Estero Council of Community Leaders
Minutes of the Regular Monthly Meeting
The meeting was called to order by Chairman Eslick at 1:00 p.m. at the Estero
Community Park. A quorum was present. Forty-six people were in attendance representing twenty-four communities and
four community wide organizations. Five guests were also present.
Minutes
Minutes of all prior meetings are available online at
www.esterofl.org. The minutes for
the
August and
September meetings were approved unanimously.
Treasurer's Report
Chris Smith gave a
financial report. 28 communities paid dues in 2007, 35
is the goal for 2008 as more and more communities are turned over to their
residents. The members approved a motion that the ECCL dues will remain at
$200.00 per community in 2008.
Announcements
1000 Friends of Florida are hosting a workshop on regional planning and
transportation In Sarasote on December 14th for more information see
www.1000friendsofflorida.org.org/Transportation/o71214workshop.asp 60 FEMA maps in Lee County have been changed due to County appeals. They will be
available in November…the Final maps will be effective in September 2008. On March 14, 2008 the “Spirit of the Gulf” will be performing in support of the
ECIF High School Landscaping project. Tickets for the 800-seat auditorium in
Estero High will go on sale after January 1, for $20.00.
Agenda Items
Sun Trust offer in Support of the
Estero Community Improvement Foundation (ECIF)
Jodi Adams, of SunTrust Bank, made a presentation and an offer to the group.
SunTrust will give $100 to the ECIF for every new account opened, this offer
expires December 31. The branch is located on US-41 in San Carlos Park.
Sam Levy reported on the September 27 meeting of the ECCL, the City of Bonita
Springs and the leaders of Lee Memorial on their 10-year plan. If their
planning proceeds as expected they are 3 to 5 years away from a 24-hour
Freestanding Emergency Department
(FED) in conjunction with the
Bonita Community
Health Center. The moratorium banning these facilities has been lifted and
a new FED is being planned in Sarasota County. All the health care providers in Bonita Springs and Estero are expected to
participate in a health care fair planned for the Hyatt in early 2008.
This forum will be similar to the Arts forum held previously. There will
be booths and tables set up by representatives of the industry followed by
presentations by each provider.
Coconut Road – I-75 Interchange
On September 28, the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) voted 6 to 5 to
remove the $10 million from the County’s Transportation Improvement Fund (TIP)
and restore the use of the $10 million presently allocated to this Interchange
to the language that passed both the House and Senate which was to use the funds
for “widening and
improvements on I-75 in Lee and Collier County”. The net result is the removal of the I-75 Coconut Road interchange from the TIP
(5 Year) plan and the cancellation of an IJR (interchange justification report)
study. The fate of the $10 Million earmark is in the hands of Congress.
If the language is returned to it’s original wording, “widening and
improving I-75 “, which was nefariously changed by parties unknown, the funds
could be used for preliminary engineering for the Corkscrew and Bonita Beach
I-75 Interchanges. On October 24 a meeting has been scheduled with Commissioner Judah at the Bonita
Springs Chamber of Commerce with Bonita Spring’s representatives that Judah has
been dealing with on these issues. Meanwhile the Southwest Florida Expressway Authority (SFEA) proposes 10-laning
I-75 from north of Alico Road or the connector to the airport to the Collier
County line. Collier County presently does not support tolling lanes 5 and
6 in order to accelerate the 10 laning of I-75. The consultants for SFEA have proposed a 10 laning segment extending from the
airport to Immokalee Road. A legal question has been raised about lanes
5-6 being free lanes initially and tolled later and attorneys for the SFEA will
be seeking an answer to this question. ECCL and many of the environmental groups it works with have asked Lee County to
delay the Alico Corridor extension alignment from Alico to SR 82 through the
DR/GR until the DR/GR planning effort has been completed. In January 2008 the new four lane segments of Three Oaks and Imperial Road
between Coconut Road and Bonita Beach Road is expected to be completed.
Meanwhile the four laning of Three Oaks Parkway from Corkscrew to Alico will be
completed in March or April, 2008.
