To the editor:

To: The Honorable Mayor of Cape Coral, Eric Feichthaler, and members of the City Council of Cape Coral:

Millions can be saved by Cape Coral residents yearly only if council is diligent in keeping their promise to the taxpayers to work hard to save their money.

We have just spent millions of dollars in buying properties in the Yacht Club area to expand the same. I have learned from the proper authorities responsible for the following:

1. We pump enough sand yearly from the canals to cover nine acres, three feet high. If we were to drop this sand next to the present beach, we could conceivably gain at least five acres of beach. Even though there have been no conclusive studies done, it is possible we could gain nine acres of beachfront in three years. I know we have to ask permission from the Army Corp of Engineers, however, I do not see a problem because we are dumping clean sand.

2. The town of Hamden, Conn. has installed in every public building and school solar panels to generate electricity and heat water. It is significant to note that Hamden is lucky to see the sun during the winter months, where Cape Coral sees the sun almost every single day. This is a terrific advantage for Cape Coral to produce electricity and heat water. All of Israel is covered with solar panels. Also, the Vatican in Rome has installed solar panels for the production of electricity and hot water. If Sun Splash Waterpark Park, which is using tremendous amounts of electricity, over $100,000 per year, installed solar panels they would save hundreds of thousands of dollars per year and also stay open longer. The beauty of it all is that solar panels pay for themselves over a short period of time, plus, the U.S. government and state government gives credit for installing panels. I had panels for a dozen years that produced enough free hot water for nine people. Dale Kroop director of Economic and Community Development, for the town of Hamden, can be reached at (203) 287-7033.

3. I am also requesting council to make it mandatory for every house built in Cape Coral to have a ridge vent. Most owners do not know what a ridge vent is. A ridge vent allows the hot air to escape to the atmosphere. Without a ridge vent the hot air can reach up to 180 degrees on a sunny day. This tremendous heat makes your air conditioning ducts very hot, and operate less efficiently. The most inexpensive and simplest way to get rid of this hot air is by the use of a ridge vent. The ridge vent also saves the roof; it pays for itself the first few months and then it lasts forever. Shame on the building industry and Lee County Electric Cooperative for not telling us northerners. The other alternative would be a solar powered fan, which would accomplish the same job as a ridge vent. This, however, needs to be purchased, installed and maintained which makes the ridge vent more desirable. I paid $136 to install the same on my new house.

4. Everyone is upset about water restrictions and fines. I have learned from the proper authorities that 178,000 gallons of drinking water per day is allowed to go to the sea in north Cape Coral. It is called Gator Slough. Our city fathers know this. Why are they not digging new canals to pipe this water to replenish our present canals during the dry season or pipe it to replenish our canals.

5. A couple of months after our “illustrious” city manager was hired, he was courteous enough to allow me an interview. I explained to him that the city I came from, Hamden, Conn., population 53,000, saved $160,000 on electricity in the first year of operation with the system. I made dozens of phone calls and located the agency and was told they would come to Cape Coral and explain the procedure without charge to the city on how to save money. The city manager promptly threw this idea into his wastebasket. If a city of 53,000 can save $160,000 in one year, could you imagine the savings for Cape Coral. I became a “Persona Non Grata” he never returned my calls.

Advice to council:

Do not listen to the city manager, as his heart is not in Cape Coral. He has proven that to him the recommendations are added work for him and his staff at no added remuneration. His reasoning is that since he is only here temporarily, why bother about the future of Cape Coral and saving millions of dollars. I recommend that you create a committee of volunteers to explore my suggestions.

Let’s work together for a better Cape Coral.

John DiGiovannantonio

Cape Coral