NP editorial:Join workshop thinking about Lee's future now

News-Press
Feb. 9, 2011


With so many people struggling just to
survive this bleak economy, it’s easy to
forget about the future, and to neglect a
vision for what we want Lee County to be
like, say, a quarter century from now.

Friday, the third in a series of imaginative
workshops on that subject will take place,
free and open to the public, in downtown
Fort Myers. Like the others, it is hosted by
the law firm Fowler White Boggs in
connection with the volunteer think tank
group, Reconnecting Lee County.

This meeting will feature several local
experts, and aims at engaging young
people. Included in the program are high
school honor students from throughout Lee
County; Jim Nathan, president of Lee
Memorial Health System; Linda Shelley,
Fowler White Boggs attorney and former
state planning chief; Tom Scott, Lee County
School Board chair; and economist Henry
Fishkind.

Reconnecting Lee County was founded in
the depths of the economic bust here, on
the inspired notion that this is actually a
good time to think about alternatives to the
kind of growth that has stalled, leaving us
littered with the economic wreckage of
foreclosures and failed businesses.

The post-boom era will need to be a time
of smarter thinking and smarter growth,
including revitalization of traditional
centers, development of walkable
communities and expansion of mass transit
— although those are only some of the
issues.

Friday is a good time to get involved in your
future.

IF YOU GO

• What: Free symposium: Lee County in the Year
2035
• When: Friday, Feb. 11
• Registration: 8 a.m.
• Programs: 8:30 a.m.-4:45p.m.
• Where: Harborside Event Center, downtown Fort
Myers