The village elders have spoken.
The Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving Cortez’s commercial fishing tradition, held its monthly board meeting May 4. Discussion included maintenance requirements for a FISH-owned rental property, plans for creating a picnic area in the FISH Preserve and a reversal of Kaye Bell’s decision to step down as president of the Cortez Village Historical Society.
To offset mortgage costs, FISH rents some of its properties.
Around 2009, FISH purchased the former Church of God property, 4515 124th St. W., Cortez, and converted the main worship building into Fishermen’s Hall, a meeting hall and activity center for FISH and as a rental. The parsonage building south of the hall became a residential unit.
A tenant who had occupied the parsonage since 2011 moved out in late March. Since then, board member David Cadmus has been spearheading an effort to ready the property for a new renter.
The parsonage’s exterior needs little more than a pressure washing, but the interior needs painting and cleaning, Cadmus said.
Board members also discussed plans to have the property inspected for termites.
Cadmus said he plans to have the unit on the rental market by July.
Rent will be $1,500 per month, and people interested in the property can contact Cadmus at 941-504-6241.
FISH owns a 100-acre nature preserve east of Cortez. The preserve’s shoreline is one of the few remaining mangrove forests on Sarasota Bay and provides a critical hatchery for juvenile fish.
Since making the final payment on the land in 2005, FISH has engaged in various restoration activities within the preserve, including the removal of Australian pine trees, an invasive species.
However, Australian pines provide good shade, and board members discussed plans to leave some of the trees standing in an area they hope to designate for picnics.
The picnic area, which would include tables and parking spaces for four or five cars, would be located in the northeast quadrant of the preserve.
According to von Hahmann, there is no timetable for completing the picnic project.
During an update on the Cortez Village Historical Society — a group that “focuses on preserving ‘old Florida’ history and stories of founding families in Cortez” — Kaye Bell announced that she would not immediately step down as president of the organization, despite an April 5 statement to that effect.
Bell, who has led the organization since 2013, said members of CVHS asked her to stay on as president until some current projects could be completed.
For more on FISH, call 941-794-0043 or email jvonhahm@verizon.net.
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