Town Council approves work for Mound House guided tours
The Fort Myers Beach Town Council approved the first of three stages of work needed to open the Mound House and selected the professional services of MurphyCatton, Inc. of Walton, Kent., to fabricate the Shell Mound exhibit for the archaeological and historical site on the 289 Connecticut St. property.
According to Mound House Director Theresa Schober, the Category 1 work will allow guided tours of the historical building. The fundamental infrastructure as well as more aesthetic and superficial components include perimeter lighting; fiber optic lighting for archaeological features; LED rope lighting for stratigraphy features, a suspended ceiling system, disk marker, installation of exhibit components and a graphic 42-inch high end wall with door panel for staff access.
“If the Category 1 elements are completed, that will allow the room to have a guided experience with scheduled openings where people will have to make reservations to utilize that room,” she said. “It could not be open full time with the staff resources we have at the Mound House. Category 1 makes it functional.”
The Category 1 work, which will cost $60,870.08, will come from a total of $31,840.69 in unencumbered grant funds and an additional $20,000 pledge contribution from the Friends of the Mound House. The remaining $9,029.39 will be borrowed from the Town’s unused emergency funds, much to the dismay of Beach Mayor Larry Kiker, who was the lone dissenter in the approved action.
“If we need to spend some extra money to get this thing going I’m for it, but I don’t want to keep signing off on another $20,000 or $30,000 every month and not know what’s going on,” he said. “I’m increasingly becoming uncomfortable.”
The FMB Town Council and Town staff are expected to have a larger discussion on the overall completion of the Mound House construction during a Management and Planning meeting on Oct. 21.
The Mound House is a planned $61,936.92 away from opening full time. Category 2 work including a digitally printed Calusa historical mural, partition graphic reading rails and a digitally printed retractable curtain projects to be $42,740.23, while Category 3 work of a faux painting of curved facade, faux painting of two columns and concrete holder and the painting of entry doors cast resin applied face is $19,196.69.