Tag: BERT Update
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ConnectLee
Let’s ConnectLee! Imagine a linear park and greenway that extends from the Lee/Collier County border, all the way north to the Lee/Charlotte County border. We at Friends of Bonita Estero Rail Trail call that effort…ConnectLee! While we advocate for BERT, we know our 14.9-mile linear park and trail is part of a larger trail network that…
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Dunedin
The Pinellas Trail Effect: How a sleepy little town, with a failing economy, experienced an economic boom! The Pinellas Loop Trail is a 75-mile-long bicycle and pedestrian trail that traverses all of Pinellas County and bisects downtown Dunedin. Dunedin’s strategic location along the trail has turned this once depressed community into a destination spot for outdoor enthusiasts. Compared…
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BERT ECONOMIC BENEFITS
BERT Economic Benefits It’s time to get excited about the economic benefits that the Bonita Estero Rail Trail will bring to Lee County! Upon completion the trail is expected to draw thousands of tourists annually contributing heavily to the growth and diversification of the tourism economy for Lee County. Trail user expenditures for hotels, restaurants, grocery stores,…
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Feasibility Study Approved!
Feasibility Study Approved! On March 17th a big milestone was met. The Lee County MPO Board unanimously approved the feasibility study, bringing us one step closer to making this Rail to Trail a reality. Friends of BERT packed the MPO meeting with at least 35 Friends sporting BERT shirts, 13 of whom gave 3-minute presentations during the public…
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BICYCLIST KILLED ON TAMIAMI TRAIL
BICYCLIST KILLED ON TAMIAMI TRAIL A bicyclist was killed in Naples on Saturday on Tamiami Trail. This is the reason Friends of BERT is fighting so hard for the BERT trail; to save lives! Click here to learn more about this story.
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BONITA FEST
BONITA FEST On February 25th, Goats Coffee sponsored an event at Riverside Park called “Bonita Fest.” This event benefited local non-profits and raised money for the Bonita Springs American Legion and the Bonita Springs Assistance Office to help toward recovery from Hurricane Ian. The Friends of the Bonita Estero Rail Trail (BERT) were invited to participate so…
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FUNDRAISING HAS BEGUN
FUNDRAISING HAS BEGUN As all of us know, we will need a lot of support for the Bonita Estero Rail Trail to become a reality. All of our volunteers work for free so we don’t spend a dime on that. But the costs of materials, supplies, websites, accounting and so on are not. As we get deeper…
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GROWING SUPPORT FOR THE BONITA ESTERO RAIL TRAIL
GROWING SUPPORT FOR THE BONITA ESTERO RAIL TRAIL The Friends of BERT have been hard at work growing our base of advocates for the proposed rail-trail conversion. Since September, the number of individual supporters has grown from just a handful to over 2600! Efforts to get homeowners association boards to endorse BERT have resulted in…
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BERT MAKING PROGRESS: Feasibility Study wrapping up and Design Phase to begin!
BERT MAKING PROGRESS: Feasibility Study wrapping up and Design Phase to begin! The Lee Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is making the rounds and gaining acceptance of the two-year feasibility study. These presentations culminate on March 17th at the MPO Policy Board meeting in Fort Myers. Please attend if you can, and wear your BERT shirt. We’d…
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Friends of BERT Update
Hello! I would like to start by acknowledging all of the new members of Friends of the Bonita Estero Rail Trail, (BERT). Welcome and thank you so much for joining! It’s so great to read the stories and words of encouragement from our new members. Friends of BERT has grown at a faster…