Moss Marina and their newly proposed Arches Bayfront development will be working with the Restore Fort Myers Beach Arches organization to help the group return a portion of the arches back to Fort Myers Beach. Here are the details about the partnership.
If the development is approved by the Town Council, Arches Bayfront will dedicate a memorial to the Arches. The memorial would be located on the bay walk area of the development and will include a description of the history of the arches.
Moving forward, Arches Bayfront will also match every donation to the Restore the Arches campaign. The organization needs to raise a total of $113,814. They need just over $18,000 to reach that goal and they have until April of 2024 to do so.
Lee County has agreed to install a smaller version of the original arches on the beach at Bowditch Park as long as enough money is raised to cover all the costs. There are 17 stones from the original arches remaining, about 1/3 of the original structure. That amounts to 60,000 pounds of stone.
The arches welcomed residents and visitors to Fort Myers Beach, where the Matanzas Pass bridge now sits, from 1924-1979. When they were knocked down to construct the new bridge not all the pieces were saved. Those that were are now in storage.
For more information about the arches campaign contact Steven Ray McDonald
President, Restore Fort Myers Beach Arches at 520-227-9902 or by e-mail at mickyds2002@yahoo.com