Lee County awards $50 million for Greenwell park while revisiting the building plan

Lee County commissioners awarded $50 million in federal disaster-recovery money for Mike Greenwell Regional Park in North Fort Myers, but the building plan is not final.

The October 6 vote authorizes the county to use Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery money for design and construction, according to the county's official item 42 record. The project is intended to replace or renovate facilities damaged by Hurricane Ian and add emergency-support infrastructure.

The official starting concept includes a 30,000-square-foot community and agricultural education center, a covered outdoor education and event platform, three agricultural barns, a horse stable, parking, restrooms and gardens.

Why the building plan is going back to a workshop

WGCU reporter Mike Walcher reports that commissioners want staff to examine a larger indoor venue, potentially 70,000 to 80,000 square feet. Commissioners also questioned the outdoor platform included in the concept.

Staff is expected to return for a special workshop, but no workshop date appears in the official item. Until commissioners review those alternatives, the 30,000-square-foot concept should be read as a starting point rather than the final building design.

The county's six-page concept package reinforces that limit. The drawings are marked as zero percent design. A separate amphitheater image is labeled as an example only and is not a design for Mike Greenwell Regional Park.

What the $50 million covers

The concept budget assigns $27 million to the community and agricultural education center. It also carries demolition, site work, agricultural facilities, emergency-power connections, project administration and a $4.5 million contingency within the $50 million construction total.

The county lists another $3.5 million for design and permitting outside that construction total. The estimate also warns that costs could rise because the concept is at zero percent design.

Before construction can begin, the county says the project must complete federal eligibility and environmental-review requirements. The next public decision point is the special workshop, where commissioners are expected to compare the building alternatives before the design advances.