June 22nd: Upcoming running/biking/tri events

Upcoming events

Running/walking:

·        Saturday, June 27: 7th annual Summer Sizzler 5K. Jaycee Park, 4125 SE 20th Place, Cape Coral.  (www.3dracinginc.com)

·        Saturday, July 4: Freedom 5K, 2051 Cape Coral Parkway, Cape Coral (at the foot of the Cape Coral Bridge). 2051 Cape Coral Pkwy. Registration 6:30 a.m., race 7:30 a.m., kids’ fun runs begin after 5K is completed. A portion of proceeds benefit the Wounded Warrior Project. (www.ftmyerstrackclub.com)

·        Saturday, July 4: 4th annual Rotary's Star-Spangled 5K. Riverside Park, Pennsylvania Ave., Bonita Springs. (www.3dracinginc.com)

·        Saturday, July 25: Eagle Lakes 5K, Eagle lakes Community Park, 11565 East Tamiami trail, Naples. Starts 7 a.m. (www.eliteevents.org)

·        Saturday, July 25: 7th annual Beat the Heat 5K. Jaycee Park, 4125 SE 20th Place, Cape Coral. (www.3dracinginc.com)

Cycling:

·        Friday, July 3: SWFL Critical Mass ride. Join a family fun slow ride through Fort Myers. Front and rear bike lights required. Grab your helmet, bring all your friends and meet in the open field next to Publix (at 7:30 p.m.) at First Street Village, 2160 McGregor Blvd. Fort Myers. (twitter.com/swflcm)

·        Sunday, July 12: Wheels and Wings VI, Beef O'Bradys, 1105 Taylor Road Punta Gorda. Five different rides: 15 mile (Mystery Ride) 32-/50-/62-miles and a 40-mile Gravel Grinder. Food, fun and more. (www.peaceriverridersbicycleclub.com)

·        Sunday, July 26: Join the Caloosa Riders to ride 100km as part of the Rapha Women’s 100, a global event getting thousands of women around the world to ride 100km. Meet at Daniels Crossing Plaza and ride from Fort Myers to Captiva Island, in a nonsupported, self-contained no-drop ride. Please be able to ride 18-20 mph, and helmets are required. (www.caloosariders.org).

Triathlons:

·        Sunday, July 12: American Sprint Triathlon & Duathlon (run/bike/run), based at Sugden Regional Park, 4284 Avalon Drive, Naples. (www.eliteevents.org)

·        Saturday, July 18: Englewood YMCA Sprint Triathlon 2015. Based at Englewood Beach, Shelter 3, 2100 N. Beach Road., Englewood (http://www.swflymca.org/programs/englewood-triathlon/)

·        Sunday, Sept. 5: Venice YMCA Triathlon. Sprint distance, based at Sharky's on the Pier, 1600 Harbor Drive, Venice. (www.swflymca.org/programs/venice-triathlon)

·        Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 12-13: Galloway Captiva Triathlon. Kid’s events Saturday, three age groups with different distances. Adult sprint tri Sunday, all based at South Seas Island Resort, Captiva. (www.captivatri.org)

Video of June 9th special public workshop on Bonita Springs' downtown improvement plan

As a follow-up to BWL's June 5th blog post Action Alert about the June 9th Bonita Springs special workshop on Bonita's downtown improvement plan, we are posting the very informative video from the 3-hour workshop.   You'll learn a great deal about complete streets, livable communities, and downtown improvement projects from the consultant team (which included Michael Wallwork, the roundabout and complete streets international expert), and you'll see how one community addresses public concerns about a project that involves a great deal of change.  Kudos to the Bonita City Council for scheduling this workshop (and for posting this video on their website), to the consultant team for their excellent presentation and responses at the workshop, and to all the citizens who participated.  The video that the consultant team showed at the beginning of the workshop includes before and after footage and interviews from several other communities in Florida and beyond that have undertaken similar downtown improvement projects, and the benefits of these changes are compelling.
 
The video is in 2-parts:  The first two hours are in video 1; and the third hour is in video 2.

