Lee County Solid Waste to resume yard-waste collection next week
Lee County Solid Waste announced that containerized yard waste collection will resume in all county-served areas beginning Monday, November 14. Residents are asked to use containers, paper lawn and leaf bags or clear plastic bags to set vegetative material – including palm fronds – curbside on their regular collection day. Black plastic bags and bundled yard waste will not be collected with curbside yard waste at this time. Those items will be collected at a later date by the storm-debris contractor using specialized equipment. Residents are asked to keep their containerized yard waste separate from any hurricane debris piles.
Council to conduct a workshop on utilities expansion following their meeting on November 16, 2022
Council will start their meeting at 9:30 a.m., Wednesday, addressing the Greater Estero Chamber of Commerce’s financial support for strategic plans for future growth and impact. They will then review a resolution for Village Attorney and a final budget amendment, then conduct public hearings for Milan Villas rezoning, flood hazard reduction standards and adopting the new Flood Insurance Rate Maps. Council will then conduct a workshop for an update on utility expansion projects. The full agenda is here.
Council conducted budget hearings on November 9, 2022
Public Budget Hearings Resolution 2022-33 – final millage rate Council approved this resolution adopting the ad valorem taxes for Fiscal Year 2022-2023 at a millage rate of 0.75 mills, which is a reduction from the prior year’s rate of 0.77. Council has voted five times to reduce the tax rate since incorporation, making Estero’s tax rate the lowest in Southwest Florida. Resolution 2022-34 – Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Budget Village Manager Steve Sarkozy gave a short presentation on the FY 2022-2023 budget commenting on the fact that the Village is debt-free, having paid off the loan for the Estero on the River [...]
AT&T Cell Tower and Market Place at Coconut Point among presenters to the Planning, Zoning & Design Board on November 8, 2022
At the start of the meeting, it was announced that the Board’s vice-chair Marlene Naratil has submitted her letter of resignation from the Board. Her home was devastated by Hurricane Ian, so she is moving from Estero. Public Hearings AT&T monopole location The first public hearing addressed a special exception to allow a 100-foot-tall AT&T wireless telecommunications facility on the Bonita Springs-Estero Elks Lodge property at 3231 Coconut Road. The applicant had revised their original application from 149 feet to a 99-foot monopole with a 1-foot lightning rod for a total height of 100 feet. Space will be made available [...]
Important information about possible Tropical Storm Nicole impacts
Document this storm separately Should you have any damage as a result of Tropical Storm Nicole, it is imperative that the damage be documented separately from damage as a result of Hurricane Ian. These would be two separate applications for relief from FEMA. Here’s the latest information that we have available at this time. Anticipated impacts: Based on the latest forecasts, it’s anticipated that Nicole will be a Category 1 hurricane when it makes landfall on the east coast of Florida sometime Wednesday or Thursday. 2 to 4 inches of rain with localized flooding is expected in Lee County. No [...]
Coco Art Gallery grand reopening November 9
The Art Council of Southwest Florida (ACSWF) is announcing the official grand reopening of its COCO Art Gallery at the Coconut Point Mall in Estero on November 9th from 5-7 PM. This event will be co-hosted by the Estero Chamber of Commerce. Judi Fuchs, 2nd Vice President of the Art Council and Estero Gallery Director, offered the following about the event, “Our volunteers and contractors spent many weeks working tirelessly to renovate our gallery space. We are very proud of the team’s effort and want to celebrate its reopening in memorable fashion.” The evening will include the unveiling of [...]
Council to conduct budget hearings on November 9, 2022
Council will start their meeting at 5:05 p.m., Wednesday, with public hearings to set the millage rate and adopt the final budget for Fiscal Year 2022-2023. The full agenda is available here. Meetings are held in the Council Chambers, Village Hall, 9401 Corkscrew Palms Circle, near the entrance to the Estero Park. Residents may view the meeting here and provide public comment by utilizing the eComment Card on the Village website. Comments must be received by noon one day before the actual meeting and they will be distributed to the Council but will not be read at the meeting.
Second pickup of appliances damaged by Hurricane Ian to start November 12, 2022
The Village’s debris hauling trucks will be coming through each community a second time to pick up white goods starting November 12. Please place any remaining white goods that were damaged by Hurricane Ian along the roadway by Friday, November 11, 2022. White goods are appliances including washing machines, dryers, stoves, refrigerators, freezers, water heaters, AC units, etc. If you have any issues getting your white goods out to the street by November 11, please let the Village know by calling 239-221-5035.
“It takes a village…” and with the help of many local organizations, the Village is helping residents recover after Hurricane Ian
There has been a lot of publicity about local communities destroyed by Hurricane Ian, but many people don’t realize there are communities within our own Village of Estero that were devastated following the hurricane. Approximately 1,000 homes were drastically affected. Those communities west of US 41 were hit the hardest, in particular those living along West Broadway. These mobile home communities* have been home to residents for many years and some have lost everything – their cars, their household furnishings, clothing and precious keepsakes. Immediately following the hurricane, Village staff spent days traveling throughout Estero assessing the damage that occurred [...]
Flood Insurance Rate Maps, Coconut Trace, Pelican Sound and Genova among topics addressed by Council on November 2, 2022
Public Comment on non-agenda items: George Zaluki, Chair, Board of Directors, Estero Forever Foundation (EFF), gave an update on the Foundation’s Hurricane Ian relief fund. To date, about $91,000 has been donated by Estero residents, churches and businesses. All monies will go to Estero residents who were drastically affected by the hurricane, primarily those residents along West Broadway. The EFF is partnered with the Village of Estero, the ECCL and the Greater Estero Chamber of Commerce in this relief effort. It’s easy to donate. Go to the Foundation’s website where you may donate online or get information on how to [...]