LA-MSID celebrates completion of West Marsh
The Lehigh Acres Municipal Services Improvement District’s Board of Commissioners and staff hosted a micro-event last week to celebrate the ribbon cutting for the district’s long awaited West Marsh Preserve Stormwater Treatment Project.
The project marks an historic milestone for the District and is the culmination of more than 10 years of cooperative work by district staff and several partner agencies. The West Marsh Project was broken up into a multi-phase plan, which began In December 2008, when Lee County’s 20/20 Program purchased the property now known as the West Marsh Preserve–adjacent to LA-MSID’s Harns Marsh Preserve.
“This is a big improvement to this property. The West Marsh project has been a true cooperative effort and labor of love and devotion by the board, its staff, and our partners over the past 10 years. We have many of our partners here today. The West Marsh cost $13.2 million to restore to a more natural habitat for both the animals and our residents to enjoy. Out of the large ticket number, the district contributed $350,000 of our non ad valorem taxes. All other costs were covered by grants, services and fees for this wonderful projects,” said Ken Thompson, chair, LA-MSID Board of Commissioners.
Thompson also took time to recognize LAMSID’s partnerships including representatives with Lee County Parks and Recreation, Southwest Florida Water Management, state legislators and the FDOT, which used the dirt excavated from the site as fill dirt for State Road 82.