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Fort Myers Beach to pick up discussions Thursday on community push to keep iconic landmarks

Posted at 6:10 AM, Dec 03, 2020
and last updated 2020-12-03 22:14:37-05

FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla -- Town leaders on Fort Myers Beach will discuss what to do with some of the island's iconic landmarks Thursday. It's all part of a design concept discussion that has been going on.

One of those landmarks sits right in the heart of Times Square. The Times Square Clock serves as a meeting place for many headed out to nearby restaurants or the pier.

When design conversations first started and people heard that the clock might be removed and replaced with something else, they started writing in to council members.

Last month, council member Jim Atterholt said he received so many thoughtful messages pushing for the clock to stay. So he asked for further discussion at meetings like the one scheduled for Thursday morning.

The hope is to have more town discussion and get community feedback on the matter, so that the town manager is able to instruct the design team accordingly.

In addition to discussing the clock, Atterholt also asked for another piece of history to be on the agenda. It's an item so iconic, it's what you see in the background of town meetings. The iconic arches that once stood at the entrance of Fort Myers Beach for 55 years have been gone for decades.

There has long been community conversation to rebuild them. The group Restore Fort Myers Beach Arches has been raising money to rebuild them from the original rock for years now.

That long time push from the community is why Atterholt said he wants to see further discussion on that item as well, saying the community is entitled to some sort of direction from council.

The meeting is set to get started at 9 a.m.