Each week through the General Election, The Breeze will ask the candidates for Cape Coral City Council an issue-related question. In the interest of fairness, each candidate is limited to the same amount of words, about 100, for their response.

This week’s question:

What should be done with the old golf course acreage?

District 2 candidates’ answers:

Laurie Lehmann

The old golf course acreage is approximately 175 acres. I want to see it left as green space. This is what was promised to the citizens when the current council voted to purchase the cape coral golf course. Promises made to citizens must be kept.

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Dan Sheppard (Incumbent)

The closing and abandonment of the old golf course has impacted the city in a negative way. It has crushed the spirit of the surrounding community and devalued their real estate. Many years ago, as a resident, I spoke at council meetings expressing my desire to see that the city transform that old golf course into a botanical gardens and beautiful park. This would have a positive impact on the surrounding neighbors and raise their real estate value. It would also be a magnet and create a draw to our downtown entertainment district. As a councilman, I see it as my responsibility to protect all citizens and their real estate investment in our community. If you research the financials of other botanical gardens in our area, they bring much revenue to the community at very little cost if any. And enhance quality of life as well as being an educational tool.

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District 3 candidates’ answers:

Derrick Donnell

DerrickDonnell.com

We must agree not to rush the development of this site. This is an excellent opportunity to engage with the public to solicit their suggestions. The City Council should also use this as an opportunity to preserve as much greenspace as possible as outlined in the comprehensive plan. This site is approximately 175 acres and some of the suggestions I have heard from residents include walking trails, bike trails, a botanical garden and conservation land. There is also the suggestion to maybe revisit having a 9-hole championship golf course. The final decision should be thoroughly researched, discussed, and agreed upon.

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Deborah Lee McCormick

McCormickforCapeCouncil.com

First and foremost, we must consult the residents of the local area to see how the city should proceed with any type of construction plans. Unfortunately, the city failed to do so with the residents surrounding Jaycee Park, and didn’t worry about their concerns until after the fact. I would direct the City Manager’s office to dedicate ample staff time to proactively collecting the concerns and input of the residents before moving forward with any kind of plan for the area. We must respect citizen input in this city, and we must do so from the start.

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District 4 candidates’ answers:

Richard Carr (Incumbent)

VoteRichCarr.com

The approximately 175 acres of green space, formerly known as “the Golf Club,” offers numerous possibilities for maintaining open areas and park uses. This area will serve as the anchor recreational space for the new downtown mixed-use developments nearing completion. The property is large enough to accommodate use by all city residents.

Over the years, and more so as your current District 4 councilmember, I’ve heard many suggestions for its future. The overwhelming majority favor maintaining it as a park rather than developing it for residential purposes. One of the most unique ideas was to include a small zoo–an idea I had never considered. This underscores the importance of significant public participation in transforming the “old golf course” into a vibrant, usable park space. I am honored to have been involved in its acquisition and look forward to finally seeing this land used in the best interests of residents after sitting vacant and barren for so long.

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Jennifer Nelson

NelsonforDistrict4.com

We have a real opportunity to develop a beautiful community space that is all encompassing. A space that can serve as an amenity in our city for all generations to enjoy. My hope is that the city will put together a stakeholders’ group of people from all different backgrounds and include some generational diversity so we can hear from current and future leaders, what they want this amenity to look like. Adding a walking/ biking path, making the green space beautiful with native plants, and having an amphitheater similar to the Caloosa Sound would be a great first start to this space. We could look to partner with the county and consider making this a regional park. Since we no longer have the event space at the Yacht Club, we should consider adding a community center where nonprofits can offer services and businesses and residents can host events. The possibilities are endless.

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District 5 candidates’ answers:

Joseph Kilraine

KilraineforCape.com

The Golf Course is a prime opportunity to combine the nostalgic history of the Cape within a relaxed environment of natural beauty. Key is green space preservation with features such as botanical gardens, the waltzing waters, Cape Coral gardens, some flavor of the Golf Course glory days. Add in some meandering walking paths, picnic spots, benches, ADA adapted features, & a welcoming entry center with some historical Cape displays, snacks, beverages, etc. At 175 acres, it could be the Cape’s Central Park. The arsenic & other contaminates must be remediated first, which recent analysis indicates at reduced levels from earlier reporting.

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Charlie Pease

VoteCharliePease.com

The acquisition of the 175-acre Country Club property in South Cape provides an opportunity to create our “Central Park.” Community input will be key in the planning process. The interior should maintain its parks & recreation land use with no residential component. Sections might include walking and bike trails, botanical gardens, and nods to the historical Cape Coral (Rose) Gardens such as veterans memorials and waltzing waters. The possibility of restoring part of the property to a revenue-generating short nine-hole golf course should also be explored. On the exterior frontage where the historical clubhouse sat, options include a restaurant, community center and more.

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District 7 candidates’ answers:

Michael David Harper

Old golf course — I would like the City to approach the Westin about building a championship golf course. The City would enter into an agreement with the Westin, one in which the city would give the Westin the golf course in exchange for them building a championship course and a certain percentage of the green’s fees and liquor sales. This would also allow the Westin to include/promote golf packages as part of their vacation packages, which should, in turn, help their occupancy rates. This would also be a win for the city as it would receive additional tax income from not only the greens fees and liquor sales, but also property taxes (higher property values) and the hotel’s bed/room tax. It would also keep that area as a much-needed greenspace. The citizens win as well! We now would have a championship golf course for all to enjoy, higher property values for those on the golf course, and we would keep the land as it was intended.

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Rachel Kaduk

RachelKaduk.com

We have a great opportunity to engage with the public. 175 acres is a lot of land to create a staple in our community. The site does need remediation and groundskeeping due to the overgrowth of weeds. It could remain a golf course. We could create a community park with amenities like a botanical garden, walking paths, a dog park with a play area, hiking or biking trails, disc golf, offer painting in the park, & acoustic performances. Most importantly, I would love to see our city inspire others to become great stewards of our environment and to be involved.