January 2017

Important dates

Jan. 9: School district’s District Advi-sory Committee, 6 p.m. School Board meeting room

Jan. 9: Alva Inc. monthly public meeting, 7 p.m. Alva Community Center.

Jan. 11: School district’s Construc-tion Advisory Committee, 3 p.m., 3308 Canal St., Fort Myers

Jan. 12: School district’s Equity & Diversity Advisory Committee, 6 p.m. HR Community Training Room, 2855 Colonial Blvd.

Jan. 21: Wink/Harry Chapin Hunger Walk, 8:30 a.m. Miromar Outlet Mall

Jan. 21: Alva Library Association, “Reading” fundraiser, 1:30 and 7 p.m., Alva Community Center

Newsletter Note: Published monthly, distributed by

email and posted on Alvafl.org To join the email list send your address to: President Ruby Daniels at: rubydaniels@embarqmail.com

A condensed but incomplete version is available at some Alva business locations Send news to editor Don Ruane at: ruanedon@aol.com

Membership forms available at Alvafl.org.

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Hear Alva history, help the museum at renovation fundraiser on Jan. 21

Amy Williams of The News-Press speaks during the 2015 event.

Living arrangements on Alva Inc. agenda

Learn the difference between inde-pendent and assister living at the Jan. 9 Alva Inc. general membership meeting. Teresa Cancel, community develop-ment director for the Sunshine Retire-ment Center in Lehigh Acres is the scheduled speaker. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the Alva Community Center.

News-Press writer Amy Williams and two Floridians with long-standing family ties to Alva will speak about the area and its history at the fundraiser. Charlotte Lippincott-Gomez and John Jay Watkins, whose Floridian heritage goes back five generations, will join Williams as presenters, Lippincott-Gomez is a lifelong resident of Alva. Watkins was born in Fort Myers and grew up here. Tickets are expected to go quickly. They are $25 per person and are available from the Alva Library Associa-tion Inc., PO Box 746, Alva, 33920. There are two “readings.” The first is at 1 p.m. The second at 5 p.m. Both will be held at the Alva Community Center. A previous “Reading” held in December, 2015, attract-ed an overflow crowd to the museum on Pearl Street. The Library Association and the Alva Garden Club oper-ate the museum, which is open on Saturdays from 2 to 4 p.m., October through May. The fundraiser is part of a drive to match a $50,000 state grant for the renovation. The clubs say they need $419,000 to finish. The museum was built in 1909 for about $500 on land given by Alva founder Capt. Peter Nelson. It was the first public library in Lee County.

High School update Nancy B. Sizemore

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Site evaluations begin this month The Lee County School Districts begins a thorough review this month of the Alva and Gateway sites where the next East Zone high school could be located. The Construction Advisory Com-mittee begins its review on Wednesday Jan. 11 at 3 p.m. The meeting is open and public comment is accepted. The meeting is in the training room at 3308 Canal St. in Fort Myers. Supporters of the Alva site at Tucka-hoe Road and Joel Boulevard are en-couraged to attend. See the Briefing files on the Facebook public group page named East Zone High School for talk-ing points. Supporters also are encouraged to begin writing letter to the School Board and the media. A lost of contacts also is available with the Briefing files. Alva Inc. members Don Ruane and Connie Dennis attended and spoke at the December meeting of the Construc-tion Advisory Committee. Ruane outlined the basic proposal and left CDs for the 16 committee members so they can review the thoughts, obser-vations and conclusions behind Alva Inc.'s proposal before they begin their formal review. Dennis spoke about the importance

of the school to Alva residents and Al-va's history with a high school. Andy Erickson, who lives near the site, neither endorsed nor criticized the site. He recommended ball fields and such be placed near the Conservation 20/20 property south of the site with the school buildings between the ball fields and areas with residential uses. Erickson said he hopes solutions to ease or remove property owners’ concerns can be found. Erickson also is on the District Advisory Committee, which also will review the sites. Afterwards School Board member Kathleen Morgan and some others from the district complimented us for bringing a positive approach to the pro-cess along with ideas and suggestions to make the Alva site work. No one from Gateway attended the meeting.

School site corner at Joel and Tuckahoe.

Firefighters cooking BBQ for you Alva firefighters are having a BBQ chicken fundraiser on Sunday, Feb. 12 to help the district. They’re asking $10 for a hearty meal of half a chicken, beans, cole-slaw, a roll and a drink available from noon to 4 p.m. at the Styles Road station.

The Alva Museum

Open every Saturday Oct—May 2 pm. — 4 p.m.

Courtesy of the Alva Garden Club Meetings the third Tuesday of the month

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Alva Alma Mater Far beneath the Florida pine trees, ‘neath the sky

so blue There’s a band of jolly Ramblers, loyal sports

and true And to Alva we will ever

true and loyal be. We will always praise

and honor Alva, Here’s to thee.

(to the tune of Beneath Cayuga’s Waters)

Christmas dinner a jolly time for all

The Alva School Chorus added entertainment to Alva Inc.’s annual holiday celebra-tion. A dozen children and their families joined Alva Inc. for a potluck dinner at the Alva Community Center on Dec. 12 The children, under the direction of teacher Alice Weatherford, sang a variety of seasonal songs before car-rying off the challenging “Hallelujah” written by the late Leonard Cohen. A special treat was a per-formance of the Alva High School alma mater. The school closed in 1972 when Riverdale High School opened. The children and their fami-lies then joined Alva Inc. for a dinner of ham salad and a variety of vegetable dishes, cake and cobbler.

Alva Inc. faces challenges in 2017 Here are some of the chal-lenges and goals Alva Inc, could pursue in the coming 12 months: 1. Win Lee County School

Board support for placing the next East Zone high School at Tuckahoe Road and Joel Boulevard.

2. Securing approval for commercial land devel-opment code amend-ments submitted by Alva Inc.

3. Monitor the Babcock Ranch development plans.

4. Monitor progress of Lee County’s agriculture demonstration park off Joel Boulevard

5. Pursue improvements to the SR 80/Joel intersec-tion and end shortcuts

through Styles and Pack-inghouse roads.

6. Stay informed and edu-cate community about the importance of a clean Caloosahatchee River.

7. Review and raise aware-ness about any proposed residential or commercial projects in the area.

8. Support The Alva School’s planning for a small farming program.

9. Keeps tabs on the school district’s plan to upgrade The Alva School.

10. Determine and seek solu-tions for urgent needs of Alva residents such as affordable housing or assisting elderly or physi-cally challenged residents trying to stay in their homes.