CAPE CORAL, Fla. — City council approved locations for new sidewalks Monday night near Diplomat Elementary and Middle Schools.
Jennifer Munera’s a sixth grader at Diplomat Middle says installing sidewalks will keep kids like her who walk to school everyday…safe.
“We feel safe where the sidewalk is, but when we got into the street, we feel unsafe,” she said.
She said the sidewalk in front of Diplomat is the safe haven, but she has to look over both shoulders, watching out for cars when it ends on NE 10th Pl.
Her sister Kasey Munera said adding more sidewalks make things easier for drivers too.
“I feel like a sidewalk would be so much better, because there’s a place to walk for us, and a place for cars to go,” she said.
She said she feels assured knowing the city and Lee County Schools are working together to prevent more tragic deaths like 12-year-old Alana Tamplin, hit by a car in North Fort Myers and 8-year-old Layla Aiken run over while waiting for the school bus in Cape Coral.
“I feel like they’ve worked a lot, because there have been that many incidents since then,” she said.
Cape Coral’s plan will extend sidewalks on 16th Terrace - where Diplomat Elementary and Middle Schools are - from NE 10th Pl to NE 8th Pl. They’ll also install sidewalks on Diplomat Parkway from Andalusia to NE 13th avenue.
Chet Fisher lives on 16th and said he’s all for safety, but is not looking forward to more construction.
“Wait until they put the sewer down through here,” he said referring to the Utilities Extension Project.
He said it’ll be a bit of a headache when the UEP comes to his neighborhood on top of the sidewalk construction. But, he said, it’s for a good cause.
“Keep the kids off the street, give us better service, driving back and forth. So I think it’s worth it,” he said.
Construction will cost upwards of $300,000 and is scheduled to start in 2022.
