The BORC identity: Ensure the future
With just over a month left before the Bay Oaks Interlocal Agreement between Town and County, there is still some uncertainty whether harmony will transpire between these two parties as the October 1 transition period nears. That appeared to be the general consensus at the continuation of Monday’s Fort Myers Beach Town Council meeting Wednesday.
With interim Town Manager Jack Green looking for direction, the five Council members remained at odds over issues such as long-term funding, reserves and the overall fine print of the written interlocal. All agreed that a five-year projection plan for the Bay Oaks Recreational Campus needs to be worked out by Town officials before long.
Mayor Larry Kiker was one council member who was willing to support the proposed document, but admitted he was “not totally comfortable” with the interlocal overall. The terms of the contract include a total package amount of $490,000 for the transitional costs and capital reserve funds, pending on the outcome of a structural engineer’s inspection of the recreational center’s roof (which was verbally announced to be repairable and not needing replacement during the meeting.)
Councilmen Bob Raymond and Tom Babcock also gave support for the interlocal based on the knowledge and facts given as of Wednesday morning. Babcock said he would take a harder stance until more information on all details became available.
Vice Mayor Herb Acken asked his fellow council members for a commitment to “adequately fund” BORC for the next fiscal year before casting a vote to support the interlocal. He was denied and said, “Then you can’t have my vote, I’m sorry.”
Councilperson Jo List called taking on Bay Oaks this year “a daunting task,” but feels confident in the Town’s ability.
“When Mr. (Lee County Commissioner) Judah said ‘we will never let it close,’ I think he was talking about all of us -the County and the Town,” she said. “I think it’s important for us to realize it’s not ‘us’ and ‘them.’ I don’t want to go forward planning on failure.”
In the end, a motion by Kiker to move forward on the proposed interlocal contingent on the Town’s acceptance of the final inspection report was passed by a 4-1 count. The Board of County Commissioners meet Sept. 1 and it is expected the interlocal will be discussed.
“We now have two weeks to get busy to get something done such as a five-year plan if we can,” said Kiker. “Let’s find out what is going on, what the costs are and what the prices are. If something that comes up that we just can’t stand, we have a provision that will let us out of the contract. In the meantime, (town officials) can move forward and finish up what they are doing.”
Other issues such as inventory, survey, staffing support and the properties’ warranty deed are in the process of being ironed out.
During his report prior to the motion, Green appeared to be satisfied with facets of the interlocal.
“The County is continuing to do repairs based on our inspection report which includes rusting structural members and interior repairs,” said Green. “Many of those (interior repairs) have already been done and the hot water heater has been replaced as well as minor electrical deficiencies and so on. With the roof, we had soffit degradation and gutter problems. All will be taken care of with the roof repair.
“We get the building and property with no restrictions. Ultimately, I think we are best served with the facility under local control. That’s my personal position. It’s consistent with our comprehensive plan. I would recommend to move forward.”
Lee County Parks and Recreation Acting Director Barbara Manzo is looking forward to the transition.
“We’re very happy that everything is going smoothly,” she said. “We think it’s a good thing for both the County and Town.”