
Chamber Executive Director Dianna Dohm File Photos
Some of the things that made big news on Marco Island in 2017: Chamber’s New Executive Director
The New Year 2017 started with a change for the Marco Island Area Chamber of Commerce, when Executive Director Sandi Riedemann-Lazarus retired after 21 years on the job. Dianna Dohm, former Community Relations Manager and Business Development Officer for Mutual of Omaha Bank was named the new executive director for the Chamber. Dianna held leadership positions in many community organizations, such as Marco Island Fire Rescue Foundation, Marco Island Civic Association, Kiwanis Club, City of Marco Island Beautification Advisory Committee, Avow Hospice Community Advisory Board, and more. Over the past year she has moved the Chamber forward, encouraging new businesses and supporting positive community growth. Marco Turns 20

JW Marriott Marco Island Team, 2017 Relay for Life

Rendering of updates to Island Plaza.

New Mackle Park Community Center

JW Marriott Marco Island
On December 14, 2017, the new Mackle Park Community Center was unveiled at an official ribbon cutting and open house. Building a new community center was a phased project in the works for several years. It began with the playing field redesign, filling in a finger on the lake, enhancements to the path around the lake, a splash park, and a canine cove. Plans went through several rounds of redesign. Marco Island City Council deferred the community center to the voters, who approved up to a $3.5 million expenditure. The new building features a large game room, as well as a new expanded teen center area, which will be used for general programming during school hours. The building was completed on time and under budget. JW Marriott Debut
The Marco Island Marriott Beach and Golf Resort was converted into an exclusive, JW Marriott branded resort. Renovations, in the amount of $320 million, include a new 94-room, adults-only tower, bringing the resort to a total of 810 guest rooms and suites and a total of 100,000 square feet of flexible event space. The tower will also have a 12,000 square foot indoor entertainment center, a rooftop pool and a restaurant. The JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort is the only waterfront JW Marriott. Hilton Fire, Renovations
On June 9th the Hilton Marco Island Beach Resort & Spa experienced an electrical fire which caused damage to the hotel, including isolated flooding due to sprinkler activation. The hotel was closed, and visiting guests were relocated to other accommodations while the Hilton worked to fix the problem. Currently, the resort is undergoing a redesign of all guest rooms, as well as design enhancements to The Deck at 560 Restaurant, scheduled for completion in early 2018.
Read about Marco Island city government’s year in review on page A-2.
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