BEGINNING THE NEXT TWENTY YEARS – 2009
The community, having turned 20 years old in 2008, continued to need improvements in 2009. Several projects were planned and completed.
The 484,000-gallon water tank project was completed in June 2009. Forty percent ($237,600) of the contract amount of $619,000 was covered by a grant from the South Florida Water Management Department. Residents, having been assessed for the project, were reimbursed with a credit to their quarterly master association fees.
Another project, golf course irrigation, began in July 2009 and was completed in October. Contractor Stallman England used new state-of-the-art technology designed by Rain Bird Corporation. The benefits were significant with operational cost-savings and a better conditioned golf course. The decoder system enabled more efficient watering in less time, which conserved water and saved on electrical costs. The number of sprinkler heads on the course was increased from 434 to more than 750, watering areas not previously irrigated.
Condo and Villa pools were renovated; condo, villa, and main pools were patched and re-surfaced. Asphalt re-paving of several areas of the road was completed in July 2009. The addition of a new exit onto Country Creek Drive at the end of the lower parking lot helped reduce the traffic congestion near the bag drop and the entrance/exit area.
Other changes took place in January 2009. The Villager, having been published in-house by a paid professional since November 2006, was once again published by Seabreeze Communications under the direction of Ellen Lockard, chair of the Communications Committee. In April 2009, Ellen and her husband Bob Lockard, who had given so much to this community as volunteers, moved back to Virginia, and Joan Meginniss was appointed chair of the Communications Committee and editor of The Villager. Dale Erickson continued to be the Web site administrator, frequently offering hints to the community to make it easier to access the site.
Country Creek Community Charities, Inc. (CCCC, Inc.) named Judy Kuglitsch the new chairperson. Over the years CCCC, Inc. had donated more than $300,000 to local charities. The 2009 Garage Sale raised over $8,700. They awarded $17,000 to eight local charities.
Board members elected at Country Creek’s 2009 annual March meeting were Joe Boro and Alice Rintamaa. Jackie Yndestad was re-elected. Jerry Desmond was named president. Other members were Gary Miller, Dan Cermack and John Beleutz. Dave Immonen was appointed treasurer. Certificates of Appreciation were given to Bob Nelson, Pamela Jones-Morton, John Sackl, Ray Pothier, and Ron Reichert for service to the community. Dan Cermack, who resigned from the board in September while serving his second term, died November 7, 2009.
In sports, golf’s Club Champions in 2009 were Debbie Verwey and Bob Bal. The Ladies’ Association Champion was Donna Starr; Men’s Association Champion was Carl Sandquist. Winners of the tennis men’s team competition were Yuergen Molsen and Dell Bedard, and an award was given to the oldest playing octogenarian, Nat Wesser. The ladies competed in the BonEro Women’s Tennis league (teams from Bonita and Estero) and took first place in Division One. The Bocce Association was revived with twelve teams and more than 250 players. 2009’s first place winners were the Goombas. The team with most room for improvement was the Bocce Boomers.
Country Creek residents were active and honored in associations beyond the VCC community. An honor was bestowed on Howard A. Seifer who received the Republic of France’s Legion of Honor medal. He was granted the rank of Chevalier at a ceremony in Naples.
The Estero Historical Society celebrated 10 years in 2009. Country Creek resident Mary Ann Weenen was the second president serving two terms from 2004 to 2008; Country Creek’s Georgia Nelson was vice president. Through the years they unearthed pictures and information and documented Estero’s history. Grants from the College of Life Foundation and the Lee County Preservation Board made it possible for the society to move two historical buildings, the Hall-Hanson-Collier House and the Estero School House, to the Estero Community Park located on Corkscrew Road across from VCC. The restored buildings will house the headquarters for the Estero Historical Society and a museum.
Also in the greater Estero community, road construction and repair continued in 2009. In October, Lee County celebrated the opening of the Estero Parkway Flyover, a $35 million major bridge project over I-75 from Three Oaks Parkway to Ben Hill Griffin Parkway. It was projected the Flyover would reduce Corkscrew Road Traffic by 10,000 vehicles per day.
Housing units permitted in Estero during 2009 were slightly less than in 2008 and far lower than all other years in the last decade. The number of housing units permitted in Estero remained at rock bottom with 164 in 2009 compared to 2833 in 2005. The value of commercial building permits totaled about $9.8 million compared to nearly $185 million in 2006. Although new home construction statistics were low for 2009, the story for overall home sales was promising. Compared with 2008 sales data, there was a 23% increase in the number of home sales and a 20% increase in the number of condominium sales. However, the average price for homes fell by 27% and the average price for condominiums dropped 37%. Residents were optimistic about an improved economy in the next decade.
