By Betty Wotring

The Resident Advisory Board (RAB) is made up of 30 members. These members are the officers from the Fort Myers Housing Associations, Bonair Towers, Southward Village, Palmetto Court, Michigan Family, Flossie M. Riley Gardens Apartments and Royal Palm Towers. Each association has five officers. One officer from each association was elected from their board to be on the RAB, making a total of six members on the board each with representation from each development and one from the Fort Myers Housing Authority Board of Commissioners. The officers of the RAB are, President-Mary Williams, Vice President-Sharron King, Secretary-Barbara Hall, Treasurer-Clotie Davis and Parliamentarian-Val Fuller.

The RAB is now working with the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) of the City of Fort Myers to finish the Hope Gardens project. The construction of 32 low-to-moderate single-family homes over a three year period. The Hope Gardens construction site is located at the corner of Ford Street and Edison Avenue in the Dunbar Community of Fort Myers. A total of 30 homes will be constructed at this site with an additional 2 homes being constructed other sites. The project will target Fort Myers Housing Authority tenants as prospective home buyers with the initial emphasis being placed on tenants of the former Housing Authority’s Southward Village Annex (the Hope Gardens site was originally Southward Village Annex prior to being demolished).

Mr. Harry Adams is the Executive Director of the CRA, and the RAB finds his knowledge of redevelopment of communities a knowledge that they have needed from the beginning of the Hope Gardens project. With the CRA’s assistance we look forward to staying on schedule and providing quality homes to qualified residents.

The RAB is an organization which works to make a better life for residents of public housing and our community. By doing things together, much more can be accomplished than when each person works alone. The RAB represents all residents in interpreting to management the needs and interest of residents, and acts as a good neighbor to families who have suffered a loss by death, fire or who have serious illness. By working together we can also do much to improve the appearance of the community and create a congenial atmosphere. The RAB also represents the concerns of the residents in working with the police on security for our developments and community.

*  Note:  Resident Advisory will be relocating their office in the near future to the Administration Building behind Royal Palm Towers on Bay Street and sharing offices with Lee County Housing Development. *