The city of Cape Coral is making great progress on the construction of new and existing parks as part of its $60 million Parks Master Plan, though there are still some concerns out there, especially when it comes to the city’s most ambitious park project.

Cape Coral City Council, during a more than five-hour workshop meeting at City Hall on Wednesday, also said the city should put Lake Kennedy Park on the fast track by doubling the number of pickleball courts it should build so they can host major tournaments and help bring money to the city.

Mike Ilczyszyn, senior public works manager in charge of the city parks, laid out the progress for all the parks and said the city is pretty much on schedule, especially when it came to the neighborhood parks.

When the community parks were brought up, concerns were again express regarding parking at the Cape Coral Yacht Club, which most on council said was still deficient.

Council got a lot of input from citizens during public input about the need to bump up the number of pickleball courts to be built during Phase 1 of the Lake Kennedy Park project from 16 to 32.

City council agreed, as pickleball has become one of the fastest growing sports in the country and nearby cities such as Naples and Punta Gorda have built pickleball complexes that have become money makers for both cities.

“It would be prudent to build 32 courts, since it would cost more to build 16 now and 16 later,” Mayor John Gunter said. “We want to make this a destination.”

The plan could also allow for a public-private partnership, or P3, in the form of an onsite restaurant or bar. Plans also call for a pro shop, concession stand and restrooms.

The parks master plan is being funded through a voter-approved General Obligation bond, paid back through a slightly higher property tax revenue earmarked for the purpose.

In other business, Council gave unanimous consent for the Cape Coral Charter School system to build two modular classrooms to replace the portable classrooms that have been at Oasis Charter School North (The former Christa McAuliffe Elementary) since 2008.

The modular units would house four classrooms apiece, giving the school the ability to increase its enrollment by up to 80 students and thus increase revenues. The units would last 25 to 30 years instead of the 15 of the portables used today.

The project would cost more than $1.9 million, with $1,697,980 coming from the money that was held in escrow after the Lee County School System sued for the funds.

That money was freed up when the courts dismissed the district’s case.

Another option was to simply replace the four portable classrooms with four more portable classrooms, which would cost a little over $1 million, but result in replacement 10 to 15 years down the road, without increasing enrollment.

“The longevity of the modular classrooms would give us a better bang for our buck. We can also generate money with the extra classrooms which would pay for the cost,” Gunter said. “It will pay for itself in four years and last us 25 years.”

Council also heard about the proposed toll changes on the Midpoint and Cape Coral bridges, an update on the utility and capital projects throughout the city and the results of a national Community Survey and strategic plan update.