Council OKs short-term lease for Cape rowing club
The Cape Coral Rowing Club will have a temporary home on some city-owned waterfront.
Cape Coral City Council on Wednesday, during its final regular meeting before summer recess, unanimously approved a lease agreement that will relocate the club to one of the Seven Islands.
The club was forced out of its Cape Harbour location in May as construction on the next phase of development began there. With the club’s eventual home at Tropicana Park not yet complete, the club needed a temporary home.
The lease, for the third southernmost island, is for two years and began Thursday. It can be extended by agreement from both parties. The club may terminate the lease after one year.
Everything hinges on the potential sale of the islands for development and the opening of Tropicana Park. This could leave the rowing club without a home again if there’s a sale and the city park aren’t yet completed.
The site will have a floating dock and a safety boat, the latter of which caused some concern among some on council, including the mayor, who was concerned about other users.
“The boat is going to be a disservice for those who want to use the floating dock. I’m not willing to give free docking to safety boats,” said Councilmember Robert Welsh.
Saundra Weston, president of the Cape Coral Rowing Club, said there was an issue on their side regarding hours of operation. The club wanted them to go from sunrise to sunset to sunrise to 8 p.m.
“The issue is the dead of winter. This negates adult programs for parts of the year because any masters endeavors happen before and after work,” Weston said. “For a four-week period in December and January we are training youth for competition. We run into dusk and twilight around 5:45 p.m.”
As for the boat, Weston said such a thing was necessary, especially for youth rowing. There would be a coach on the boat supervising and making sure everyone is safe. Also, the boats would be tired offshore and not blocking the dock.
Council approved the lease arrangement, to the applause of the two dozen supporters of the club who attended the meeting.
Weston was very happy to have a temporary home for her 55-member strong club.
“We like the location. It’s remote and easy to access the water. We were just concerned about the hours and the lease was silent on the boat and I really didn’t want there to be an issue where people would see it, and call to complain,” Weston said. “The club provides a lot of benefits; we’re just an undiscovered gem in the city.”
To reach CHUCK BALLARO, please email news@breezenewspapers.com