Greenwell to helm work at Lee Civic Center as 2023 county fair looms

As the opening of the 99th annual Lee County Fair looms, the Lee Civic Center, an often cherished, sometimes ignored home for traditional weddings, graduation gatherings, and gun shows, may be getting a badly needed boost.

The civic center, part of county fairgrounds, sustained damage during Hurricane Ian, a near-Category 5 hurricane that struck Southwest Florida on Sept. 28, on top of structural issues that date back several years.

Lee County Commissioner Mike Greenwell has voluntarily assumed the role of coordinating county efforts to map a future for the civic center, off Bayshore Road in North Fort Myers.

At the urging of North Fort Myers activist, fire commissioner and civic association president Danny Ballard, Greenwell, agreed to play a leadership role in efforts to restore the civic center.

The civic center sits on 110 acres with five lakes nestled in among the grounds. The center, which has close to 50,000 square feet of total floor space, includes a 7,800-seat multi-purpose arena. Costs to refurbish the center haven't been tallied.

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Greenwell reflected on his own history at the civic center in proposing to the commission that he serve a role in framing its future.

"It's been a big part of my life, it's a big asset to the county," Greenwell said at a February commission meeting. "Obviously, we have some issues out there with some deterioration of some buildings and at this time we're going to have to make some decisions about what we are going to do in the future with that civic center and the buildings that are out there."

The 44-year-old facility is best known for its annual Southwest Florida / Lee County Fair, which draws an estimated 400,000 people to 10 days of carnival rides and food along with exhibitions of locally grown produce and livestock raised by young and old.

This year's fair starts Thursday and runs through March 5.

The fair links the civic center and the shrinking east Lee agricultural community, to a wider community in the county and beyond. In particular, an active 4-H organization draws many of the city's young people to participate in raising farm animals.

However, seating in the main building has been shut down and some shows at the civic center must be held outdoors.

Since returning to Lee County full time after retiring from organized baseball, Greenwell has been active in the business community. He is involved in construction and has also been a supporter of agriculture oriented business in Alva. The Greenwell family operates 31 Produce / Cracker Shack, a produce stand and restaurant on State Road 31 that also offers farm oriented field trips for young people.

Restoration at heart of plans to rehab civic center

Ballard, who has become a frequent speaker at commission meetings over the past year, told the News-Press that discussion of a new effort to restore the civic center began with a phone call.

"It started because I called Mike and said 'let's go have lunch,'" Ballard said. "When me and Mike sat and talked, he said 'we need to get it repaired so we can do more with it.'"

Ballard said he did not think the commission would have the votes to reverse a policy set a few years ago on a motion brought by the late Frank Mann to upgrade and rehabilitate the facility, rather than turn it over for private development.

"What Mike did today was to get the ball rolling," Ballard said.

The new effort may include a serious look at existing fairgrounds facilities, some of which date to its beginnings in 1979, when a group of seven people secured a $4.7 million economic development grant to build what was originally supposed to be called Kickapoo Ranch Arena.

In making his proposal to commissioners, Greenwell said he is a "big supporter "of 4-H programs at the civic center which teaches students about agriculture and raising animals. He told commissioners that he would like to see 4-H activities expanded as more families from away move to Lee County.

Commissioners unanimously backed Greenwell's request to designate him to work with the county staff and serve as a liaison in developing long-term plans for the future of the civic center property.

Fairgrounds property sustained the loss of a building during Hurricane Ian, while hurricane damage to other structures was repaired, according to fair manager Fran Crone.

Some camping trailers that were on-site after homes were destroyed in the storm were due to be removed Wednesday, to make way for the arrival of carnival rides and other midway features.

Community rallied against a resort on the property

The last major proposal for a new use for civic center came from developer Syd Kitson, in 2021. His company, Kitson and Partners, proposed demolishing the building and making way for a resort hotel with office, dining and retail use on the site.

The Kitson proposal died after residents of various parts of the county rebelled and packed a normally low key county staff committee meeting to drive their opposition home.

Greenwell said Kitson's bid to develop the site three years ago played no role in his decision to work on the civic center project.

"I have not spoken to him on this," Greenwell said, of Kitson's prior interest in the site. Kitson, developer of Babcock Ranch, a high-tech residential community in Charlotte County, was not among those listed as a donor to Greenwell's successful campaign for county commissioner last year.

Support from the community for the civic center program runs deep. Two years ago, residents were all over Lee County officials when the idea of finding new management for the facility.

In 2021, the county opened a bidding procedure inviting proposals companies "interested in developing and or managing the property located at 11831 Bayshore Road (Lee Civic Center)." After residents of north Lee County quickly organized against the idea, the county canceled a request for proposals for the site.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Dilapidated Lee Civic Center getting a fresh look at rehabilitation