Discussion on new park rescheduled to January

Neighborhood residents will get an opportunity to speak their mind about the proposed Best Friend Park, which during the past few months has stirred up controversy in the working-class community.

An item up for discussion by the Collier County Commission pertaining to Best Friend was recently pulled off the agenda at the request of some area residents. Some homeowners complained they wanted to have a say in the matter. Now, they will.

Members of the Naples Park Area Association said some residents would be away during the holidays and unable to participate in hashing out the issue.

"There are a number of association members that want to have some discussion," said Barbara Bateman, civic chairwoman for the Naples Park Area Association. "We went to the Parks and Recreation advisory board and they say it was pretty much a done deal. We want to go before the county commissioners now."

Best Friend, which Naples Park Elementary School students named, sits on two lots in the 700 block of 104th Avenue North.

Bateman, a Naples Park homeowner for 28 years, said she had received an e-mail from Public Services Administrator John Dunnuck last week notifying her that discussion on Best Friend had been rescheduled for January. A specific date has not yet been set.

Some Naples Park residents claim that if slides, swings and other playground equipment are added to Best Friend, those could be disruptive to the area.

"It's going to be very, very noisy in this residential area and it's going to be a liability for us," said Julia Perrotta, an area homeowner for 16 years. "If children get hurt, we're responsible for insuring that with our tax dollars. It's going to be another burden for us."

At the Nov. 18 County Commission meeting, commissioners were to consider whether the county's Parks and Recreation department should use $165,000 to develop and purchase playground equipment for the park.

"The residents wanted to talk about this so it was taken off the agenda," Parks and Recreation Director Marla Ramsey said. "The game plan is to get the board to give us direction whether to take funds and develop the park or not."

The Parks and Recreation department, at the request of Naples Park resident Dwight Richardson, had planned on asking residents to tax themselves to pay for Best Friend. After a wave of residents protested, Parks and Recreation decided to use existing money to pay for the park.

Ramsey said once the County Commission gives the go-ahead to proceed with developing Best Friend, a committee -- comprised of Naples Park residents -- would be created to design the park.

The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, which makes recommendations to the County Commission, has already given approval for the department to spend the $165,000 to develop the park.

Though county officials have repeatedly denied that Best Friend has any association with the Naples Park Community Plan, residents remain skeptical. The Community Plan, referred to by residents as the Dover, Kohl & Partners plan, calls for improving the neighborhood through sidewalks, community squares, street lights, trees and other amenities.

"Best Friend Park is part of the Dover, Kohl plan," Perrotta said. "This is part of a bigger government scheme. If it was a simple playground we would be fine with it. But this is bigger than that."