Work on Arthrex Site Expected to Start Early 2012

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Published on Tuesday, 01 November 2011 16:20

The site of a new 160,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Ave Maria should begin to take shape in January or February, the Ave Maria Stewardship Community District board was told Tuesday morning. (Left, an artist's drawing of the proposed facility)

Developers will begin advertising for bids to do the site preparation and "horizontal infrastructure" Nov. 15 and hope to let contracts early next year, which would have the site ready for vertical construction in the summer, Barron Collier Vice President Tom Sansbury said at the meeting.

When fully operational, the plant is expected to employ about 150 people.

The building will be situated on a new lake that is being created by the digging of fill for the project to widen Oil Well Rd. The main entrance will be a new road leading from Oil Well Rd., Mr. Sansbury said, and Anthem Parkway, which runs through the Del Webb community, also will be extended so that people can get to and from the Ave Maria town center without going onto Oil Well Rd. (Right, Mr. Sansbury indicating the Arthrex site on a map of the district)

Mr. Sansbury also said after the meeting that the sale of the gas station property on Ave Maria Blvd. has almost entirely worked its way through the financial regulatory process and he expects that a process to receive bids for the property will begin Nov. 15. Further development of the site has been held up because banks foreclosed on the property, along with several others owned by the Red Rabbit corporation in other parts of Florida. There were further delays because the bank that foreclosed was then shut down by the FDIC. Bids will be accepted during a 60-day period for the property, for which development is mostly complete for the gas station and convenience store with an additional six storefronts attached.

In other matters at the meeting:

- Mr. Sansbury said that with a majority of condominiums sold in the La Piazza town center, developers will turn over control of the condo association to the owners in April, 2012 and a "turnover committee" will be formed after Christmas to begin working on the transfer of control. Mr. Sansbury said he expects that by the end of this year, 16 or 17 of the 70 condos that ring the oratory will remain unsold.

- The Ave Maria Master Association will be reminding residents with golf carts that they need to have the carts registered and display a sticker. The identification of the golf carts will help the association and Collier County Sheriff's deputies enforce regulations such as the minimum age for operating a golf cart, which is 14. "If you see anyone younger driving a golf cart, you should call us," said Collier Sheriff's Office Sergeant Dave Jolicoeur at the meeting.

- The board signed off on the final figures for the budget for the 2010-11 fiscal year, which had a surplus of several thousand dollars.