WEEk of aprIl 26, 2023 FLIER INSIDE
Open for business Street Eatz and Ale Restaurant in Bokeelia welcomes customers — INSIDE pINEISlaND-EaglE.com
VolumE 46, NumbEr 51
Alden Pines HOA proposes purchasing golf course By FRAN THOMAS
news@breezenewspapers.com
Alden Pines Homeowners Association members gathered at the Pine Island Community Church April 19 for a long-deferred annual meeting. After brief and speedy formalities, HOA board member Scott Snyder took over the meeting to address a topic of concern to all, what was happening with the Alden Pines Golf Course. The direction was clear from the get-go. “We don’t want to lose the golf course,” Snyder said. The situation remains nebulous. Developer Jason Picciano has apparently made an offer on the property, but to Snyder’s knowledge a contract has not been signed. Picciano’s original plan was to construct what Snyder called “Disneyland Southwest” including a wave pool and beach. His latest proposal is to build 13 houses on what are now the clubhouse, parking lot and several other lots. Snyder and a few trusted friends have formed a con-
sortium to make an offer to owner Robbie Robertson. They have retained the services of an attorney who specializes in land use development. This is the same attorney who represented a golf community in Venice in which Picciano was interested. He ended up backing out of that deal. The consortium isn’t entirely sure how much money is needed for the purchase but the figure of $1 million is “being thrown around,” according to Snyder. Getting accurate information has FRAN THOMAS been difficult, they said. No firm plans have been made Scott Snyder at for how the investors would be the meeting of the paid back. Selling shares is one Alden Pines HOA.
possibility. Also, no plans have been made on how the golf course would be run. Alden Pines’s situation is similar to what occurred at Cape Royal. Residents there bought its golf course out of bankruptcy and hired professional management. To complicate matters, membership in Alden Pines HOA has heretofore been voluntary, not mandatory. As such, it doesn’t have the authority to set requirements and enforce them. Snyder sees the current crisis as an opportunity to revitalize the HOA in the future. “We need to move quickly on the golf course situation first,” he said. A motion was passed indicating the HOA supports community ownership of the golf course and opposes having homes built on golf course property. No further meetings are planned in the near future, but updates will be posted on the association’s website and Facebook page.
MCA discusses the restoration of Matlacha By FRAN THOMAS
news@breezenewspapers.com
County Commission discusses Little Pine Island Bridge repairs/replacement By PAULETTE LeBLANC
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
The Lee County Commissioner’s workshop meeting Tuesday, April 18, included discussion on the Little Pine Island Bridge, located west of the Matlacha Bridge, heading toward Greater Pine Island. According to Lee County Deputy Director of the Department of Transportation Rob Price, the bridge was designed in 1974 and constructed in 1977. The county, he said, had identified some necessary repairs in the 2021 inspection of the bridge. These repairs, totaling $150,000 were brought forth on April 5, 2022. “Subsequently, FDOT did another inspection in August of 2022, which indicated the bridge qualified for replacement. We were in the process of completing those repairs, that were ordered by the board, when Hurricane Ian happened last fall,” Price said. In coordination with FDOT on funding opportunities for the replacement of the bridge after the inspection report, he said they programmed a total of $4.9 million for the bridge replacement, to start in 2025 and continuing through 2027, in their most recent work program, to design and start construction of the
replacement bridge. However, the cost estimate to design and build a new bridge in 2027 is now estimated at just over $14 Mil. “Hurricane Ian did a real number on this bridge. The seawalls protecting the bridge approaches were completely destroyed, and that caused significant soil loss along both the bridge approaches … as a result, both approach slabs of this bridge failed after the hurricane,” Price said. The scour experience throughout the channel under the bridge was significant, he explained. Scour is the measurement of underwater soil loss at the pilings of the bridge. This soil loss is critical in maintaining the strength of the foundation of the bridge, he said. The east end of the bridge had 21 feet of scour, and there was 11 feet on the west end. He went on to say that although FDOT completed temporary repairs to the approaches to restore traffic to See BRIDGE, page 14 Workers repairing the Little Pine Island Bridge after it was damaged by Hurricane Ian. LEE COUNTY PHOTO
A standing room-only crowd filled the Blue Dog Restaurant on April 17 for the meeting of the Matlacha Civic Association. The primary discussion centered on the restoration of Matlacha. President Mike Hannon presented the following resolution. “The Matlacha Civic Association endorses restoration of properties damaged by Hurricane Ian to their original boundary lines as noted on Lee County Plat filed on July 10, 1946. Block No. 1 (the Mainland) encompasses the land from the drawbridge east to the parking lot at Coastal Kayaks. Block No. 3 (Little Pine Island and West Island) includes homes and properties in the Historic District which require build out to those original boundary lines, restoration, and elevation. The Matlacha Civic Association calls upon all property owners, Lee County, and the Governor of the State of Florida to expeditiously assist in this restoration, including acquisition of State and Federal grant monies for disaster and historic district restoration.” Hannon explained that the original plats in Matlacha along Pine Island Road drawn in 1946 extend lot boundaries 100 feet from the right of way. At present, 50 to 80 percent of individual lots are under water. The advantages of filling in 100 feet from the road are threefold: a long sea wall could be built instead of many individual sea walls, the road might possibly be widened and the road would be less likely to be washed away in future storms. The resolution for which the board sought approval sparked a lengthy debate as members questioned what exactly was being proposed and suggested alternate wording. When Hannon stated that monies were available from both the state and federal governments for historic properSee MATLACHA, page 10
insidetoday Dolphin Tales.....................8 Island Mahjongg.............10 Tides................................16 Athletes of the Week.........6
Guest Commentary...........4
On the Water....................11
Classifieds