by Dick Adams, MICA President
On behalf of the MICA Board of Directors, I wish to thank all of you who participated in the MICA survey process. We greatly appreciate your participation that serves as a basis for our strategic planning.
The survey results were distributed to Marco Island City Council members and city administration. A summary of the results are included in this issue on pages 4 and 5.
Since funding of $7.5 million for construction of a multi-use offi ce building at Veterans Park is being sought by the City of Marco Island, the MICA Board of Directors last week once again supplied City Council with the MICA membership survey results. We are closely monitoring this issue and will keep you updated via email. The Veterans Park question is shown below.
- What do you envision for the future of Veterans Park?
- Veterans Park should continue to remain an open green space: 82%
- Veterans Park should be developed with additional permanent facilities: 17%
City Council members are also seeking input from residents. Please email them at council@marcocitycouncil.com Members added in excess of 600 additional comments spanning many areas in addition to MICA-specifi c comments. Several of the comments indicated confusion regarding some issues which we will attempt to clarify below.
No smoking or fi shing on Residents’ Beach: Residents’ Beach is the area from Collier Boulevard to the high water line on the beach proper. From that point to the water is owned by the State of Florida and under the jurisdiction of the City of Marco Island. The requests for no smoking or fi shing in this area are outside of MICA’s authority. The matter has been referred to the Marco Island Beach Advisory Committee.
Better enforcement of the one hour rule for chickee huts: To explain, if a member leaves a chickee hut for more than one hour, his or her items may be removed from under the chickee hut to allow waiting members to utilize the chickee hut. During high season over the last couple of years, MICA has positioned personnel on the beach side of the boardwalk to enforce the one hour rule and to check IDs of those under the chickees as well as those entering the property from the beach. These efforts will be increased.
Option to renew MICA membership online: This option is already available on MICA’s website (www. marcocivic.com) by clicking on “Applications.” The applications at the top of the page may be completed; click “Submit,” which will take you to PayPal. At that point you can enter your credit card information if you do not have a PayPal account. The applications at the bottom of the page may be downloaded and printed for your convenience.
Gate attendants are rude: This was not a common comment as 90.9% of you are either very satisfi ed or satisfi ed with the gate attendants and 7.1% were unable to rate, however, it was mentioned. The gate attendants are in place to check IDs of those entering Residents’ Beach and Sarazen Park. We recommend that you have your ID made at the MICA offi ce and have it readily available entering at the gate and while on the property. Should you have any other concerns when you are at either property, please let the gate attendant know. We also welcome comments at the MICA offi ce by calling Ruth McCann at 239-642-7778.
Residents’ Beach access and parking congestion. Limit eligibility for membership: The MICA Board of Directors has discussed alternatives for alleviating congestion at Residents’ Beach, such as limiting eligibility for membership, expanding parking, and arranging for off-site parking, etc. More attention will be devoted to this topic in the coming year. We encourage walking, biking, and carpooling to Residents’ Beach! Just remember to have your ID handy to alleviate congestion at the gate.
Publish the MICAwave online: The MICAwave is available on MICA’s website. However, due to technical issues, the last two editions were not shown. MICA is in the process of redesigning its website and the MICAwave will be readily available online.
Beach pass availability for family members and can it be requested by mail: If a member cannot accompany family members to Residents’ Beach or Sarazen Park, a Guest Pass is available and would allow your guests to utilize either property without your presence. The guest pass application is on MICA’s website and in the MICA offi ce. The member must complete the form and it can be mailed, emailed or brought into the MICA offi ce.
The fee is $40 per week for up to six people. Your guest can pay for the pass should you wish (the answer to another frequently asked question). Please remember, guest passes are not for renters. Those who rent for 30 days or more are eligible to purchase their own membership to Residents’ Beach. If someone rents for less than one month, there is no pass available to them for Residents’ Beach.
I hope this has cleared up some confusion with regard to MICA and Residents’ Beach. Thank you for your interest and support.
We are looking forward to another exciting season on our beautiful Island!