The Ave Herald

 
It looks the same on the outside, but there will be many changes inside the Donahue Academy when the Ave Maria k-12 school opens in a few weeks.

The salon in the Ave Maria town center has added a men's barber room and massage therapy from town resident Kathy Delaney to its list of services. Above, resident Patrick Hanley with salon owner Jean Mastendrea in the barber room.

Collier County Commissioners want to proceed with the Jackson Laboratory project, but they bought time Tuesday to consider the best way to fund the county's $130 million for the proposed biomedical village near Ave Maria. Commissioners decided not to raise property taxes for the coming fiscal year and to adopt a loan arrangement to provide initial financing for the project if the state of Florida's share of the funding -- currently uncertain -- begins flowing.

Dozens of people spoke both for and against the proposed biomedical village development near Ave Maria before the Collier County Commissioners. After public comments before the commissioners began discussing options for moving forward.
The Naples Daily News is providing live updates on its website here and the proceedings are webcast by the county here  
Click here for advance story from Naples Daily News and here for one from the News-Press

The diocese said in a statement that it is troubled by Jackson Lab's "openness to human embryonic stem cell research." A diocesan spokesman said the comments are related solely to the type of research that might be performed and that the diocese had no criticism of Tom Monaghan's sale of his interest in land that would be donated by Barron Collier for the research facility.

The Jackson Laboratory announced today that USF Health has agreed to be a "medical partner" in the planned development of a research park near Ave Maria. USF Health, based in Tampa, has research facilities and schools of medicine, nursing and public health.

The Naples Daily News reports that the county's Productivity Committee said Tuesday that it could not validate the economic viability of the proposed project based on currently-available data. The committee recommended two funding options if county commissioners decide next week to proceed with the project, both of which would require a referendum: Issuance of bonds or a combined increase in both the sales tax and property tax rate.
Click for story from Naples Daily News

An independent report submitted to Collier County shows that the Ave Maria development has had a positive fiscal impact, both in capital and operating costs, to the county during the last five years. The report was required as part of a process that evaluates the impact of a Stewardship Receiving Area every five years until it is mostly built out.

The Ave Maria Blvd. entrance to Ave Maria has reopened after being closed for about a month for the widening of Oil Well Rd. Work on the widening project is said to be on schedule, with at least another year before its completion.

Pulte Homes now is selling a 3,500-square-foot home with six bedrooms which will be built in an area of the Emerson Park neighborhood of Ave Maria. Many current and prospective residents have been asking for a larger floorplan for years.