Video 1:


Video 2: 


 Background

On May 6th, the Bonita Springs' City Council approved ( 5-1 vote) an innovative downtown improvement plan, that has been under development for over a year. The City has committed $16 million to this downtown improvement project along Old 41 from Terry Street south to Oak Creek Bridge.  The planned improvement includes sidewalk and bicycle facilities, drainage, landscaping, utility relocation, parking, streetscape, medians, and two roundabouts, i.e., many features of a complete streets approach.  The City's stated goal for the project is to attract businesses to downtown Bonita and promote urban infill development. 

 

 At the June 3rd Council meeting, based on concerns raised during public comment, Council voted to hold another special workshop to receive and understand questions regarding the project and its components.  That workshop was held on June 9th and the video of the meeting is now on the City's website (and embedded above).

Background:  BikeWalkLee Honors Bonita

In December 2014, BikeWalkLee presented the Bonita Springs City Council and staff with its "2014 Complete Streets Champion of the Year" award for its embrace of a comprehensive complete streets approach, which culminated in its October 2014 adoption of a complete streets policy.  The award recognized several actions taken by the Council in support of complete streets and livable communities, including the design of this downtown improvement project.  BikeWalkLee's Dec. 3rd press release made the following statement about this project:

"The integration of complete streets concepts in the downtown redevelopment project recently awarded to a consultant team for design and construction. The design for this project holistically incorporates complete streets and livable community concepts in a visionary way ― from safe walking and biking facilities, to roundabouts, on-street parking, attractive streetscape designs, innovative storm water treatment, to creating attractive public spaces that will draw people and investment to a vibrant downtown."

BikeWalkLee Blog Dec,3, 2014: Bonita Springs honored as 2014‘Complete Streets Champion of the Year’

Below are links to articles about this project as it has progressed through the process: 

NDN June 10, 2015: Bonita leaders, residents take another look at downtown redevelopment

·         NDN May 7, 2015:Bonita's downtown plan takes another step forward, by Patrick Riley

·         NDN, April 20, 2015: Planned $16 million downtown Bonita improvements along Old U.S. 41 split business owners, by Patrick Riley 

·          Florida Weekly, March 12, 2015:  Creation of a Downtown Destination, by LAURA TICHY-SMITH

(This in-depth article provides extensive information about the various features of the project and their potential benefit in terms of walkability, safety, economic development, etc.)

Report by Darla Letourneau

Invite to FDOT District 1 Multi-modal Planning and Complete Streets Workshop

FDOT adopted a complete streets policy in 2014 and is busy working on the accompanying implementation plan.  As part of their focus on complete streets, they're offering two exciting workshop opportunities for partners in Lee County--July 16 or July 22nd.   See details below and sign up by July 2nd. Hello! Please join us for an exciting Districtwide workshop series on Multimodal Planning and Complete Streets.  These workshops are being hosted by the Department to explore with you, our planning partners, on how Complete Streets can be successfully planned, designed, and implemented.  The workshops will touch on the FDOT Central Office Complete Street Policy and other recent changes in standards.  We will also explore lessons learned from other regions and apply these to case studies tailored to the needs of District One communities. You may attend either one of the two workshops.  Each session will focus on unique themes that relate to communities in District One.

Port Charlotte Workshop			Arcadia Workshop
What:	Hands-on Workshop Focused on Complete Streets Planning and Implementation in Fast Growing Urban Areas			What:	Hands-on Workshop Focused on Complete Streets Planning and Implementation in Rural Villages and Transitioning Areas
Where:	Murdock Administration Building School Board Room 1445 Education Way Port Charlotte, FL 33948			Where:	Desoto Adult Education Family Service Center Annex 310 West Whidden Street Arcadia, FL 34266
When:	July 16, 2015 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM			When:	July 22, 2015 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM

Other Workshop Details

·         Boxed lunches will be available for purchase (Cost $5.00) during the workshop. 

·         AICP and PDH Credits are being applied for each workshop.

·         Please RSVP to lirvin@kittelson.com by 7/2/2015 so we can plan for the accommodations accordingly. 

We hope you can join us at this unique training opportunity!  Please feel free to share this opportunity with other colleagues who might be interested.  A more detailed agenda will be sent out closer to the date.  In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Sincerely, Jennifer A. Stults, AICP CTP, CPM Intermodal Systems Development Manager Florida Department of Transportation, District 1 801 N. Broadway Ave. P.O. Box 1249 Bartow, FL 33831-1249 Office 863-519-2656 Cell 863-221-9193  Fax 863-534-7172