Town awards earthwork contract for Newton Park; advisory board eyes additional South‑end amenities

Fort Myers Beach has awarded a contract to perform earthwork at Newton Park to grade the site for new sod, pickleball courts and a walking trail, advisory board members were told Wednesday.

The project is an early construction step that prepares the park for future recreational amenities and public use; the earthwork will make the parcel grade-ready so subsequent work — sod installation, courts and site furnishings — can proceed.

Town staff said the work will ready the site for picnic tables and other minimal improvements in the near term. Separately, board members said the town received a grant for a 30-by-30-foot fitness court to be installed on the south end of Newton Park near Strandview, next to the restroom trailer. The fitness court is a compact outdoor workout area intended for drop-in use and complements other park amenities.

Board members also discussed broader South‑end needs, saying any purchase of small properties or pursuit of grants (for example conservation or trust grants) would need council-level direction and likely grant funding because the town’s operating budget does not currently include new land acquisitions. Members asked staff to continue tracking opportunities and to bring benchmark information to future budget discussions.

Board members noted that beach renourishment is scheduled to take place in the coming weeks and that some beautification work will follow renourishment. Contractors placed portable restrooms at access points to support renourishment work; staff said not all were located on town property and that the town is coordinating with the contractor to remove units where appropriate.