The "Rachel at the Well" statue and its surrounding area along McGregor Boulevard in Fort Myers were damaged by Hurricane Ian, and while the statue itself has been fixed, the area around it still needs work.
"It gives a great entrance into, you know, this gorgeous neighborhood back here. It was definitely, a landmark here," said Fort Myers resident, Eric Armstrong.
Eric Armstrong often passes by the historic "Rachel at the Well" statue. Whenever he looks at the statue along McGregor Blvd., he thinks of Hurricane Ian.
"I figured they didn't have the money, and they are just going to get rid of the towers, but she has remained in this shape," said Armstrong.
This Fort Myers staple is now at the center of a lawsuit.
"He wants to see that done to preserve this wonderful statute for the city," said Neubert's lawyer, Scott Hertz.
Scott Hertz represents Neubert Construction Services. The construction company is suing the city of Fort Myers over repairs. Neubert says the repairs would cost upwards of $800,000. That's more than six times the city's estimate for the project. So city leaders closed the construction bid without awarding a contract.
"Instead of actually negotiating with Neubert Construction, they just simply told Neubert Construction, you need to do it for a cheaper price," said Hertz.
Hertz claims the city's efforts weren't in good faith.
"We believe Neubert properly followed those protest procedures, and the city disagreed and refused to allow him to sort of have a day in front of the city to discuss those issues," said Hertz.
Neubert is arguing that the city did not follow its own procedures, unfairly rejected its protest, and prevented the company from having a fair chance to explain its reasoning for the higher price. The lawsuit asks the judge to make the city accept Neubert's protest and put a hold on any new bidding or contract awards until the protest is properly looked at.
We reached out to the city and we're told management is looking to complete the project as soon as possible and currently exploring more cost-effective options.
"There's two possible paths. One path is the city could look at the complaint, agree that it's not worth fighting about in court, and allow Mr. Neubert to have his bid protest... Or the city can answer the complaint and deny that they're required to follow the statutes that they set forth in their notices, that they follow. We don't think that's the right way to go, but that choice is up to the city," said Hertz.
We also reached out to the president of the Lee Trust for Historic Preservation. The president hopes the "Rachel at the Well" project is repaired well in advance of storm season.
DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more.