Business 41 merchants form association
At a meeting that was supposed to get businesses together to clean up Business 41, they ended up getting together for a lot more.
At the Community Planning Panel meeting at the North Fort Myers recreation center on Tuesday, a small coalition of business owners agreed that businesses along that road needed to come together for more than just to pick up trash along the side of the road.
The new group will be named the New Business 41 Merchants Association, which will be comprised of businesses along the corridor and vicinity.
Kevin Mulhearn, owner of Prosperity Point Marina near the Edison Bridge, was named the first president of the association. Annual dues will be $25.
“It’s time for us to work together to clean up the second-busiest road in North Fort Myers, and the widening is crucial to make that road look better and encourage people to come and do business with us,” Mulhearn said.
As for the cleanup scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 13, from 9 a.m. until noon, the initiative has gained three major sponsors in Weaver’s Corner Shopping Plaza, the civic association and Keep Lee County Beautiful.
Roughly 20 merchants from the area came to provide input on how to attack the cleanup, and Frank Cassidy, who heads up Cape Coral Code Enforcement, was a special guest who gave suggestions on how to conduct the initiative.
“I feel like I’m more of a cheerleader. Our department relies on volunteers because any government entity can’t handle it by itself,” Cassidy said. “Once you establish a core group of folks, you’re there.”
The cleanup will occur from the base of the bridge to the corner of Business 41 and Littleton Road, since that’s where construction on the expansion begins.
Business owner Wayne Daltrey advised two groups start at opposite ends of the road, facing traffic so oncoming cars can see them, as well as take safety precautions such as orange vests, gloves and plenty of water.
Bruce Alan Vanderveen, owner of All-America Printing, thought the cleanup was only part of the solution. He said there needed to be a better effort from code enforcement to fight the blight on the road.
“We have these burnt-out hotels. Can’t we tear them down? They need to step it up and create more businesses there,” Vanderveen said.
Cassidy said that goes for buildings that have trees growing out of them or that have doors and windows missing, not for ugly buildings.
“Just because something is ugly doesn’t mean it’s in violation,” Cassidy said. “We hear it’s ugly, but if they’re in compliance, it’s no violation.”
The new association will try to get businesses together to touch up the exteriors of their buildings. Michael Land said that some merchants don’t know that run down properties hurt businesses. The New Business 41 Merchants Association was scheduled to hold its first meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 12, at 8 p.m., immediately following the civic association meeting.