As the warm months of summer are upon us, TEAM Punta Gorda is heating up with a number of unique and diverse projects:

Friends of the Gilchrist Park Playground

As the City winds up to launch the re-make of the Gilchrist park playground, an ad hoc committee of mostly moms is determined to make the Gilchrist playground re-make spectacular, while saving the taxpayer's money. They are currently raising funds privately for additional equipment and playground amenities that might not fit in the City's limited budget. The entire effort must be completed by July when the playground process goes into the final design phase. TEAM Punta Gorda is hosting this committee and good progress is being made. To that end, Scoops and Bites is holding an ice cream social as a fundraiser. The event is scheduled for Sunday, June 26 ,   from noon to 2 p.m. at the Laishley Pavilion. It will launch six weeks of celebration in recognition of the Scoops and Bites 6 ^th anniversary. Owners Ron & Claudia have always been deeply involved in the community, so they are planning six fundraisers for six organizations over six weeks. Tickets are $10/person and a hot dog lunch is included. . The idea is that six lucky winners will have the option of "creating" their own ice cream flavor which they get to take home to share with friends and family. Deductible contributions to the playground fund can be made payable to TEAM Punta Gorda and labeled Friends of the Gilchrist Playground.

History Park Community Garden to Open

The History Park Community Garden is ready to open! The garden will be an organic vegetable garden. This is essential because the History Park is designated as a wildlife preserve. Worden Farms held an orientation and training session this week for the 48 gardeners who have signed up for plots. There are still 13 plots left for those who want to participate. Because it is such a lovely setting, TEAM volunteers will take it on as their next beautification project and will provide perimeter landscaping and a decorative fence. The garden is sponsored by the Mosaic Corporation and managed by volunteers.

Bicycle Capital Projects Workshop Scheduled

City Council will hold a three hour workshop to review in depth the bicycle infrastructure proposal that was submitted by City staff in March. The workshop is open to the public and all interested parties are encouraged to attend. The workshop is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to noon on June 9   at the Punta Gorda Isles Civic Association. It will feature round-table breakout sessions designed to encourage in-depth discussion of the proposed routes. Please attend!!! If you walk, ride or drive you have a stake in this discussion! We need your voices to examine and support the best solutions to developing bicycle infrastructure.

Bicycle Loaner Program

Meanwhile, the Yellow Bikes just keep rolling along. There were 702 riders this past month, a solid showing for the month of April. The bikes are currently being fitted with emergency stickers, and a pick-up arrangement has been set-up with Acme Bicycle Shop for bikes that break down on the trail. The bikes carry placards with advertising from local sponsors. If you'd like to see your business advertising or personal message rolling down the Harborwalk, just let us know. Some are messages in memoriam of loved ones while others feature congratulatory messages from those who want to support the program. Let us know if this is something you'd like to participate in.

Affordable Housing

TEAM Punta Gorda is queuing up a forum on affordable housing for June. Board member Merritt Brown will chair an initiative to examine affordable housing in our community by convening a collaborative group. The project is a partnership with the Bernice Russell Community Development Corporation.