Renovated Jaycee Park sparks mixed reactions before April 30 opening

CAPE CORAL, Fla. (WINK)—Jaycee Park is set to officially reopen to the public in just over a week, and neighbors have mixed feelings about the long-awaited changes.

The heated debates between neighbors and the city have been ongoing for years. While some neighbors are coming around to the idea, others wish the old version of the park was never touched.

WINK News anchor Zoe Warner took a tour with the city to see up close and in person all the new changes. The renovated park features new ADA-accessible playgrounds, new beach volleyball courts, a 5,000 ft. splashpad, and an unrestricted view of the Caloosahatchee River.

Neighbors say it will take time to fully grasp the new reality of their once beloved Jaycee Park. Paul Powler, a neighbor, expressed his frustration with the city's decision.

"We had several thousand on the petition form. There was a lot of resistance to it. They just are not going to listen. They had to override it. They were going to do this come hell or high water," Powler said.

Dennis Knuth raised concerns about traffic congestion. "There's only one entrance in and out, and that's Beach Parkway. If you're drawing large crowds in here, traffic is going to be a mess," Knuth said.

It's been a battle between neighbors and the city for years on the preservation of the park. During the tour the city gave WINK News, they said they took into account all of the neighbors' concerns.

Mike Ilczysyn, Cape Coral city manager, said "We've done everything we could throughout the entire design process, taking into consideration those concerns. We worked with council members to do shade studies so that we could look at where we're planting trees... We have shade all day long because there are people throughout the day that are going to be using the park...... We increased the parking almost 100% because we know this park is going to be utilized." 

The parking spots have increased from 77 to 128. 

Danny Woodruff, a neighbor, appreciated the accessibility improvements.

"Before I could not walk along the river because the big, ugly trees and the roots everywhere. You couldn't walk along. You can't take your walker now. You can go anywhere with your walker," Woodruff said.

Some say they still aren't pleased with the outcome. "I'm not real positive about it," Powler said.

Ron Laun, another neighbor, said he'll try to be open-minded about it. "I think the park will be used by a lot of residents who maybe are not from this area that live around the park, so I will certainly give them a chance, but then we'll give them some feedback," Laun said.

The official reopening to the public is April 30, with the ribbon cutting a week later on May 8.