Pictured above, left to right: Estero High School Cambridge Coordinator Carolyn Hutto, Kyra Ritter, Abram Saravia-Lopez, Keira Conrey, Madison White, Mollie Donaghy, Mayor Jon McLain, Hailey Jacob, Emily McDowell, Sophia Perkins, Estero High School Principal Michael Amabile. (not pictured, Aliva Ban)
The meeting started with Mayor Jon McLain reading a proclamation for the Estero High School and 39 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.
Estero High School student Kyra Ritter received the award with distinction, and Aliva Ban, Kevin Conrey, Mollie Donaghy, Hailey Jacob, Emily Medowell, Sophie Perkins, Abram Saravia-Lopez and Madison White all received the award with merit.
Action Items
Jeff Sommer Stadium turf installation contract
Council approved a contract with Hellas Construction, Inc. to install artificial turf on the Jeff Sommer Stadium football field. The contract amount is $1,967,667, with a contingency amount of $197,000. A description of the project is available here.
At their January 24, 2024 meeting, Council approved a lease agreement and shared use agreement with the School District of Lee County for 52.84 acres of land located next to Estero High School. The property includes all the recreational facilities and vacant property owned by the School District near Estero High School. The Village is required to fund at least $10 million of improvements within the first 5-years of the agreement.
Project Manager services contract
Council approved a Professional Services agreement with Vieste, LLC. to provide project management services for the broad range of projects being implemented by the Village. The contract will be for a monthly lump sum of under $60,000 per month. The term of the contract is open-ended; when the projects are complete, the Village may terminate the agreement for any reason with 60 days’ notice.
The Village has utilized the Vieste firm for the past several months with the advancement of the public-private partnership on the Williams Road Sports Entertainment District.
First Readings
Ordinance 2024-01 – Financial Responsibility
There was a first reading of this ordinance pertaining to amending Article IV (Finance) of Chapter 2 of the Village of Estero code to create enhanced financial responsibility and management standards.
Finance Director Kevin Greenville gave a presentation on Village financial responsibility and management standards, which pertain to these ordinances.
A second reading and public hearing is scheduled for March 20, 2024.
Ordinance 2024-02 – Procurement
There was a first reading of this ordinance pertaining to amending Division 3 of Article IV of Chapter 2 of the Village code regarding Village procurement methods and procedures.
A second reading and public hearing is scheduled for March.20, 2024.
Ordinance 2024-04 – Investment
There was a first reading of this ordinance pertaining to creating Division 4 (Investment Policies) of Article IV (Finance) of Chapter 2 of the Village of Estero code to create detailed policies related to investment of Village funds.
A second reading and public hearing is scheduled for March 20, 2024.
Second reading and public hearing
Ordinance 2024-03 – Code Enforcement/Compliance
There was a second reading and public hearing regarding this ordinance amending Article II of Chapter 1 of the Village code regarding Code Enforcement.
Council voted to adopt this ordinance and change the name of Code Enforcement to Code Compliance.
Workshop
Public Resources Advisory Group (PRAG)
Michael Johnston, PRAG Senior Managing Director, gave a presentation on rating strategy and financial policy considerations.
The Village has engaged PRAG to serve as the Village’s independent registered municipal advisor to assist the Village in developing and implementing a financing plan for the Village’s immediate and future capital projects. These projects will be funded through a variety of sources. In conjunction with Village staff, PRAG is still in the process of developing the financing plan.
The financial impact is approximately $20,000 to $25,000 for the base analysis and $5,000 for each alternative.
No voting occurs during workshops.
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, March 13, 2024.