THIS ACCOUNT WAS COMPILED BY RUTH AND WALT ZOOK IN 2005

PREFACE

C.R.Stevens was the man whose vision and experience were responsible for developing Bayside. Stevens acquired his abilities from his father who was one of the most successful "sugar engineers" in the Americas in the early to mid 1900s. He developed large sugar plantations in Central and South America and brought his son into the business with him.

On one trip to Bolivia to buy land for a new sugar plantation, Bob Stevens was jailed by a radical political group along with other people. When he was released, he eventually returned to the U.S. and went to work with Delta Stewardship Lines as a purser. It was there that he met Joe Wyble, who was also a purser with Delta running between New Orleans and Argentina plus other South American ports. They became friends and still are. Stevens met several airline pilots who owned land in Fort Myers, and they convinced him to come to southwestern Florida and look over some land parcels, which he did in 1957.

Stevens first developed Iona Gardens, a mobile home community, in 1958. In 1961-62 he developed Canal Point Trailer Park [Nancy, Emily, and Helen 1 and 2 Streets]. He sold this park in the 1980s.  Then in 1968, Stevens and Joe Wyble bought a 150-acre potato farm adjacent to Pine Ridge Road and San Carlos Blvd. for $1,000 per acre. They purchased the land from Emmet Kelly and Walter Hensley. Despite some reports, Kelly was not the famous circus clown with Ringling Brothers.

The land site was extremely well located, only several miles from Fort Myers Beach and 5-6 miles from Sanibel.

The Sanibel causeway had just been opened on May 26, 1963 at a cost of 2.7 million dollars (compared to the estimated 120 million dollars in 2005). The road going to Fort Myers Beach still had the famous arches prior to coming to the swing bridge. This bridge created huge traffic jams (the bridge often stayed either open or closed.).

 It was not until October 15, 1979, that traffic started to flow over the new 65' high Matanzas Pass span. This was also called the Sky Bridge. The Southwest Florida International Airport did not open until 1983, but Page Field handled domestic flights. Route 1-75 began connecting Florida cities in the early 80s.

Route 41 was the main artery to Ft. Myers. McGregor Blvd.

was constantly jammed with traffic until Summnerlin Road was built starting in the early 1980s.

On Pine Ridge Road adjacent to the 150-acre potato farm that Stevens and Wyble bought, there were two large warehouses for storing potatoes [one is still there, the second burned down].

 A railroad spur was still there but was unused. In former years, the rail line connected Punta Rassa with the warehouses and continued down San Carlos Blvd. to Main Street and the shrimp boat fleet.

More importantly the tract of land that Mr. Stevens bought had a creek running out to Hurricane Bay and the gulf. Mr. Stevens hired Quentin Hampton, an engineer from Daytona Beach, to develop plans for a mostly canal front community of 700-750 homes hones which he decided to call Bayside Estates.

The plan submitted by Mr. Hampton was quite different from the present-day layout. All lots and canals west of Stevens Blvd. were as they are today. Lots and canals east of Stevens were to run west to east, instead of the present north to south configuration.

Hampton’s plan was changed because lots were too small, and the streets and canals were too narrow east of Stevens Blvd. The revised plan considerably reduced the number of lots.  Mr. Stevens planned to develop Bayside in phases. Phase I included Bayside Blvd., Azalea Lane, Bougainvillea Lane, Cypress Lane, and the west side of Stevens Blvd. from Bayside Blvd. to Cypress Lane. 

*Development of the seven phases is covered in a separate section of this history.

Mr. Stevens began to dig the Azalea/Bougainvillea and Bougainvillea/Cypress canals in 1968-69. In 1969 he built the first sewer system consisting of three sewer plants, one holding tank, and three lift stations. The system was engineered to handle 650 homes. 

A non-potable irrigation system was also developed that year using two deep wells.

The clubhouse, pool, and shuffleboard courts were also built in the 1968-69 time period.  The clubhouse did not originally have the northern wing with the nearly flat tin roof, and was often called “the Barn” by early residents.  Finally in late 1969, Mr. Stevens began to sell lots mostly with homes on them, but some without.

Joe Wyble left his job with Delta Steamship lines and joined Bob Stevens in 1971.  Mr. Stevens handled the engineering details, canals, street constructions, and utilities installation while Joe was more involved in the home sales and installation details.  Joe also was involved with the furniture selection where that was part of a home package.  Joe lived in the park for about 10 years at 5 A Bayside Blvd.

CHAPTERS:

• Early Memories and Personalities 

• Presidents in the Park 

• Park Developers 

• Streets and Street Names 

• Park Newsletters  

• History by the Phases 

• History by the Year 

1975-1981  

1982-1984  

1985 -1989                                  

1990-1994                  

1995-1999                 

  2000-2004                                      

• Social Programs at Bayside    

• Men’s Club 

• Socialites 

• The Women’s Club  

• Kookie Band  

• Yacht Club 

• The Computer Club 

• Bayside Shufflers 

• Bayside Dance Groups

• Bits and Pieces about other Clubs 

• Post Script 

EARLY MEMORIES AND PERSONALITIES

When Mr. Steven bought the land which is now Bayside Estates, the neighboring areas were for the most part undeveloped.

Tip Top Isles preceded Bayside and was developed by Frank Hemelgarn who did not get along well with Mr. Stevens. Hemelgarn owned the land under the canal from the boatlift area to the four corners. He wanted to charge Bayside residents a toll for canal use. He also wanted to build a toll station on the site where Mr. Edwards of Edwards Tree Service now resides. In fact, in later years, Hemelgarn charged Bayside for the dirt [spoil] which was removed when the canal was dredged from the boat lift to the four corners. Hemelgarn also owned the Tip Top restaurant at the beach which is now the Dairy Queen adjacent to the pier.

The Sunrise restaurant was here prior to Bayside, and the beach bowling alleys soon followed.  The land east of what is now Bryan court was a wooded area where residents saw deer and wild boar. There was no development from Bayside to Miners Corner, and very little between Bayside and Fort Myers Beach. Indian Creek Park had not yet started, and the nearest stores were a small market on the beach, Thompson's food market, and one at Miners Corner.  Cypress Lake Drive was still heavily wooded from Route 41 to McGregor.  Route 41 was also largely undeveloped from the Edison Mall south, but this changed rapidly in the 1970s.

The first home occupied in Bayside was 2 Azalea Lane and was bought in December, 1969, by Derrall and Ada Hughes. They officially moved into their new home in early January of 1970. Their waterfront lot cost $3,990.

The street had not been put in yet. Utilities were the same as now, except that propane gas was used for the stove and home heating. Maintenance was provided by Mr. Stevens for a fee of

about $25.00 per month. Derrall and Ada called their home “Hughes Hut". A picture of the Hughes hut appeared on the first Bayside sales brochure.  The second home was occupied only a day or two after the Hughes homne and it was located on 1Azalea. It was bought by Ivan and Helen Stallings. The lot cost $5,000 since it was a larger corner lot, and the cost of the home and lot was about $17,000.

When these earliest homes were put in, the land was just sand and several canals. Helen Stallings remembers Ada Hughes sweeping the sand off of their sod lawn with a broom.  Early homes were mostly single- wide or singles with an addition plus a carport.  These were called 1 ½ wides.

Mildred and Bob Houlihan moved into 18C Azalea which was an off-water lot in early 1970. They paid $2,500 for the lot and $7,000 for the house. "Peppy" Peppard, a foreman working for Mr. Stevens, laid out their home site and supervised the installation. The Houlihans had teen-aged children when they moved in, and in later years had as many as five cars parked on or near their property.  Other early residents were Plenny and Florrie Peters. Florrie thought that early Bayside looked terrible with just dirt and sand. She preferred the Red Coconut Mobile Home Park at the beach, but the lots were too small. The Peters moved into 59 Cypress Lane in December, 1970.

Florrie recalls the first restaurant at the beach as being Top of the Mast which is still there. It was formerly called the Playmore Club. The Beached Whale restaurant was called The Mermaid back in those days. The Lanai Kai was the Beachside Cottages. The first high- rise condo was at Santini Plaza. Florrie also recalls Peppy Peppard building the stage in the clubhouse for the Kookie Band which began in 1974. Surprisingly Florrie was not the person who started the Kookie Band. Earlene Buyck and Lee Moskal got the idea and asked

Florrie to play the piano. Earlene quit shortly after the band began over a silly dispute, and Florrie took over.  Today's flea market is probably an outgrowth of a rummage sale which the Kookie Band sponsored to raise money to buy a parade float.

Walt and Jane Schrock rented briefly in Bayside in the early 1970s, and then bought an off- water lot and home on Azalea Lane for $14,000. They later bought a home on Stevens Blvd. Walt recalls the Sunrise restaurant originally being a Dairy Queen. Walt also remembers Marty Lee, a longtime Bayside resident, working with Peppy Peppard on placing homes on lots. They were assisted by the son of George Campbell. Terry Starr did sewer hookups for Mr. Stevens and lived in the park. He later entertained with his music for many social events. Walt owned The Breezy Freeze ice cream shop in the Times Square area about the time that Bayside was begun. His shop is now Pete's Time Out.

Alden"Skeeter"Geitz and his wife Wilhelmina bought a lot at 107 Dogwood for $5,000 in 1972. They moved into their new home in 1974. He bought his home from a man located at Miners Corner. In these early days, Mr. Stevens occasionally sold just the lot, and the buyer could buy the home of his own choice.  The Geitz home was a Greenbriar model. Some other early homes were made by Sun Mobile Homes, Dora Lee Homes, Twin Lake Homes, and others. Skeeter fondly remembers Dogwood Lane being a real party street in the 1970s. Weekly get-togethers at different homes had food and drinks. At times, the men would wear suits and ties and the women would wear gowns. After one of these formal parties, two women were walking home and fell breaking their ankles. Skeeter also recalls early fishing parties with groups of four and five boats going far out into the gulf for grouper.

