City Manager Guest Speaker at Lunch with Friends

On August 20, 2025, over 100 seniors attended the Lunch with Friends at the Marco Island Lutheran Church. The hot weather and frequent downpour did not deter this group from catching up with friends, meeting new ones, and leaving with a much-coveted door prize, such as a pair of Wanda’s custom-made decorative throw pillows.   

Wanda Schmelzer, a resident of Marco for the last 28 years, just celebrated her 87th birthday in July and has been attending the senior luncheon since it began eight years ago. She has also been donating her custom decorative throw pillows for the luncheon’s door prize and shared, “This is the kind of work I used to do, and for the last 25 years I’ve been working with a decorator, but the drapery business has been down and consumers’ preferences have changed to blinds and shades.” 

August’s luncheon guests are indicative of the large presence of full-time residents, such as Joyce Kaelin, a resident since 1997.Bonnie Calvin and Bill Hulbig share a table with Bill and Marcie Gorski, who are also luncheon regulars.   

Marco City Manager Mike McNees attended with Assistant City Manager, Dr. Casey Lucius. McNees came prepared with a “What’s Happening in Marco” presentation, which included the Nuts and Bolts of Projects and How Do We Pay For It. Some of the updates include road resurfacing, with the Collier Boulevard and Barfield Project set to break ground any day now and is expected to take a full year to complete. Also noted was that the city dedicates $500,000 to road resurfacing and that in 2025, Winterberry Drive, S. Heathwood, and Century Drive will be resurface. Over the past five years, City Council dedicated an additional $1million from thecounty1-cent sales tax, which is no longer in place. 

When discussing canal water projects, swale exfiltration, street sweeping, cleaning of existing culverts to increase water flow, canal aeration pilot study and code enforcement on the fertilizer ordinance were discussed. The Tidal Flushing Project is a state funded request for a project to open up some culverts under San Marco Road to allow tidal exchange from the north end of San Marco Dike and south end of San Marco Dike. “Scientists believe that this will help the water quality,” according to McNees.  

Another topic touched upon was the new bicycle ordinance, a 12 mph limit on sidewalks and shared pathways that will affect bicycles, e-bikes, scooters, and micromobility devices. 

McNees also brought up that from September 1 to September 30, the City will be disinfecting the water lines using free chlorine. 

There was also a reminder for everyone to get prepared for hurricanes by visiting the City’s website for more preparation tips. He encouraged everyone to sign up for CodeRED notifications, a service with no fees. The City will send notifications by phone, email, text, and X to keep citizens informed of emergencies such as significant weather events (hurricanes) and evacuation notices. 

Many thanks to Lunch with Friends sponsors Al’s Pals, Our Daily Bread Food Pantry, Marco Lutheran Church, and YMCA. The lunch was sponsored by the San Marco Catholic Church Columbiettes and prepared by Chef Michael Brown of Hideaway Beach Club. And warm August birthday wishes to Barb Markel, Rachel Matura and Ray Skelley!