Public meeting on Lee County Civic Center set for Aug. 17
What to do with the Lee Civic Center? Renovate it? Tear it down and rebuild? Turn it into a mixed-use shopping destination?
These questions have been asked for months, with the county seeking input on what should be done with the county-owned facility on Bayshore Road.
And now, residents will get to see the results of that effort.
Lee County Parks & Recreation will host a drop-in style public meeting regarding the Civic Center complex from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 17, at the North Fort Myers Recreation Center.
A public survey was created in March to garner public input on long-term options for the Lee County Civic Center complex. The public meeting will give residents the opportunity to view the survey results and help give further input on the future of the complex.
The meeting will be a drop-in format so residents can attend at whatever time is convenient for them to view presentation materials and interact with staff.
Lee County launched a page, leegov.com/CivicCenter, to provide easy access to information about the Civic Center, including interactive maps, history, timelines and more in a user-friendly format.
The site also includes summaries of recent Board of County Commissioners’ actions and links to videos so residents can watch the Board discussions. A virtual comment card will be available on the Civic Center landing page for one week following the meeting for those who were not able to attend.
The civic center, which opened in 1979 and has hosted the Southwest Florida Lee County Fair, has been slowly falling into disrepair for years. The stands inside the complex were condemned several years ago, which limited what events could be held there.
Last year the Board of County Commissioners approved an assessment on the facility’s 14 buildings.
Weston & Sampson conducted the study of the Civic Center site at 11831 Bayshore Road and found that the main building would need $15.5 million in renovations, and more than $22 million throughout the facility.
Of that $3 million of the repairs are considered life safety issues and must be addressed immediately. Most the fixes will have to be done within the next one to five years.
Replacement costs would total more than $53 million, with $42.2 million of that for the main building. The maintenance building and the four restrooms were recommended for replacement.
The North Fort Myers Recreation Center is at 2000 North Recreation Park Way.
To reach CHUCK BALLARO, please email news@breezenewspapers.com