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State allocates funds for makeover of Centennial Park, other city projects

Melissa Montoya
Fort Myers News-Press
Rebecca Smith, of Fort Myers, had a quick lunch then played with her grandson, Kayden Rogers, 1, on the playground at Centennial Park, Tuesday afternoon. She brought her own children to play at this park when they were young.

The city of Fort Myers will receive $2.3 million from the state of Florida for numerous projects, including a makeover of Centennial Park that would make it more inclusive.

According to a news release, $1 million has been awarded to replace Centennial Park's 25-year-old playground equipment with added features for children with "unique abilities." The work will also include modernization of grounds and pathways and will promote more community access to green spaces. 

Rebecca Smith, of Fort Myers, had a quick lunch then played with her grandson, Kayden Rogers, 1, on the playground at Centennial Park, Tuesday afternoon. She brought her own children to play at this park when they were young.

Centennial Park is a 10-acre park on the banks of the Caloosahatchee River in downtown Fort Myers. It has picnic tables, a playground and a covered pavilion.

The park also serves as a community gathering space, most recently being a launching pad for protesters against police brutality and an encampment for some of the city's homeless who are sheltering under the pavilion's roof during the pandemic. 

The state funds to the city also include:

  • $1 million for part of the Billy's Creek restoration, which would include the final phase of dredging. Over the past six years, the city has spent more than $10 million to improve water quality in and around the creek. 
  • $250,000 for stormwater systems for Midtown south of downtown Fort Myers.
  • $100,000 for a septic tank abandonment program

"In a year with a record number of vetoes, the City of Fort Myers owes a debt of gratitude to its legislative delegation, who championed and prioritized these local projects,” City Manager Saeed Kazemi said in a statement. “The grassroots citizen support we received for these initiatives was tremendous.”

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The city had initially asked the state for more than $20 million, a large portion of that a request for $13.5 million to renovate the STARS Complex and harden it into a hurricane shelter.

The city had also requested about $4 million for the septic tank program, said Fort Myers Councilman Fred Burson.

Burson was the Fort Myers representative who asked Lee County’s legislative delegation for the septic tank program funds during the annual meeting in October.

He said the city of Fort Myers has about 100 septic tanks in the city that it would like to connect to city sewer instead. The $100,000 will help with the engineering expense, but the actual funds to connect to city lines will have to come from elsewhere.

Rebecca Smith, of Fort Myers, had a quick lunch then played with her grandson, Kayden Rogers, 1, on the playground at Centennial Park, Tuesday afternoon. She brought her own children to play at this park when they were young.

“When you go there, you always ask for everything you would like to have,” Burson said. “I had been hoping to get money for hardening of the STARS Complex. We didn’t get that; that is a disappointment.”

But, he added, he is pleased with what the city received, especially the funds for Centennial Park.

Burson, who has been involved with youth athletics, said children with disabilities are underserved, and new playground equipment will be an added amenity for them. 

“I am truly very pleased,” Burson said. “I think it will be a real feather in the cap of the city of Fort Myers.”

"We will go back and ask for more in the future," he said adding that, "You don't always get what you want."

Rebecca Smith, of Fort Myers, had a quick lunch then played with her grandson, Kayden Rogers, 1, on the playground at Centennial Park, Tuesday afternoon. She brought her own children to play at this park when they were young.