Peg Deeter bought one of the earlier double- wide homes at 8 Azalea Lane in 1977.  By then the lot was $11,000 and the home was $20,000. Mr. Stevens included a furniture allowance in some home sales, or else he sent buyers to a wholesale furniture dealer at

Hansen Street and Rome 41. Furniture allowance for a home was $3,000. Peg recalled that Mr. Stevens would buy turkeys at Christmas and Thanksgiving. The turkeys were roasted at the clubhouse, and people brought pot-luck side dishes.   Like many other residents, Peg and her husband found Bayside on the recommendation of friends who already lived here.

Some early residents did not buy their lots or homes from Mr. Stevens. A park resident named Charles Braun bought a number of lots in the first phase of the park. Mr. Stevens wanted to develop some cash flow. Mr. Braun would resell the lots as package deals featuring Greenbriar homes.  Early buyers recall Joe Wyble working closely with them on home selection, furniture selection, carpets, drapes, and other matters. He was assisted by a woman named Ida.

In the early years no children under the age of 13 were permitted to live in the park. There were teenagers for some years. Now no children under the age or 18 are allowed to live here. Ironically, one of the early residents was a manager of the Holiday Inn on the beach, and he and his wife had a baby. They lived here only briefly.

This area was well known for the growing of gladiolus flowers with fields of them not far from Bayside. They were shipped all over the world. Early residents recall gladiolus and corn being sold at the old warehouse and even door to door.

Flowers and flowering plants were an important part of making Bayside attractive. Cliff Matteson was known as the "rose man" for his generous habit of giving beautiful roses to park residents. Jesse Bryan was called "the flower lady" because of her interest in improving the park with gardens and flowers. Ray Marentette was "the hibiscus guy" who planted hibiscus everywhere. Years later, the Garden Club took up the task of beautifying the park, especially at the entrances.

Since there were not many year- round residents in the early years, the residents formed a neighborhood watch to keep an eye on things even back then.

Social activities will be covered in a later section, but many of these began almost as soon as residents moved into Bayside. There were monthly dinners after the first year. Marty Lee’s wife, Peggy, set up a number of social events. There were card games such as pinochle, euchre, and bridge at the clubhouse. That was followed by bingo at 25 cents a game.   Lee Moskal became one of the first social directors around 1974. Shuffleboard also dated back to the early 1970s. 

This "Early Memories/ Personalities Section" is just a random sampling of longtime residents. Everyone would have a story to tell. This history is not meant to slight anyone, so efforts were made to interview the earliest residents of the park.  Since it has been 35 years since the park was first developed, some memories are beginning to fade. We are indebted to these early residents for helping to capture these stories before they are lost forever.

PRESIDENTS OF THE PARK

From the beginning of the park in 1970 until the buyout from Mr. Stevens in 1987, control of the park was handled by Mr. Stevens. A park Board of Directors was established in 1975.  Their main function often consisted of passing problems or proposals on to Mr. Stevens.

YEAR               PRESIDENT

1975-1976  Gus Hogshead

1977-1978  Joe Decenzo

1978-1979  Laddie Basa

1980-1981  Dorothy Hamlin

1982           Howard Yeager

1983        Warren Haugue (5 mo) Russ Hall (3 mo)  Art Rohn (3 mo )

1984           Art Rohn (died in office)  Irma Shaner ( 8 mo )

1985           Walter Johnson (11 mo. died in office). Helen Eleton (1 mo)

1986-1987  Laddie Bass

1988-1989  Keith Vetter

1990-1993  Melvin “Cuddy” Wescott

1994-1999  John Mageean (April 1999)

1999           Sue Scully (May- December)

2000-2002  Jim Albert

2003-2004  John Chandler

2005-          Jim Albert

                        PARK DEVELOPERS

The only true developer of the park was C.R."Bob" Stevens. He was responsible for digging the canals, putting in all the seawalls and utilities, and the first 513 houses. He completed phases I to VI, and part of phase VII.   His business partner was Joe Wyble.

The buyers of the portions of phase VII who followed Mr. Stevens were developers only from a sales and installation viewpoint.

In February of 1997, Mr. Stevens sold the remainder of the unsold lots on Primrose Ct., plus the undeveloped Canal Cove Ct. to Bert Jenks for $26,000 per lot for a total of 1.46 million dollars. As part of the deal, Mr. Stevens completed all sewer and water piping, plus he paved Canal Cove Ct. Bert Jenks sold only 10 or so lots and homes on Primrose Ct.

A little over a year later, Mr. Jenks sold the remainder of the unsold houses and lots on Primrose Ct., plus all of the undeveloped Canal Cove Ct. to Rudy Maul and his business partner Ernst Sauerwein for approximately $40,000 per lot totaling 2.4 million dollars.

As of this writing [March 2005], Mr. Stevens is in poor health and living in Fort Myers. He also developed land and a marina in the Grand Caymans.

Mr. Jenks owns and operates the Waterside Inn on Sanibel.

Mr. Maul is currently developing Lee Plantation after doing work in Cape Coral. 

STREETS AND STREET NAMES

Mr. Stevens and Mr. Wyble named the first street Bayside Blvd. The original office was located at the entrance to this street from San Carlos Blvd.  The next five streets which were developed followed the alphabet. Azalea, Bougainvillea, Cypress, Dogwood, and Eglantine were called "lanes", since Fort Myers already had used the "street" designation for several of these names.

Stevens Blvd. had not been named when Bayside plat plans were submitted to the county. County engineers selected the name Stevens after the developer.  Peppard Drive was named for Steven's foreman Peppy Peppard ,a well-known name to early residents.  Bryan Court was named for Jesse Bryan. Howard and Jesse Bryan lived at 4 Azalea Lane, and she was affectionately called "the flower lady". She loved plants and flowers and helped many people landscape their properties.

Many people do not realize that Bayside Blvd. becomes Bayside Lane when it crosses Stevens Blvd. The north side of Bayside Blvd. had street addresses from IA to 14A until the new five-digit addresses came into being. The south side of Bayside Blvd. had street addresses from IC to 16C. The north side of Azalea Lane had street addresses from 17C to 32C. On the south side of Azalea, street addresses start with 1 and end up with 525 at the end of Bayside Lane. This confusion prompted emergency services to change addresses to the five-digit system now in use. This switch created new problems since the same five digit number can be on four or five homes on different streets.

Adding the 14 A addresses and the 32 C addresses to the 525 other addresses gives a total of 571 addresses in Bayside plus the 4 "new" lots.

Primrose Court was named by the wives of several of the new residents of that street. The original name of that street selected by Mr. Stevens was Crump Court named for one of his foremen.   Mr. Crump dug many of the early canals using drag lines. The name Crump court did not please a number of the new residents, so it was changed.

Canal Cove Ct. was named by Bert Jenks who bought out Mr. Stevens in Feb, 1997. Here again, the original name selected by Mr. Stevens was Wyble Way which was named for his business partner.  Crump Ct. and Wyble Way were used in early maps, and still cause some confusion to delivery trucks, workmen, etc., using the older maps. 

PARK NEWSLETTERS

Bayside newsletters were started about the same time that the first Board of Directors was formed to communicate between the board and residents.  This was in the mid 70s. Board meeting minutes in these early years of the park were published in newsletters, according to Dorothy Hamlin, park president in 1980-81. These early newsletters contained many commercial ads which helped to pay the publishing costs. The last page was the monthly calendar of events which is much the way it is today. The editor's job was shared by a group of volunteers during these years.

There was a volunteer group from the mid 70s until May, 1983 which published the Bayside Estate News. It was published by H& H Publications, Sanibel. 

Editors:

Art Rohn       The Bayside Enlightener. May, 1983 – April 1984

Evie Goodman  Bayside Estates News - April 1984 – July 1987

Bayside Estates Newsletter

Sandy Lovgren  1987

Don Harden  1988-89

Maxine Lander,  June Schrock , Ruth Hamilton  1990-1991

Rosemary and Wayne Lynn      Sept. 1991- Nov. 2001

Skip Anufrom    Jan 2002-

HISTORY BY THE PHASES

As was stated earlier, the park was developed in seven phases.  Some of the phases overlapped in time of sales, but they were platted in numerical order.  Most of this information was supplied by Mr. Wyble and Mr. Stevens. 

Phase I.  1970-1971. This included Bayside Blvd., Azalea, Bougainvillea, and Cypress Lanes, and the west side of Stevens Blvd. from Bayside Blvd. to Cypress Lane.  Phase I began in January 1970 and was mostly sold out by the end of 1971. Most homes were single-wide or mini double wide.  Forty-six lots were off-water (dry) lots and 85 were canal lots.  Some double-wide homes appeared on later selling lots. Home plus lot prices started about $10,000 for dry lots, and $12,000 - $15,000 for canal lots.  The A, B, C streets have PVC sewer pipe which held up very well.  Some lots were sold without homes, and the lot buyers bought homes from independent dealers. 

Phase II. 1971-1973. This phase involved the development of Dogwood Lane. Beginning with Dogwood, most lots were sold with homes as a package deal.  Most homes were double wide or mini double wide.  Sewers were Orangeburg.  Carl Braun bought a number of lots in Phase I and II and sold lot-home packages.

