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More on the Bokeelia Boat Ramp

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To the Editor:

I’d like to add a comment to follow Fritz Costello’s “Bokeelia Boat Ramp” letter of Feb. 25.

When the county purchased the boat ramp, several meetings of the affected local residents were held by county Parks and Recreation representatives and architects planning its redesign.

Residents of the adjoining streets and canals expressed concerns at the meetings over noise, street parking problems, boat exhaust, canal congestion, boaters using private docks without permission, drinking on and around the property, etc.

A representative of the Lee County Parks and Recreation Department stated to at least 50 attendees that residents in the area would have “free launching” to compensate for the inconveniences of having an increased influx of boaters using the area, as long as we did not park at the facility.

Last year the county reneged on this commitment and we are now being charged for boat launching. When I called in early November 2008 to question why the county was not living up to its commitment, the Public Works Department had a member of the Parks and Recreation Department call me.

Although the person collecting the ramp fee had told me the launching fee was a county fee, the Parks and Recreation representative who called said this was not true and the launch fee was allowed to be collected and kept by the concession holder(s) who felt they were not making enough money.

I told him it would be a simple matter to inform the concession holder that the residents of named area streets were exempt from launch fees per earlier agreement with the county, if they presented a current tax bill. He promised to call me the following Wednesday after a meeting on the project where he would air my concern. I’m still waiting.

We who were present at the meeting should feel obligated to inform any Lee County residents negotiating local concerns with Lee County agencies that the county is cavalier about honoring its verbal commitments, even when made to a roomful of people, and that they should get all concessions from Lee County in written, legal form.

Wiser now,

Leah Flak

Bokeelia