Slowly, but surely, the new parks the city of Cape Coral promised to its residents as part of a $60 million GO bond are beginning to take shape.

Last week, the city broke ground on Gator Circle Park in the northeast section of town, and this Friday, the next groundbreaking will take place as work begins at Cultural Park.

The ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. at 528 Cultural Park Blvd., with parking for the event located in the Cultural Park Theatre. The public is invited to attend.

Cultural Park will be behind the theater, the historical society and museum and the Cape Coral Art League. It will have a playground, an event area with utilities, a rose garden, outdoor exhibit space, restrooms and walking and multi-use paths.

Cultural Park is estimated to cost $3.9 million. It is expected to be open by next summer.

In 2018, Cape Coral voters approved a $60 million expansion of the city’s parks and recreation amenities. The approved 15-year general obligation (GO) bond will fund major parks and recreation improvements throughout the city.

These improvements include seven new neighborhood parks, the development of three community parks and Yellow Fever Creek Environmental Park, and improvements to 17 existing parks.

On Dec. 2, 2019, the City Council approved the revised concept plans for the seven neighborhood parks at the regular meeting of the City Council. Public input meetings for the community parks were held in throughout the fall of 2019 with revised plans presented to the City Council last year.

Some of the parks, including Cultural Park, were scheduled to be completed by the end of this year. However, COVID ground those plans to a halt. Also, construction and material costs are increased, meaning the total cost of the parks plan will come in between $70 million and $75 million, according to Mayor John Gunter.