Phase III.  1974-1975. This phase involved the development of Eglantine Lane.  Large, galvanized pipes were run under the streets between canals.  This was a temporary requirement of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for water circulation and equilibration. 

Phase IV.  1975-1977. This included the development of Stevens Blvd. from Cypress Lane to the Stevens cul-de-sac. It also included the east side of Stevens Blvd., from Bayside Blvd. to Cypress Lane. This phase caused problems for Mr. Stevens.  He had obtained permits to dig saltwater canals on the east side of Stevens Blvd., but he left the permits expire.  The state in the meantime passed a law prohibiting anymore “saltwater intrusion” and hence no more saltwater canals.  To begin Phase IV east of Stevens Blvd., he had to build a dam and the first boatlift in 1976.  Peppy Peppard worked with Mr. Stevens’ engineer using a lift mechanism made form a car transmission and differential.  Development slowed down during this phase as regulations and permitting problems increased.

Phase V. 1978-1982. This phase involved the development of Peppard Drive.  As we stated earlier, the original development plan for canals east of Stevens Blvd. was changed from running west-east to running north-south.  Lot sizes as well as street and canal widths were too narrow in the original plan.  This change also decreased the number of lots from approximately 750 to 500. In the 1978-1980 period, Peppard Drive was considered to be the “new section”. 

Phase VI.  1982-1985.  This phase involved the development of Bryan Court.  This phase would mark the end of development east for about 10 years.  By now, double-wide homes plus lots started at about $40,000 to $45,000.

Phase VII.  1982-1983 and 1994-2005.  This phase involved the development of Bayside Lane, Primrose Court, and Canal Cove Ct.  Surprisingly, Bayside Lane is part of Phase VII and perhaps even a few homes on Bryan Ct.  This phase had many problems and changes.  A lot buyer on Bayside Lane tried to install a used over-sized home.  This triggered a zoning dispute.  Development on Primrose and Canal Cove Ct. brought new seawall regulations. This included a strip of land with black rush on the water side of the seawall.

In 1987 the Bayside Homeowners Association bought out the park form Mr. Stevens excluding Primrose Ct. and Cana Cove Ct.  In 1997 Mr. Stevens sold out to Mr. Jenks and in 1998, Mr. Jenks sold out to Mr. Maul (Traco Development).  House prices escalated rapidly for both new and used homes.  Mr. Stevens sold 15 homes on Primrose, Mr. Jenks sold 10 homes and Mr. Maul sold the remaining Primrose lots plus most of Canal Cove.

After Phase VII,  there were about 50 undeveloped acres that were quit claimed by Mr. Stevens to Don Ward.  This included the boatlift access road with a permanent easement to Bayside.  It also included the land under Primrose and Cana Cove canals.  Future status of this land is a present uncertain.

HISTORY BY THE YEAR

In compiling history by the year, the first dozen or so years were not any organized way other than SOME newsletters which were printed intermittently.  Hence the history in this time period comes from the recollections of residents who lived here at that time.  Mr. Stevens owned and operated the park until 1987, and any changes or actions had to be approved by him.  The earliest documentation of an organized group occurred in 1971. The Bayside Estates Recreational Group Association, identified as BERG, was created with a board of directors and dues of $6.00 a year per member.  They drew up a complete set of bylaws, but little was known about them after the early 1970s.  A Bayside Board of Directors was created in 1975, and its first president in 1977 was Gus Hogshead.

The residents were part of Bayside Estates Property Owners Association, Inc.  Even back then, there was an idea that residents might someday buy out Mr. Stevens.  The law in Florida stated that the developer could turn over the Park, but there needed to be a functioning body for this to happen.  A newsletter was set up to help communicate between the board and the residents.  Board meetings were often documented only in a newsletter which at the time was called The Bayside Estates News.

For the most part, these early boards gathered residents’ concerns and mediated these with Mr. Stevens who had the final say.  The board consisted of nine directors as it does today.  There was also a liaison committee, a membership committee, and a telephone committee.  The membership committee established Contingency Fund so that they would have funds to operate, and residents were encouraged to pay $10.00 a year.  Of course, monthly maintenance fees were paid directly to Mr. Stevens. 

At the same time that the Board was begun, the residents established a Bayside Estates Recreation Club with its own Board of Directors. There was an entertainment chairman, a block captain chairman, and a pot-luck dinner chairman, as well as block captains for each street.

The following excerpts by the year are taken from newsletters and Board meeting minutes for the most part. There were no Board meeting minutes prior to 1975, and very little from 1975-1981.  A file purge during the Kathi Heimstra fraud episode resulted in the loss of board meeting notes from1987-1990, 1992-1993, and 1997-1998.  Early newsletters were almost non-existent except for isolated copies saved by Park residents.  We are grateful to Edie Allen for the complete set of “Bayside Enlightener” newsletters form May 1983-April 1984 when this newsletter was discontinued. 

1975-1976

Gus Hogshead was elected the first president of Bayside Estates Property Owners, Inc., and a Board of Directors was created.  Bayside was officially incorporated in the state of Florida in 1975.

1977

Joe Decenzo was elected Board president. Rules and regulations for Bayside [25 total] were published in the Bayside Estates phone book.

1978-1979

Laddie Basa was elected Board president for two years.  He would be elected again seven years later.

1980-1981

Dorothy Hamlin was elected for two years. Dorothy presently lives at Forest off of Route 41.  Her term of office goes back the furthest of any living ex- president. Her input into Baysides’ history was very valuable since it marked the beginning of one of the most turbulent periods of the park. 

1982

Howard Yeager was elected president. This year was filled with problems which started when Tony Spear (a park resident who served on the Board) sought to have the Pine Ridge entrance closed during night hours. A total of 193 households signed a petition seeking night closings.  Also a used, unsightly, oversized mobile home was moved onto one of the newly platted lots on Bayside Lane, and this action further revealed zoning defects which the county until this time had overlooked.

The park did meet the 1962 zoning regulations at the time it was first platted by Mr. Stevens, but because of subsequent amendments in 1978, it no longer did by the new rules.  All of the Bayside lots sold from 1970 to 1982 were undersized.  The county advised Bayside and Mr. Stevens that, although existing homes were grandfathered in, new lots would have to meet the new regulations.  To make matters worse, Bayside owners were told that, if their homes were destroyed in a hurricane, fire, or other disaster, they could not be replaced on the substandard lot.  Of course, this immediately created a panic when word spread throughout the community.  It also essentially froze new and existing home sales. 

When asked what residents might do with their undersized lots if their homes were destroyed, a county official facetiously suggested plowing up the lot and planting strawberries.

The impact on Mr. Stevens was predictable, and he singled out the three board members who had been most active in bringing the zoning problems to light. They were Dorothy Hamlin, Tony Spear, and Robert Schumaker. Mr. Stevens sued each of them $3,000,000 plus punitive damages.

The only solution to this problem appeared to be an appeal to the county for an across- the- board zoning variance.

Bayside's attorney, Mr. T. Lenick, determined that the county was a party to  improper zoning and variances, and that it was difficult, if not impossible, for the county to impose laws upon the developer if the county had erred in enforcing the laws in the past. 

Hence the county would be under the legal doctrine of estoppel which states that "one cannot assert the truth of a matter in a manner different from how he had previously asserted it". Hence the county would be stopped fromstating that the zoning and variances were unlawful. In fact, the residents of Bayside would have the right to sue. Cooler heads prevailed, and the county commissioners started action on rezoning. 

1983

Warren Hague was elected president but had to resign in May due to health reasons. Russ Hall took over in July, but he resigned three months later.   Art Rohn then took over the presidency position but preferred to call it an Executive Officer until the January 1984 elections. 

The Stevens lawsuit remained a key issue. Mr. Stevens claimed that the stress brought by the zoning issue severely affected his health and even caused vision problems. The lawsuit consisted of five counts:

1. Tortuous interference with business

2. Disturbance of the emotional tranquility of Mr. Stevens

3. Conspiracy to defame Mr. Stevens to lose money

4. Defamation of Mr. Stevens

5. The right to add additional names

The Board promised psychological support and financial assistance to the sued board members.

The lawsuit apparently affected Tony Spear and Bob Schumaker.  Spear moved from the park several years later, and Schumaker developed heart problems and died within a few years.  The lawsuit did eventually go to court, and after much deliberation, it was finally dismissed with prejudice [no basis of fact].   Actually, there had been two previous lawsuits involving both individuals and children.

Liability coverage was taken out for board members ($1,000 deductible, $1,000,000 each occurrence or aggregate).

In the 1982-1983 period, some residents established a Watchdog Committee to monitor the zoning problems and appeal to Mr. Stevens.  When other park residents saw what was happening, they signed a petition disavowing any participation in this committee on their part.

In the meantime, the Zoning Board first granted a zoning change from AG/MH-I [agricultural] to MH-2 (rental park) by mistake.  After about a year's delay, it was finally changed to MH-I [residential], and a mass variance was done by a hardship finding. Key to the issue was the fact that the county had granted Mr. Stevens approved building permits for 15 years with the understanding that everything was appropriate and proper. 

Individual variances would have cost $400 or more per household. MH-I approval reduced the cost per household to less than $10. Volunteers in the park made measurements of setbacks on all properties for the variances.

Residents could now replace their homes on their existing lots in the event of some disaster and could sell their homes if they wished without a clouded title.  Of the 450 homes in Bayside in 1983, none met the MH-I zoning without a variance, and only 15% met even the 1962 code.  Only a dozen or so lots on Bryan Ct. still had variance problems which were later cleared up. 

There were, of course, more normal park matters in 1983. 

