CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Wednesday night, the Cape Coral City Council unanimously voted to approve upgrades to the city's Jaycee Park.
The $573,000 project brought mixed reviews from the community prior to the vote.
Renderings show a food truck and bar court, where six trucks could fit. It also includes 24 boat slips, a band shell for entertainment, playgrounds, a splash pad, beach volleyball court, lawn games and additional parking.
"If you make it look how they said they’re going to do it, I think it would really wreck the community," said Brenda Smith, who is against the upgrades.
"My concern is that with all the building it’s just going to add a lot more traffic," said Donna Allo, who is also against it.
Both Allo and Smith practice for the Calendar Girls at Jaycee Park three days a week and believe they would get displaced because of the upgrades.
Other people are more concerned about potential traffic.
"The food trucks, things like that," said Betty Barrow. "I mean everybody likes food trucks, but do you really need it at the park?"
However, some people see the upgrades as a positive.
"I think the splash park is good for the kids and I think the food truck is good for people that like to take a walk," said Angelo Alma, who is in support of the upgrades.
"Anything we can do to upgrade Cape Coral is fine with me," said Jerry Pfeil. "I think it would be a great place for people to come and just enjoy."
Cape Coral's Parks and Recreation Director Joe Petrelli, says the upgrades to parks in the city can mean opportunities for the area.
"For tourism-wise when we build unique amenities within our parks system, it draws people to our community," he explained. "They really attract businesses to come and be apart of our community."
After tonight's approval, it's not clear when work will start on the project.
