Dunbar

Officials broke ground Thursday morning on a huge, new housing development in the Dunbar community in Fort Myers.Legacy Point will have 373 units. It will be built on what used to be Southward Village in Dunbar.

After nine years and three developers failed to draw up plans for the site, the Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency decided to take the lead on the McCollum Hall historic preservation and redevelopment project in early August. Since then, the agency has worked to engage the community, aiming to hear what people want for the building’s future and to deliver on those desires once and for all, precisely what the Sept. 30 community engagement session tried to accomplish.

Quality Life Center receives a new grant to spread kindness.

The Quality Life Center of Southwest Florida is opening a private academy — sort of. The organization is converting its current Dunbar location into a private alternative academy. Julian Ramirez, executive director of the center, shared early details about the plan, hinting at what’s to come for the longtime community space.

The sculpture is by artist Cecilia Lueza and sits at the intersection of Veronica Shoemaker Boulevard and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Fort Myers.

An annual Dunbar event is bringing the community together in a powerful way. It’s a tradition that has evolved over the years, offering solace, support, and solidarity to those in need.

Christmas Day marked the 109th annual Christmas Celebration held at the Dr. Piper Center in Dunbar. The event has a long and rich history, first taking place in 1915.The mother of Ella Mae Piper, the Fort Myers trailblazer who the Dr. Piper Center is named for, started the event that year by treating just 15 little girls from Dunbar to Christmas dinner. After her mother’s death in 1926, Piper continued the tradition. She used her connections as a local entrepreneur to gather donations and support for the event from the community each year. The event has evolved into a day where children from all across Southwest Florida can receive free Christmas gifts.

Fort Myers is willing to kick in $1.55 million to get rid of an auto salvage yard in the Dunbar neighborhood. The Community Redevelopment Agency has voted to pledge that money, if a private company buys out the property - the land underneath the salvage yard.

Recently, school officials, teachers and volunteers gathered at Franklin Park Elementary School to help put together that new furniture, stock library shelves and prepare for the children who will flock here in less than three weeks.

The installation of the "Journey of Hope" has begun at the intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Veronica S. Shoemaker Boulevards in Fort Myers. The sculpture by artist Cecilia Lueza celebrates hope, equality, and freedom. Completion is expected by the end of the summer.