LEE COUNTY, Fla. — Record high heat and only one Lee County-run park with a splash pad open. Now a mother is fighting for more to be done so families can cool off.
A petition to open one of the more popular splash pad areas at Lakes Park is up to over 100 signatures. The splash pads at Lakes Park are currently closed off with orange fencing and signs that say they’re still awaiting repairs from Hurricane Ian damage.
“It’s a little disappointing that it’s been several months and that we don’t have access to the splash pads still,” said Alison Baker, a mother who lives in Cape Coral.
After finding out the splash pads were closed at Fellowship Park in the Cape, Baker took her daughters to Lakes Park.
“I was hopeful that they’d have it up and running by now. I feel like they probably haven’t made it a priority,” she said.
Started by Jane D’Alonzo, who lives in Lee County, the petition states: “It’s imperative to provide safe and enjoyable outdoor spaces for children to play and beat the heat,” and calls for the immediate repair of the Lakes Park splash pad.
“There’s really a limited amount of things to do with young children in Fort Myers in general, both indoor and outdoor,” said D’Alonzo. “This was just a primary spot for us. Other counties out there are prioritizing parks and recreational areas because they know how important they are.”
Her petition also asks for more splash pads to be built, sharing data about Fort Myer’s growing younger demographic, and stressing the importance of outdoor play spaces.
“I grew up in New York, and I can tell you that Brooklyn certainly has more splash pads than Fort Myers and that is crazy to me!” She said. “I realize there wasn’t enough being done, so why not get the voice of the families of Fort Myers out there, to see if we can get the county to respond and give us an update as to what their plans are?”
The splash pads at Lakes Park have been shut down for ten months and the county does not have an update to share on the repairs.
The county said the splash pad is open at Veterans Park in Lehigh Acres. They couldn’t tell us when the splash pad area at Lakes Park will reopen to families.
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