Dear Members and Friends,

March Madness indeed! It's been an incredibly busy few weeks, both at the Beach Park and beyond. I'd like to share the highlights of the last few weeks.

We welcomed new Board member Doris Willmer and Beach Park Attendant Jim Rozzi.

Board member Sharda Spahr was honored with the Sam Noe Award for her outstanding service to the City of Naples.

More than 150 members gathered for the MPOA Annual Meeting to socialize and hear Naples City Manager, Jay Boodheshwar, give a detailed update on the City of Naples and answer member questions.

During the March Board meeting, Jay Newman, COO of the Athens Group, updated the members on the progress and projected completion dates of the Naples Beach Club.

The MPOA co-sponsored the Candidates Forum with GSAC and PSA which allowed nearly 200 city residents to hear the positions and priorities of the Mayoral and City Council candidates before the important March 19th election.

The idle barges left in Moorings Bay have been removed. Many thanks to NPD, FWC and the other City departments that contributed to this effort.

Food Truck Fridays are back, and the first one was a resounding success. The turnout exceeded expectations, and it was amazing to see members and their friends and family gathered at the restored Beach Park to eat, socialize, and enjoy another spectacular sunset. We are a community of caring and responsible members, as evidenced the following day when I arrived early at the Beach Park to find it spotless! Mark your calendar for the next Food Truck Friday on April 12th.

See you at the Beach Park.

Cliff Holland, President MPOA

Naples City Manager, Jay Boodheshwar, and Chief of Police, Ciro Dominguez

MPOA President Cliff Holland and Master Officer Jeff Perry

2024 Annual Meeting: City of Naples and Beach Park Updates

More than 150 members gathered in the Moorings Presbyterian Church’s Moss Hall to socialize and hear updates on the City and the Beach Park. Naples City Manager Jay Boodheshwar, presented a comprehensive overview of many of the key projects and initiatives across the city, including the Naples Pier, stormwater management, staffing, water quality, and the Naples Beach Club.

Treasurer Ted Blankenship provided a financial update and President Cliff Holland and Vice President Rick Frenier gave an update on the status of the Beach Park restoration, reporting that 17 months after the intense destruction of Hurricane Ian, the restoration of the park is materially complete.

Members also voted in new Board member, Doris Willmer, and welcomed new park attendant, Jim Rozzi.

Beach Park Update: Thank you to everyone who came out to the Beach Park for the March Food Truck Friday. Mark your calendars for the next one on April 12th. More info to follow.

MPOA Board Member Sharda Spahr Awarded Sam Noe Award

On March 6, 2024, the Naples City Council passed a resolution naming Sharda J. Spahr, the recipient of the 2024 Sam Noe Award, for exemplary service by members of the City’s boards.

Sharda Spahr is the immediate past chair of the Moorings Bay Citizens Advisory Committee, serving on that board since 2014. She also provided environmental recommendations to a member of Council on issues including the city’s lakes and the beach outfall removal project.

Doris Willmer Joins the MPOA Board

Doris Willmer has 48 years of experience in the engineering industry, 38 of which she spent

working for her own firm, Willmer Engineering, Inc., of which she is founder and former

president. As the president of Willmer she was responsible for daily operations and was

principal consultant in the environmental engineering department.

Doris has served on numerous engineering, educational and community boards throughout her career. She currently volunteers as a mentor to young women interested in engineering careers through The Immokalee Foundation, Florida Gulf Coast University and her former firm. She also has remained active lecturing on professionalism and ethics at Florida Gulf Coast University and the University of Georgia. She is looking forward to serving the Moorings community through the MPOA Board.

Welcome New Park Attendant Jim Rozzi

Meet Jim, a Gold Member, who has joined us at the Park as an attendant to work Sundays and fill temporary vacancies with the added benefit of being near the water he loves. After his retirement in 1992 from business and the practice of law in Indiana, he and his wife Sue were very fortunate to live on the water inside Doctors Pass for over 20 years. Jim, a former US Navy Officer during the Vietnam Era with three years of Sea Duty, was licensed by the USCG as a 100-ton Master and was also certified as a Full Cave, Wreck, and Mixed Gas instructor. He has had the good fortune to teach, explore, and dive all over the world with many articles and photographs published. He and his partners maintained the custom dive boat, Gone Astray, in the Bahamas for ten years to primarily explore the “Out-Islands.”

Jim served on the Naples Moorings Bay Special Taxing District, was an Interim President of the Collier Athletic Club, was a Board member of the Indiana Health Care Association and is a current member of the First Naples Investment Club.

He is excited to be of assistance to one of the premier recreational assets in Collier County, our Moorings Beach Park! Stop by and say hello to Jim.

