Beach re-nourishment gets new life
A familiar word resurfaced in council chambers Monday evening – one some thought was forgotten or considered too risky to use. Call it what you want – re-nourishment, restoration or navigation plan – but the project is back on the table and may happen in the near future.
After tweaking the conditions in Lee County’s latest agreement, the Fort Myers Beach Town Council decided by a 4 to 1 vote to end an existing stalemate and agree to certain terms to get the north end of Estero Island some needed relief. Now, Town Manager Terry Stewart will contact county officials to advise them of the action that took place at Town Hall, and a new interlocal is expected to be constructed.
After much debate, the Council’s conditions for the County navigational project are as follows: the Town will pay its $110,000 portion; the County will provide a bond in case of problems with the project; the County will cooperate on the Town’s navigational program with its approval; County will pay for a consultant (much like the North Carolina study); Stewart will report new technologies and estimated funding; and County must rescind existing property easements at its cost.
“It won’t be a perfect plan,” said Mayor Larry Kiker before the motion. “There is an element of time with Federal funding and state funding. If we don’t act on it, we will be looking only at new technology.”
Councilman Tom Babcock, who prepared a six-page report on the issue for council’s reviewal, was the lone dissenter. He expressed his irritation during the motion’s discussion toward County officials’ lack of interest or lack of reply toward the Town’s previously sent letter of intent.
“We sent a letter to the county that took them 2 1/2 months to respond to, and they didn’t even tell us they were going to talk about it,”he said. “I feel like I’m being pressured. We’re being rolled over. We are not going to get all the things we want. I cannot vote for any plan that’s defined as a navigation channel project and spend one dime of the Town money. I’ll live with the result, but I’m going to be able to look at the people on this island and let them know that I think this is a sham.”
The conditions appeared to satisfy Beach residents who are seeking new technology instead of the same old band-aid and residents and business personnel on North Estero Boulevard who are suffering with a shrinking shore line.
During public comment prior to the motion, Ellis Etter, director of sales and marketing at Pink Shell Resort, called the lack of beach at the resort a “crisis situation.”
“The Pink Shell during the past four months has lost five pieces of business due to the lack of beach,” said Etter. “We need to take into consideration the tides, moon phases, wind direction each time we are booking a piece of business and planning or detailing client activity which include beach events on that part of the beach. It’s hard to tell a bride who has her heart set on a sunset wedding on the beach that it’s not going to happen because the tide is too high and there isn’t enough beach to do that.”
Other public comment discussed failed navigational projects, the recent ‘dredging mistake’ by West Coast Inland Navigation District that supplied the middle part of Estero Island with the spoils instead of the northern end and technological solutions such as a ‘west wall dam’ used in Lake Erie.
After each council member weighed in with their thoughts, Kiker told his council that it is time to be in charge of the beach.
“There needs to be a turning over of who owns how that beach gets managed right after this project,” he said. “I think we have a good approach to beach management. I think we can take it from here.”
At press time, it was unsure if the Lee County Board of County Commissioners had time to address the Town proposal during its May 18 meeting. The commissioners’ next scheduled board meeting is May 25.
Beach re-nourishment gets new life
A familiar word resurfaced in council chambers Monday evening – one some thought was forgotten or considered too risky to use. Call it what you want – re-nourishment, restoration or navigation plan – but the project is back on the table and may happen in the near future.
After tweaking the conditions in Lee County’s latest agreement, the Fort Myers Beach Town Council decided by a 4 to 1 vote to end an existing stalemate and agree to certain terms to get the north end of Estero Island some needed relief. Now, Town Manager Terry Stewart will contact county officials to advise them of the action that took place at Town Hall, and a new interlocal is expected to be constructed.
After much debate, the Council’s conditions for the County navigational project are as follows: the Town will pay its $110,000 portion; the County will provide a bond in case of problems with the project; the County will cooperate on the Town’s navigational program with its approval; County will pay for a consultant (much like the North Carolina study); Stewart will report new technologies and estimated funding; and County must rescind existing property easements at its cost.
“It won’t be a perfect plan,” said Mayor Larry Kiker before the motion. “There is an element of time with Federal funding and state funding. If we don’t act on it, we will be looking only at new technology.”
Councilman Tom Babcock, who prepared a six-page report on the issue for council’s reviewal, was the lone dissenter. He expressed his irritation during the motion’s discussion toward County officials’ lack of interest or lack of reply toward the Town’s previously sent letter of intent.
“We sent a letter to the county that took them 2 1/2 months to respond to, and they didn’t even tell us they were going to talk about it,”he said. “I feel like I’m being pressured. We’re being rolled over. We are not going to get all the things we want. I cannot vote for any plan that’s defined as a navigation channel project and spend one dime of the Town money. I’ll live with the result, but I’m going to be able to look at the people on this island and let them know that I think this is a sham.”
The conditions appeared to satisfy Beach residents who are seeking new technology instead of the same old band-aid and residents and business personnel on North Estero Boulevard who are suffering with a shrinking shore line.
During public comment prior to the motion, Ellis Etter, director of sales and marketing at Pink Shell Resort, called the lack of beach at the resort a “crisis situation.”
“The Pink Shell during the past four months has lost five pieces of business due to the lack of beach,” said Etter. “We need to take into consideration the tides, moon phases, wind direction each time we are booking a piece of business and planning or detailing client activity which include beach events on that part of the beach. It’s hard to tell a bride who has her heart set on a sunset wedding on the beach that it’s not going to happen because the tide is too high and there isn’t enough beach to do that.”
Other public comment discussed failed navigational projects, the recent ‘dredging mistake’ by West Coast Inland Navigation District that supplied the middle part of Estero Island with the spoils instead of the northern end and technological solutions such as a ‘west wall dam’ used in Lake Erie.
After each council member weighed in with their thoughts, Kiker told his council that it is time to be in charge of the beach.
“There needs to be a turning over of who owns how that beach gets managed right after this project,” he said. “I think we have a good approach to beach management. I think we can take it from here.”
At press time, it was unsure if the Lee County Board of County Commissioners had time to address the Town proposal during its May 18 meeting. The commissioners’ next scheduled board meeting is May 25.