Lee set to approve $1.7M beach renourishment deal

That bunch can heave a second collective sigh this Tuesday, when commissioners approve a contract to renourish the beach for well less than the expected cost.

"The bid came in a lot lower than we'd predicted," said Bonita Councilman Bob Wagner, who represents the Bonita Beach district. "We actually thought it would be a lot more."

"We got a really good bid," county project manager Anura Karuna-Muni echoed. "It doesn't happen that often."

The $1.7 million bid was by Lake Michigan Contractors.

Karuna-Muni said the other bids were $2.8 million and $3.2 million. The city, county and state are jointly paying for the job.

Plans to widen Bonita Beach, specifically the northern end of Little Hickory Island, had to be shelved before hurricane season when federal and state regulators demanded a study on the effect on sea turtle nesting. The number and success of the nests dropped dramatically after the beach was widened in 1995.

The new project will mirror the previous one except for the southernmost 1,000 feet, which will have a more gradual slope. That portion of beach will act as a test of whether the more gradual slope is better for turtle nesting.

Wagner said that was a compromise.

"It was holding the whole process up," he said. "Because of the escarpment they thought the turtles couldn't nest."

Wagner made a call, he said, and the city and county agreed to pay to recontour the beach before nesting season if necessary.

Despite the company's name, Karuna-Muni said, Lake Michigan Contractors has a lot of Florida experience. The company did the recent redredging of Matanzas Pass at Fort Myers Beach.

It's hoped the company will have more work in the immediate future. Officials are still trying to get permits to widen the beach at Lovers Key, directly across the pass from Bonita Beach.

"We don't have the permit yet, but possibly by the time they're done with Bonita Beach, Lovers Key will be ready, Karuna-Muni said.

The deal is structured so that the county can expand the contract at the same unit price, he said.

Wagner said Bonita Beach continues to see more visitors, especially with Fort Myers Beach now charging $1 an hour to park at beach accesses.

"We're experiencing a lot of traffic from Fort Myers Beach to Bonita Beach," he said.

Parking is still free at Bonita accesses, and 75 cents an hour at beach parks.

"We're desperately trying to find more beach parking, not only for tourists but for the citizens of Bonita Springs," Wagner said.

Toward that end the city is in the midst of a project to add 20 parking spaces near the north end of Bonita Beach.

Commissioners will be asked to approve the contract at their regular weekly meeting, scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, at the Old Lee County Courthouse in downtown Fort Myers. The contractor will likely start pumping sand from New Pass to the beach in January. That will take about 75 days, after which the contractor will monitor the beach for another 175 days. The widening is expected to last about 10 years.