Public meeting on Lee County Civic Center set for Aug. 17

By CHUCK BALLARO news@breezenewspapers com

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 countyowned 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

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 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, www leeg o v c o m / C i v i c C e n t e r , t o p r o v i d e e a s y 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’

Gas prices: Motorists are

From page 1 state oil is above $80 per barrel Friday’s closing price of $82 81/b is just 45 cents below the 2023 high Officials said this is all primarily due to tightness in the global oil market

The heat has also played a part in the hike of prices, as extreme temperatures in South Florida have prevented fuel refineri e s f r o

Refineries already generate incredible heat while operating When outside temperatures exceed 100 degrees, that can cause breakdowns and equipment failures, not to 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

L a s t y e a r t h e B o a r d o f C o u n t y Commissioners approved an assessment on the facility’s 14 buildings

W e s t o n & S a m p s o n c o n d u c t e d t h e study of the Civic Center site at 11831 Bayshore Road and found that the main building would need $15 5 million in reno v a t i o n s , a n d m o r e t h a n $ 2 2 m i l l i o n 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

T h e N o r t h F o r t M y e r s R e c r e a t i o n Center is at 2000 North Recreation Park Way.