Committee members and town staff on Oct. 21 discussed county plans for sidewalk repairs and a county-led crosswalk lighting project along Estero Boulevard.

A staff member said the county has the list of identified missing sidewalk segments and that the county put the repairs out for bid. "They are out for bid," staff said, and the plan is to do the work "all at the same time" once a contract is awarded. The committee was told the county will coordinate crosswalk lighting and sidewalk repairs to avoid redoing town landscaping.

Town staff advised the committee that crosswalk lighting installation will begin in the first week of November on the south end, pending final approvals from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to ensure lights are properly shielded from the beach. "You should see the first lights coming on here the first week of November... They told us that we should see all the lights done by the November, if not the December, depending obviously on weather," staff said. The photometric study and layout are available on the town's website, staff said.

Committee members raised sidewalk conditions, including areas where utility cuts were filled with asphalt rather than concrete and where sand intrusion makes sidewalks unusable for cyclists and pedestrians. Staff said the town had transmitted photos and location data to the county and that the county will perform repairs according to the bid schedule. The town has paused planned street landscaping along Estero Boulevard until sidewalk repairs are complete to avoid rework.

Staff suggested follow-up with county contact Will to obtain an updated schedule and said they would pursue that and report back to the committee.

Separately, the committee noted that Old San Carlos now has a string of solar lights installed recently to improve nighttime safety; staff said that is a temporary measure until decorative poles can be installed once CDBG-DR funding becomes available.

No formal action was taken; staff agreed to follow up with county staff and return with a status update to the committee.