WEEk of maY 15, 2024 FLIER INSIDE
Dedication held Island preserve named in memory of longtime Calusa Land Trust volunteer — INSIDE pINEISlaND-EaglE.com
VolumE 48, NumbEr 2
School District to install vape detectors
Shared use pathway presentation attracts a large crowd
By MEGHAN BRADBURY
news@breezenewspapers.com
By CRAIG GARRETT
news@breezenewspapers.com
Even with the project years away, 100 or so people attended a public meeting Tuesday to learn more about a proposed shared use pathway that would run along Pine Island Road from Stringfellow Road, through Matlacha and into Cape Coral at Burnt Store Road and Veterans Parkway. The Pine Island Road Shared Use Path Feasibility Study hosted by Florida Department of Transportation had engineers and planners talking up the project and its impact along the 5mile non-motorized pathway. Users would include walkers and bicyclists, to visitors and moms pushing strollers. Lee County would oversee the project, the state partnering with federal funds and its experts. The idea of a mixed-use pathway, with street upgrades along Pine Island Road, was floated in Lee County recreational circles for years, an FDOT spokesperson said. Costs weren’t provided at the May 7 event, as feasibility studies feel the pulse of impacted businesses, homeowners and renters, a spokesperson said. And if the project ever materialized, it would be “the least impactful” on the overall public, FDOT’s District One public information officer David Scarpelli said, adding that See LARGE CROWD, page 9
CRAIG GARRETT
Two local residents discuss the proposed shared use pathway with a Florida Department of Transportation representative at last Tuesday’s feasibility study meeting at Pine Island First United Methodist Church.
The School District of Lee County plans to install vape detectors in five schools as part of a pilot program. Initial schools include Estero High School, Fort Myers High School, Cape Coral High School, Lexington Middle School and Caloosa Middle School. The detectors are $1,000 per unit and $335 for each installation for a total of $173,550. There will be numerous vape detectors at the pilot schools, which would also include inside the boys and girls bathrooms. The district received a net award of $2,220,879.59 as part of the Juul Litigation and settlement and this money will be used for such proposed enhancements, including the detectors. With the data indicating steady increase in tobacco and drug use, the School District recognizes the need for intervention, officials said. The substance abuse intervention will entail: ∫ Community agency support/partnership ∫ Social media campaign ∫ District infrastructure considerations for vape detectors ∫ Consideration of the expansion of OPENGATE ∫Saturday school and extended day school ∫ Student-led clubs ∫ Anti-drug curriculum ∫ Tiered consequences The total cost for the first year using the settlement money is $681,550. The School Board approved participation in the litigation which alleged a comSee VAPE DETECTORS, page 17
Bee removal topic of Garden Club meeting Thursday This Thursday, May 16, the Pine Island Garden Club — at its monthly meeting beginning at 9 a.m. at the Fishers of Men Lutheran Church — will host Matt Anderson, who will discuss the safe and effective means to handle and relocate bee colonies from a nuisance location to an alternative site. As a state certified apiarist, Anderson operates Anderson Bee Removal when he
isn’t engaged in his primary occupation with the city of Cape Coral as a certified Florida firefighter and paramedic. Both he and his wife, Rachael, are native “crackers” and reside with their two young children in Bokeelia. Founded in 1975, the Pine Island Garden Club mission includes the protection and conservation of natural resources, encouraging island beauty and stimulating
the study of the fine art of gardening. Its civic duties include the creation and maintenance of the grounds at Philips Park, Museum of the Islands, Bokeelia Post Office, Kiwanis Children’s Park and the butterfly garden at the Pine Island Elementary School. The island Garden Club produces the annual Garden Gala, the proceeds from which are utilized to financially support
several island benevolent organizations, such as the Beacon of Hope, Calusa Land Trust, CROW and the Pine Island Food Pantry. For more information, visit pineislandgardenclub.org or contact Marty Kendall at 239-283-8175. Fishers of Men Lutheran Church is at 10360 Stringfellow Road, just south of The Center.
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