Pictured left to right front row: Amelia Krupp, Katelyn Kuieck, Jennifer Pichardo, Mayor Joanne Ribble, Jiya Naik, Meghan Lay and Natalia Gonzalez Cabrera. Back row: Councilmembers Jeff Hunt, Lori Fayhee, Jon McLain, Jim Ward, Vice-Mayor George Zalucki and Councilmember Rafael Lopez.
Mayor Joanne Ribble read a proclamation for the Estero High School and high school students who were awarded the Cambridge Outstanding Learners Awards. These are a group of awards which recognize exceptional learner achievement in Cambridge examinations around the world.
In addition, Estero High School students Amelia Krupp, Katelyn Kuieck, Jennifer Pichardo Jiya Naik, Meghan Lay and Natalia Gonzalez Cabrera all received the award with merit.
Arbor Day proclamation
Pictured left to right: Councilmembers Jeff Hunt, Lori Fayhee, Jon McLain, Jim Ward, Mayor Joanne Ribble, Vice-Mayor George Zalucki and Councilmember Rafael Lopez.
Mayor Joanne Ribble read a proclamation in honor of Arbor Day, which is April 25, 2025. The proclamation states that the Village recognizes Arbor Day in the Village and urges all citizens to recognize Arbor Day, and to support efforts to protect our trees and woodlands.
Public comment on non-agenda items: A representative of Engage Estero stated that the Village Manager, Public Works Director and consultant had presented Estero’s traffic study at a recent Engage Estero meeting. The video of that meeting is available at www.esterotoday.com.
Action Items
Resolution 2025-06 – Miromar Square Plat
Council approved this resolution which changes and realigns the internal access road for the Miromar Design Center. This property is located south of Corkscrew Road, immediately adjacent to I-75.
First amendment to public improvement agreement between the Village and High 5 Up Top LLLC
Since the master plan for the Sports Park and Entertainment District is now approved, the Village and High 5 have agreed that certain provisions in the initial agreement should be amended.
The amendment relates to the adjustment of the date of transfer of the High 5 parcel, the insertion of a new legal description of the parcel reflecting the final location of High 5’s operations, and provides for the execution and filing of the related Common Area Maintenance (CAM) Agreement and the deed. To address community concerns, a specific provision to expressly preclude gambling activities has also been added.
Once the amendment has been approved, Village staff and High 5 representatives will coordinate the execution and filing of the CAM agreement and deed, which will then allow High 5 to initiate construction.
Sports & entertainment public private partnership
The master plan for the Village Center allows for 5 total parcels for entertainment and recreational uses, one of which will be High 5. Staff is prepared to expand a national solicitation/search process to secure high quality, complimentary partners to the Village and High 5, including a golf range concept. Staff expects the solicitation process to take 3-4 months to complete.
Council approved this solicitation process.
Estero Entertainment District design and permitting change order 01
RWA Engineering was issued a contract on March 13, 2025 for a total of $485,045 for professional services. RWA Engineering is submitting a change order to their original contract with the Village for the additional scope of work received due to the multiple changes to the project design of the Entertainment District located in the Village Hub. This change order increases the original fee of the project from $485,045 to $819,010 (increase of $333,965).
Council approved this change order.
BERT memorandum of agreement
The Trust for Public Lands (TPL) has been involved in discussions for some time with various local governments in Lee and Collier Counties related to the Bonita Estero Rails to Trails (BERT) initiative.
This memorandum of agreement does not address any actual construction of the BERT project. Rather, the parties agree to address the funding process in the future, once available grant funding is better known and the due diligence process is complete.
Once all of the parties agree to the memorandum of agreement, the TPL will begin working with the Village and other government parties on proposing, performing and being reimbursed for the due diligence work set forth in the agreement.
Council approved this agreement.
Public Comment: A representative of BERT thanked Council for their support.
First Reading
Ordinance 2025-03 – Repealing Article III of Chapter 10 of the Village Code regarding disaster recovery
When the Village became incorporated as a municipality, it largely adopted significant portions of the Lee County Code as its “starter code” to ensure both continuity and that it had some regulatory scheme for its operations. One portion of the prior County code remaining in the Village Code is Article III (Post-Disaster Recovery) of Chapter 10 (Emergency Management and Emergency Services).
In the years since incorporation, the Village has adopted its own codes and procedures related to emergency management, and has most recently worked with FEMA to develop Village-specific post-disaster plans related to ensuring compliance with the floodplain regulations related to post-disaster rebuilding.
It has been determined that the provisions of the County Code be repealed in the ordinance as they are no longer consistent with actual Village operations.
Council passed this ordinance to a second reading on April 16, 2025.
Residents may view the archived meeting by going to the Village website.
The next Council meeting will be held at 9:30 a.m., Wednesday, April 16, 2025.