Bonita City Council takes action to move forward on priority multi-use path projects

Kudos to the Bonita Springs staff and City Council for holding a Dec. 21st  Council workshop exclusively on bike mobility.  There was an excellent presentation, discussion, and unanimous action by Council to move forward on the its top priority multi-use path projects.  2017 promises to be another exciting year in Bonita Springs.

Background
 Last year, the Bonita Springs City Council undertook a transportation study by McMahon consultants.  As a byproduct of this study, the City asked McMahon to develop a Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, which was presented to the City Council in July 2016 and approved shortly thereafter.  The City's FY 2016-17 budget included $2 million to begin implementation of this plan.  In December 2015, the current Council established its goals for the year, with multi-modal transportation being the top priority goal.  

PowerPoint Presentation

Dec. 21st City Council Meeting on Bike Mobility
The Dec. 21, 2016 Council meeting was scheduled  to begin to implement its multi-modal transportation goal by looking first at separated biking facilities, with the goal of prioritizing four potential shared use path projects to use the $2 million. The Council views these as "signature" projects that will define Bonita's image and create a "WOW" effect. A representative of the City's Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee spoke in support of the Bike/Ped Master Plan and the multi-use path priority projects presented by staff.

The Council agreed unanimously on how to proceed on each of the four priority projects suggested by staff.  Staff will develop the initial scope of work for the first project--a shared use path on West Terry Street to the pool and surrounding civic destinations--and present it to Council for its consideration at the Jan. 18th meeting. Similar to the process used for the Bonita Beach Road Visioning study, world-class national expert consultant teams will be encouraged to compete, and Council plans to take a hands-on role in the development of the Statement of Work and the selection of the consultant team.

 The Council discussed the SUNTrail grant program (managed by FDOT with annual $25 million) and its opportunities for Bonita.  The Council also agreed to hold a joint meeting with the Estero Village Council to start an initiative to investigate a multi-modal path on the railroad right-of-way that goes through both jurisdictions.
 
Kudos to the Bonita Springs staff team, led by Public Works Director Matt Feeney, for an excellent presentation at the Dec. 21st Council meeting.  Kudos also to the Bonita City Council for its in-depth discussion of the type of shared use paths with accompanying amenities that they want for their first signature projects.   Click here to view Matt's PowerPoint presentation; and click here to watch the meeting.  If you're interested in learning about what Bonita is planning, or if you're working on a similar project in your community and are looking for good ideas, this meeting is worth watching.  (2 1/2 hours long)


Related Links:

• Video of City Council meeting on Bike Mobility on Dec. 21, 2016
• Bonita Springs Dec. 21,2016 PowerPoint Presentation: Multi-Use Path Prioritization
•  Bonita Springs PATH: A Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan,prepared by McMahon, July 2016 
•  BWL blog, May 24, 2016: Bonita City Council considers Bonita Beach Road corridor vision study