Editorial: Estero

Estero. The arts.

Who would have thought those two would pair up so nicely?

In yet another symbol of Estero's rapid emergence as a major player in Southwest Florida, the Estero Council of Community Leaders on Friday voted to let its arts committee spread its wings and become its own separate group.

Though the thought of Estero needing an art committee might seem strange to area residents who haven't driven through the fast-growing community lately, the idea makes sense. Estero already is home to a few arts groups and events and recently hosted the successful Arts in Estero day.

It's what's on the horizon, though, that's most impressive.

Next year, the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra will give three concerts at Estero Community Park, a site that undoubtedly will be a popular venue for arts-related events for years to come. Then there's the plan for Gulfshore Playhouse along the Estero River, the proposed art district at Rapallo, including a performing arts center, and the possibility of free Sunday concerts at the state park, like the Koreshans held back in their heyday a century ago. The list goes on and on, and that's not including big-name acts at Germain Arena or the various arts-related opportunities up the road at Florida Gulf Coast University.

Much of what's coming to Estero in the arts field is still in the proposal stage. That's why the timing to create a stand-alone arts council makes so much sense. Estero is still defining itself as it transforms at breakneck speed from rural community to what soon will be a densely populated town. To use an arts term, the canvas is mostly blank.

Whether that canvas features a thriving and vibrant arts scene has not yet been decided. Friday's creation of the Arts Development Council, though, paints a pretty picture of what the future could look like.