Cape cuts ribbon at Del Prado Linear Park
The ribbon-cutting at the Del Prado Linear Park was set to start at 10 a.m., but that didn’t stop families from giving the new playground a test drive a little bit early.
The city of Cape Coral is putting its $60 million GO Bond for city parks to use by renovating old parks and building new ones. Friday, the city celebrated the completion of improvements on the city’s only linear park by cutting the ribbon on the park that runs along Del Prado Boulevard north of Pine Island Road.
The event was at the newest addition to the park, the playground and the basketball court on the east side of Del Prado, at Northeast 16th Place and Northeast 12th Terrace.
Members of Cape Coral City Council, city staff and Special Pops came to witness the event.
Mayor John Gunter said the event was a kickoff to many other milestones for city parks this spring.
“This is just another example of our commitment to the community to make sure we provide the best amenities we can to our residents,” Gunter said. “In the next six weeks, we’ll have three more ribbon-cuttings for other parks and two groundbreakings.”
Among the happiest was Councilmember Jessica Cosden, who lives just blocks away from the park and can now bring her children to enjoy it after months of little voices asking when the park would open.
“I’m excited for the people in the area and myself because we’re so close we can walk here. There were kids in the park already when I got here and it filled my heart with joy that people are already enjoying it,” Cosden said.
In 2018, Cape Coral voters approved a $60 million expansion of the city’s parks and recreation amenities. They approved a 15-year General Obligation Bond to fund significant parks and recreation improvements throughout the city.
Improvement at Del Prado Linear Park include a shaded playground featuring accessible swing seats and traditional swings, a moon rock climbing component and a cozy cocoon spinning apparatus.
It also contains a fenced basketball court, accessible and traditional parking, public restrooms and improved landscaping and lighting.
This new site is a trailhead for Del Prado Linear Park, which hosts a nearly four-mile paved and lighted path, and includes eight fitness stations, a loop around Lake Zurich and a rain garden.
“It’s great for people who live here all year so they can enjoy the park in the evening. When the sun is beating down in the summer, sometimes it makes it hard to exercise,” said city spokesperson Melissa Mickey. “When you can do it in the evening, it makes it that much easier and safer.”
After the ribbon-cutting, members of the City Council, the mayor and members of Special Pops went to the basketball court to shoot some hoops with balls that the city gave out to those who attended, with the autographs of the City Council members.
The playground filled quickly with families with small children not old enough to attend school.
Bill Braney watched his grandchildren play on the artificially surfaced playground and said that he loved it.
“I’m glad to see they’re taking care of the children in the neighborhood. We’ve been keeping an eye on it, waiting for it to open,” Braney said. “They had an issue with the tarp after the hurricane and we’re happy it’s open now.”
To reach CHUCK BALLARO, please email news@breezenewspapers.com