OPINIONS Neighbors coming together

10700 Stringfellow Road, Ste 60 Bokeelia, FL 33922 Phone: (239) 283-2022

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Publisher Raymond M Eckenrode reckenrode@breezenewspapers com

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The Eagle is published every Wednesday

A good neighbor should make you feel welcome, and a great neighbor takes care of you when needed In this regard, Cape Coral is proud to have served the residents of Matlacha and Pine Island upon Hurricane

I a n ’ s d e s t r u c t i v e p a t h S i x m o n t h s h a v e passed, and we are collectively on a journey of recovery As a longtime resident of Cape Coral who went to Trafalgar Middle and Mariner High School with many island residents, spent countless weekends at friends’ houses enjoying the island lifestyle, fished in every nook and cranny on the island and swam in the community pool all summer long, it is important for me to write to you all and let you know what your neighbor did for you in response to Hurricane Ian

In times of crisis neighbors check in on each other to see if anything is needed and to give their neighbors a sense of security As you are all aware, Ian destroyed the bridge connecting Matlacha and Pine Island to mainland Cape Coral This left many people stranded and in need of supplies or, in some c a s e s , a n o u t r i g h t r e s c u e o f f t h e i s l a n d Hurricane Ian hit Cape Coral hard, too, causing a significant amount of damage, but in the wake of the storm while our own city was working to recover, we heard the call for help f r o m o u r n e i g h b o r s i n P i n e I s l a n d a n d Matlacha and we answered

The City of Cape Coral’s Fire Department helped evacuate residents from the island with our marine units We housed and fed mutual aid strike teams assigned to work on the island We allowed Pine Island, Matlacha, Bokeelia and St James City residents to use

'Stringfellow Effect!'

To the editor:

City boat ramps which included the D&D boat ramp as well as the Burnt Store Boat Ramp

The Burnt Store Boat Ramp essentially became home base for island transportation on and off the island It received so much traffic from our fellow islanders and Cape Coral r e s i d e n t s p r o v i d i n g m a r i n e transportation to their friends and families we cleared the property of vegetation This much needed room allowed f o r g r e a t e r t r a i l e r p a r k i n g , s t a g i n g o f m o r e m a t e r i a l s , food, water and goods Some island residents never even knew the Burnt Store Boat Ramp existed until the storm hit We are grateful they know it now and glad it served a very important purpose

Mike Ilczyszyn Guest Commentary

lights running We also provided needed supplies and offered fuel when they were running low. Cape Coral responded to fire rescue calls for service to Matlacha Isles and the rest of their district east of Matlacha for over three months poststorm

Directly after Hurricane Ian h i t , C a p e C o r a l a l l o w e d V e r i z o n t o u s e C i t y - o w n e d property to deploy a temporary cell tower to assist the United S t a t e s C o a s t G u a r d i n t h e i r cleanup efforts for Matlacha and we provided three Starlink s a t e l l i t e i n t e r n e t s y s t e m s t o assist them with communication efforts

Send address changes to the Pine Island Eagle Permit # 521

Web Poll

Previous Web Poll Question:

With Ian-caused damage and more red tide, are you concerned about the water quality around the island?

■ Yes 55%

■ No 17%

■ Poor water quality will be an ongoing issue 28%

Current Web

Poll Question:

What do you think of the state legislation banning most abortions past 6 weeks?

■ I support it

■ I think the 15-week ban is sufficient

■ Abortion should be legal

■ Abortion should be illegal

Share your opinion at pineisland-eagle com

From some reason it seems that when drivers make a left or right turn from Pine Island Road to Stringfellow Road they seem t o l o s e a l l d r i v e r s e n s e a n d e n t e r t h e “Stringfellow Effect ” The main symptoms are driving 10 miles slower than the posted speed limit and the unconscious desire to collect a long line of cars behind themselves This effect also extends to the lack of turn signal use and the general appearance of being naive tourists who are on a sightseeing trip and are so overcome by the “effect” that they are oblivious to the danger and problems they pose to others by their actions

It seems that a majority of those overcome by the “Stringfellow Effect” have out of state license plates and are only here a few months

For two months Cape Coral provided 6 72 million gallons of potable water to Greater Pine Island Water Association so it could be pumped to its customers 2 3 million gallons were supplied to island residents in October and another 4.42 million gallons were provided in November The city also provided wastewater disposal services to Lee County for Matlacha Isles These two essential services allowed our neighboring utilities the time needed to get back on their feet all while the residents had water to shower, clean and cook

Cape Coral repaired the Pine Island Fire Station 4 generator to keep the power and out of the year I sure hope that the “effect” does not linger when they return to their hometown

Stringfellow is the main thoroughfare on Pine Island and everyone has to use the road whenever they venture out It is frustrating to be captured by those under the “Stringfellow Effect” and have no way out So if one is found to be under the “Stringfellow Effect,” do your best to snap out of it do the speed limit and realize that your actions effect many others Hopefully all of us can be strong and fight off the “Stringfellow Effect” and at the same time enjoy the island scenery and arrive safely at our destination Immune to the “Stringfellow Effect,”

Tom Ferguson St James City

The views expressed on the Opinions pages are just that opinions These pages are intended to convey a range of viewpoints; opinions printed on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper Opposing views are welcome Letters to the Editor or guest columns may be mailed to:

T h i s c o m m i t m e n t t o a s s i s t o u r i s l a n d neighbors in times of need comes from an understanding we are not strangers living next to each other We were and remain classmates We are business partners We are friends and family We are Lee County, Cape Coral and Pine Island/Matlacha Together we are stronger and together Cape Coral is committed to assisting when needed. Cape Coral appreciates the opportunity to be the best neighbor we can, and I hope you have a better understanding now on how we support you We are the kind of neighbor you want to have

Mike Ilczyszyn is Cape Coral's interim city manager

Thanks to all who made Moose Easter Fling a success

To the editor

I want to thank all those individuals, who worked so diligently to make the Easter Fling at the Pine Island Moose Club a tremendous success You are all angels! Love from all the children, the Easter Bunny and Ann Bokros Ann Kast St. James City

Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?

To the editor:

Branch Rickey, manager of the Dodgers, signed Jackie Robinson on April 10, 1950; integrating Black athletes into the big leagues 73 years ago When Don Drysdale pitched in game one of the 1965 World Series because Sandy Koufax refused to pitch on Yom Kippur, seven runs were given up in the first three innings, but the fans held their breath and hung in there Baseball, the American pastime, has had a proud place in innovating tolerance and cultural workplace changes

As robot technology invades the workplace, crashing cars in cities and downing planes from the sky, it should be no surprise that Artificial Intelligence will now call the game itself A human official will still stand behind the plate this season, but is only allowed to parrot the robot generated call in

PHOTO PROVIDED

Another successful community event was hosted by the Matlacha/Pine Island Fire Control District This year's Easter Egg Hunt provided an opportunity for all islanders to participate in an Easter Egg Hunt, play games, receive toys, meet the Easter Bunny and much more. Kids collected more than 12,000 eggs and traded them in for toys and candy. The Fire District enjoys providing these events that bring joy to the island community, especially during these trying times as we all still recover.

Kindergarten registration underway at PIE, Step Up Day set