The Board decided that all open meetings of the Board be posted on the bulletin Board for all members to read and homeowners were encouraged to attend Board Meetings.  Bylaws were established and a code of ethics was issued for Board Members. 

The Bayside Enlightener newsletter began publication in May 1983 with ArtRohn as editor.  Commercial advertisers defrayed the cost of publication.  It included ads from residents (.50 per line – ei: boat or house for sale, rentals, etc.)  It also included recipes. 

The Women’s Club was started, and Edna Chew was its first leader.

The Kookie Band, now 8 years old, performed on WEVU-TV and held a rummage sale to raise money to build a parade float.

A neighborhood watch called The Neighborhood Patrol was formed.

Roads were deeded to the county at the time when Bayside was rezoned.

Marge Johnson became the leader of the newly formed exercise class.

1984

Art Rohn switched his title from executive officer to president after the January elections. Unfortunately, he died in office on Easter day.  Irma Schaner took over for Art and served as executive officer for the remainder of the year.  With Rohn's death, the Bayside Enlightener ceased publication, and the Bayside News resumed in September with Evie Goodman as editor with volunteer help.

The Stevens lawsuit against Hamlin, Spear, and Schumaker was dropped, and the problems of 1983 and early 1984 quieted down. 

The clubhouse was improved, cleaned, and painted, and new plumbing, air conditioning, and drapes were added.

A Telephone and Welcoming Committee was established for greeting new residents. 

Robert Reed suggested the formation of a monthly information meeting which he called a "coffee clatch" starting in Nov, 1984. It was more of a business meeting where residents were told what they should do (it was not a fun meeting, said one resident).

The Bayside Estates Property Owners Association, Inc. became the Bayside Estates Homeowners Assoc., Inc.

Rosemary Lynn organized the first Bayside Christmas boat parade.

1985

Walter Johnson was elected president, and he died in office in November.  The lectern in the clubhouse was built by Bob Reed in Johnson's memory.  Vice-president Helen Eleton assumed the presidency for a little over a month until elections.

Talks began about buying out the park from Mr. Stevens, and a buyout price of $750,000 was first mentioned.

Maintenance fees ranged from $71.15 to $86.10 per month, and increases were based on the cost of living index. 

The Board, with legal help, prepared a draft of a constitution and by-laws for the park after potential buyout was considered.

1986

Laddie Basa was elected president of the park for a two year term.

A considerable effort was begun during the year to investigate the possible buyout of the park, but it was not until November 8 that Mr. Stevens declared that Bayside was for sale.

Mr. Stevens also mentioned his possible development of the “new section” in mid-September.

Bill Paul became the first chairman of the park buyout committee at the end of 1986, but he resigned on January 19, 1987, and Robert Houdek took over this job.

Efforts began with the nearby waste treatment plant to buy effluent water.  Keith Vetter began this task.

A park buyout research study committee requested each home owner to contribute $50.00 toward legal fees (attorney, accounting, appraisal, and engineering). 

Individual water meters were installed at the end of 1986 to determine excessive water use by some residents and to set up a way of paying for usage over an established limit.

1987

Laddie Basa finished his second year as president.

This was a very important year in the history of the park since 1987 was the year that Mr. Stevens sold the park to the homeowners after almost two years of hard work by the Board and the buyout committee.

The asking price in Nov. 1985 was $750,000. This price was repeated in several subsequent negotiations.  Attorney Herb Fried represented Bayside for the buyout.

At a March 17 meeting with Mr. Stevens, the price was suddenly and dramatically reduced to $500,000 by Mr. Stevens.  In a recent phone call to Mr. Stevens, he could not recall the reason for the sudden drop in cost, nor could Mr. Wyble.  Bob Houdek, the buyout committee chairman, recently stated that Mr. Stevens' health may have been an issue at the time. The buyout committee had earlier stated that they doubted that the park could raise $750,000.  Houdek recalls Mr. Stevens countering with "How about $500,000", to the surprise of all.  Another reason for the decrease was that maintenance costs were increasing, and Mr. Stevens had locked in some streets on maintenance fees as long as he was in charge.

On March 23, 251 residents agreed to pay $1300 each totaling $326,300 On July 2, 1987 at 3:00PM, ownership of Bayside Estates passed from C.R. Stevens to Bayside Estates Homeowner’s Association, Inc., with down payment of $300,000 and a mortgage of $200,000.

Henry McGuire, a CPA hired by Bayside, recommended switching from "not for profit" status to "for profit" so that participating owners in the buyout could have equity interest in the subject property.

Laddie Basa remained as the first president of the newly formed association, and his name appears on many stock certificates to this day.  

An interesting side note to the buyout was an attempt by a group of Bayside men to buy out the park on their own and take control.  The park had first option because of a previous agreement with Mr. Stevens. The bickering made Mr. Stevens very unhappy, and he cut off any negotiations with this group.

Other noteworthy events occurred during this year. Starting on April 28 bonding and insurance policy was taken out on anyone on the Board, or anyone handling money. It also included all maintenance employees and was for $100,000 coverage. [Unfortunately, this policy was dropped at some later date). 

Ted Handlin was hired as the first maintenance manager in August.

Wayne Lunn created the new Bayside logo.  The palm tree and sunset logo was later depicted on a license plate and stationery. 

Before the end of the year, stock shares had increased from $1300 to $1500.  A special thanks to Bob Houdek, Keith Vetter, Bill Paul, Laddie Basa, and the buyout committee members by the 413 members of the new corporation.  This represented 83% of the homeowners.  The remaining homeowners either joined later or never joined.

In November a preliminary meeting was held to start a Men's Club. The group began the Christmas decoration program on the outside of the clubhouse, and also started the pancake breakfasts. They hired the services of Jack Sweeney who gave the group a share of the profits.

Ceiling fans and an ice machine were installed in the clubhouse.

A no wake rule with a maximum speed of 3 mph was established for boat traveling in the canals.

1988

Keith Vetter was elected president to a two-year term 

A library was begun in the clubhouse.

The Men's Club was officially begun in January with Chuck Kremser as the first president.   The men set up a trailer in the compound to collect aluminum cans. An equipment loan program was set up by Gene Henry of the Men's Club. The golf program for men was taken over by the club.

About the same time the Men's Club started, a group of women who called themselves "The Social Group" got together for fun.  The group officially became the Socialites on Feb. 13 and elected Edna Watson as the first president.  They immediately held a flea market and bake sale. Residents could rent their own tables for a fee.  Ruth Hamilton was the main organizer.

The first Bayside Estates variety show was held in February.

The first Men's Club St. Patrick’s dance was held in March.

President Vedder started street meetings. These meetings gave the individual streets a chance to voice concerns which at times were pertinent to just that street.

Ed Prinz was hired as the new park manager. He lasted only three months and was replaced by Randall Mitchell.

An office was built in the compound for the park manager.

A new Deed of Restrictions was overwhelmingly approved.

Commercial fishing in Bayside canals was now illegal. Netters had been coming in at night. Violators were reported to the Florida Marine Patrol.

The Men’s Club sponsored the first Fourth of July pool party.  They were joined by the Socialites at subsequent parties.

A new pavilion by the pool was built by the Men's Club and some other volunteers.  The club also began collecting newspapers in a container at the compound.

In November tropical storm Keith ravaged Bayside. Water went over the seawalls, and an extreme tide plus torrential rain caused the boat-lift dam to wash out.  The next morning, the reverse problem was evident when the canals were so low that boats were mired in the mud. Some weaker seawalls collapsed. Mr. Stevens was instrumental in helping the association get emergency permitting for repairs. Banks Brothers did the work at the boatlift dam for $61,000, and there were some lesser costs.  Smaller boats were able to pass through the breach in the dam, but larger boats lost the entire season. 

At the end of the year, Ruth Hamilton started the first bloodmobile with assistance from Bob Houdek. 

1989

This was the second year of president Vetter’s two-year term.

The Socialites sponsored a Health Day. Health professionals checked cholesterol, blood pressure, and checked for spinal problems, eyes for glaucoma, and hearing.  The also scheduled mammography appointments.

Arby Alward started line dancing. 

There were special classes for Bible study, painting, exercise, bridge, euchre, square dancing, pinochle, water aerobics, and defensive driving.

The Men's Club held their first spaghetti dinner in February.

The first attempts were made to qualify the park for "Over 55" status, but HUD demands delayed the process.

The Choraliers choral group started with Alma Jowett as the director. The group sang at park functions, Kiwanis meetings and at other parks.  They had as many as 30 members.

The dam washed out by tropical storm Keith was finally repaired and in service in September.

1990

Melvin "Cuddy" Westcott was elected president for a 2-year term.

The sewer system treatment plant at the compound in use since 1970 was shut down, and a direct tie-in was made to the Fort Myers system nearby.  Discussions were resumed on buying effluent water from the waste treatment plant.

The Men's Club officially joined the Socialites in running a greatly expanded flea market.

 The Architectural Control Committee was established with Wayne  Lynn as chairman.

The Kiwanis club helped pay for our concrete parking area adjacent to the clubhouse.

Boyd and Helen Hudson took over the equipment loan program which the Men’s Club started.

The Men’s Club “adopted” Pine Ridge Road from San Carlos to Summerlin Road for litter pick up.  Pine Ridge was rebuilt in that same area and the right-angle curve in the road was changed to a more gentle arc at the bend near Bayside.

David Martin was hired as park manager on part-time basis.

After months of hard work by Frank Waite and Cuddy Westcott, effluent water was finally delivered to Bayside.  The two old, deep wells were unable to keep up with demands, and the well water had an unpleasant odor. 

