SPRSharlotte Sunlasfe!
SA WEIGHTY ACHIEVEMENT FORMER DOLPHINS QB DIES
Lemon Bay's Anthony Marinola won the state boys Earl Morrall, who started nine games during Miami's perfect
AnEdtinofth Sn weightlifting title at 154 pounds in Class1A competition. 1972 season, dies after a long illness at age 79. SPORTS PAGE 1 L i
VOL. 122 NO. 116 AMERmcA'S BEST COMMUNITY DAILY S AT UR D AY AP R IL 2 6, 2 0 14 w-w-w.sunnewspapers.net $1.00
VIEWS ON NEWS T
G. Perce Wood T e big dig-
on auction block
Installing giant drainage pipes EC"'TMRT017
T he state of Florida has put Cek oc i
500 acres of the former G. Pierce under US 4t a monumental task
TWood Memorial Hospital property
up for auction, with a minimum price
of $3.26 million. By GARY ROBERTS proceeds unimpeded through the
The former mental STAFF WRrrER construction zone at the Pompano t
hospital property Waterway. ...
,most recently served PORT CHARLOTTE Since This is possible because the SUN PHOTO BY GARY ROBERTS
~~as a Department of the start of the year, 120-foot-tall rawokibendneelwte The largest drill bit in North America --94,000
Juvenile justice facil- cranes have served as sentries roadway. pounds and nearly 7 feet in diameter --will be used
i ity, which was closed on each side of U.S. 41l, watching The U.S. 41 micro-tunneling to tunnel under U.S. 41 at the Elkcam Waterway to
in 2011. over the high-volume traffic that DIG 114 increase drainage capacity.
DSoto County
S had a series of discus-
sions with the state Ij r d b r esalgu
Bian about acquiring the i rg e s a l gu
GLEASON property but optedI n ue
not to, said County
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR Administrator Guy
Maxcy.
"We said, if you're going to sell this
place, we want you to consider giving Peace River vet:
it to us so we can have control, so we4
can figure out what's best for DeSoto ITd il
County," Maxcy said. "We looked into it Sandh l crane
a little further, but it was too big a thing
to take on." family t e nt
The county invested millions of Il t e nt
dollars in utilities serving the property
and operates a treatment plant and By ADAM KREGER
water tower on property it leases from
the state, said Economic Development STAFF WRIER
Coordinator Mandy Hines. "That makes PUNTA GORDA- A family of
it desirable," said Lindsay Harrington, a sandhfll cranes is still wandering
Charlotte County Realtor who han- around the Punta Gorda Walmart
dles many property deals in DeSotoaraafeajuniewtthgop
County. He said potential end users waea atrkb a veile andth itgru
could include a health care facility, r .... :bassrukb a ee andadi.
law enforcement training center or an lgboe ekao
agricultural university campus. The bid However the injured bird --
packet produced by its broker CCBRE, which is recovering at the Peace
staestha te poprty"rpreens River Wildlife Center in Punta
s a e th tt ep o et "r p e unique developm ent opportunity for Gorda should be reunited with
uses including multifamily, corporate it "Wut hr e ki o. h o ta
campus, industrial or flex industrial"Wjuthvtowchowha
~bone is healing," center general
product." Bids will be accepted until! manager and veterinarian Robin
10:30 a.m. June 10.Jekn sadFi y." o fult
Hines said the county has not wilb on n hnw'ltk
received any land use inquiries from him bck i s amily."oeuli
prospective bidders. While some ofwilb on n hnw'ltk
the buildings would require extensive The wildlife center has been tak-
renovation, the DJJ buildings were built P -Ing care of the crane since April 18.
in 2002. The DeSoto County Property + The bird was crossing North Jones
Aprie aud h rprya Loop Road near Walmart in the
$27,656,630 in 2013, but its future value aftrnon an wa>i yavhce
.... + Charlotte County Animal Control
will depend on what the new owner .. m> *, 'Officer Ronelle Moore was dis-
does with the buildings, which are -""' ..
valued at $15,552,584. 70.. pace to the scene ,
o' "Those (sandhill crane) parents
If the buildings are torn down and A+ : ::..
the property converted to agricultural 17,_ __ are sobne, n hy a n
. : .. : + other baby," Moore said. "One par-
be considerably lower than if it is + _{ ..; !: ent wetofwhteohrbay
used as an institutional, residential or .... on stye wit ..... injured
comrca roety sa tteond n.But when the (injured) baby
facility, it has been tax-exempt. The i +... ... k ntarthe oaig thety al cael
potential tax implications were among ,Z- bac int the.. roa ...... tr an help.....
the reaon th cont looke-dinto him. They almost got hit a couple
purchasing the property, Maxcy said. kt :w tie too.....
"In the beginning, it was a protection --...-Iae+ +=., ++ + ;+ ++ :+' Moore said the birds were
move on our part. We wanted to make soewa aggesiv toar her, ...