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More History of Marco Island

• Speaker talks about Cuba, Calusa Indian connection at historical society’s event
• 30 years ago today: September 3, 2008
• The early days at the Olde Naples Hotel

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The on-again, off-again development of Marco’s Tigertail Beach was off again, at least for this year. According to Rollie Rice, County Parks and Recreation director, a state grant of $174,000 did not materialized.

“I guess some politician has more pull than ours,” he said. Tigertail Beach was donated to the county by Deltona Corp. for a 2,000-foot white sand beach. The Collier County Conservancy has said that it will give another $30,000 for beach development once the state provides the grant.

“The people of Marco Island can use county services until they say they don’t want them anymore,” said County Commissioner Thomas Archer Jr. in response to a letter from the island incorporation advisory committee. The letter was sent by Jane Paulus, an advisory committee member, asking whether services would be halted if the island voted to incorporate. The letter came after alleged remarks by Clifford Barksdale, assistant county engineer, who is credited with saying that the county would halt services.

“Those who were alluded to on having made those statements about county services, either don’t know what they are talking about, or you misunderstood them,” Archer said. Assistant County Attorney James Seisky suggested that county services to Marco could halt when the island became a functioning city and collected taxes.

Representatives of Marco Island civic organizations donated $7,400 and individual donors another $1,300 for a new emergency telemetry system. The system, expected to cost $120,000, would allow ambulance crews and Naples Community Hospital emergency room staff to monitor vital signs of a heart attack victim en route to the hospital.

Leigh Plummer became the new president of the Marco Island Civic Association. He won by a unanimous vote to replace Walter Fischer who resigned due to illness.

Playing ball can be dangerous. Stephanie Dougherty, playing with Allied Cranes softball team, raced for a catch but lost the ball in the lights. The ball hit her in the nose, breaking it severely, causing her to have plastic surgery. Tom Shea, playing softball in the 35-and-over league, slid into a base, fracturing his hip. He ended up in the hospital with 10 pins holding his hip together.