City Manager
City Manager Column -With the continued population growth in Southwest Florida, residential and commercial building continues to flourish. Construction is a continuous state for most Florida municipalities, and Punta Gorda is no exception. A host of projects that enhance services to the public and benefit our growing population are moving forward in Punta Gorda. The American's with Disabilities Act (ADA) and security work at the City Hall Annex building continue. We appreciate the patience of our residents, contractors, and utility customers as we wrap up the updates to the building. The end result will be a safe, secure workspace for city employees and ADA accessible areas for the public to engage in business with the City. The Gilchrist Park/Harborwalk parking and upland construction project is a highly visible undertaking. This project began back in 2015 with design and planning. Council has approved numerous changes in the plan throughout the years. The project started when the City proposed to expand the Punta Gorda Pathways along the water. The existing pavilions needed to be relocated with the improvement. Additional amenities requested by residents included; pavilions and grills, benches, lighting, playground, and restroom facilities. These items were completed over the last seven years. The current final phase of the construction includes the remaining items requested by residents and approved by City Council, including additional parking, additional shade trees, and site furnishings. Contractors will also repair the Gilchrist park gazebo while other construction is occurring. The work is expected to be completed by the end of the calendar year. Another long-term project is wrapping up in the downtown area, wayfinding sign installation. Wayfinding signs are important to help visitors and residents to feel comfortable in the community and aid in navigating the amenities of the downtown. After many years of tedious revisions, the signs are currently being installed.
The rehabilitation of Historic City Hall work continues. Testing of the building for hazardous materials has been completed. Consultants met with city staff regarding potential levels of LEED certification to pursue for the building. In June City Council will consider options for space utilization, desired level of LEED certification, and additional design elements.
The A.C. Freeman House rehabilitation project will correct the building's current deficiencies. As a part of the project, Council directed staff to apply to have the structure listed on the historic registry. The state review of the application has been delayed until August. Southwest Florida Water Management District permitting is also on hold to determine the feasibility of applying for one permit for the entire campus, including the Historic City Hall project. Each of these projects furthers the City's mission to preserve and enhance Punta Gorda's identity as a vibrant waterfront community, unique in character and history, and as a desirable place to live, work and visit. The City's work continues throughout the year, and we look forward to a summer that brings each of these enhancements to resident and visitor services a little closer to completion. Readers may reach City Manager Greg Murray at citymgr@cityofpuntagordafl.com or by calling (941) 575-3302.
Urban Design
Upcoming Events
Going on now until Jul. 1, CHNEP 2023 Nature Calendar Photo Contest. For more information, visit https://www.chnep.org/calendar-photo-contest.
Charlotte Harbor Event Center, 75 Taylor St. For additional information, visithttps://www.charlotteharborecc.com/events
Fishermen’s Village events can be accessed at https://www.fishville.com/events/
Punta Gorda Chamber of Commerce events can be accessed at https://puntagordachamber.com/calendar-events/
Charlotte County Chamber of Commerce events can be accessed at https://business.charlottecountychamber.org/events/calendar
Military Heritage Museum events can be accessed at https://freedomisntfree.org/#
Punta Gorda Isles Civic Association, 2001 Shreve Street; for all community event and class
information, visit https://pgica.org/.
The Punta Gorda Historical Society will be hosting a variety of musicians in the Park on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month through May 2022 from 4 to 6 p.m. Bring your own chair band beverage of choice and peruse the Food Trucks for your dining pleasure. In lieu of admission fees, the Punta Gorda Historical Society requests your donations for the ongoing maintenance of
our four History Park buildings. For more information, visit www.puntagordahistory.com.
May 13-15, Punta Gorda Seafood & Music Festival, Laishley Park, 96 Nesbit St., For more information, contact events@paragonartfest.com
May 14, A Day of Celtic Music at Fishermen’s Village from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sponsored by The Cultural Heritage Center of Southwest Florida and The New World Celts
May 26 –May 31, Healing Field of Honor, Laishley Park, 96 Nesbit St, For more information,
contact adairjrobin@gmail.com
May 30, Memorial Day Veterans 10K & 5k Race, Laishley Park, 96 Nesbit St, For more
information, contact info@memorialdayrace.org
May 30, Memorial Day Ceremony by Charlotte County Veterans Council (CCVC) at Veterans Park gazebo by the Southwest Florida Vietnam Memorial Wall from 10:00–11:00 a.m. Limited bench seating is available; consider bringing your own folding chair if needed. For additional details, contact CCVC at charlottecountyveteranscouncil@gmail.com Lot Mowing Program
The City has completed/started mowing/trimming/edging the following areas:
Historic District East of 41 and the area behind Dunkin Donuts (E. Marion Avenue, E Olympia Avenue, Narranja Street, E Henry Street, and Cooper Street).
Downtown and Historic District (W. Marion Avenue, W. Olympia Avenue, Shreve Street, and
Harvey Street)
PGI (Magdalina Drive, Via Vento, W Henry Street, Appian Drive, and Columbian Drive).
Colony Point (Colony Point Drive, West Marion Avenue, Socorro Drive, and Coronado Drive).
PGI (Bal Harbor Boulevard, Deborah Drive, Ryan Boulevard, Suzi Street, and Casey Key Drive).
PGI Bird Section (Almar Drive, Albatross Drive, Whippoorwill Boulevard, and Turtle Dove Boulevard).
Burnt Store Isles (Monaco Drive, Tripoli Boulevard, Madrid Boulevard, and Macedonia Drive).
Burnt Store Meadows (Areas of Tamiami Tr, N. Blue Sage, S. Blue Sage, Royal Poinciana, and Gold Tree).
Original source can be found here.
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