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Aids Awareness Week/Approves Burnt Store Turn Lanes
Mar 22, 2005 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Pete Winton, Lee County Administration, (239) 335-2777
FORT MYERS, Fla. (March 22, 2005) - The Board of Lee County Commissioners today approved the following items during its regular weekly meeting. All decisions were unanimous. They are: Turn Lanes - Approved two left turn lanes along Burnt Store Road: northbound (Burnt Store) to westbound (Embers) for $250,000; and northbound (Burnt Store) to westbound (Ceitus Parkway) for $425,000. AIDS Awareness - Proclaimed March 20-26, 2005 as AIDS Awareness Week in Lee County. Axel Javier, a city of Fort Myers AIDS activist who recent walked 1,294 miles from Fort Myers to Chicago to raise HIV/AIDS awareness, accepted the resolution (see full text at end of this release). Garbage Contracts - Approved the award of new 5-year garbage and recycling hauling contracts (residential and commercial) for the county's five garbage collection franchise areas. Annual contract amounts are: Area 1 Fort Myers Beach, Bonita Springs Onyx Waste Services $6.26 million Area 2 McGregor/SW Ft. Myers Onyx Waste Services $5.91 million Area 3 SE Ft. Myers Waste Services of FL $6.26 million Area 4 Lehigh Acres/Alva Waste Management $4.64 million Area 5 North Ft. Myers/Pine Island Waste Pro of FL $5.50 million The pricing indicates an increase will be needed in residential and commercial rates. A public hearing will be held in June and new rates would go into effect Oct. 1. The county has been successful in stabilizing garbage rates over the last 15 years, with an average $22 reduction last year. Below is the average residential rate trend: Year Avg. Rate 1990 $163.42 DRGR Study - Directed staff to not accept or process any amendments to the Density Reduction/Groundwater Resource future land use category until a Groundwater & Mining Study of that area is finalized and staff has time to review the final report (due in mid April) and make any recommendations. The Board suspended the application process until the end of June. Water Quality - Authorized administrative and legal staff to prepare an "Action Plan" to address South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) discharges from Lake Okeechobee, the SFWMD C-43 Project, impacts to the Caloosahatchee River and threatened manatee habitat, for presentation to the Board at its April 4 Management & Planning meeting; and authorized expenditures of staff time and funds to engage consultants as necessary in order to develop the plan. Last week, the Board appointed Commissioner Ray Judah as liaison to the South Florida Water Management District, especially on water quality projects and the C-43 reservoir. Current plans for the reservoir do not incorporate the originally envisioned water treatment components for pollutant load reductions. With county-funded red tide research indicating that nutrient runoff is a major contributor, and with recent Manatee deaths attributed to red tide, the water quality parts of the project are important. The Board will discuss the issue at its April Management & Planning workshop, including the potential for litigation if its concerns are not addressed. Commissioner Judah said today that meetings he had last week with SFWMD indicated that the agency is considering adding back some, but not all, of the water treatment elements of the reservoir.
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