An observation deck?
To observe what?
Wrinkly skin & boobs that point to hell?

I would rather see sun shelters with benches than a fishing pier. Is this an observation deck? I'm not sure.

A pier in Pelican Bay would be good.

I am looking forward to the pier

I was at this meeting. Who cares what vance thinks anyway? Just a bunch of angry people. I'm not going back, most of these people don't even live in the estates I found out. Don't waste money, build the pier. One guy was talking about lakes in the estates. Who wants to swim with gators?

Pelican Bay is built on a wetland, it would be interesting to learn how it ever was developed.

$8.5 million could really help spiff up current beach facilities all throughout Collier.

Too bad that money can't go to other needs.

Jim Coletta really wants that pier though, no matter what the public says. He tries to make it out to be a rich versus poor issue.

Jim Coletta needs a place to call home after he gets turned out from the public dole. Jim it seems can't make a decision on his own, hence his repeated call for public referendums to decide issues where he doesn't want to step up to thye plate. He's also a perpetual supporter of plans that are contrary to the public's interests. Jim's in favor of tolling already paid for I-75 lanes to prop up a proposal that is financially flawed. Now Jim wants to spend $8.5 million on a place for a fishing pier which, like his I-75 project, lacks public support.
Maybe Jim should look at providing beach access for the masses through the Pelican Bay properties with public parking lots placed at various locations so the rest of County residents could enjoy the 2-3 miles of beach along with the Pelican people. That would be something to spend a few sea shells on.

We need more beach access for sure. A pier?Not with my tax money thank you.

Funny thing is, they're spending the money, anyway. It's just a matter of what they spend it on.
Personally, the pier sounds like a great idea to me.
;-)

Increased beach access a pier does not make....yous got to purchase more linear width.

A Pier would be wonderful there. We've already lost the ticki bar on Vanderbuilt. Maybe we could put one on the pier! We wouldn't have to worry about losing it to the condo developers.

BUILD IT!

The County, in its typical misguided fashion, missed the opportunity to get more beach access through the purchase of Gulf front parcels, when it squandered $54,000,000 on the tourist oriented regional park facilities on Livingston Road. That $54,000,000 in park impact fees [that wiped out the kitty there] would have been better spent acquiring parcels for beach access....where the County could have built its own chikee...
I don't recall Jim Coletta asking for that $54,000,000 expenditure and ongoing maintenance commitment to be addressed by the voters!

The Naples Pier- " A pier without a peer"!

Pelican Bay residents with its big bucks has obviously stomped out another great idea. I wonder who they paid off this time. Who the heck do these people think they are? Every time I hear Pelican Bay it makes me cringe. I personally don't think a pier will increase access, just increase attendance at Vanderbilt Beach. So lets work on access - why can't Collier residents have access through P.B.? Does anyone know the answer? It is the most insane thing I have ever heard of. The owners of the mega mansions down on Gordon don't have any compaints about people walking right in front of their homes along the beach. What is the "restricted deed covenant" mentioned in the article? Has anyone ever approached the State to see if any of these restrictions are legal? How about a class action suit? I am sick and tired of PB residents and their snotty, know it all, have it all attitudes.

Maybe the folks east of 951 were at Work. Only the rich have time to attend the meetings.

I don't live in Pelican Bay. But, I was very concerned about the building of a North Naples Pier for the following reasons:
1- If you look at the Police Reports -the highest crime rate in Naples is at the Pier
2-We couldn't get a direct answer about the effect on the e-co system---especially during turtle nesting season
3-How/Who will pay for the up-keep and repairs in case of a hurricane?
4-How will this affect the traffic on small local streets in the area?
5-300 feet of beach front access will be gone
6-Did anyone mention the height of the pier? I understand it will be 15+ feet higher than the Naples Pier
WHAT DO WE NEED THIS SIDE OF TOWN?
1-Improved restrooms
2-Eating facility
3-Better parking @ Wiggins Pass

And dead it should stay.

Despite what most seem to say here, I continue to strongly believe that the building of a fishing pier at Vanderbilt Beach is not an "us", folks living East of CR951, versus "them" residents of Pelican Bay, issue. Please do not fall into an emotional pitfall to the point of spending tax dollars to build this structure just to get even with a community that has a "lock" on about 2 1/2 miles of beach access.

Look at the facts – A lot of residents from several communities, other than Pelican Bay, boosted attendance at the public meetings regarding the pier.
NO viable support for its construction was found at those meetings. Only a handful of folks showed up for the meeting at Max Hasse Park and the majority of them didn't voice any support for this project. These meetings were not held during the day, but were scheduled for evening hours and while it is true that most of us that live east of 951 are working folks, if you felt strongly enough about building this pier, leaving work one day a couple of hours early to come out and voice some support for the project surely would not have killed you.

The facts are that county staff did not do their homework on this issue. There are a lot of unanswered questions - parking, environmental concerns, crime, maintenance, costs after construction and effects on the taxes we pay now, etc.
However, at all of the public meetings there was mutual agreement on the issue of increased public access to the Gulf of Mexico.

Additionally most in attendance agreed that the current facilities at Vanderbilt Beach are just short of passing a Health Department inspection and are in dire need of total demolition and reconstruction. So, why not get started on spending some of these available funds on doing just that?

In the meantime, we could start to investigate other means to achieve our primary goal - increased beach access - stressing the word increased. Since we already have access to Vanderbilt Beach, it puzzles me how constructing an 8.5 million dollar pier at a time when many of us are worried about loosing our jobs, our homes and paying over $3.50 for a gallon of gas, would increase our access.

If there are funds available why aren't we looking at purchasing some of the homes for sale along the Gulf, acquiring the proper zoning, leveling the present structure and building parking lots for folks to gain access, sort of like Horizon Beach in the city of Naples? Or working out a deal to increase parking at some of the present access points such as Clam Pass?

“However, County Commissioner Jim Coletta, who has been a strong supporter of the project said it should be the voters who have the final say on the issue.”
Did the voters have a say when a certain Board of County Commissioners gave away the store with the development of Pelican Bay?
It is time for our elected officials to swallow the pill and make the decisions we elected them to make. Stop acting like politicians and start acting like the tax paying citizenry you once were a part of. There is absolutely NO need for us to waste more money on this issue by adding it to a ballot in an election. County staff held public meetings and the result was that the majority of folks that took the time to attend those meetings, whether they were from Pelican Bay or wherever, overwhelmingly said "NO" to the pier! Step up and make the decision to scrap this plan for now and improve upon what we really need to sustain a good quality of life here.

Can I get a small refund on my property taxes now that we aren't going to spend $8.6 million on a new Pier?

No

Lost: What you propose makes too much sense.You will never become a politician-thank God.

Will the ends justify the means on this one? How about alloting the funds towards justified causes like widening our roads to alleviate traffic. The reason the original pier is so popular is because it is a historic landmark. The new one will be nothing but a blemish to the eye. DON'T EAST COAST THE WEST COAST!