New Council: Village of Estero leaders lay out priorities

The Village of Estero has a new mayor, new vice mayor and three new council members. After being sworn in for a second term, on April 5, Jon McLain was unanimously selected as the new mayor of Estero.

“I would like to thank my fellow council people for the vote of confidence,” McLain said.

Joanne Ribble was then unanimously chosen as the new vice mayor. New council members, Lori Fayhee, Rafael Lopez and George Zalucki, join them and Larry Fiesel and Jim Ward as the leaders of the village. During a short reception, council members spoke of their priorities and goals.

“My priority is to complete the septic to sewer project that runs along the Estero River,” McLain began.

The mayor also pointed to the 20 acres by Williams Road that the village recently purchased as a focal point for his time on the council.

“We are looking to turn that into public opportunities,” he said.

McLain is eager to get some of the 67 acres, that the village owns by the Estero River, open to the public.

“We have a new guest there: an eagle,” he described. “We were just about ready to put in trails and now because of the eagles we had to stop.”

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He said work will resume in May after eagle nesting season.

“It is a priority providing opportunities for citizens, not just of Estero, but all the people of Lee County to ride a bike and walk with their families,” he said.

The new vice mayor also thanked the council for giving her the position.

“My priorities are moving the village forward with Williams Road,” she began.

Ribble said she is looking forward to getting phase one of the 67 acres completed with trails and restrooms and then moving on to phase two which encompasses the north side of the river.

“On the north side I would like to see mixed use with residential and commercial, and I would like to see the village hall there,” she said.

The new council members have been busy trying to see how they can steer the village in the direction residents want.

“My biggest thing is listening to the community members and trying to do what is best for the community,” Fayhee said.

Fayhee knows the Estero Historical Society is trying to save a 1919 home and hopes that can happen.

“I think our history is very important,” Fayhee said.

Lopez said his agenda is all about balance.

“My slogan was ‘Keep Estero Paradise’,” he began. “There is a fine balance between keeping green spaces and keeping the developers that are coming in. Our hands are tied because the village is only eight years old. A lot of the zoning was done prior to the village being incorporated.”

Lopez wants residents to understand that it can’t all be green space. The plans for the 67 acres are to keep the south side in its natural state and add trails and kayak launches and then develop the north side of the river.

“People of Estero always say ‘let’s get this empty land and make it a park’,” he explained. “To buy land and maintain it is very expensive. Estero has figured out that there has to be private public partnerships. Yes, there will be a lot of green space, but there has to be some business to fund it; money coming in to keep those green spaces. There is that fine balance.”

George Zalucki is past chair of Florida Forever so the environment is high on his list.

“One of our things is to embrace nature,” Zalucki said. “The plan the village has for the south side is something I want to see come to fruition. There are plans to get that up and open to the public in the very near future.”

Zalucki praised the work of those that came before him.

“The first-generation council members did some of the heavy lifting, and it is incumbent upon us to take it into the future,” he said. “They did a great job. They set us up for the future. I am super excited help achieve goals. The first and primary goal is to keep Estero great.”

The councilman pointed to the Broadway septic to sewer project as one of his priorities. He is excited about being part of the plans for the 20 acres the village purchased in June 2022 by Williams Road. As the District 7 representative that covers the eastern portion of Estero, he said he is zeroing in on the tremendous growth and construction in his area. Zalucki has a lot of experience leading groups in Estero. He served on the board of directors of the Estero Historical Society and was vice chairman of the Chamber of Commerce.

“I want to continue those relationships so we can all work together on a common goal to deliver to the citizens,” he said.

On the issue of saving the 1919 Alvarez/Fernandez home on Highlands Avenue in Estero, Zalucki said, “I am in favor of saving that house depending on the cost and who is going to pay for it and what the repairs look like and the cost to remove the house. I think the intent of the historical society is very genuine, but it comes down to a cost benefit analysis. I love history. I am really excited about some great things happening.”

After a short celebration, the new council had their first easy decisions to make. They voted unanimously to move forward with plans for biking improvements by Sandy Lane. They voted unanimously to approve River Creek’s plat plan. They listened to a lengthy report on landscaping by I-75 and Corkscrew Road and about a Florida Department of Transportation report on the future of the interstate. They heard a virtual legal report and they each had a chance to thank the public and their families for giving them this chance to serve on the village council.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: New Council: Village of Estero leaders lay out priorities