WEEK OF NOVEMBER 15, 2023
VOLUME 61, NUMBER 52
City council proceeds with sewer project
Island students to perform at annual school concert
By TIFFANY REPECKI
trepecki@breezenewspapers.com
By TIFFANY REPECKI
trepecki@breezenewspapers.com
The Sanibel School is set for its Fall Music Showcase and the community is invited to attend. Themed “Tropical Dreams,” this year's annual concert will be held on Nov. 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the cafetorium, featuring the Steel Drum Band, Elementary Choir, Orff Club and Seahorse Chorale. “The Fall Music Showcase showcases all of the wonderful ensembles that we have during the fall semester at The Sanibel School,” Music Department Director Joey Giangreco said. As for the theme, it is intended to provide the audience with the feeling of a tropical paradise. “Many of the songs that we're going to be performing have to do with tropical,” he said. “Either to do with the island, with the tropics or with nature in some way, or with fun in those types of places.” The Steel Drum Band will kick off the concert. A middle-school elective class, this year's group only has eighth-graders as it was highly sought. They recently performed at a NASCAR race in Homestead. “They learn to play music on steel drums and they perform a variety of different arrangements,” Giangreco said of students enrolled in the class. “Soca and reggae and other tropical music genres.” For the showcase, the band will play
“The Banana Boat Song,” “La Isla Bonita” — which translates to “the beautiful island” — “Carol of the Bells, “Under the Sea” and “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” Next on the stage will be the Elementary Choir, which is an afterschool club consisting of students in grades 3-5. The group has the opportunity to take part in multiple performances throughout the year. “They sing a variety of different genres and music,” he said. It will perform “Yellow Submarine,” “A Zing-a Za,” “Who Would Image A King” and “Popcorn.”
Also an after-school group, the Orff Club is made up of fourth- and fifthgraders. “Orff is actually named after a gentleman, Carl Orff,” Giangreco said. “It has to do with the methodology of teaching music, which is using various methods to make music.” The students sing and play a range of instruments, plus other musical objects to make music. For the concert, they will present “Funga Alafia,” “Ensemble 1” and “Dream On” as a drumming routine. Taking center stage next, the Seahorse Chorale will wrap up the individual
The Sanibel City Council approved proceeding with the final areas of the Sanibel Sewer System expansion program during its recent meeting, as well as two resolutions related to the county. On Nov. 7, the council members voted 4-0 on a resolution that expresses its intent to declare a special assessment to fund a public improvement for the expansion and extension of the sewer collection system, with the project to be referred to as the “Sanibel Sewer System Phase 4B Expansion Project,” as authorized by the Home Rule provision of the Florida Constitution and the Sanibel Charter. Councilmember Holly Smith recused herself from voting as a property owner in the project area. Prior to the vote, Deputy City Manager Steve Chaipel provided an overview of the proposal. Phase 4 is the last portion to complete the system expansion and it was partiSee SEWER PROJECT, page 21
IslanderInsIde
See SCHOOL CONCERT, page 21
Fire commission OKs auditor, gets update on station rebuild By TIFFANY REPECKI
trepecki@breezenewspapers.com
The Sanibel Fire and Rescue District's commission approved a financial auditor at its recent meeting, as well as heard an update on the Station 172 rebuild and discussed the Sanibel Causeway project. On Nov. 8, the commissioners voted unanimously 3-0 to authorize Fire Chief Kevin Barbot to engage in negotiations and to finalize a contract with Tuscan & Company to serve as the district's auditor.
Fire Chief Kevin Barbot
Prior to the start of its regular meeting, the commission held a special meeting as the RFP — request for proposal — Committee to discuss the auditor proposals that were received and to rank them. Barbot reported that the district
submitted the RFP to 15 firms throughout the state and received a couple of public records requests in response. However, the district only received one proposal. “After all of these proposals, we were left with one,” he said. Barbot added that he checked with the district's attorney, who said they could proceed with just one proposal. However, the commission serving as the committee would still have to do the ranking. “We are finalizing one proposal for the ranking list,” he said. See FIRE COMMISSION, page 22
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