A public hearing will be held on Wednesday for a second amendment of conservation easement passive recreational uses for the Yellow Fever Creek Preserve in Cape Coral.
Ordinance 51-26, the second amendment, is between the city of Cape Coral and the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD).
In 1997, the city granted the SFWMD a 23.5-acre, perpetual conservation easement within the Yellow Fever Creek Preserve as part of the mitigation required to construct the North Del Prado Boulevard Extension. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was added as a third-party beneficiary in 2021.
The 198 acres include pine flatwoods, oak hammocks, cypress forests and constructed freshwater features. There are campsites, an environmental education center, public parking, disc golf, bird-watching area, fishing opportunities and an expanded network of hiking trails planned.
According to backup material, “the existing access points and trail network do not fully support public access or environmental education.”
The city’s Parks and Recreation Department has developed plans to enhance the accessibility through the construction of three boardwalks for a total of 2,205 linear feet, each with a 120-square-foot viewing platform.
A second amendment for a passive recreation use has been requested by the SFWMD, which is necessary to permit the proposed boardwalk improvements.
The project will be funded by a grant from the Lee County Tourist Development Council.
There are also a few introductions that have a public hearing set for Sept. 16.
Ordinance 52-26 is to “increase the aggregate principal amount of commercial paper obligations that may be outstanding under the city’s commercial paper program at any one time from $150,000,000 to $500,000,000.”
Ordinance 54-26 is to authorize the donation of surplus property to the Lee Building Industry Association (BIA) Builders Care.
The public hearing will be held today, Sept. 2, at the Cape Coral City Council’s meeting at 4 p.m. in council chambers, at 1015 Cultural Blvd., Cape Coral.
The meeting is open to the public.
To reach MEGHAN BRADBURY , please email news@breezenewspapers.com