BOCC decides on Crescent Beach Family Park
The official name of the beachfront park at the foot of Matanzas Bridge has been finalized. Once it is fully constructed and open, it will be called Crescent Beach Family Park.
On Tuesday, the Lee County Board of County Commissioners selected that name at their weekly morning meeting. Since the county officially acquired the three Gulf lots for $5.6 million last September, the BOCC had the final say in the matter.
Lee County Commissioner Ray Judah made a motion to call the property Crescent Beach Park. The motion failed by a 3-2 count after Commissioners Brian Bigelow and Tammy Hall voiced their opinion to add the word “Family” during discussion before the vote.
A second motion favoring the “Family” addition to Crescent Beach Park passed.
The commissioners’ decision was based on the rankings by the Fort Myers Beach Town Council. On May 16, the five members of the Fort Myers Beach Town Council conducted a stack ranking, closed ballot process and decided on Shell Arches Family Park from their top selections by a slim 3-2 count. Crescent Beach Family Park received two votes.
In late March, Lee County Parks & Recreation Advisory Board chose Crescent Beach Park at their monthly meeting. The Beach council was then allowed input in a “partnership” selection process.
The Council had the dozen or so name choices narrowed by the Community Resources Advisory Board weeks ago. After each CRAB member weighed in, Crescent Beach Park, Shell Arches Park and Pierside Park were chosen from the list.
The other names considered were Now Paradise Park, Booch Park, Booch Demarchi Park, Mulholland Park and Seafarer Family Park. Late entries of Charley Park, Veterans Park and Sandal Foot Park were added.
On May 16, Vice Mayor Bob Raymond asked his council members to consider adding “Family” to the park name whatever the choice. The Council approved that decision in the closed ballot by a 3-2 decision.
“We push this (Beach) as a family friendly island. We are family oriented. I just think it’s a nice, smooth transition,” Raymond reasoned at the time and reiterated at Tuesday’s meeting.
After receiving the Beach council’s three approved selections, County staff recommended removing the word “family” from whichever title was chosen. The reasoning given was “redundancy” since all county parks are “a place where families play together.”
At Tuesday’s BOCC meeting, Judah backed his staff’s lead and gave reasons for selecting Crescent Beach Park and excluding “Family” from the title. He cited the decision by the county parks & rec advisory board and Tuesday’s public input by Beach resident Betty Simpson, who has been in favor of the name Crescent Beach since it was named that in the late 1880s and Crescent Road was the name of the road that the old swing bridge led to on the island.
“I think it’s important to take into account the historical heritage and also the contour of the beach,” said Judah.
Bigelow’s suggestion make the addition was due to the Beach officials being “united to adding ‘Family’ to this name.”
Hall made the second motion to make the addition and explained Fort Myers Beach gets a “contradictory message” due to spring break partying and other nonfamily activities.
“We want to make sure that Fort Myers Beach is a family beach,” she said. “I do not think it is inappropriate to include ‘family’ as a reminder of how we want to work with the Town Council and residents of Fort Myers Beach.”
The parcels at 1080, 1113 and 1130 Estero Blvd., which are being converted into a beachside park to complement Lynn Hall Park nearby, was occupied by Howard Johnson, Days Inn and Sandman Motel businesses before Hurricane Charley changed the landscape in 2004.
Work at Seafarer’s Mall site
By now, you’ve probably noticed the wooden boards along the property of the Seafarer’s Mall building. What you may not know is what the boards are doing up there.
County officials have passed along that HONC Construction is preparing the site for the demolition process. The process before the actual demolition of the building includes the perimeter fencing; disconnecting of all utilities; and the removal of fluorescent lighting, bulbs and ballasts. The actual demolition will commence immediately upon completion of the building prep.
The expected completion of the full demolition process is anticipated to be sometime near mid-June.