The Christmas boat parade organized by Rosemary Lynn in 1984 was taken over by the newly organized Bayside Boat Club (not the Bayside Yacht Club yet).

1991

This was the second year of Cuddy Westcott's first term as president.

Harvey Maher issued a letter stating that tax on common ground area is included in each lot’s taxes based on his work with Lee County.  In a Lee Plantation case, homeowners got a refund when it was discovered that they had paid additional tax on common ground.

Jack Ibaugh was named as the new park manager.  Previous park managers continued to leave after relative short times.

The first Bayside Boat Club "cruise" went to Picnic Island. Twenty- six people enjoyed the trip.

The county Board of Commissioners passed a resolution commending Bayside for being the first park in the area, and one of the few across the nation, to use effluent water for individual homes. 

Bayside hosted an Operation Desert Storm Yellow Ribbon Party with a parade, flag raising, games, dancing, food, etc. Proceeds went to two needy families of servicemen. Each family received $1,000.

Health Park opened in Feb, 1991. This was a big plus for Bayside.

The Solitaires Club, a club for single residents, started although only women joined. 

The Street meetings started by president Vetter continued under president Westcott.

A magnolia tree was planted near the clubhouse in memory of Glen Ehmke who was known as "Mr. Bingo". Because he ran bingo from 1982-1990.

The Men's Club did a major rebuilding of the compound building and compound fence.

The Bayside Boat Club was renamed the Bayside Yacht Club in May.

Mr. Stevens began making plans for what he called "the new section".

A controversy arose over dredging rights with Tip Top Isles and (Frank  Hemelgarn).  Hemelgarn wanted Bayside to pay for the spoil removed in dredging since he claimed to own the land under the canals. Bayside finally agreed to pay $2.75 per cubic yard of spoil as measured by our contractor.  Some of this cost was recovered by selling the spoil for fill dirt. 

A pool monitor was hired for four hours per day.

Harold Hartley issued a three-page cost of living index calculation for maintenance fee increases. 

The final payment of the park buyout mortgage was made on Nov. 13.                                    

1992

Melvin "Cuddy" Westcott was elected president for a second two-year term.

Dredging of the canal from the boatlift to the four corners was finally begun after years of effort to get permitting and Tip Top Isles cooperation, etc.

At 3:00 PM on March 8, there was a huge mortgage burning party at the clubhouse to celebrate the payoff of the buyout mortgage.

At a Kaffee Klatsch, a "Master Concept Plan" was presented for C.R.Stevens' new section to Bayside. Stevens planned to sell only lots but would obtain manufactured homes at dealer's cost for lot buyers. The 1987 park buyout stipulated that no one in Bayside "would wrongfully interfere with the new development".  Another outlet to Pine Ridge Road was planned. This outlet would exit where the sharp bend in Pine Ridge Road used to be situated. This second exit road never materialized.

Lawn mowing went from contract mowing to being done by a newly hired Bayside personnel crew. This presented all sorts of start-up problems.

Hurricane Andrew devastated Southeast Florida in September, but there was no major damage to Bayside. This hurricane changed the way in which manufactured homes were constructed by all builders.

Pat Borda retired.   He was the Bayside mailman for many years.    

Park manager Jack Ibaugh died after a brief illness and was replaced by Ed Stevens.

1993

This was the second year of the second two-year term of Cuddy Westcott as park president.

"Dancing For Fun" began with Winnie and Dan Salter.

Frank Waite set up a recycling program in Bayside and the blue boxes were issued to residents.  Waite was also a key person in obtaining effluent water.

On Feb. 20 there was a funeral for a house. The entire park was invited to attend. 78 Cypress Lane was replaced by a new version of itself. When the new home arrived, there was a toga party to welcome it.

By September, work on the new section was progressing rapidly.    Seawalls and caps were in place, and a final canal cut was made.

The " for profit" versus the "not for profit" issue arose at year's end by the "Concerned Citizens of Bayside".

The Board decided to remain "for profit" for the time being.

1994

John Mageean was elected president for a two-year term.

A number of amendments were made to the Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation. These included :

1. A secret absentee ballot

  2. Establishing firm election day hours

  3. Eliminating the nominating committee

4.   Doing away with designated voter status

5.   Imposing director term limits

6.   Holding only one membership meeting instead of the November, February, and March annual and election meetings.

7.   Electing directors only and letting them appoint the officers. This last amendment was later dropped.

A boat numbering system was established by the Yacht Club to identify Bayside boats.

The Masonic Lodge on Pine Ridge Road adjacent to the Bayside compound was completed.

Discussions began between C.R.Stevens, Inc. and Bayside Estates

Homeowners Association on the deed of restrictions for the "new section".

Buyers in the new section were to pay $1,700 for a stock certificate. The accumulated money could only be used for clubhouse expansion or upgrading.

Tie first house in the new section was brought in on Primrose Ct. in August.

Our attorney, at a special membership meeting on March 26, stated that Stevens might claim ownership rights to the canals. The state of Florida could also claim that it owns the area under canals, since in the state of Florida, land under navigable waterways belongs to the state.  At debate was whether the brackish water canals were considered navigable waterways or a water retention system for runoff.  Also, Frank Hemelgarn's claim of ownership of the land under the canal adjacent to Tip Top Isles could be disputed.

1995

This was the second year of John Mageean's first term as park president.

Karen Bertsch was appointed social director succeeding Jo Mageean.

Home break-ins became a problem.  Tom Abraham, a resident on Bayside Lane, noticed a strange car on Primrose Ct.  Tom called the police who caught the thief about to leave with a carload of electronic equipment and other items.

Hurricane Allison with its heavy rains and high winds narrowly missed Bayside but caused storm sewers on Bayside Blvd near the clubhouse to cave in. The whole island on Stevens Blvd. from Bayside Blvd. to Azalea Lane was torn up and replaced.

Park manager Ed Stevens resigned, and a month later Mike Hayek, one of the park workers, took over as interim manager until he could get his CAM license and become full-time manager.

The Bayside Kiwanis disbanded and received a special commendation for years of work and generosity toward Bayside.

1996

This was the first year of John Mageean's second 2-year term as park president.

There were three or four different levels of maintenance fees in the park for essentially the same services. This was changed to one maintenance fee for everyone. The different levels had been set up by Mr. Stevens prior to the park buyout.

The Architectural Committee, which was first established in 1990, was created anew with expanded duties and increased Board contact.

After several unsuccessful attempts, work on the "Over 55" park program began again aided by changes by HUD and Congress. Congressman Porter Goss' office was particularly useful in providing the new guidelines.

New pool decking was installed, and the pavilion was enlarged.

Wayne Lynn submitted the winning design for the new park entrance at San Carlos Blvd.

The newly formed Bayside Estates Lawn and Flower Garden Beautification Society, "The Garden Club", worked on park entrances and common ground areas.

The first mention was made of establishing an MSTBU taxing district for funding canal dredging on an "as required" basis without permitting delays.

1997

This was the second year of John Mageean's second two-year term as park president.

An aerobics class began.

A sewer service charge was imposed by the County Commissioners. The gradually escalating charges would increase our sewer costs by $50,000 per year when fully implemented.

The issue of oversized boats came up. The smaller boatlift was upgraded to a new larger lift with the following limits established:

1.   Maximum boat length 25'

2.     Maximum beam width 9'

3.     Maximum gross weight 5,200 pounds

Kathi Hiemstra was hired to work in the park office. She, of course, was later involved in a major theft of park money.

The new entrance at San Carlos Blvd. was completed. The Pine Ridge entrance was enhanced by the Garden Club plantings.

1998

This was the first year of John Mageean's third consecutive two-year term as park president. This third term was only possible since term limits had not yet been imposed when John was first elected in 1994.

The Fair Housing Act Census was begun to establish Bayside as an "Over 55" park. Signs were posted at the entrances.

A canal dredging petition was signed by 411 homeowners to establish a special taxing district to fund the dredging of the chute and the four corners.

The Heights Elementary School off Gladiolus Drive was made available to Bayside residents as a hurricane shelter.

The Computer Club was started by Ron Sanok and Don Harden.

* NOTE Board meeting notes and newsletters for 1997 and 1998 were not available.

1999

This was the second year of John Mageean's third consecutive two-year term as park president.

This year was a very turbulent year in the history of the park. There was growing dissension between Board members at the meetings.   Major theft problems started showing up in the office involving forged checks. The Sheriff's Office was called on Feb 20. It was discovered that there was no bonding of people handling money for apparently some period of time. Bonding had earlier been established in April, 1987, up to $100,000.

Forged checks from March 1998 to February 1999 totaled $143,516.53 and a final fraud loss of $148,779.20 was established in August. The total may have been even higher since unrecorded cash payments were made to Kathi Hiemstra.

Prompted by office theft problems, Board dissension, and health issues, John Mageean resigned as park president on April 9. He also was the subject of a petition signed by 248 people asking for his resignation as president of Bayside Estates.  Vice-president Jeannine Caissie also resigned at the same time. Director Sue Scully was selected by the Board to complete the term of Mageean until the January 2000 election.  Ralph Marks was named vice president.

Board secretary Ella Endres, treasurer Ann Gladhill, and other Board members and volunteers worked hundreds of hours to determine the extent of the theft.

Kathi Hiemstra was jailed after her location in Cape Coral was discovered by several park residents who tipped off the police. She pleaded guilty to first degree grand theft and was sentenced to 30 years state probation, $306 court cost, $152,194 restitution cost payable at $425 per month, plus periodic evaluation for substance abuse. She also received jail time.

