Collier County Commissioners Vote to Support BERT
On January 14th the Collier County Commissioners pledged $899,000 as an initial down payment toward the purchase of Bonita-Estero rail corridor. Doug Hattaway, Trust for Public Land, made the pitch regarding the benefits of BERT with the commissioners who voted unanimously to support the trail.
“This is a public investment for the betterment of the community, and the fact that this is an urban trail provides a special amplification to the benefits that trails generally have for the communities they’re located in,” Hattaway told the commissioners.
Once completed, 1.5 miles of the 14.9 miles of the trail would be in Collier County. Purchase of the corridor would provide very important right-away crossing for the extension of Veterans Memorial Boulevard. The plan is to connect the southern portion of BERT to the Paradise Coast Trail in Collier County. The Paradise Coast Trail project is led by Florida Department of Transportation, Collier County Transportation Department and Naples Pathways Coalition that would connect Naples, Ave Maria, Immokalee and other areas within and beyond Collier County. Together, the Paradise Coast Trail and BERT would be part of the 400+ mile Florida Gulf Coast Trail.
Collier County joined the City of Bonita Springs and the Village of Estero making initial pledges toward the purchase of the corridor totaling just under $11 million. The Collier County Commissioners also committed $5,000 to the Trust for Public Land for preparation of federal BUILD grant application. Bonita Springs, Estero, Trust for Public Land and Friends of BERT chipped in $5000 each for the grant application which was completed on January 30th. Collier County, Bonita Springs, and Estero will continue to work together on funding opportunities for the purchase and construction of the trail with assistance from the Trust for Public Land and the Friends of BERT. Taken together, the creation of the coalition, their financial pledges, and demonstrated community support from Friends of BERT provide momentum and the necessary foundation needed to secure funding for the trail.
