FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FORT MYERS, Fla. (September 3, 2002) – The Board of Lee
County Commissioners today approved the following items during its regular
weekly meeting. They are:
Conservation
2020 Milestone – Approved a purchase agreement to buy a 2,054-acre
parcel that will push the Conservation 2020 Program over 10,000 acres.
The highly successful, voter-approved program buys environmentally
sensitive land for long-term preservation.
The 2,054-acre site, owned by the Karl H. Schewe Trust, is located just
east of Southwest Florida International Airport’s boundary and also connects
to State Road 82. The purchase
price is $6.275 million. The parcel
also is just north of a 588-acre Conservation 2020 tract bought in 2001.
When this purchase closes in about 60 days, the county will have bought
and set-aside 10,038 acres through the program.
For more information, contact Karen Forsyth at 479-8505.
Road Funding
– Approved the revised alignment for the Three Oaks Parkway Extension South
(from The Brooks to East Terry St.) and amended the county’s capital projects
budget to reflect additional costs. The
alignment has been approved by the Bonita Springs City Council.
The county’s share of the cost will increase from $9.6 million to $16.9
million, of which $3 million is attributable to alignment changes that will make
the road straighter and provide for more efficient traffic flow.
The additional cost, however, extends completion of the project by two
years to fiscal year 2005-06. The
city’s portion of the cost also increases from $9.5 million to $12.5 million. The Board also approved an agreement for the City of Bonita
Springs to provide $1 million to advance right-of-way purchases for the project.
For more information, contact Scott Gilbertson at 479-8580.
Parks Grants – Approved submission of two
applications to the Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program (FRDAP)
for grant funding. The two projects
are continued development of Veterans Park in Lehigh Acres ($200,000) and
Schandler Hall Park in East Fort Myers ($200,000).
The funds for Veterans Park would be used for additional picnic
facilities, playground, trails, parking, athletic fields and basketball courts.
Schandler Hall Park improvements would include additional
basketball/tennis courts, a new picnic area, restrooms, sand volleyball court
and additional and upgraded parking. The
county will match both grants. For
more information, contact John Yarbrough at 461-7410.
Permitting Help – Agreed to discuss at a future Management & Planning meeting possible participation in proposed federal legislation that would allow counties to contribute funds to pay for more U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regulatory staff. Increased staffing levels could help speed the time it now takes for the Corps to review and approve permits for local road projects. Federal permitting delays have slowed local projects such as the Alico Road widening. For more information, contact Scott Gilbertson.