell, Nicole Decker-McHale and Barry Roth have applied for reappointment.
• McCurry has been serving on the committee for 10 years and wishes to continue serving his community.
• Bell, with 15 years of experience in banking, believes being involved in the community will help her learn about more the needs of others, she wrote in her application.
• McHale believes firmly in the Sanibel Plan, along with supporting the island’s diverse population.
• Roth, who has served as chairman of the committee since 2010, has been a member since its creation. He has participated in the overall application process and still views the committee’s mission to help others as a main priority.
New applicants are Maria Espinoza, Tim Drobnyk, Alison Ward, and Marianne Ravenna.
• Espinoza is the executive director of F.I.S.H. of Sanibel-Captiva and believes her experience with assisting families allows her to understand the importance and responsibility of giving applicants financial assistance within the community.
• Drobnyk said his connection to families on the island, through participating in youth sports as a coach and manager, is important to ensure all children have the ability to participate in the Recreation Center’s programs.
• Ward described feeling “empathized” with applicants who may need financial assistance due to her own experiences living in Casa Mariposa, an affordable housing complex for seniors, which prompted her to apply.
• Ravenna described her son’s experiences growing up on Sanibel as “unique” and she is interested in helping families in need, her application stated.
Historical Preservation Committee
Deborah Gleason, Sheila Fortney, Leslie Adams, Yvonne Hill and Jim Pickens reapplied to serve.
• Gleason hopes to continue being a part of preserving island history.
• Fortney wishes to carry on in giving back to the Sanibel community.
• Adams is seeking reappointment to not only highlight Sanibel’s history, but to give back to her community and demonstrate to her son the importance of being involved.
• Hill said she is interested in preserving history as she spends the majority of her time on historical research.
• Pickens, a resident for more than 65 years, wrote in his application he is dedicated to seeing Sanibel’s history “preserved accurately.”
Patricia Norton and Zachary McLendon are new applicants.
• Norton said she is interested in learning about the island’s history and helping other do the same.
• McLendon said he hopes to put his bachelor’s degree in history to use and inspire others to appreciate history in the same way as him.
Vegetation Committee
Pamela Miller, Phillip Marks, Ruth Brooks, Edward Holden, Phyllis Gresham, Jonathan Dean, Barbara Horvath and Claudia Hoffman applied for reappointment.
• Miller is interested in the city’s vegetation and wildlife.
• Marks, a supporter of the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation and “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, said he would like to be reappointed.
• Brooks, an active Vegetation Committee member who participates in monthly plant walks and other activities, would like to continue preserving native plants on Sanibel.
• Holden is seeking reappointment to continue his community involvement.
• Gresham, one of the longest serving vegetation committee members, would like to continue the “harmony” of between residents and with Sanibel’s landscape, she wrote in her application.
• Dean detailed in his application his experience with gardening and participation in the North American Rock Garden Society as ways to help within the committee.
• Hovarth describes herself as “digging the dirt” on a daily basis as a gardener and looks to educate those interested in vegetation.
• Hoffman detailed her interest in continuing to help the city promote native vegetation and supporting the diversity on Sanibel.
Barbara Boyce and Mariana Pardo are new applicants.
• Boyce, who has 23 years experience in gardening, said she was encouraged by friends on the committee to apply.
• Pardo hopes to demonstrate her support of Sanibel’s commitment to a “healthy environment for all living entities,” she said in her application.