Park manager Mike Hayek resigned on May 21 when some dubious money transactions were discovered. Paul Wahl served as acting manager until Randy Wood was hired on July 19.

Myers, Bretttholtz, and Liles (later just Myers and Brettholtz) were hired as Bayside's accountants. They were assisting in the fraud audit and were then hired to handle maintenance fee mailing and collection on a quarterly basis. Also, Bayside's bank statements and cancelled checks were now mailed to Myers and Brettholtz.

Bonding for all park employees and Board members handling money was again set up after a long lapse.

To further complicate matters, all of the Bayside lawn care employees handed in their resignations. Randy Wood contracted out the lawn service on very short notice.

Some other less troublesome matters were also worked on in 1999.

Board meetings were moved from the office to the clubhouse.

Staggered terms for the election of the Board officers was set to begin in    2000 to keep a continuum of experience on the Board.

An Inventory Control Committee was established to monitor and cut   costs and improve efficiency.

Dredging talks were in progress with the county. Preliminary discussions began on clubhouse expansion. Also in December, the Board appointed a committee to develop proposals to build a new sewer system.

2000

Jim Albert was elected president for a one-year term.

President Albert formed fifteen committees to work with the Board. Each committee had its own chairperson.

Kathy Hiemstra made 16 payments by Aug 2000 totaling $2,063.38. At this rate it would have taken almost a century to repay her debt.

The designation of Harlem Heights Elementary School as a hurricane shelter for Bayside residents was changed to a category I hurricane only. For anything greater than category I, residents were advised to go further inland.

The clubhouse was designated by the Bayside voters to be a non-smoking building.

Hurricane Gordon narrowly missed Bayside with minimal damage, but some flooding.

A storage area was added to the clubhouse where the outdoor laundry used to be. New awnings were also added.

Myers and Brettholtz raised their fees from $1.61 to $1.75 per household per month. This did not include taxes or audits.

Preliminary sewer work proceeded rapidly. The Board voted to replace all orangeburg pipe and lift stations. Financing methods were also investigated.

2001

Jim Albert was elected president for a two-year term. Only two nominees ran for office in this election. Five directors had to be appointed. This time period would prove to be an extremely busy and productive time for Bayside.

A new Policies and Procedures Handbook was issued to all residents.

Our attorney defined assessments for sewer improvements. He gave supporting evidence to show that all lots in Bayside, including those in the new section, must each bear an equal share of the cost of rebuilding the sewer system.

The four lots at the San Carlos entrance were put up for sale with park residents given the first choice.

Park lighting by FPL was voted out in spite of dark areas which reduced security.

The Deed of Restrictions was changed to define the minimum size of new homes to be 24' wide.

Residents also voted to return to "not for profit" status pending further approval.

Other major projects proposed for 2001 including dredging, sewers, a new boatlift, and uniting the park. Consideration was also given to building a new park office.

On a lighter note, a wood carving class was started. It was called "The Bayside Easy Bleeders".

A Street Response Committee was set up to assist residents in CPR, first aid, storm alertness, and storm aftermath needs. Most streets had their own volunteers for this committee.

The old office near the San Carlos entrance was torn down. The office equipment and office secretary were temporarily moved to the library. The lot on which the old office was located was sold immediately.

The older boatlift was shut down after an OSHA inspection and was designated for replacement.

Yard lights were now mandatory at each house, and they were to be left on year-round.

A Fining Committee (no officers, directors, or employees) was proposed to impose fines after notification by letter to the unit owner. Fining would be a last resort action.

Source, Inc. Engineers were selected for the Bayside sewer project. The fee from Source was $88,750.

Recommendations for uniting the three sections of the park were documented for forwarding to our attorney.

Auto Owners Insurance, our bonding insurance company, made an offer of $11,400 minus a $250 deductible to settle their share of the theft by Kathi Hiemstra. The Board accepted the offer.

A bid was accepted by the Board to hire Florida Marine Construction to build a new boatlift. Cost was not to exceed $110,000.

The Board also decided to build a new park office behind the clubhouse near the horseshoe pits.

A new requirement under Florida Statutes For Housing for 55 and over occupancy required that each Over 55 community should register with the state by Feb l, 2002. The registration had to guarantee that the community was in compliance with all rules and regulations governing such communities. Public signs had to state "Over 55" Regulations are Strictly Enforced".

Tropical storm Gabrielle caused severe flooding in the park. 'This occurred about the same as the 9/11 World Trade Center catastrophe.

Source Engineering finally provided total cost estimates for the Bayside sewer project, so that it could be put out for bid involving either one or two lift stations.

House numbers were changed to five digits on some streets.

Wayne Lynn died on Pearl Harbor Day. He contributed so much to this park and was co-editor with his wife Rosemary of the Bayside Estates Newsletter for ten years. A plaque in his memory was placed on the fence opposite the compound entrance.

2002

This was the second year of Jim Albert's second term as park president.

Skip Anufrom became the new Bayside Estates Newsletter editor.

On the advice of Source Engineering, Stevens and Layton were contracted to perform the sewer work. The project was estimated to take about nine months to complete. The amount that each property owner would pay was $3,700. The cost of the new sewer system was $2,168,000. The 586 parcels of land in the park would share the costs which had to be completed by March 15. This was later changed to March 25. If the property owner's share of the sewer project was not paid by the deadline date, a formal recorded lien would be placed against that property. Accumulated funds were placed in an escrow account for eventual disbursement to Stevens and Layton.

An outside management company for the park was considered to handle day-to-day operations. One company gave a presentation. A second presentation by a second company was dropped for lack of interest. There were also mixed feedback from neighboring parks that had contracted management companies.

The three sections of the park once again voted overwhelmingly to proceed with making Bayside Estates a "not for profit park".

On March 26, 2002, Bayside became one united park with one set of governing documents.   After years of having separate documents for each section, residents voted to merge all documents into one. All common property came under the control of the Board of Directors. This combining was referred to as "The Marriage of the Park".

The Board also moved that the non-county streets of Primrose Ct., Canal Cove Ct., and Bayside Lane east of Bryan Ct. would be repaved by the park.  The cost could hopefully be shared, at least in part, by developer Rudy Maul. Our attorney stated that there was no recourse against Mr. Maul, since the streets met county standards except for some cracked edges. The estimated bid for repaving was $20,706.

Dredging work from the four comers out to Hurricane Bay was thought to be complete, but it was not done to the satisfaction of the Dredging Committee. Bayside's representatives on the committee were George Cummings and Randy Wood.  The dredging was too shallow in spots, and the county was contacted.

Work finally started on the sewer project in June, 2002. The field adjacent to the clubhouse contained piles of stone and pipes of all sizes. The lift station area was worked on first, and then work began down Stevens Blvd. Ground water had to be pumped out before work could begin to avoid cave-ins. Some digging went down for 25' or more. Blacktop was removed from the roads getting the new sewers. Driving and biking on these streets became very difficult. Damages to property as a result of the sewer work were documented.

The Board approved the bid of $51,260 for the new office by contractor Kevin P. Healey. An additional expense involved changing the direction of the horseshoe pits.

The remaining two or three digit street addresses in the park were changed to five digits to meet Emergency Response requirements.

A severe summer storm on Aug.30 caused damage to a number of homes and common ground areas.

Thomas Marine began to build the new boatlift with concrete pilings. Bob Dean was contracted to build the lift mechanism.  Load lift limiters were installed on the older lift by Crane Pro Services, but were later returned because they were unsatisfactory.     The cost of this new lift escalated to approximately $140,000. The lift was ready for use in December with some details remaining to be completed.

Effluent water rates increased from 4 cents per thousand gallons to 25 cents per thousand gallons. Conservation was urged.

The new office was completed in December at a cost of approximately $60,000.

Only four people applied for the four positions on the Board. This made January elections unnecessary.

Repaving began on the streets affected by the sewer work. This work was carried out very promptly.

In December, The Bayside Red Hatters was organized with Arby Alward as "Queen Mum".

2003

John Chandler was appointed president for a two-year term. There was no election since he ran unopposed.

President Chandler established new committees, including:

Historical

Waterways

Expense/income

Long range planning

Disaster and streets

Covenant Enforcement

The sewer work was almost completed at the beginning of the year, and finally hook-ups were in progress. All of the tie-ins were completed by March. The final payment to Stevens and Layton was delayed until all work was completed, including damage claims by homeowners as a result of the sewer work. The delay also postponed the beginning of the one-year warranty that would start with the final payment.  Some residents submitted exaggerated claims that required further investigation. Ex-president Jim Albert remained very involved in the sewer work.  The old sewer lines and manholes were filled in to prevent settling problems.

A second storage area at the rear of the clubhouse was built by the Men's Club. This area was directly behind the kitchen area. The Men's Club also installed a storage trailer at the compound.

New governing documents were issued after the three sections of the park were united into one.

On March 16 there was a huge party to celebrate the "marriage" of the three sections of the park. There was a minister, bride and groom, mother of the bride, and wedding party.  The “women" looked suspiciously like men, and vice versa.

It was discovered that the land under the canals in most of the new section, plus the access road to the boatlift, had been quit claimed by C.R.Stevens to Don Ward in April. Don Ward is a Bayside resident. Some additional acreage was also included.  A permanent easement had existed for the access road.

Libby Walker, the county MSTBU coordinator, investigated the dredging deficiencies. The dredging done earlier was in error as related to the permits.  The dredging was too shallow by six inches or more.  An additional foot of depth beyond the permitted depth was recommended at an additional minimal cost.

Discussions began on establishing an MSTBU escrow account for Bayside and Palm Isles. A majority of Bayside residents voted to approve MSTBU funding.

