News-Press from Fort Myers, Florida • Page 89

Bonita Bay piano marina on rivor see page 8 International Festival scheduled for March see page 9 Serving Bonita Springs Naples Estero VOL 5 -NO. 26 Thursday, August 15, 1985 25c Ballficld plan accepted by rcoidonto see page 2 foBvM WmMm may be calling id qyiifls By Patrick Cullen Extra editor IT'S YOUR FORUM Community ideas and commentary If that's the case, the smugglers may be on their way to victory. Close friends of the sheriff tell us Wanicka "has had it." The sheriff plans to hang up his gun, turn in his badge and move to Colorado after serving out this term of office, the friends say. Wanicka, meanwhile, isn't talking to the media. And, as you've noticed, his friends aren't anxious to speak on the record.

As they see it, additional media coverage is likely to slap all of the old rumors in print, adding even more fuel to public gossip. Maybe so. But what do you think? What's your level of confidence in the sheriff and his department? It's easy to express your views about Wanlcka or any other local topic. Just write The Extra Forum, P.O. Box 2467, Bonita Springs, 33923.

Or give us a call. In either case, include your name. You are sure to agree there's no need for rumors and mysterious sources in your community started shortly after Wanicka, then a young Republican, unseated an "unbeatable" Democratic Incumbent. The "early lies," friends say, captured some credibility because they were spread by disgruntled and politically ambitious deputies In uniform. To this day, a source said, "Frank still has some enemies in his department.

He knows who they are but he can't just jump on them." Some friends say they "don't know about anyone else in the sheriffs department," but they're certain Wanicka is honest. "There is nothing in his lifestyle to suggest otherwise," one friend said by phone from Ohio. Overall, friends and supporters of Wanicka hold to a belief that drug kingpins are behind the constant "big lies" aimed at keeping Wanicka and his department in turmoil. "Keep spreading rumors about the sheriff," a friend said. "Keep people in Franks' department in turmoil.

Keep the cops chasing the cops. What more could drug smugglers ask for?" Wanlcka, as you know, hasn't been charged with any crime. He has denied any wrongdoing on the job. And, during the election campaign, he and his wife went on TV to deny any harsh hassles at home. Mrs.

Wanlcka talked about her private life during a pre-election session in Bonita Springs. Narrow eyes in the audience began to bubble with tears as she spoke of her deep love for a fine, Christian husband. Still, months after the election, public charges and ugly whispers persist The rumors and the people who spread them are as slippery as startled mullet In one of Bonita's back bays. They dart away from any turbulence, even of their own making, only to slip back when things settle down. The ExtraNews-Press office in Bonita Springs, for example, has been getting whispered calls about Wanlcka and his department for years.

Recent calls have been uglier than ever. One rumor we looked into was hopelessly Frank Wanicka's reputation continues to be treated like a pair of old trousers In the mouth of a Junkyard dog. That's why the sheriff of Lee County is planning to call it quits, according to insiders. There's been so much ugly talk about lie Republican sheriff that many people suspect Wanlcka and, no doubt, his department must be guilty of something. The rumors exploded Into verbal warfare in the last election.

Democratic opponents publicly accused Wanlcka of everything from corruption on the job to wife-beating at home. Still, friends of the sheriff Insist that Wanlcka is squeaky clean. They say the sheriff, a founder of "Cops for Christ," is the victim of a long-running "big lie" campaign. What's the truth? At this point, It's anybody's guess. false.

The dual-barbed rumor was calculated to destroy confidence in the sheriffs department and, it seems, create unspeakable harm to innocent residents of our community. Where do the vile rumors come from? Why do people who ought to know better get involved in spreading them? And, if some rumors about Wanicka and his department are clearly false, what's behind some of the other things we all hear about? A local friend of the sheriff tells us, privately, that "a lot of the trash-talk" is created locally, by drug smugglers who hate and fear the "hardnosed" sheriff and his department. Other pals of the sheriff say rumors New school year only week away hi fi Barron G. Collier High School: 7:35 a.m. to 1:50 p.m.

