A Brief History of the Upper Captiva Road Commission Compiled by John Fuller last update: 15 October 2008
Prior to 1998 -- For many years, an organization named "Friends of the Fire Department" sponsored the annual St. Patrick's Day Benefit, providing funding for various projects on North Captiva Island. Its founders were Mick Melvin, Kent Tarrier, Jack Hunt and Peter (Fuzzy) Jeffers. One of the projects supported was the maintenance of island roadways.
January 20, 1998 -- An informal meeting at Dan Paetznick's home is held to discuss the formation of a new group to specifically deal with road maintenance issues. The roads had started to take up a good part of the time at Upper Captiva Civic Association meetings. Mick Melvin and Kent Tarrier want to see a new group that can get away from some of the "politics" that had been creeping into taking care of the pathways.
March 5, 1998 -- The first meeting of record (prior to incorporation) is held at the fire station. Priority roads for the first grading are determined to be North Airstrip Drive, Seair Lane, and Rum Road, with other areas handled on an emergency fix basis. Some pot holes are described as big enough to hold a golf car.
March 19, 1998 -- Articles of Incorporation of the Upper Captiva Road Commission, Inc. are filed with the State of Florida. It is founded as a not-for-profit corporation to "maintain the private roadways on Upper Captiva Island, Florida; to collect and solicit funds from residents and other interested persons for use in connection with such puposes..." The initial board of directors are Louis Edmondson, Sr. of Bradenton, Dan Paetznick of Bokelia, and Dan Thurman of Pineland.
April 13, 1998 -- The first Organization Meeting of the UCRC is held, electing Dan Paetznick as President, Dan Thurman as Secretary, and Louis Edmondson, Sr. as Treasurer. Corporate bylaws are reviewed and adopted.
April 24, 1998 -- A statement of purpose for the UCRC is adopted: "The sole purpose of the Upper Captiva Road Commission is to obtain funding and provide direction for repair and maintenance of roadways on Upper Captiva Island." Eva Powell and Brian Brilhart work on fund raising letters and auction. For the year, nearly $25,000 is collected, including $4,000 from the UCCA.
(To be continued)
Road Commission Bylaws Amended Posted: 26 October 2008
A complete review of the UCRC bylaws has just been accomplished by the UCRC board of directors. Amendments were proposed at an E-meeting in late September and adopted at the conclusion of a second E-meeting on October 14th.
The amendments deal with the redefinition of UCRC "members" as persons who make required "donations" rather than "dues". Members in turn are allowed to elect the directors from the membership. Most other changes have to do with adapting the bylaws to reflect the seasonal nature of island activities, allowance for the seasonal availability of members and directors, and updating UCRC communications and meeting procedures to take advantage of current technology.
To view a copy of the newly amended bylaws, click HERE.
Upper Captiva Road Commission Income & Expense History
Year
98
99
00
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
Donations & Fund Raisers
25,000
17,359
12,055
766
702
650
8,579
1,900
0
44,320
19,450
18,215
Road Maintenance
7,735
5,420
8,700
7,088
965
4,676
3,470
5,610
19,610
15,349
12,139
21,832
Equipment purchases
(1998 - 2005 Information not available yet for these line items.)