A group of summertime residents organized the Sundowners Club. They met on Thursday evenings at the pavilion.

A major malfunction occurred at the new boatlift when limit switches failed. The cradle went all the way to the top of the platform, and eventually crashed into the canal. Cables also snapped. Bob Dean, the builder of the overhead lift assembly, was contracted to take this assembly into his shop to check out gears, etc. The unit checked out satisfactorily. After Dean reinstalled the assembly, Thomas Marine installed new cables. The basic cause of the trouble was the presence of water in the joy-stick boxes.

Roger Kryder of Bayside was appointed the new chairman of the Boatlift Committee. Load limiters were installed on both lifts, and the following limits were established:

New Lift:

Boat length 27'

  Beam 9'

  Gross weight 9,000 lbs.

 Older Lift

  Boat length 25'

   Beam 9'

   Gross weight 5,000 lbs.

The subject of oversized boats became an issue once again. One new lot owner brought in a boat with a 9' 3" beam, a higher than usual cabin and electronics assembly, and a 27' + length. When the board voted to have the boat removed, the owner sold the lot ending this issue.

House break-ins again became a problem. Police recommended a neighborhood watch, increased lighting, and increased police patrols.

A 55 and Over Census revealed that 53% of Bayside owners as of this date [Oct.2003] were 70 years of age or older, 40% were 55-70, and only 7% were either under 55 or age unknown.

Enforcement of having a working yard light at each home was being considered. Also being considered was a gated entrance at Stevens Blvd. and Pine Ridge Road.

The Board also voted to oppose the proposed Summerlin/San Carlos overpass.

The issue of clubhouse expansion began full scale, and $5,000 was approved by the Board for obtaining preliminary costs for the expansion. This was later raised to $10,000.

2004

This was the second year of John Chandler' s two-year term as president.

The vote for "not for profit status" passed a second time by a 315 to 14 margin.

George Uhrich was made chairman of the clubhouse expansion committee. Clubhouse expansion plans proceeded rapidly. An architect submitted a preliminary design, and an engineer surveyed the property and provided a preliminary estimate.

Discussions started on taking over lawn mowing by hiring our own crew

once again. The board voted to take over the mowing from Estate Landscaping by July and approved $21,500 for new mowing equipment. Residents responded with so much negative feedback to this proposal that it was later dropped. President Chandler negotiated a new three- year contract with Estate Landscaping that resulted in considerable savings (the savings could be as much as $63,000 over a six-year period if the contract is renewed).

Security concerns prompted the Board to approve installation of a chain link fence from Stevens Blvd. to the end of Bayside Lane on the edge of FPL property. The fence is intermittent between ponds that serve as their own barrier. A neighborhood watch program was revitalized after a lapse of several years. Bob and Barb Doak volunteered to chair the program. A security camera was considered for one of the park entrances. Mike Irvin oversaw improving park lighting in up to twelve sites. A gated entrance at Pine Ridge Road and Stevens Blvd. was also considered.

Richard DeBoest was selected to replace Scott Barker as the Bayside attorney.

Boat sizes and lift capacities remained a contentious issue. The Yacht Club agreed to measure the length and width of all boats. Boaters were reminded to complete a questionnaire which was kept in the park office. Surprisingly, no boats in the park exceeded length and width limits.

Roger Kryder rewired the boatlifts so that they cannot self-destruct or short out easily. Load limiters monitored boat weight and rejected boats over the designated weight maximum.

The Board voted to have Kaffee Klatsches precede Board meetings for a trial period.

Much of the rest of the year was taken up by one issue-  namely, hurricanes.  Four major hurricanes hit Florida between August 13 and September 26.

Bayside residents will never forget Hurricane Charley that was supposed to come ashore near Tampa. A rather sudden change in direction brought it in around Punta Gorda in the late afternoon of August 13. Wind reports varied from 90 mph to 120 mph on Ft. Myers Beach. A tidal surge covered Estero Island to a depth of two to three feet over the main road. There was no electric power in the park for 5-7 days. Some streets had power restored before others. Phone service was lost for several days, and even cell phone reception was poor or non-existent. Most Bayside houses suffered some damage, and many had major damage. A few houses were condemned for occupancy. Many roofs were partially or wholly lost, and blue tarps were used to cover roof leaks.

Crime Stoppers, police, plus several days of Bayside paid security, limited who could enter the park. This was done to avoid looting.

Many trees and plants were destroyed or badly damaged.

The clubhouse, pavilion, and compound roofs all developed leaks. Fencing was also blown over.  Aluminum trim and roofing littered all the streets. Unauthorized pickup trucks came in at night after security was relaxed to gather up the aluminum that was sold for 35 cents per pound.

The park crew worked for hard, long hours to clean up debris of all kinds. Despite tremendous obstacles, the Bayside crew picked up trash, clippings, and recyclables on a regular schedule beginning the Monday after the hurricane.

Fort Myers Beach access was closed off for over a week.  Beach residents gathered by the hundreds near Bayside entrances the night of Hurricane Charley. They were waiting for the word that never came, allowing them to return to their homes. They previously had to leave by mandatory evacuation.

Nearby stores and gas stations were all closed, as were most restaurants.  Incredibly, Patty Arnold, our News Press delivery person, never missed a day and made her deliveries in spite of littered streets.

Many residents bought generators which soon became unavailable.

Sanibel and Captiva Islands were inaccessible for weeks with no power, and most roads were blocked with trees. Upper Captiva became two islands as the hurricane carved a new channel that isolated a dozen or more homes.  South Seas Plantation suffered severe damage, but Punta Gorda was hit the hardest. Hurricane intensity increased from level I-Il to level 4 before coming ashore.

Everyone was watching the Weather Channel for days preceding the hurricane. Bob Doak, Gero Grohs, and Walt Zook documented the damage to Bayside homes with digital cameras and camcorders. Ron Sanok, who was north at the time, disseminated the information and pictures on his website.

Several residents remained in their Bayside homes during the hurricane or evacuated briefly.  One couple sat in their car in the carport while the carport roof blew off, and the car shook violently. Fortunately, they were not hurt.

After the hurricane passed, park manager Randy Wood stated that the park needed a good-sized generator for office and partial clubhouse needs. This would be needed to maintain communications with the many residents who remained in their northern homes.  A backup dumpster was also badly needed.

No one in the park was killed or seriously injured, but stress levels took their toll. Socialites and Men's Club members who were in the park at the time sponsored a "survivors party" complete with pizza and beverages for some much needed rest and recreation.  A special meeting was held by president Chandler to discuss immediate needs.

Just as residents began to recover from Hurricane Charley, Hurricane

Frances came ashore at Hutchison Island on the east coast of Florida on September 5. Bayside was spared any major effects, just getting hit with wind gusts of 40 or so mph plus some heavy rain.

A week and a half later, Hurricane Ivan came up the gulf more than 100 miles offshore from Fort Myers Beach. Ivan came ashore near Pensacola on September 16. Once again, Bayside only experienced wind gusts and some rain.

A little over a week later, Hurricane Jeanne also came ashore at Hutchison Island on September 25-26, and blew across the state with high winds and rain.

Residents had to prepare each time for a worst-case scenario because with each hurricane, the location of landfall was uncertain.   This became time consuming and nerve wracking. The last two months of summer just seemed to get lost.

Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne did some additional damage to Bayside homes that were affected by Charley, especially those with damaged roofs. Mold and mildew became a major problem. Storm debris that was not picked up after Charley became a threat for neighboring homes. The Board sent 70 notices to homeowners with debris, loose trim, or roofs with a deadline for removal or correction.

The common areas suffered damage as follows:

·  The compound building and fence

·  The pool solar panels, pump, fencing, and dirty pool surfaces

·  Clubhouse roof and dance floor

·  Shuffleboard courts, roof, and fence

·  Pavilion roof

·  Debris in canals

·  Damage to trees and plantings in common areas

All consideration of clubhouse expansion was delayed until such time that the Board would vote to resume it.

Our park manager had trouble getting bids to repair the hurricane damage since all contractors were booked for months, or even a year or more. It was decided to replace the entire clubhouse roof at a bid cost of $33,000. This amount was what our insurance paid for partial replacement costs.

Condemned houses were gradually being removed, and Bayside was slowly returning to more nearly normal.

The year closed out with several non-hurricane issues. The Board proposed several changes to the governing documents. It was decided to place these ten issues on the January 2005 election ballot.

Dredging of the chute was begun again by the county to correct previous inadequacies.

SOCIAL PROGRAMS AT BAYSIDE

Ron Sanok's "A Journey Through Time at Bayside Estates" does an excellent job on the "Social Development at Bayside Estates", including pictures. [www.baysideestatesfl.com/History].

No accurate records were available about the earliest social directors, but an approximate list follows:

Lee Moskal, consensus as the first social director

Merle Taylor, mid-1970s

Peggy Lee

Edna Watson

Shirley Garnic

Gretchen Curtis

Jo Mageean

Karen Bertsch

In the mid-1970s, Bayside formed a Bayside Estates Recreation Club with a Board of Directors and five officers. Merle Taylor was the president, and there was an entertainment chairman, a block captain chairman, and a potluck chairman. This club eventually merged into the Bayside Estates Property Owners Association, Inc.

The following is a listing of most of the social groups that were formed through the years. A number of these are no longer in existence.

