Skate Park in need of repair

Avid skaters at the Bonita Springs Recreational Center aren’t seeing the ramps and pipes as just a place for doing tricks and jumping ramps.

The park’s exposure to sun, humidity and rain are starting to take a deteriorating toll on not only the park but on the patience of skaters who are complaining of warped boards and loose screws.

“It makes it hard to skate sometimes because you can fall. It’s a good skate park but it needs to be redone,” said Scotty Snider, 13, of Bonita Springs.

Park officials routinely address problems as skaters make report them but skaters say problems still exist.

“We do preventative maintenance on it and we check it daily or a couple times a week,” said recreational center director Jack Campbell. He walks out on the ramps himself aside from an inspector who comes out regularly.

But Snider says the routine checks aren’t enough. He points out skewed boards and couplings that need repair.

“The ramps aren’t as good as they should be,” he said referring to areas where the rain and constant use have rotted the wood. “They fix it most of the time but it needs more.”

Skaters are looking for a permenent fix to insure their safety at the park that has been open for more than two years.

“The couplings pop up as you get on it. That makes your board flip up,” said Bud Bills, 16, of Bonita Springs. He uses the park regularly. “If you catch that you will fall.”

Falling happens often at the park because of missed stunts but skaters don’t want to worry that they will hit a lifted board and fall on their face.

“There have been some problems and there are parts where (the planks) have lifted up and then been pushed back down,” said Lucas Chevallier, 13, of Fort Myers.

City officials are aware of the problems and says more checks are needed if concerns arise.

"We will follow up to make sure it is inspected in its totality and make any adjustments that may be needed," said Assistant City Manager Barbara Barnes-Buchanan. "If the users are having some concerns we need to have someone go back over and do a thorough investigation on it."

Biznet keeps local businesses connected

A chiropractor, an insurance agent and a light bulb salesman walk in to a Perkins on Bonita Beach Road every Wednesday morning.

Although it sounds like a joke you might hear at a comedy club, these businessmen and women take their early morning meetings of the Bonita Biznet very seriously.

“We want the businesses that join to show a real commitment and those are the type of professionals we want here,” said Carey Birch, co-founder of the business organization that has been in Bonita for more than a year.

The group is a small cluster of 24 members that represent each industry from computers through accounting.

Meeting every week helps the group stay in touch and get to know one another on a professional and personal level.

“These are really good people so I like referring them to my clients. We are always in contact with each other,” said Andrea Fox of Estero, an accountant for Fox Figures Inc.

The chapter is just one of 17,000 in the world that work under the guidelines and standards set by Business Network International, the group’s governing body.

“We are a very structured chapter and follow the national guidelines,” said chapter president Cynthia Begin of Estero. “When people join we try to meet their professional needs and allow them to be represented.”

Being representatives of their industry is an important part of the group because referrals help everyone fuel their business.

“We have a lot of fun in this chapter and we talk a lot about each other and what we do so we can give out good references,” said Begin, who works in the insurance business.

During the meetings, members are given 60 seconds to explain their jobs and introduce themselves to new members.

“This is a service group for what people do and we try to learn each other’s business so we serve as salesmen ourselves,” said Greg Lipsie, a chiropractor based in Bonita Springs.

Members are also allowed to bring guests or send representatives on their behalf if they miss a meeting. This allows everyone to stay on the same page and connected.

“This has helped my business tremendously,” Fox said. “It’s a great group of people.”

BLOG: I love wireless!

I hate wires.

I don't use the phone in my house because it ties me to the wall.

I bought a laptop to ensure I could walk around the house without wires.

Even my cell phone headset is wireless thanks to Bluetooth technology.

So would I allow the Internet to keep my free spirit strapped to the desk?

Nope!

I use the Internet wirelessly everyday at my house. But the house is huge and there is no cable big enough to keep me connected to friends across the country without having the dog think the cable is a jump rope or a chew toy.

Although the dog would find a good friend in the wires, they are cumbersome and an eye sore when strewn from the bedroom to the patio.

In fact, I’m using the Internet wirelessly from the patio as a I write this story.

That's why I bought Apple's version of a wireless router, or a device that sends and receives signals that connect computers to the Internet via a wireless card.

The Airport is a bubble-shaped router that acts much the same way as a conventional wireless router but better looking.

I use it for all sorts of surfing from the couch, the garage and even the backyard when I'm looking up something for my dad.

Wireless Internet not only gives me the freedom to roam around the house online but it's easy to set up and when friends come over they can log in and use the Internet, too.

