Bo Turbeville

The steering committee of the Lehigh Weed & Seed program is looking for a new name and is asking the public and members of their own group to come up a new name this month.

“Nothing changes about working toward getting grants to help Lehigh Acres,” Turbeville said. “But our applications for grants will go through a different organization of the U.S. Department of Justice,” he said.

The Weed & Seed group met Thursday, May 13 at Veterans Park Center to review work being done by the many who are volunteering their services to the group for the improvement of Lehigh. Those services include mainly cleaning up tons of debris from various neighborhoods in Lehigh with as many as 500 volunteers helping.

The steering committee meets to listen to heads of committees such as law enforcement, community policing, community restoration, prevention, intervention and treatment, public relations and youth activities.

It was announced that on July 24 there will be a large block party for the whole family with the location to be announced. All those who have volunteered over the past year or so are invited to attend.

George Szymasnski, head of the Community Restoration Committee, told fellow members that there had been three major cleanups this year with almost 15 tons of debris being picked up. Just on April 24, he said more than four tons of trash had been picked up in certain areas.

“We have a lot of people who turn out to help us and we are very much appreciate of that,” Szymanski said.

It was also reported that more people are calling code enforcement officers when they see violations in their neighborhoods. Szymanski said this means more people are becoming involved. He said there are no major cleanups planned for the summer; however the group will be asking stores, clubs and organizations for help in buying supplies to conduct cleanups beginning in the fall.

Szymanski also asked Lt. Jim Loethen, a member of the steering committee how the group should handle cars and other vehicles that have been left abandoned on county property. He was told to call the Sheriff’s Office and personnel would get in touch with code enforcement and the vehicles would be tagged and moved if the owner does not respond.

Rae Nicely, who heads the Prevention, Intervention & Treatment Committee, told the group how happy she was that federal stimulus money was being allocated to Lehigh Community Services in Lehigh to buy its own building.

“We’ve never gotten so many calls and we like that,” she said. “Out community can be proud to know we will have our own place to provide the services we do,” she said. Her agency also includes the Lehigh United Way House. It is also a site where local people can go to apply for food stamps online.

She also noted that the letter carriers in Lehigh two Saturdays ago collected some 20,000 pounds of food from Lehigh residents who left non-perishable food at their mailboxes.

“It’s still coming in,” she said.

Bo Turbeville also heads the committee regarding the youth of Lehigh. Turbeville said many of the youths complain that they don’t have transportation to attend the events for them in Lehigh. There were suggestions made by some to approach Steven Baker, who has a renovated tour bus and has provided transportation to ball games for local youth.

It was noted there is a big event on July 11 for the youth at Veterans Park. Teen nights are held there on the third Friday of each month from 7 to 10 a.m with a host of activities.

Turbeville said he had talked with a group of about 200 students at Lehigh Senior High School and they were concerned about the lack of sidewalks in Lehigh.

“They said they know motorists get angry at them when they are walking on the road. They said they have to often walk from the roadway into low areas that contains weeds, debris and briars.

As for the name of the organization, Turbeville said he hoped it could be changed soon so a new website can be put up on the Internet.

The group’s coordinator, Andrea Adams from the Lee County Sheriffs Office said she is continuing to keep the “stats” of what Weed & Seed has been doing, so that information can be applied for monies in grants.

Stan Nelson, also with the Sheriff’s Office, and member of the Steering Committee said more money will be available in grants under the organization replacing Weed & Seed from the U.S. Justice Dept.

“They are doubling the money from $20 million to $40 million in grants. That is great news for Lehigh,” he said.

Lt. Jim Loethen of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office also told the steering committee that crime has dropped in Lehigh Acres.

It was noted that in crime logs in The Lehigh Acres Citizen are noticeably lower than they were a year or two ago. The next meeting is June 10.