The Men’s Club Socialites

Yacht Club Women’s Club Kookie Band

Computer Club Garden Club Bayside shufflers

Sundowners Bingo Horseshoe Club

Bowling League Choraliers Barbershop Singing

Solitaires Red Hatters Bayside Carvers

Hobby Group Painting Class Bunka Class

Social Dancing Square Dancing Round Dancing

Line Dancing Hula Dancing Clogging

Tap Dancing Men’s Poker Euchre

Dominoes Indoor exercise Aerobics

Billiards Bible Study Library Group

Golf Groups Bocce Ball Defensive Driving

Bridge Ladies’ Poker Pinochle

Pool exercise Bike Hike Group Yoga

MEN’S CLUB

There are several versions of how the club began, and who were the charter members.

Bob Houdek claims to have started the club in 1987 with Wayne Lynn, Don Harden, Bob Hamilton, and Bill Dunlop. They each chipped in $10.00 and bought a beer cooler.

Another version is that Bud Young's mother would not let him watch football games on TV on Sundays. He rounded up a small group of men who met in the clubhouse, drank beer, and watched games. They decided to form a social club.

Bud worked with Jack Sweeney, an outside caterer, on making pancake breakfasts.  Later, Bud and the Men's club took over these breakfasts. Bud served for years as the unofficial chef of the club.

Laddie Basa was known for his chicken dinners, both in Bayside and at the VFW. He used long beds of charcoal embers, long wooden poles on which the chickens were skewered, and motorized pole turners. An occasional wind gust would at times blow ashes or dirt over the basted chickens and would require some cleanup before eating.

Aluminum can collection was started by Bill Dunlop, and he and Bob Houdek made the first trailer for can collection. Recycling newspapers followed shortly thereafter.

Gene Henry of the club set up the first equipment loan program in 1988.

Chuck Kremser was the first president in 1988, the year that the club built the pavilion by the pool.

SOCIALITES

Edna Watson and Ruth Hamilton got the idea for the Socialites while at the VFW in 1987. This group formed almost immediately after the Men's Club. Edna Watson was the first president followed by Florrie Peters the next year.

Almost immediately after forming, the Socialites held a flea market and bake sale. Residents could rent their own tables for a 15% share of their sales. Ruth Hamilton was the main organizer.   This flea market grew each year and contributed a substantial sum of money for special park projects.

Initial dues were $1.00 per month.  They are now $5.00 a year. The club also sponsored two successful cookbooks.    

THE WOMEN’S CLUB

The Women's Club was started in 1983 with Edna Chew as its first leader. Betty Smith was its second president in 1984.

This club consisted of a group of women who enjoyed making crafts and meeting weekly on a social basis. Their aim was to have a craft show and raise money for the Fort Myers Beach Rescue Squad. The club also started style shows to earn money.   The first Saturday in December was the annual bazaar. Members sold their own crafts, and as many as ten outside tables were included to give the bazaar more variety.

The club disbanded in 1999 and donated $300 to the Rescue Squad. Earlier donations were made to the Shady Nook Rest Home, Brightest Horizons Day Care, The Food Pantry, Rev. Suarez, and the Homeless Women and Unwed Mothers.

KOOKIE BAND

Contrary to general belief, Florrie Peters did not start the Kookie Band. Lee Moskal got the group underway along with Earlene Buyck, and they asked Florrie to play the piano. Earlene wanted to lead the band with a baton and stand out front in the middle of the group. When the band objected and asked her to stand to the side, she quit, and Florrie took over.  Jane Braun wanted to be a "stripper" in a special number. She showed up wearing a black bustier, bikini bottom, and black pantyhose with a garter belt over her "generous" figure. She was voted down for the role.

The band played at neighboring parks, the Edison Home, the ice cream social, clubhouse dinners, etc. The band also participated on a float in the Shrimp Parade, and for Christmas caroling on the streets of Bayside.

YACHT CLUB

The boat club was formed on Christmas Eve 1990. The first outing was to Picnic Island on January 4, 1991.

In October 1991, the Boat Club became the Yacht Club.

The Christmas Boat Parade was started in 1984 by Rosemary Lynn. The parade continues under the leadership of the Yacht Club.

The club grew very rapidly, and has almost as many social events as the park's social program.

Trips are taken to restaurants with adequate docking as well as to more distant locations requiring overnight stays. The club sponsors the boat numbering system, the boat measuring program, and boat-lift instructions.

THE COMPUTER CLUB

The club was started in November 1998 by Ron Sanok and Don Harden, but Ron soon became the key person. The club provides Baysiders with a means to improve their computer skills. Ron answers countless calls for help on computer problems. The club sponsors the annual Halloween and Super Bowl parties. It also provides visual aids and technical support for other groups and for park meetings such as Board Meetings and Kaffee Klatches.   The club also contributes money to park projects.

THE BAYSIDE SHUFFLERS

This club has about 30 players and plays in a league. The club also has "fun days" for less serious Shufflers. People in the park wait for the Shufflers' annual flower sale at the November Kaffee Klatch and the pancake breakfast. Although shuffleboard started in 1970, Sid Capell was one of the first organizers of a club with competition in 1987.

BAYSIDE DANCE GROUPS

Not too many homeowners contribute more hours for the enjoyment of Bayside residents than Dan and Wyn Salter. The Dancing For Fun program they started in 1993 covers all types of dancing including line, social, etc. This is still free of charge.

BITS AND PIECES ABOUT OTHER CLUBS AND PROGRAMS

The Equipment Loan Program was started by Gene Henry of the Men's Club in 1988. It was taken over and run for many years by Boyd and Helen Hudson.

The Water Exercise Group began in 1990 with 8 members. Corrine Hartwell supplied the music tapes.

Bingo started when the park began in 1970. Glen Ehmke was known as Mr. Bingo when he ran this activity from 1982-1990.

The Solitaires, a group for singles, was begun in 1991 by Dorothy Ehmke. She also taught tap dancing.

Women's Golf was organized in 1992 by Jane Hoyer, Grace Shearer, and Betty Cope.

Bowling began in the earliest years, since the bowling alley is as old as Bayside. Levora and Leo Bettinger formed a Bayside League in 1987.

Horseshoes also date back many years. Jim Browere started horseshoes with just two pits. In 1992, Bob Gardner tried to get enough players to enter a tournament.

One of the earliest Women’s Exercise Classes was led by Marge Johnson, and later by Ruth Wilderson.

Jim Sebby and Lynn Hughes organized the Bayside Carvers in 2000 for all skill levels of woodcarvers. The first name for their club was "The Easy Bleeders".

The Garden Club was started in November, 1997 by Sue Scully and Joanne Pottenger. The original name of the club was " The Bayside Estates Lawn and Flower Garden Beautification Society". They did, and still do, a great job enhancing the appearance of park entrances and common ground areas.

The Christmas boat parade was started in 1984 by Rosemary Lynn, and was taken over by the Yacht Club in 1992. The parade is followed by a pizza party at the clubhouse. Prior to the parade, residents decorated boats on Paul and Judy Staples' dock and sharedrefreshments and good cheer. There is also a contest for the best decorated boats and docks. Winners receive cash prizes.

The Christmas individual home and the clubhouse decorating contests for the Fort Myers Beach area usually included Bayside Estates entries in the winner's list.

The Socialites decorate the interior of the clubhouse at Christmas, while the Men's Club does the outside.

POST SCRIPT

The history of the park was assembled from Board meeting notes, newsletters, old phone books, personal interviews, and informal conversations. We unquestionably omitted some important things in scanning this amount of material and failed to mention some names who made important contributions. Our intent was to provide an overview before some input is lost forever. Perhaps future writers or contributors can provide addenda, and hopefully document events as they occur or soon thereafter.

This history has been a remarkable testimony to the people of Bayside and tremendous amount of work that has made the park what it is today.

.

A number of photographs were donated by Helen Stallings, Skeeter Geitz, Joe Wyble, and others. Mr. Wyble also gave us a sales brochure from 1970 for Bayside Estates and an early postcard. Ron Sanok included some of these in his website. A few audiotapes were also made of several of our earliest residents.  All of these will be kept on file for future reference.

Walt and Ruth Zook, March 2004

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The idea to develop a history of Bayside Estates was first proposed by John Chandler during his first year as president of Bayside in 2003.  The task was assigned to Johanna Starczewski who interviewed two of the original park families.  The task was passed to Ruth and Walt Zook when Johanna assumed increased duties as secretary of the Board of Directors.

Ron Sanok took some of the information which Johanna had gathered plus material be obtained in conversations with people in the park, and in March 2004 he issued an excellent brief history “A Journey through Time at Bayside Estates” on his website www.baysideestatesfl.com/history.  More importantly he covered many of the park’s social activities complete with pictures.  Excerpts of Ron’s efforts are included in the present work.

Many people have contributed to this history through interviews, phone calls, visits, etc.  some of these people are listed below:

         C.R. Stevens (Bob), the original developer

         Joe Wyble, Stevens’ business partner

         Bert Jenks, bought out Stevens in February 1997

         Rudy Maul, bought out Jenks in March/April 1998

Also:  Felix and Nellie Lombardi, Howard and Peg Deeter, Mildred Houlihan, Ada Hughes, Florrie Peters, Web Westcott, Walt Schrock, Pat Marentette, Skeeter Geitz, Helen Stallings, Edie Allen, Dorothy Hamlin, Jim Albert, George Uhrich, Harold Hartley, Will Glasser, Bob Houdek, Art and Jeanette McDonald, Paul Staples, and others who provided remembrances.  Old Bayside phone books, newsletters from 1978 to the present (with interruptions), and board meeting notes from 1982-87, 1991, 1994-96, and 1999-2004 were very helpful in establishing “History Through the Years”.  Unfortunately, the missing years have probably been discarded in the file purges, or because of deteriorated conditions.