Debbie Bartha

Members of the Lehigh Acres Community Planning Corp. (LACPC) elected two local people to fill two vacant seats on their board last week. In addition, they received good news from member Willard Baker about new sidewalks to be built in Lehigh in addition to those already planned, thanks to monies left in the Obama Stimulus package to the tune of around $750,000, according to Baker, who called it a “gift.”

The two new members elected to join the planning board are Paul Lambertucci and Debbie Bartha. They were selected from a field of four applicants, including Robert Anderson and Ken Goodson.

Lambertucci is a long-time Lehigh Acres businessman who continues to manage his properties. He told the LACPC that he was interested in the betterment of Lehigh and wanted to be a part of the group that is overseeing the future of the community. Bartha is a relatively newcomer to Lehigh who said she loved the community and wanted to see it grow responsibly. She was formerly employed by Home Depot.

Bo Turbeville announced that Lee County Principal Planner Jim Mudd had been scheduled to be at the meeting July 8, but didn’t attend because he is no longer an employee of Lee County. It was Mudd who guided the group through the couple of years while the Lehigh comprehensive plan was being put together.

Turbeville said the work would continue with Paul O’Conner from the planning department. Lee County Commissioner Frank Mann told The Citizen later that O’Conner was very familiar with the Lehigh Plan, as it has come to be known, and that the department would continue to work to push the plan to its eventual destination, Tallahassee.

Paul Lambertucci

“I talked to Mr. O’Conner and he said his department was very familiar with the Lehigh Comprehensive Plan and how important it was for the people of Lehigh and how important it was to see that it is sent to the Legislature by a certain date,” Mann said.

The big news of the evening came from LACPC member Willard Baker who a lot of people are calling “Sidewalk Willy.” Baker has been fighting for sidewalks for years in Lehigh. He is a member of a county advisory board that dispenses funds for sidewalk construction.

Baker told the LACPC extra money was coming from the county to Lehigh to construct about two miles of sidewalk on Sunnyland Blvd. to its end.

He said it was drastically needed in that area of Lehigh because of the two schools in the general area, the new Marsh Elementary and the existing Sunshine Elementary School.

“It’s dangerous out there for the kids without sidewalks,” he said.

He also announced the addition of nearly a mile of sidewalk from Homestead Rd. down Business Way to Beth Stacey Blvd.

“With more business building in that area, we felt sidewalks were needed to connect the two busy areas. Along that stretch of street is the Lehigh Post Office, Sterling House, an assisted living complex, and a medical building along with the new Microtel Inn and Suites. There are already some sidewalks there but they need to be connected, Baker told the group.

He said the money was coming from a Stimulus package from the Obama Administration and it would put about 35 to 40 people to work in Lehigh.

“That’s one good advantage of it, too, having workers for several months constructing new sidewalks,” he said. The money came through the BPAC (Bicycle, Pedestrian Advisory Committee). Baker is secretary of that group and has been active on its board for the past seven years. While he has been on the board Lehigh has seen the construction of more sidewalks.

Baker said the money is being used to build sidewalks that were not on the five-year list.

“That will continue, the five-year plan,” Baker said.

“The money came to us unexpectedly and I was very happy,” Baker said.

He said 1995 when there was a CRA in Lehigh, there have been about 100 miles of new sidewalks built in the community.

“And if I had my way, we would have sidewalks all over Lehigh. That’s my goal,” he said.

The next meeting of the LACPC is July 12 at 6:30 p.m. at the Veterans Park Community Center. Turbeville said he would talk with the person who is taking over the Lehigh Plan. O’Conner may be invited to the next meeting on July 12 at 6:30 p.m. at the Veterans Park Community Center.

Member Frank LaRosa said it was something the board needed to “stay on top of.”