FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMMISSION APPROVES ROOKERY
COMMITTEE/REPAVINGS
FORT
MYERS, Fla. (August 20, 2002) – The
Board of Lee County Commissioners today approved the following items during its
regular weekly meeting. They are:
Rookery
Committee – Established a 10-member
Rookery Island Special Committee to make recommendations on the management of
negative impacts to bird nesting islands. The
group will study the impact of boat traffic close to rookery islands. There will be one committee member from each of the following
stakeholder groups: power boater, paddler, marine industry, angler, ecotour
operator, conservationist, aquatic preserves, cities of Sanibel and Bonita
Springs, and Town of Fort Myers Beach. For
more information, contact Steve Boutelle at 479-8128.
Road Study – Deferred for one week approval of an agreement with Dyer, Riddle, Mills and Precourt Inc. engineers to do the environmental and engineering services required for a Project Development and Environmental (PD&E) Study of the proposed extension of County Road 951 from Immokalee Road in Collier County to Alico Road in Lee County. The PD&E contract is for $2.45 million. The one-week deferral will allow time to brief commissioners on how the prior conflict-resolution process on the project will be integrated into the study. The extension would be about 15 miles and provide a north-south connector running east of Interstate 75 that would hook into Ben Hill Griffin Parkway and Treeline Avenue. For more information, contact Scott Gilbertson at 479-8580.
Repaving Contract
– Approved a contract with APAC-Florida Inc. to do $1.24 million of
resurfacing and rebuilding of various roads in Lehigh Acres and countywide.
Project completion time is six months.
For more information, contact Scott Gilbertson at 479-8580.
Boca Charter School – Deferred indefinitely any action on whether the Boca Grande Charter School can utilize county-owned facilities/lands for future use and expansion. Commissioners requested the community spend the next several months trying to reach a consensus on possible options, and then the Board will possibly hold a town hall meeting on the island to receive input. The Boca Grande Charter School currently leases space at the Boca Grande Community Center, however that lease ends after the 2002-03 school year and some believe it limits full use of the facility. Another site being considered is the Boca Grande Community Park, however that site doesn’t have the appropriate zoning and building there also could limit expansion of recreational facilities at the park. For more information, contact John Yarbrough at 461-7410.