Public Comment: Three Estero Council of Community Leaders’ (ECCL) board member/officers spoke about the newly released “Forging a Better Path” book written by Allan Bowditch which is a summary of the ECCL’s accomplishments as well as what their role is in the future, serving as a conduit between residents and government. You may go to their website to learn more about the ECCL.
The meeting started with a short presentation by Steffanie Pierce, General Director, Gulfshore Opera. She described the regional opera company which serves Collier, Lee and Charlotte Counties. They have moved their headquarters into the Village of Estero and have a number of events planned locally and in the region in the coming months. They provide formal productions, community concerts and social events as well as youth and professional development programs. Pierce shared a video highlighting some of their previous events.
Action Items
Lobbying services
Council approved contracts with Ronald L. Book, P.A. ($35,000) and JEJ & Associates, Inc. ($36,000) to provide professional state legislative and executive branch lobbying services for a one-year period. They also granted Village Manger Steve Sarkozy the authority to renegotiate and renew these contracts for three additional one-year terms under the same conditions as doing so is in the best interest of the Village. Here is the summary sheet.
Disposal of surplus computers
Council authorized staff to dispose of, or donate, the inoperable computers that remain in the Village’s possession. In the summer of 2020, the Village replaced the computers used by Council and staff as these machines were 5-plus years old at the time. Their continued use has been determined to be obsolete and recommended for surplus. The Village partnered with its IT provider, Calvin, Giordano & Associates, to have the machine’s hard drives removed, wiped, and destroyed. Here is the summary sheet.
Utility expansion design and permitting
Council approved a contract with Tetra Tech to provide design and permitting services for the first three utility expansion projects. The projects include Estero Bay Village, Sunny Groves, and Cypress Bend. The services to be provided include: surveying, utility construction plans, treatment plant decommissioning, permitting, bidding assistance and construction inspections. The not-to-exceed contract is for $371,013, with a contingency fund amount of $38,000. Here is the summary sheet.
Village monument sign construction plans & permitting contract
Council approved a contract with DRMP, Inc. for the construction plan and permitting for two Village of Estero monument signs. The not-to-exceed contract is for $59,960, with a contingency amount of $6,000. The first two signs will be placed at Estero’s southern boundaries, with one at US 41 and the other at Three Oaks Parkway. Included in Council’s motion to approve this contract was the addition of two monument signs, one at the northern boundary of US 41 and one at the northern boundary of Three Oaks Parkway, with the addition to the budget to be determined. Here is the summary sheet.
Estero PreK-8 shared use design & permitting contract
The School District of Lee County is currently permitting a PreK-8 school along Three Oaks Parkway across from Laurel Oaks Drive. The School District has offered to partner with the Village to upgrade the fields to allow use by the general public outside of school hours.
Council approved a contract with Harvard Jolly Architecture, the firm awarded the school design contract by the School District, to provide design services for the potential site improvements. The contract covers designing a second athletic field, switching sod from bahia to Bermuda, improved irrigation and drainage, restroom facility, field lighting, sidewalks and additional fencing. The contract amount is $98,000, with a contingency amount of $9,800. Here is the summary sheet.
Water monitoring contract
The Village’s Stormwater Master Plan includes recommendations to obtain additional water monitoring data to better understand water levels and water quality around Estero and improve the accuracy of stormwater models.
Council approved a contract with Johnson Engineering to monitor five water quality monitoring sites, four flow measurement sites, download data from seven surface water monitoring wells, download data for two United States Geological Survey sites, and prepare an annual monitoring report. The contract amount is $83,780 with a 10% contingency, for a total of $92,200.
Ordinance 2021-10 – Via Coconut rezoning
Council passed the first reading of this ordinance to a second reading and public hearing on October 21. Via Coconut is located south of Corkscrew Road and west of Via Coconut Road and is proposing 330 multi-family dwelling units, 29,600 square feet of commercial use and a 10,000 square foot church. Here is the ordinance.
Second public hearings & readings
Resolution 2021-21 – ad valorem taxes
Council approved this resolution adopting the ad valorem taxes for Fiscal Year 2021-2022 at a millage rate of 0.7700 mills which is a reduction from the prior year’s rate. Here is the resolution.
Resolution 2021-22 – Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Budget
Council approved this resolution adopting the budget for FY 2021-2022 at a total of all funds at $28,791,645. Here is the resolution.
Residents may view the archived meeting by going to the Village website.
The next Council meeting will be held at 9:30 p.m., Wednesday, October 20, 2021.