Lee County leaders have approved a conceptual plan that includes demolishing the Lee Civic Center.   But the wrecking ball may not arrive for many months, or even a year or more.

Commissioners voted Tuesday to re-do the Civic Center property in the northeast part of the county.   The concept, funded with $50 million from the federal government, envisions tearing down the current center.    That money would be used to improve drainage at the property and improve the site's resilience and emergency response functions after major storms.

The Lee Civic Center has hosted everything from rock concerts to gun shows to graduations for nearly half a century.   But the county government said it needs millions of dollars in repairs. The conceptual plan calls for the current center to be torn down to make way for newer buildings.

Commissioners voted for an agricultural education center.    But they said they want it to be large enough to also host musical and community events.  

They discouraged an outdoor amphitheater because of weather concerns.

The concept for the future does include a new horse barn, two new animal barns, and new restrooms on the grounds.   The Ag Expo would continue on the site, starting in late February of every year.    The property name is changing to Mike Greenwell Regional Park — in honor of the late commissioner who represented the district in that part of the county until his death about a year ago.

One member of the public asked commissioners to save the current building, to fix it up and put back the bleachers that have been removed. Commission Chairman Cecil Pendergrass responded.

"The current bleachers have been out for years and no school graduations have been held there in a long time, because it is not safe," Pendergrass said. "Rehabilitation of the current building is not an option."

Pendergrass and Commissioner Brian Hamman argued for as large a community center as possible. The preliminary concept plan calls for an agricultural education center of 30,000 square feet. Pendergrass said he would encourage dropping the amphitheater idea, and using the extra money to build a 70,000 to 80,000-square-foot structure.

Commissioner-elect Amanda Cochran spoke to the board, and said she and many others in the northeast county also want a large building. She applauded her soon-to-be colleagues on their approach to the issue and their willingness to consider community input. Cochran will take a seat on the board Nov. 17.

County staff members are supposed to supply commissioners with more specific plans in a special workshop sometime in the next month or so.  

In other business Tuesday, the Lee Commissioners also:

• Approved a $3.97 million in agreements as part of nearly $13 million Beach and Shoreline Program Tuesday, part of nearly $13 million in Tourist Development Tax revenue budgeted for the program in fiscal year 2026-27.

The interlocal agreements are between Lee County and: Barrier Island Parks Society, Captiva Erosion Prevention District, City of Cape Coral, City of Sanibel, Friends of Lovers Key, Town of Fort Myers Beach, Keep Lee County Beautiful Inc., Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
 
The interlocal agreements approved Tuesday authorize the work and reimbursement of expenses. The projects primarily provide for maintenance of beach park facilities, including public access, restrooms and equipment.

• Voted to award $15 million in federal Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery funds for a project to reconstruct Main Street on San Carlos Island to enhance the corridor’s safety, functionality and resilience.

 
The project will include parcel acquisition and the reconstruction of Main Street and its drainage system.

Hurricanes Helene and Milton caused significant flooding on San Carlos Island and demonstrated deficiencies in the existing stormwater drainage system along Main Street. Existing outfalls do not provide sufficient drainage capacity to efficiently carry stormwater from the roadway following major storms. Flooding along Main Street affects residents and businesses, limits access to and from the island, and can impede evacuation and emergency response activities.
 
Lee County received about $100.7 million in Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds to support long-term recovery efforts related to Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The allocation includes funding for unmet infrastructure recovery needs and mitigation activities that strengthen the community’s resilience to future disasters.

Tuesday’s vote follows board action on Sept. 1 to approve the purchase of property at 1100 Main St., Fort Myers Beach. The property will support the improvement project by providing a location for a new outfall serving the Main Street drainage system.

The project also will include drainage improvements such as drainage pipes, catch basins, roadside swales, evaluation and potential upsizing of existing outfalls to improve drainage.
 
Roadway improvements will include roadbed reconstruction, milling and resurfacing, and replacement of deteriorated sidewalks.
 
Together, these improvements will reduce flood risk, improve roadway conditions and increase the long-term resiliency of the Main Street corridor.

• Awarded a $1.5 million contract to pave 21.1 lane miles on currently unpaved roads throughout Lehigh Acres.

 
Contractor Russ Berner Construction Inc. is expected to begin work in November to pave 94 road segments in the area. Some segments to be paved are a few hundred feet long and other segments to be paved are more than 1,000 feet long.
 
Lee County Department of Transportation maintains about 1,500 miles of paved roads in Lehigh Acres. Contracts are typically approved throughout the fiscal year.
 
Each year, certain unpaved roads in Lehigh Acres are ranked and selected for paving based on factors such as road conditions and the number of new homes constructed on the road.
 
Each year, DOT budgets between $1 million and $1.5 million to convert unimproved roads to paved roads. Roads are selected based on certain criteria. To qualify, the road must be an unimproved roadway that has at least one home with a Certificate of Occupancy. To date, approximately 52.7 lane miles have been converted since the inception of this program in FY 2023.

Mike Walcher is a reporter with WGCU News. He also teaches Journalism at Florida Gulf Coast University. WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.