School lunch prices will remain the same at schools in both counties, officials said. Elementary students in Lee County will pay 50 cents for breakfast and $1 for lunch. Area elementary schools in Lee County that will offer breakfast this year are: San Carlos Elementary, 7:30 a.m. Spring Creek Elementary, 8:30 a.m. Bonita Springs Elementary, 8:30 a.m.

Bonita Springs Middle School dents will pay $1.25 for lunch. The school will not serve breakfast. Cypress Lake High School students will pay a $1.30 for lunch. Breakfast will be served by a private club. Naples Park Elementary School will offer a pilot program to test salad bars for elementary students.

Pine Ridge Middle School and See SCHOOLS, page 11 By BUNNIE NICHOLS Extra staff writer The 1985-86 school year begins Wednesday, Aug. 21, in Lee County and Monday, Aug. 26, in Collier County. Officials announced the following hours for public schools In south Lee County: San Carlos Elementary School: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Bonita Springs Elementary School: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Spring Creek Elementary School: 9a.m. to 2 p.m. Bonita Springs Middle School: 9:30 a.m.

to 3:30 p.m. Cypress Lake Middle School: 7:30 a.m.to2p.m. The hours for schools in Collier County are: Naples Park Elementary School: 8:20 a.m. to 2:35 p.m. Pine Ridge Middle School: 9 a.m.

to 3:30 p.m. High school construction should begin next month If I II It will cost an extra 50 cents to see the greyhounds race at Bonita track this season Track to introduce two new wagers, raise admission preparation work will be started right after the groundbreaking and the architects say construction will be underway in December or January." Hipps said it will take approximately two years to build the first phase of the facility, which will accommodate 1,200 students. He said Phase I should be open for the 1987 school year. The two-story, first phase will Include a spacious gym, an accoustically designed auditorium with band and choral rooms, media center, large cafeteria, administrative complex and classroom wings. Hipps said the focal point of the Spanish architectural design will be a large tower located in a huge, tree-lined, interior courtyard.

He said all four wings will open onto the enormous plaza area. A permanent, raised stage area will be built at one end of the courtyard so It can be used for outdoor See HIGH, page 10 By BUNNIE NICHOLS Extra staff writer The Lee County School Board will approve final plans for the $15 million first phase of a south Lee County high school on Tuesday, Aug. 20, and site work should begin next month, according to a Lee County School Official. The school will be situated along River Ranch Road in southern Estero and northern Bonita Springs. Weaver Hipps, administrative assistant to Lee County School Superintendent James Melvin, told The Extra that he had Just talked to the architects, W.R.

Frizzell Architects, and everything is on schedule. "As soon as the plans are approved by the board on Aug. 20, they will be reviewed by the Florida Department of Education in Tallahassee," Hipps said. He said the architects have been in constant touch with state officials and no problems are expected. "We plan to break ground at the site in September," Hipps said.

"Site without any exchanges. All bets are made prior to the 12th race, Triplett said. A quiniela focuses on selecting the first two finishers in a race, but they many be in any order. To win a Quiniela Double, bettors must correctly pick on one ticket the quiniela in both the 12th and 13th races. Triplett, meanwhile, said the track will offer all toteboard information in color on TV sets throughout the facility, starting this season.

"Many of our fans asked for that improvement because it was difficult to see in black and white," he said. Kennel changes and personnel changes have not yet been posted, Triplett said. "The only thing we know so far is that we'll have a new chef, and we're not sure who it will be." Existing work at the dog track involves roof repair and general maintenance, he said. Wednesday, Dec. 4, this year.

The track's 29th annual season will be 110 days long, with the facility closing April 14. Dark days will be Dec. 9, 1 0 and 24, according to track official Jack Triplett. Along with regular wagering, the track will offer $2 Perfecta wagering on every race this winter, Triplett said. The $2 Quiniela Double will be featured on the 1 2th and 1 3th races.