The
ECIF’s Rural Land Planning Study, financed by a grant from the Elizabeth
Ordway Dunn Foundation, will be completed in November rather than the original
completion date of December due to the County’s new-found sense of urgency about
the need for planning the DR/GR. Bill Spikowski, the ECIF’s planning consultant has met with the ECIF review
committee and is making some minor changes. The final draft, its Executive
Summary and Appendices will be completed in early to mid-November. The county is expected to create an Advisory Committee to assist the planning
consultant as called for by the Action plan adopted by the County. It is
important that the Estero community and organizations concerned about the
natural resource impacts of the future development in the DR/GR are fairly
represented. Kevin Hill stated that
mining interests are trying to sell the mine pits as
water reserve reservoirs. These pits lower historic water levels of the
DR/GR thus reducing their value as a supplier of water for our growing
population. The Estero Group’s zoning change/mining permit hearing on this 300 acre property
on the north side of Corkscrew Road has finally ended after 13 days of
testimony. The Hearing Examiner will issue her report and recommendations
sometime after January 1, 2008. The County Commission will then take testimony
and either affirm, modify or reject the report of the examiner. Over the years the Corkscrew Road Rural Residents have spent about $200,000
battling mine applications along that road. Because of the length of this
Hearing the Corkscrew Residents still owe their attorney, Tom Hart, $20,000.00
for his representation during these hearings. ECCL members and their communities
were encouraged to contribute to this effort. The County Local Planning Agency (LPA) will meet on Monday, October 22nd in the
County Board Chambers to discuss the moratorium ordinances preliminarily
approved by the BOCC on September 18th and The Fountains comprehensive plan
project located in the DR/GR. Kevin Hill discussed a new proposal for mining depths. Estero Group’s
proposal is for a dirt mine with 20 foot depth; the Schwab Mine under dispute is
for 110 foot depth; the Youngquist Mine is approved to a depth of 100 feet; the
Corkscrew Plantation mine now under discussion would have a depth of 200 feet.
The pending Harper Brothers Mine amendment includes a plan for onsite
de-watering that would lower the water table in the DR/GR thus reducing the
effectiveness of the well-fields in the area. The Aggregate Study commissioned by FDOT and published early this year raises
issues about the quality of limerock in Lee County for road-building purposes.
The Aggregate Study questions the hardness of Lee County rock outside of the
Rinker Mine on Alico Road. Roads and high-rise construction need hard rock.
Wellfield Protection OrdinanceLee County has two wellfields in the DR/GR that are immediately adjacent to
proposed and existing mines. The proposed ordinance is the first amendment
in over 12 years. ECCL and several environmental groups have raised
questions about the computer model that is being used by the county to draw the
buffer areas around these wellfields. The models do not include information
about the adjacent mines. Jim Lytell stated that there is pressure by mining
interests to defeat the moratorium ordinance. The “Vote Estero” Incorporation Referenda EffortThe
“Vote Estero“ group asked the County Commission to omit consideration of a
non-binding referendum on the January 29 ballot from its agenda in late
September. John Goodrich will chair the re-instated
Incorporation/Annexation Committee including the 25 original members and others
who may wish to serve. Issues to be discussed by the committee include:
Estero’s boundaries; the City of Bonita Springs two mile annexation buffer; the
interest that residents of communities north of Estero Parkway have in being in
Estero and participating in any incorporation effort; an analysis of the
community’s needs; what do we need and what are we not presently getting through
the County and other entities that serve us. Representatives of
Osprey
Cove asked about issues associated with their being in the San Carlos fire
district. Meeting with President Bradshaw of FGCUThere will be a meeting of the ECCL leadership and some of our environmental
colleagues with Dr. Wilson Bradshaw, the new president of
FGCU, on January 17.
Fire District Merger TalksFire district merger talks are now underway that include the Chiefs and one
other staff member from each of the three south Lee County Fire Districts,
Bonita Springs, Estero and San Carlos Park. Questions were raised about
whether or not the talks include the public? Should they include full merger on
their agenda and not just studying possible areas of cooperation. The discussion
was postponed until the November meeting. John Joyce, Councilman and Bonita Spring’s representative to ECCL, suggested
that the Incorporation Annexation Committee also consider the possibility of an
Estero-Bonita Springs merger with all new council districts. 2008 Election IssuesAbout one-third of Lee County voters have recently been reclassified as
“inactive voters”. The Election Supervisor’s list of inactive voters will
be shared with each of the communities. Estero Historical Society
Sunny Molle informed us that Estero was incorporated from 1904 to 1907.
The Historic Society has raised about $100,000 in order to rehab and move two
historic buildings to the Estero Community Park. The Estero Historical Society
meets on the second Tuesday of the month, 2 PM at the Community Park.
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