Joanne Ribble elected Mayor and George Zalucki elected Vice Mayor as three Councilmembers start new four-year terms on March 19, 2025

The meeting started with the Honorable Rachel Loukonen, 20th Judicial Circuit Judge, administering the oath of office to Joanne Ribble. District 1, Jeff Hunt, District 2, and Jim Ward, District 6.

These Councilmembers were sworn in to serve four-year terms.  Elections are staggered so that elections occur every two years.

Council then voted to elect District 1 Councilmember Joanne Ribble as the new Mayor and District 7 George Zalucki as Vice Mayor for a two-year term each.

Resolution 2025-05 – Councilmember Larry Fiesel

Councilmember Larry Fiesel was recognized with a proclamation and key to the city for his 4 years of faithful service and dedication representing District 2 from March 2, 2021 to March 17, 2025.

A short reception was then held for the Councilmembers and their families. Previous Mayor Bill Ribble was on hand to congratulate the new council, mayor and vice mayor.

Proclamation

Former Mayor Jon McLain read a proclamation honoring Engage Estero’s President Jim Gilmartin for his six years of outstanding leadership and vision.  Gilmartin spearheaded the transformation of the Estero Council of Community Leaders (ECCL) into Engage Estero.

Action Items

Resolution 2025-03 – Hands free and cell devices

Council adopted this resolution which supports legislation requiring hands free cell and handheld device use while driving.

Eco Historic Planning Study request for proposal

The Village was awarded a Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) grant for $450,000 in 2024 to perform an Eco Historic Planning Study. The Planning Study and Master Plan will cover approximately 750-acre/1.12-square mile area that includes properties along US 41 from south of Estero Parkway to south of Williams Road, including the Koreshan State Park and Village’s property along the Estero River.

A request for proposals was issued publicly on 12/16/2024.  After finalists’ interviews were conducted, the Evaluation Committee determined Land Design, Inc. to be the top ranked firm.

Council authorized Village staff to negotiate an agreement with Land Design, Inc. and to return to Council for approval at a later date.

Vulnerability assessment request for qualifications

The Village was awarded a Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) grant for $450,000 in 2024 to perform a Vulnerability Assessment to be completed in 2026. This is expected to be a comprehensive assessment of the Village’s vulnerabilities to environmental conditions including storm surge flooding, rainfall flooding, sea level rise, and drought conditions.

A request for qualifications was issued publicly on 12/3/202.  The Evaluation Committee determined APTIM Environmental & Infrastructure to be the top ranked firm.

Council authorized the Village Manager to negotiate an agreement with APTIM Environmental & Infrastructure which will return to Council for approval at a later date.

Estero Sports Park construction manager at risk request for proposals

The Sports Park project will be constructed in multiple phases. Current designs include multiple sports venues, walking trails, driving range, food truck parking and is being designed to serve all Village residents.  The construction manager at risk (CMAR) will play a pivotal role in managing all aspects of the construction of the park.

A request for proposal was issued publicly on 12/2/2024 for an Estero Sports Park CMAR.  The Selection Committee conducted finalists’ interviews and determined Suffolk Construction to be the top ranked firm.

Council authorized the Village Manager to negotiate an agreement with Suffolk Construction and to return to Council for approval at a later date.

Grant management services

Council approved a supplemental task order with Hagerty Consulting, Inc., to assist the Village with CDBG-DR critical infrastructure (Broadway Avenue West) program management support.

A contract and task order not to exceed $464,425 will be reimbursable from the grant funding.

Workshop

Village-wide traffic study

Leah Holmes, transportation engineer with Johnson Engineering, provided a draft of the recent Village-wide traffic study.

The Village’s first Village-wide traffic study was completed in 2017. The study identified areas where traffic and safety issues existed and recommended improvements to alleviate those issues. Since 2017 traffic within and surrounding the Village has changed significantly. The population has continued to grow and several of the projects referenced in the 2017 report have been completed, are under construction, or will be under construction soon.

The Village hired Johnson Engineering to update the earlier traffic study, analyzing the existing and future conditions of all major roadways and intersections in Estero.

Johnson Engineering has provided a draft of the study and completed the following tasks: research, roadway traffic counts, intersection traffic counts, traffic modeling, roadway and intersection analysis.

The next steps of the project include coordination with other agencies and public involvement. There will be an opportunity for public input at 10 a.m., Wednesday, March 26 at the Engage Estero meeting held at the Recreation Center in Estero Community Park. After comments are received from other agencies, the public, Village staff and Village Council, Johnson Engineering will prepare a final report.

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 2, 2025.