The Quiniela Double, based on the old Big has paid $10,000 and up on a single race at Flagler Dog Track in Miami, a sister facility to the local track, officials said. Perfecta wagering requires bettors to correctly pick the greyounds that finish first and second in a race. An old version of the bet required a $3 wager at the local track. The Quiniela Double is a single-ticket wager, Area greyhound fans will have two new wagers the $2 Perfecta and the $2 Quiniela Double to consider at the Naples-Fort Myers Dog Track this winter, but they will have to pay an extra 50-cents to get in the Bonita Springs facility. For the first time in 28 years, the track is increasing its general admission from 50 cents to Extralearned.

Clubhouse admission will increase from $1.50 to $2. Valet parking will go up 50 cents, to $2. Free matinee admission for senior citizens is expected to remain in force, of ficials said. Wednesday afternoon at the dog track is a ritual for retirees at many area mobile home and RV parks. The ritual apparently explains why the track, which historically opened on a Thursday, will open with matinee and evening racing on a Extended calling plan could benefit about 1,000 phone customers speed fiber optic system between Naples and Fort Myers." Reynolds said the $1.1 million fiber optic project will add 8,000 "paths" for voice and data transmission to and from the Bonita SpringsEstero area and the other two communities.

He said the new system will be capable of transmitting 8,000 conversations simultaneously on the slender fiber that measures five microns in diameter. The new system, which uses light rather than electrical current, can handle more calls than conventional copper wire, he said. The new system translates voice and data signals into a digital format which is then transmitted in a series of laser light pulses at a rate of 565 million light pulses per second. "We have already begun installing the conduit for the fiber optic cable," he said. "Crews will begin placing the cable in the conduit next month." The optional plan rates for Bonita Springs Estero subscribers will be: An additional $7.90 per month for one-party residential service to Fort Myers.

Customers with a two-party line would pay $6.33 more a month for the service. mit Naples and Fort Myers residents to call the Bonita SpringsEstero customer numbers toll-free, Reynolds said. Reynolds said UTS customers will be formally notified of the new optional service this fall. Subscibers to the optional plan will be listed in next year's Fort Myers telephone directory which comes out in May and in the 1986 Naples telephone directory which will be distributed in August, Reynolds said. Reynolds said the subscribers' telephone numbers will be listed in one or both directories, depending on the optional area chosen, with a 1- prefix.

He said a toll-free notation will be listed immediately under each subscriber's number as well as in the front of both directories. He said it will take until May of next year to implement the optional plan because UTS must install new equipment, modify the billing process and notify customers. "Additional cable facilites will be required to handle the anticipated calling volume increase that will result from the new service," he said. "Our timing for implementation of the service is based on the completion of a high By BUNNIE NICHOLS Extra staff writer About 1,000 customers in the Bonita SpringsEstero area could benefit from the optional extended area phone service plan that will go into effect next May, says a United Telephone System (UTS) official. UTS vice president Bruce Reynolds said, during a press conference in Bonita Springs that the new optional plan is "targeted for and will mean a significant savings" to Bonita SpringsEstero customers who make a lot of calls to Fort Myers and Naples.

Bonita SpringsEstero customers are presently charged long-distance rates to call neighboring areas. Reynolds said the optional plan, which was developed by the Florida Public Service Commission, will allow local subscribers the choice of adding Fort Myers andor Naples onto their local service calling area for a flat monthly charge. Customers who do not wish to select the optional plan will have no change in their monthly bills, he said. The new service, if selected, will also per- An additional $18.18 per month for one-party busines service to call Fort Myers. Two-parry line business service customers would payan extra $14.55.

An additional $6.99 per month for one-party residential service to call Naples. Two-party line residential customers would pay an extra $5.59 a month. An additional $16.07 per month for one-party business service to Naples. Two-party line business customers would pay an extra $12.87. An additional $13.49 per month for one-party line residential service to both Naples and Fort Myers.

Two-party customers would pay an extra 1 0.80 a month. An additional $31.04 per month for one-party business service to Naples and Fort Myers. Two-party business customers would pay an extra $24.85. The Fort Myers areas that will be included in the optional plan are: the city of Fort Myers, east Fort Myers, south Fort Myers, Alva, Iona, Cypress LakeSan Carlos Park and the regional airport. The extended Naples area will include: City See PHONE, page 11 BRUCE REYNOLDS UTS vice president.