Estero Council of Community LeadersMinutes of the Regular Monthly MeetingJune 17, 2005The meeting was called to order by Chairman Eslick in the River Club of Pelican Sound at 2:00 p.m. A quorum was present. There were forty in attendance representing eighteen communities. Minutes Treasurer’s Report Organizational Matters Member Status/New members – no new action regarding membership. General Liability Insurance – the ECCL awaits Jim Fraser’s finalization of this matter. CR951 Council Presentation A presentation was made by Dick Langlois on the position of the CR 951 Council regarding their recommended regarding the CR 951 route. In brief, the CR 951 Council requested support for an expanded scope and study encompassing a route that extends north to Route 82 which will allow an eastern entrance to the airport and offer an evacuation route. There were several other major points made such as the environmental impact and too many north south lanes within a short distance of one another. The bottom line is the following motion was made and passed unanimously by the ECCL…to expand the scope of the CR 951 study area and request that no decision is made by the Board of County Commissioners until the expanded study is completed and reviewed. Congratulations and appreciation was expressed to Dick and the CR 951 Council for their hard work. Transportation Committee Report After meetings with Lee County departments involved in transportation projects, the committee concluded that the road planning and construction process is far too lengthy. Representatives of the Committee met with Don Stillwell, County Manager, to discuss how to improve this system. Neal Noethlich reported that the committee’s objective was to be able to save taxpayer money by shortening the planning and implementation process and save the county some money. Stillwell’s reaction to this proposal was favorable. He asked that the Committee develop a proposal and recruit some retired talent to form a task force to manage such a study. The County, in turn, would pay the cost of the needed consultants. Don Eslick attended an MPO meeting and found that there is a lot going on which we need to be aware of. We need to be in on the front end of the planning of transportation or we won’t be there when it’s time for the roads to be constructed. Discussed was the Coconut Road-I75 intersection. This intersection is not yet part of the MPO’s 2030 Plan. Changes to this 2030 plan will be made over the next several months and we need to be pushing this project. At this time, Bonita has approved a study about the Coconut Road/ I-75 intersection even though the intersection is in Estero, not Bonita. The MPO was told that Estero would also like to provide some input on this intersection. Later this year, as part of the 2030 Plan development, the MPO will go through new projects to see just what they will include. US 41 widening was discussed with some of the state and regional officials. There is an extra $100 million that has been added to the State Infrastructure Bank funding for this coming year which makes $200 million. Regional FDOT is fully committed to making an application for SIB funding for US 41 going north of Corkscrew later this year. We’ll know in November if this application is successful. It is clear that this is a priority for everyone involved to get this done. Another priority area is Corkscrew Road around I-75 between Three Oaks Parkway and Ben Hill Griffin Parkway. This area is already a traffic disaster and with the opening of Coconut Point Mall in the fall of next year it becomes even more important that this area get widened to six lanes. The Alico I-75 interchange is going to be completely changed in the next few years and will put even more pressure on the Corkscrew I-75 interchange. FDOT stated that they have 30% of the “ultimate” intersection design done for Corkscrew, but this just means more time. This project needs to get into the 2030 plan so that planning, design and funding can get on the radar screen. Funding is virtually assured for the Estero Flyover from Three Oaks to Ben Hill Griffin. Estero Community Planning Area Boundaries A map was shown of the Estero Fire District and the Estero Community Planning area showing some communities that are in both areas. The Estero Community Planning Panel worked on the zoning of Wal-Mart, Belle Lago, Osprey Cove and The Reserve at Estero, all north of Estero Parkway and in the San Carlos Fire District. When the Estero Community Planning boundary was drawn Breckenridge asked the county staff to include all of their area in that area. At a meeting last week of the BOCC, Jim Mudd, from the Community Development department was appointed to contact the communities north of Estero Parkway to see if a conclusion can be reached in each community regarding their preferences. This will then be communicated to the BOCC. It was stressed that these communities be vocal and not let a few people, who lack any authority, speak on behalf of others. Code Enforcement Sam Levy reported to Rick Roberts of the county some code violations: 1. Embassy Suites on Corkscrew road had large banners with spot lights on them at night on the side of the building. They were notified and the next day the banners and lights were removed. 2. On Three Oaks Parkway at the Conference Center balloons were displayed. A citation was issued. 3. Tires Choice had banners up and this was a 2nd violation. A citation was issued and a $100 fine and the banners came down. 4. Coconut Point Ford was issued a citation for banners and they were removed. 5. Across from Wildcat Run there were banners, a citation was sent and the banners came down. 6. New York Pizza and Pasta displayed some banners that were also removed after the county cited them.
Williams & River Ranch Rd Landscaping Project Committee has met with the high school and they will meet with the landscape architect this next week so he can begin his design. Cost estimates will follow. Website Development Met this week with three volunteers and a web designer that did the web design for the Friends of the South County Regional Library, Inc.. Progress is under way. DRGR Mining Study Task Force Access to this report can be found by going to the Lee County web site: www.leegov.com then go to the Community Development page and at the bottom click on this study listed under Recent Reports. This report involves all of the Estero area east of the ongoing development and communities and east of I-75 from Bonita Beach Road and all the way up to Alico. The data base contains information useful for all future decisions on land use, water management and mining in this area. An 88 page executive summary is available and quite informative. Adjournment Having discussed many of the items, not having the time to get to everything, the meeting was adjourned at 4:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, |
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