Sheldon Zoldan/Special to WGCU

The vacant 61 acres that sits on the north and south sides of the intersection at Alico Road and U.S. 41 won’t sit empty much longer.

The stars and stripes will unfurl on a 250-foot flagpole in Cape Coral to celebrate the United States’ 250th birthday, while no flag will wave over Bonita Springs.

Bonita Springs has become the final government to approve its share of the $60 million purchase of Seminole Gulf Railway right-of-way for an 11.4-mile bike trail that would extend from Estero into Collier County.

The three communities financing the 11.4-mile Bonita Estero Rail Trail will need to decide by the end of March how they will pay for it.

Gianna Clemente’s dream has arrived. Even though she is a month away from her 18th birthday and three months away from graduating high school, she will reach her goal of becoming a pro golfer March 5 when she tees off in the Atlantic Beach Classic on Florida’s east coast.

Drivers navigating the intersection of Six Mile Cypress Parkway and U.S. 41 will need to be patient for at least another decade before they see improvements to make their commutes easier. Design for improvements will take place between 2031 and 2035, according to the county’s Metropolitan Planning Organization priority list that was approved last month. Six Mile to the east of U.S. 41 is a state road; Gladiolus Drive to the west of U.S. 41 is a county road.

A discussion about the future of historic McCollum Hall will have to wait another month. Wednesday’s meeting has been cancelled because of a lack of a quorum.The Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency is continuing to work on what should be done with McCollum Hall, said LeShaun Collier, deputy director of communications. The agency has set up a website, mccollumhall.com to keep the community updated.

Turning historic McCollum Hall in Fort Myers into a mixed-use development with co-working space and a restaurant is not only commercially viable but represents an opportunity for cultural and community revitalization.That was one of the findings from a feasibility analysis done with the help of AI by the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency. The results will be discussed at Wednesday’s Fort Myers CRA meeting.