Cape Coral divided over future of Jaycee Park

Reporter: Taylor Wirtz
Published: Updated:

Jaycee Park and its future are dividing a city and fueling debate inside city council chambers.

The city council wants to upgrade the park, but Cape Coral neighbors have been resisting it every step of the way.

“We got almost 8,000 petitions signed,” said Clare Dooley, chair of the Cape Coral Preservation PAC.

So with so many opposed to the project, why is the council so determined to move forward with it?

That’s a question Dooley asked the council at Wednesday morning’s committee of the whole meeting.

The council tried to calm some fears by explaining how much of the project was not set in stone.

“I think that you can hear that there’s much opportunity for modification or stoppage or whatever other language you want to use of this project moving forward,” said Councilman Richard Carr. “The timeline is not now. Everything that’s being done has been paid for. It’s a design. We’ll have it in our back pocket, and whether it’s this council or a modified group of folks up here when that vote occurs, that’s where it’ll happen.”

Dooley still doesn’t feel like her biggest question was answered.

“Nobody wants the changes that they’re going to make, so the question is, why? Why are they so determined to destroy what is unique about Jaycee Park to replicate amenities that are elsewhere in Cape Coral?” Dooley said.

We reached out to Councilman Bill Steinke, who represents District One, to see if he could tell us more about why the council is pushing for these changes to the park. We have not heard back yet.

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