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Residents challenge Alva site for proposed new schools, cite off-site infrastructure costs and safety concerns
Summary
Multiple public speakers told the board that placing a new high school and middle school in Alva — rather than Lehigh Acres — will add tens of millions in off-site infrastructure costs, increase busing and raise safety concerns.
Several members of the public urged the board to reconsider the planned location for a proposed new high school and middle school that the district has included in its capital plan, saying off-site infrastructure costs and limited walkable population make the Alva site problematic.
Cindy Seberly told the board that the district's capital plan now includes $22,500,000 in off-site expenses on top of an initial $140,000,000 cost estimate and argued the site should instead be built in Lehigh Acres, where she said the student population is much larger. "This is a substantial cost year over year," Seberly said, and she described the additional off-site expense as effectively shifting costs onto property taxpayers.
Christopher Mio, a resident of Alva who said he lives near the proposed site, raised safety and infrastructure concerns: narrow two-lane roads, limited sidewalks, water-access limitations for emergency responders, and existing nearby private gun ranges that he said could trigger school lockdowns during the school day. "Please take that into consideration as well," Mio said.
Both speakers framed their comments as requests for the board to reassess location and infrastructure costs; the board received the comments during the budget public hearing and did not take a site decision at the July 29 meeting.
