Fire wipes out longstanding Alva house Page 3 Important dates March 4: State legislative session begins March 5 Ash Wednesday March 5: River Hall mediation, 1:30 p.m., open to public, Conference Room 1b, Lee County Public Works Building on Monroe March 9: Daylight Savings Time begins. Push clocks forward one hour and change smoke alarm batteries March 10: General membership meeting. 7 p.m., Alva Community Center. March 14-22 Lehigh Acres Spring Festival March 20: North Olga Planning Panel, 6 p.m. at Bayshore Fire Station Inside buzz River Hall update... Page 2 Caloosa 80.... Page 3 Quick notes 1. Send newsletter items to ruanedon@aol.com 2. Stay current with your dues. See Alvafl.org for rates and membership details. Mail dues to Ruby Daniels, P.O. Box 2022, Alva, Fl 33920. Checks should be made out to: A Living Vision of Alva March 2014 Garden Club a berry happy bunch this time of year Circle March 15 on your calendar right now and plan to be in the heart of Alva early that day. That s the day when the Alva Library and Garden Club holds its annual plant, bake and strawberry shortcake sale. Visitors can browse the grounds looking for bargains including home grown veggies and used books, tour the museum or just enjoy the sweet morning air. Proceeds benefit the museum. Be sure to try the shortcake like your grandmother used to make. It all happens at the museum at 21420 East Pearl St. Just follow the signs if you re unfamiliar with the area. The actions starts around 9 a.m. and continues to 1 p.m. See the club s ad on page 4 for more information. Hundreds enjoy North Olga Day A strong dose of rural fun was provided Feb. 8 at North Olga Day, organized by the North Olga Community Planning Panel. The panel is in the process of promoting development standards to be included in Lee County s Land Development Code. Each year the panel sponsors North Olga Day to celebrate the area s culture and history. This year the one-day event featured about 25 vendors, lawnmower pulls, alpaca, antiques and barrel racing at Mike Greenwells 31 Farm Market. Old Olga Day was entertaining. The lawnmower pull was uplifting for some contestants. A Clydesdale gets a nose rub. Vendors sold crafts, wooden birdhouses, quilts and other items. Swamp buggy rides around Mike Greenwell s 31 Farm Market were part of the Feb. 8 North Olga Day.
Legislative leaders Senate District 30 Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto 330 Senate Office Building 404 S. Monroe St. Tallahassee 32399-100 Phone: 850-487-5030 District Office 1926 Victoria Ave. 2nd Floor Fort Myers 33901 338-2570 House District 79 Rep. Matt Caldwell 218 House Office Building 402 S. Monroe St. Tallahassee 32399-1300 Phone: 850-717-5079 District Office Building A 15191 Homestead Road Lehigh Acres 33971-9749 Phone: 694-0161 COMMUNITY CONTACTS FIRE/RESCUE/SAFETY 9-1-1 EMERGENCIES 1-800-222-1222 Poison Control GreenPointe Communities mediation session with Lee County was scheduled to open to the public on March 5, too late for this newsletter, but watch for an update next month. GreenPointe is seeking to bring back its proposed comprehensive land use amendment that would allow it to build another 1,000 housing units in the development on Palm Beach Boulevard. A previous request was unsuccessful. Sometimes it takes a glance up to see some of the natural beauty found in Alva s trees. NON-EMERGENCY 728-2223 Alva Fire District 543-3443 Bayshore Fire District 694-2833 Fort Myers Shores Fire District 303-5300 Lehigh Acres Fire District 477-1000 Sheriff s Office 728-2882 Alva Community Center 728-2882 Olga Community Center 694-0398 Caloosahatchee Regional Park 728-2494 The Alva School 693-0349 River Hall Elementary The Alva School website: alv.leeschools.net/ School news also can be found at: twitter.com/alvaramblers Mother of God House of Prayer Spiritual Renewal Center Spiritual Direction * Retreats Group Presentations 17880 Cypress Rd. Alva, Fl. 33920 (239) 728-3614 * FAX (239) 728-3760
History up in smoke This landmark farmhouse from 1926 burned and injured two people Feb. 7. A toaster oven was thought to be the cause of the fire. The North River Road rubble and adjacent orange grove are owned by the English family. Excellence in child care, welfare, Caloosa 80 plans in flux as backers try different approaches Stan Whitcomb, a principal behind the proposed recreational vehicle park at Bateman Road and Palm Beach Boulevard told the Alva Inc. board of directors in February that he has asked Lee County to buy the property through the Conservation 20/20 program. Meanwhile, Whitcomb and his partner are considering switching from the 417unit RV park which already has county approvals to a combination of single and multifamily housing units. About 400 housing units are needed on the property s 200 acres to make it financially feasible, according to Whitcomb. Alva Inc. board members listened to his plans and urged him to keep in touch as they solidified. Caloosa 80 land is outlined in yellow. and education License: C20E0055 Jim and Kelly Green, Owners 14801 Palm Beach Blvd., Suite 200 Fort Myers FL 33905. Office: (239) 680-0104 Fax: (239) 694-0105 www.sandrabatesfacepaintingwebs.com ALVA Inc. Newsletter The newsletter is published monthly and distributed by email. A condensed, printed version is available at selected businesses. The newsletter carries news and information about ALVA and North Olga. To receive the full newsletter, send your email address to Alva Inc. President Ruby Daniels at rubydaniels@embarqmail.com. Written and photo contributions are accepted. Send them to editor Don Ruane at ruanedon@aol.com by the 15th of each month. Please include the name, daytime phone and email of the author. Photos, charts and graphics should be in Jpeg form. Services Provided by Residential * Commercial Creek Land 239-728-5481 Matthew Miller: 239-872-0690 M & M Farms: Organic Soil, plants and materials M &M Horticulture: debris removal DBI Limousine: All occasions mild to wild Matthew Miller Tractors: M&M Dumpsters: Commercial dumpsters Tractors, Trailers Millers Lawn Service: Lawns, Landscaping, Com Ag Inc.: Tree trimming, Excavating ponds, waterfalls