New Parks Design Approvals for the NWCape | Construction starting FQ21

Members,

At the City Council Meeting on 10/26, City staff provided an update on the GO Bond projects. Of course, Tropicana, Crystal Lake, and Festival Parks are most important to the NWNA. Here are some updates.

Park Designs (as of 10/26 City Council Meeting)

Tropicana - Currently at 30% design. Staff anticipates delivery of 60% design plan by mid-November

Crystal Lake - Currently at 30% design. Staff anticipates delivery of 60% design plan by mid-November

Festival - Currently at 60% design. Staff anticipates delivery of final design by early December

I'm monitoring the GO Bond site, Council Meeting agendas, and checking with staff for any updates.

Tropicana Park/Cape Coral Rowing Club

At the June City Council Meeting where the new Tropicana Park design was approved that included the Cape Coral Rowing Club location in the Southeastern corner of the park, Council members and the city attorney indicated that a priority use agreement (PUA) would need to be put in place to allow the rowing club to use the park. Council members provided comments on what should be included in the agreement to ensure the park is clean and accessible to the residents as a neighborhood park as defined by the GO Bond.

The NWNA did not wait for staff and the attorney to draft the agreement. The NWNA proactively provided a draft PUA to the Council and the new City Manager that included the comments from the Council members as well as what the NWNA felt were appropriate guidelines for the rowing club's use of the park. Our goal is to ensure the final design includes the amenities residents requested and meets the definition of a neighborhood park as outlined by the GO Bond.

Park Construction

I've received questions from residents as to why construction at the parks has not started. As I indicated earlier, the final designs need to be completed. Per the GO Bond website timelines, construction for the neighborhood parks is supposed to begin in early 2021 with completion by the end of Q3 2021. Construction of the community parks is supposed to begin in late Q1 or early Q2 with completion by end of Q3 2022. Obviously, these timelines are flexible due to permitting, weather, etc.

Stay tuned.....!