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<\/p>\nThe Town of Fort Myers Beach Council voted against a proposal by Councilmember John King to sell the old town hall property, while Mayor Dan Allers asked town staff to look into options for potentially privatizing the Bay Oaks Recreational Campus and Mound House operations.<\/p>\n
The proposals took place during a budget hearing this past week.<\/p>\n
King suggested the Town Council sell the old town hall property at 2525 Estero Boulevard, an idea he has raised before. King said the price of turning that property into a parking lot has gone up over the original estimates and noted the project still hasn\u2019t been completed.<\/p>\n
King said he was disappointed that project was never finished. King said the market value of the land has dropped, citing an assessment by the Lee County Appraiser for this year\u2019s tax rolls that the value of the property was now $6.9 million, down from $10.4 million a year ago.<\/p>\n
Mayor Dan Allers countered the proposal, saying the property had been appraised to be worth even more than that when a land swap with the Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District was discussed.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo sell on a downslide does not make a lot of sense,\u201d Allers said. \u201cDoes it continue to go down? I don\u2019t know. Who do you sell it to? Do you sell it to someone who then comes in with a Live Local Act and builds whatever they want to build there? We still don\u2019t know where that goes?\u201d<\/p>\n
Allers said it doesn\u2019t make sense to sell an asset at a point where the town may not be able to control what gets built there. Allers said the community there has previously opposed developments around that property, which could impact a residential canal behind there. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere are too many unknowns to pull a lever there,\u201d Allers said.<\/p>\n
Safford said the town couldn\u2019t put together a budget based on selling the property. \u201cThat\u2019s not what I asked,\u201d King said. King said the property was costing the town money.<\/p>\n
Safford said there are other better revenue options.<\/p>\n
Link said \u201cI would never sell it in a down market.\u201d Link said it would be a last resort for her. <\/p>\n
The Town of Fort Myers Beach Council Voted 3-1 against King\u2019s proposal to sell the land.<\/p>\n
Privatize Bay Oaks, Mound House?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Bay Oaks Recreational Campus. File photo by Nathan Mayberg<\/p>\n
While Allers stood up for the former town hall property, he suggested the Town Council look at potentially privatizing operations at the Mound House, and Bay Oaks Recreational Campus, including the pool operations.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would be nice to see what that looks like to have it run by a third-party operator other than the town,\u201d Allers said. <\/p>\n
Allers said that he wanted to challenge town staff \u201cto look at these additional cost-cutting controls.\u201d <\/p>\n
Allers said he hasn\u2019t heard from anybody who wants to close Mound House or Bay Oaks, \u201cbut maybe there are some out there, but just to have an option to make these revenue neutral.\u201d<\/p>\n
Allers said he wants to see options from town staff to cut the funding gaps. \u201cWe will do that,\u201d Town of Fort Myers Beach Manager Will McKannay said.<\/p>\n