Editorial | Something old, something new
For those who have awaited the re-opening of Jaycee Park your time is near.
The city of Cape Coral showcased the $18.7 million rebuild to members of the media Wednesday, a prelude to the soft opening for the public next Thursday and the official ribbon cutting set for May 8.
If you are looking at bang for the buck, the wholly redesigned facility does not disappoint.
The drive down Beach Parkway culminates in a full view of the Caloosahatchee — what city officials call “activating the riverfront.”
And “activate” the redesign does.
An elevated boardwalk along the water designed to offer spectacular views from the Cape Coral Bridge to the Midpoint.
Lots of green space and thousands of plantings interwoven with paved pathways and plenty of places to sit, visit, or enjoy a picnic while the kids play on the splash pad water feature or in one of the two new playgrounds.
For the more energetic, there’s space for lawn games, and, for those more social, a band shell for future concerts or shows and an area set aside for a bistro and food truck court.
If the city’s goal was to offer a little something for most anyone, they accomplished it — and then some.
Are we among those who miss the old Jaycee Park with its pines whispering over the water, its dirt parking spaces where you could pull up, and its old shade trees?
In a way.
What we miss are the memories of little people now grown who ran through the shade looking for Spanish moss they called “walking bird” nests — a child’s endearing misinterpretation of the “Hush Little Baby” nursery rhyme they had to hear every night.
What we miss are our younger selves attending the Kiwanis Kids Fest or the Garden Club’s March in the Park.
But there is something about memories.
You get to keep the ones you have.
And you can always make new ones.
The new Jaycee Park, like the old Jaycee Park, will no doubt be a favored place to do that.
Breeze editorial