LABELLE, Fla — A little plot of land off Main Street and Euclid Place in downtown LaBelle could soon be something much more.
Since Fox 4’s Hendry County community correspondent Austin Schargorodski works in the area daily, he knows how important it is for his community to have places to go to unwind, so he went to see how people feel about the city’s plan to build a new “pocket park."
Watch to hear some LaBelle neighbors thought's about the "pocket park:"
The city is considering turning the lot into Kelly’s Place Park, a small, shaded space with brick pathways, benches, flowers, and a memorial feature. Schargorodski previously reported on the city’s plans to improve walkability around Main Street and Bridge Street under the Second Bridge Project, which would add another bridge over the Caloosahatchee to improve traffic flow.
LaBelle Commissioner Hugo Vargas said this park would fit right into that.
"With the wider sidewalks that we’ve proposed on Main Street and Bridge Street, it could be something of a little attraction for people walking by, maybe stop and take a break," Vargas said.
So Schargorodski asked people in LaBelle how they feel about adding a little more green space to their neighborhood.
"Yeah I think people would enjoy it better. I think there’d be more places to go and things to do over here," Brianna Dobbins said.
She and her daughter, Cypress Antunez, said it could become a simple but special part of their routine.
"If you’re homeschooled it would be really great because you can just have a park to walk to and read a book so you’re not inside all the time, and just play and all that stuff, so it’s a really good opportunity to have in LaBelle. Yeah, she’s homeschooled, so it would be great opportunity to meet with other homeschoolers and stuff so yeah we’re excited," Dobbins and Antunez said.
The proposal for Kelly’s Place Park will be up for a vote at Thursday’s commissioners meeting.
"I think any amount of green space we can add for the public to use would be a positive thing," Vargas said.
