Acting up ... one last time

Under a colorful, hand-painted sign pronouncing 2006 as the last year of Lee County Parks and Recreation Summer Camp at the Karl Drews Community Center, camp participants sang, joked and acted their way through the annual Talent Show on Thursday afternoon.

"A lot of us who have been here for years put the skits together," said Michelle Pardo, director for the younger camp participants. "It's a lot of fun, and something the kids enjoy."

Pardo herself has a trunkfull of memories from Karl Drews summer camps. Starting 15 years ago, Pardo made the trip from her home to the small community center each summer to play games and participate with her friends in talent shows just like today's.

"I've always enjoyed coming here," she said, "but a lot of the kids are looking forward to moving to the new center in Estero with the bigger gym and more things to do."

It is that move to Estero that has caused discontent and even anger among some San Carlos Park residents.

"It's like we are going back to 30 years ago before we had the center," said Rhea Bogner during Wednesday's Civic Association meeting. "If they take this (the center) from us, we are back to having nothing."

The fight against the removal of the Park's Department programs from the Karl Drews center has been a central topic at a majority of the Civic Association meetings for the past six months, and a number of Lee County Council member have attended the meetings to address the issue with the irate residents.

The conflict, however, is not defined by the borders of the San Carlos Park neighborhood. A recent decision by the county to change the name of the controversial new park and community center off Corkscrew Road from Estero Park to Oak Hill brought a wave of protest from Estero residents.

Thursday morning at the regular Council Meeting, the matter was put to vote, and in a unanimous decision — minus the vote of absent Commissioner John Albion — the park and community center were officially, and permanently, named the Estero Community Park.

Many San Carlos Park residents are indifferent about the name of the new park, pointing out it is the loss of the programs where they are currently located, not the name of the park, that is at issue.

"This is part of our identity as a community," said Civic Association President Mark Fedigan on Wednesday. "It's not about a name, it's about retaining that identity."

Despite a firm stand in previous months by Commissioner Albion, stating that the move is a "done deal" and asking residents to give the new park a chance, recent statements by John Yarbrough, director of the county's parks and recreation department, have indicated the county is willing to consider new options like housing some programs in the house located on the Karl Drews site. They are planning a longer "overlap" of services to phase out the programs at Karl Drews. The new willingness to compromise, according to Commissioner Albion, may have to do with the delay of construction on the Estero park. The opening has been moved from the beginning of the school year to the middle of the term.

"At least they are willing now to talk, we will get input from the community and see where to go from there," said Fedigan.