Residents: Other Bonita Springs site ‘better’ for new high school

BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. – A new high school would ruin their Bonita Springs neighborhood — that was the crowd consensus at a Lee County School Board meeting Tuesday.

The school board is considering erecting a new school off Imperial Parkway, but nearby residents simply are not supporting that option.

Another Bonita Springs location, along Bonita Beach Road, may be available to the school board. Go with that option, neighbors said.

Dan Troup of Hawthorne said the site off Imperial Parkway will not work for him.

“I know it’s been a difficult process for the school board to find a good site but I think they have another site that’s much better than this one,” Troup said.

There are four gated communities in the area near the Imperial Parkway site.

Safety is a concern, neighbors said. They let that and other concerns, like noise and property values, be known Tuesday by showing up dressed in red and stickers that read “No school on Imperial.”

“People think we’re against the students and against the high school,” said Charles Yanni, one of the Bonita Springs protestors present at the meeting. “We are not against either. We were all high school students at one time. I have children and grandchildren who are in high school. We just think the Bonita Grande, Bonita Beach Road site is the better site.”

No decision about the site of the future high school was to be made Tuesday at the school board meeting. Residents were aware of this but showed up to speak during the public hearing portion.