Wireless is the wave of the future. And, even though it's been around for some time and most cable companies offer it for a free, there is no better way to stay connected.

But wireless isn't limited to your Internet alone, there are routers that allow users to print, fax, or even transfer pictures to their computers without wires.

So if you are looking to be the cool cat in your neighborhood check out your local electronics store and hook yourself up.

Not only will your kids or grand kids be proud but there is nothing better than sitting out by the pool and keeping up-to-date with friends, the news or the latest online poker game.

FGCU intern learns the hospitality biz

Residents walking into the Spa at the Bonita Bay Club will see a new face manning the front desk and helping out around the Fitness Center.

Her name is Kylee Snyder, 21, and she is an intern from the Resort and Hospitality Management program at Florida Gulf Coast University.

The internship is part of the required curriculum of the program, which is in its first year of operation.

“They have a new program at FGCU and I thought it was a neat program and I could learn a lot,” said Snyder, of Cape Coral. “I got into the (program) because I knew there was a lot I could do with it here.”

The internship supplements her double major that includes a degree in business management with a focus on entrepreneurship.

“It's so different in Southwest Florida and there are tons of resorts and hotels and I saw how saturated it was with this industry,” she said. “I figured that I could get a feel for what I want to do when I graduate.”

Although graduation is still a year or so away for Snyder and the internship will prepare her for what lies ahead, this isn't the first time Snyder has worked at Bonita Bay.

She began working at the club two years ago to fulfill an FGCU program requirement that has students work 500 hours of service learning in their field of study.

“I think things are really growing here. Even with the Bonita Bay Club and the two years I've been with them they have grown. It's a good experience that you don't get at school,” she said.

Sherie Brezina, director of Resort and Hospitality Management at FGCU, is happy that Snyder is the first of her students to get an internship that will teach her the in's and out's of the business.

“We worked with the club to get her the internship and put together a program that would help her learn what we focus on at FGCU,” said Brezina, who plans to have more students filling in to the club next year. “Their support helps FGCU offer the most comprehensive resort-management program in the country.”

Getting a top-notch education is important to Snyder and that's why her work in marketing, event planning, accounting and the fitness center and spa will prove invaluable in the future.

“I'm planning to keep my options open during the internship,” Snyder said about staying in the hotel and resort side following graduation. “I'm keeping an open mind, you never know what you want to do until you experience it.”

How wireless Internet works

Wireless routers, cables, PC cards and Internet service providers are just a few of the terms you’ll need to learn before you set out and buy equipment to make surfing the Internet by the pool a Sunday afternoon activity.

Too many cables tied up behind the desk or hanging over a coffee table are a hazard if you are walking around and trip, you could break your neck.

Even spilling coffee could cause an electrical fire that can be prevented if you take the time to make your house or business wireless.

Ray Woods, the president of Platinum Coast Technology, installs wireless units in homes and businesses throughout the Bonita Springs, Naples and Fort Myers.

“The set-up is easy because there isn’t very much you need to know. It’s automatic,” said Woods, who opened up his shop at the Riverview Center on U.S. 41 in December.

Wireless technology isn’t new but as time goes on it get’s easy for people to access especially when it comes to printing, faxing or transferring pictures using a wireless router.

The router acts much like a radio signal that is broadcast through the air and picked up by computers or laptops in the area.

The laptops must have a wireless card that come built inside of newer models or purchased separately for older ones.

“They are pretty easy to set-up on their own but you must have an Internet service provider that connects the router to the Internet,” Woods said. “It sends the signal and when you click on a web page, it brings back the site you asked for.”

Routers average in price from about $50 to $150 dollars but some businesses can purchase $700 routers based on their needs.

“It is safe. I use it all the time and also it keeps people connected to their work all the time,” Woods said. “Bonita Springs has a lot of hot spots that offer wireless.”

And, businesses are taking advantage of the extra way to get people in the door because the technology is so easy to use.

Woods recently put a wireless router in at the Naples Bread Company that is next door to his business.

“They got it because there are a lot of business people here and it helps them keep connected to the office,” Woods said. “They know they can work while they have their lunch.”

But he cautions proper use of the routers by protecting them with passwords to keep unwanted users off your computer.

“It’s not common to know that you need to be protected but you can experience the same virus situation as you would if you were wired,” he said. “There are people out there that have nothing better to do so they scan for hot spots to see what they can find.”

The concept is called “war driving” and involves individuals who look for hot spots, or wireless access points, that are free or where private information can be taken without the user knowing.

“Just be secure about it and remember (the signal) does go through walls and you don’t want people on it,” Woods said.