02.07.18 Meeting Minutes
Newsracks regulated: After going through multiple revisions, the town council passed the newsrack ordinance in a 3 to 2 vote. The newsrack ordinance will regulate where news and other publications can place distribution boxes within the town right of way and establishes aesthetic and hurricane safety guidelines. Vice Mayor Tracey Gore motioned to approve the ordinance with added language that would include other publications and periodicals into the definition of newsrack; added four allowed newspaper racks on town right of way location to include all four local and Lee County newspapers; and did not opt to include a fee for registering racks with the town. Council Member Anita Cereceda voted no, as she did not support the ordinance as a whole; Mayor Dennis Boback also voted no, as he did not support the ordinance without a registration and annual renewal fee.
Powell power: The Town Council recognized retired Lee County Sheriff’s Office Captain Matt Powell for his work on Fort Myers Beach. Powell was a member of the Sheriff’s Office for 30 years and spent much of that time working on the beach to ensure the safety and satisfaction of its constituents.
Pilsen Days: The Town Council also welcomed a group of travelers from the Pilsen region of the Czech Republic, who spent Feb. 2 Feb. 5 sharing their culture with the town through a variety of events at the Mound House, the Library and the Woman’s Club. The group, which included Alena Svobodova, Director of the Pilsen Region Cultural Dept, Ivana Bartosova, Commissioner for Education and Cultural Affairs, and Marcela Krejsova, Commissioner for Economy of the Pilsen Region of the Czech Republic, put on a variety of festivities to highlight the Pilsen region’s unique culture in folk music, dance, traditional costumes and other presentations. The town presented to the group a proclamation declaring the time of their stay as “Pilsen Days” and officially welcomed their presence in town.