VOL 20 No. 14
- Named Best Florida Newspaper In Its Class -
January 15, 2020
Pier lease offer rejected Other restauranteurs will now be given a chance to submit proposals to lease the new pier buildings. BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
ANNA MARIA – The City Commission has rejected Mario Schoenfelder’s final offer to lease the restaurant and bait shop
buildings at the end of the new city pier. The commission reached this decision with a 5-0 vote at a special meeting on Friday, Jan. 10. A request for proposals (RFP) will now be issued seeking lease offers from other restaurant operators. Schoenfelder participated in Friday’s meeting by telephone from Germany. He joined Mayor Dan Murphy and Commissioners Carol Carter, Jon Crane, Joe Muscatello, Mark Short and Amy Tripp in a 45-minute discussion about the written
lease offer he submitted in late December. Crane also participated by phone. Schoenfelder offered to pay $8,000 per month in initial base rent. He also offered to pay the $865,000 his architectural team estimated it would cost him to complete the interior buildouts and install the equipment needed to operate a restaurant and bait shop. Schoenfelder proposed the first six SEE PIER, PAGE 35
JOE HENDRICKS | SUN
An RFP is being issued for the bait shop and restaurant buildings on the new Anna Maria City Pier
Carolyne Norwood – dedicated to Island history Carolyne Norwood was the heart and soul of the Anna Maria Island Historical Society. BY PAT COPELAND SPECIAL TO THE SUN
ANNA MARIA – Carolyne Norwood has been the heart and soul of the Anna Maria Island Historical Society since its beginning in 1990, when she and I came together to found it, encouraged by Mayor Ray Simches. She guided us through the early years when we had no place to meet until Dr. Henry Stevens
offered us his former vet clinic for half the rent. Unfortunately, we had no money, so Carolyne asked Ed Chiles to help us. He became our guardian angel by paying our rent and utilities for the first year. We set out on our mission to preserve the Island’s history and began collecting photos, documents and artifacts. Soon the building was bursting at the seams. Carolyne used her powers of persuasion on the city commission, begging them to let us have the old icehouse, which had been used by the Island Turtle Watch. The Privateer’s came with their hammers and muscle and helped
gut the building, so we could begin our museum. That made her happy for a few years, then when we were bursting at the seams once again, she began to eye the public works office adjacent to the museum. She didn’t let up on those poor, unsuspecting city officials until we were moved into that space. Next came the Remember When dinners. Each had a play with an Island theme – the history of Holmes Beach, the history of the fire district, the history of the Island school, to name a few. Carolyne penned the plays, marshaled the actors SEE NORWOOD, PAGE 10
AMIHS|SUBMITTED
Anna Maria Island Historical Society founders Carolyne Norwood and Pat Copeland were honored at the 25th anniversary luncheon in 2015.
INSIDE
IT’S READERS’
NEWS 4 CALENDAR 7 OUTDOORS 22-23 RESTAURANT 26-27 REAL ESTATE 28-32 SPORTS 34 CLASSIFIEDS 37-39
TREEHOUSE owners start new
Choice time again. Cast your ballot for your favorites. 17-18
year in court. 3
Anna Maria Island, Florida
FIND all things matrimonial in the
Wedding Guide. 24-25
The Island’s award-winning weekly newspaper www.amisun.com