Time to end the current Yacht Club project
To the editor:
When will the mayor finally realize that his grandiose plan for a “destination” site at the Yacht Club is not worth it? What was once a project under $15 million has grown into a monstrosity estimated at $225 million. Doesn’t the mayor realize that most citizens just want to drive to the Yacht Club, park for free, go to the beach, fish off the pier, launch their boat moored in the marina and have a nice meal and drinks at the Boathouse while looking out at the Caloosahatchee River?
Right now, none of those things are available, except the beach. We citizens, I believe, aren’t interested in swimming in a resort-style pool next to the beach, nor do we want to visit the community center next to the pool. I doubt tourists want to visit the community center, either. They want to go to the beach and eat and drink. The community center and pool should not be located at the very southern tip of Cape Coral where it would take citizens from the north end of the Cape at least a half hour to get there. There is the existing South Cape Community Center only two miles north right on Coronado Parkway. Likewise, the pool should be located four miles north on the old golf course the city just bought last year.
I’ve suggested in a previous letter to the editor to go slow with the city’s project. Rebuild the Boathouse, rebuild the pier, get the marina up and running and even add a second restaurant. Use the vacant land created by razing the Yacht Club Building and the senior center as free parking for the area. The planned parking garage is four stories high, higher than any building in the area, and the city is planning to charge $3/hour. It will be about two blocks from the Boathouse and there will be minimal parking by the Boathouse. The marina has been closed for about three and a half years. The city is estimated to lose about $1 million per year in slip fees. Time to scale back and get something done. The burden of an additional $225 million on the citizens of Cape Coral will be too much to stand. The city already has budget problems. Time to scale back and go slow.
Ken Kendrick
Cape Coral