WIFI Password and Restroom Code

Wifi has been restored at the Beach Park. Select mpoa guest and enter the password mpoa4321

A reminder that the code for the restroom doors is 2024.

Water Quality

Resources

Swim safely by checking the latest Naples water quality conditions at Florida Healthy Beaches and the most recent red tide updates.

Membership Processing Timeline

A reminder that there is a processing delay from when a member submits their renewal to when it reaches the attendants. Please wait at least 7 days before requesting your sticker at the Beach Park.

March MPOA Board Meeting

Jay Newman, COO of the Athens Group, provided an update on the progress and planning for the future Naples Beach Club hotel, residences, and golf course. Access the presentation HERE.

Board members also provided reports on City updates, Park Restoration, Social, Waterways, Membership, and Financial.

An Update on the Miracle Mile

Miracle Mile Update from Mary Hayes: As many of you know who were in attendance at the February 7th City Council Meeting, the consultant Agnoli, Barber & Brundage’ contract was approved to move forward with a conceptual master plan for the above ground streetscape along the Miracle Mile. Since that meeting, the Consulting firm, ABB, has been bought by a new company, LJA, which is another full service engineering consultancy firm. Committee members, City Manager Jay Boodheshwar, Public Works Director, Bob Middleton and several of their key staff members plus members of the LJA staff met last week for a Naples Miracle Mile project kick-off meeting. This meetings’ purpose was for us to provide critical feedback from the residents for the consultant to move forward. As a result, the committee has already started working on the Naples Miracle Mile website with the CEO of a certified public information firm complete with web designers on staff.

The Miracle Mile brand continues to gain traction in the community. Recently, Jay Newman, COO of the Athens Group (Naples Beach Club/Four Seasons), also gave updates of their project at several community associations’ annual meetings. His PowerPoint presentation incorporated “The Miracle Mile” as the header to some of his slides. Many realtors now describe our 1.3 mile stretch as “The Miracle Mile”. In fact, yesterday we went into the new Bad Ass Coffee Shop in Charleston Square and they now have “Bad Ass Coffee, The Miracle Mile, Naples, Florida” tee shirts for sale! How fun is that? Wink News and the Naples Daily News who also refer to our boulevard as the Miracle Mile will also continue to provide our latest updates. Additionally, be on the lookout for an article in the May issue of the Old Naples News on the Miracle Mile.

I also want to let you know that we have added a new committee member to the Miracle Mile team. Her name is Susan Criezis. Susan is a resident on the Miracle Mile. She and her husband Demetri have been licensed architects for over 40 years and owned an architectural firm in Chicago for 20 years. Susan was also Community Development Director for a Chicago suburb in charge of city planning, zoning, building permits and inspections. The committee is also looking to add Miracle Mile team members who are also residents on our boulevard that possess a background in underground infrastructure, Legal Counsel and Financial experience in Local Government.

Your input is always welcome! We were thinking of doing another Walk down the Miracle Mile in the Fall. Let me know if that would be of interest to you.

Mary Hayes, Chair

Miracle Mile Project

maryscalahayes@gmail.com

Reminder: GSAC Climate Forum is on March 26th

GSAC Forum: Preparing for Climate Change and Rising Sea Levels

Don't miss the GSAC forum on Tuesday, March 26 from 9:00 - 10:30 am.

Location: Naples United Church of Christ (5200 Crayton Road, Naples, 34103)

A moderated panel will discuss topics including:

Climate Change Mitigation
Impacts of Rising Sea Levels to Naples and Collier County
Environmental Resilience and Adaptation Strategies

Learn more here

Upcoming 2024 Board Meetings

MPOA Board Meetings are held on the 2nd Tuesday of the month from 3-4 pm at the Moorings Presbyterian Church, 791 Harbour Dr. If you cannot attend in person, please join by Zoom.

Board Meeting - April 9th

Board Meeting - May 14th

Fridays at the Beach Park

Save the Date! Friday, April 12th, a food truck will be at the Beach Park from . Bring your family and friends and your favorite beverage to socialize with other members, eat at the new picnic tables, or take your goodies to go! These social events are weather-dependent. A confirmation email will be sent out a few days prior.

Upcoming Food Truck Fridays

April 12th, 4:00 pm to sunset - Food truck details coming soon!

Did you miss the February newsletter? Read it HERE.

The Moorings Property Owners Association (MPOA) is a voluntary homeowners association in the City of Naples, Florida. The MPOA strives to create a vibrant and welcoming community through a commitment to preserving the beauty, safety, and ecology of The Moorings, its Beach Park, and its waterways.

Visit the MPOA Website