The playground under construction at Big Corkscrew Island Regional Park. TIM ATEN / NAPLES FLORIDA WEEKLY
Q: Heard anything about the outdoor gym and outdoor facilities that they were creating out near the Collier County fairgrounds? Can’t seem to find any info. — E.R., Golden Gate Estates
A: Outdoor fitness, sports and other recreational activities will abound this summer in Golden Gate Estates when the first phase of Big Corkscrew Island Regional Park opens. It’s under construction and targeted to launch in July at the end of 39th Avenue Northeast, the road off Immokalee Road that leads to the Collier County fairgrounds.
A fitness pavilion with outdoor exercise stations is one of many amenities coming to the park. “This is something that came to us after we began the design,” said Collier County Parks & Recreation Director Barry Williams, speaking last week at a town hall meeting for Commissioner Bill McDaniel. “It’s something we see in recreation and an outdoor trend — outdoor fitness. So, this is a very unique type of fitness that occurs in our park system. It is a high-intensity workout, if you’re familiar with that term. Having this amenity was very important to us. The cool thing about this amenity is it has an app for your smart phone that as you participate and interact with this, you are able to track your progress and how you’re doing.”
Above: A rendering of the Big Corkscrew Island Regional Park under construction in Golden Gate Estates. Right: A rendering of the aquatics center at the future Big Corkscrew Island Regional Park. COURTESY IMAGES
It’s going to be in front of the park’s aquatic center, which will sport waterslides, a 6,159-square-foot lap pool, a 4,040-square-foot family pool and a 557-square-foot wading pool. The 8,686 square-foot aquatic center building also has a 900-square-foot pool pavilion. Expect programs for water aerobics, aqua cycling and swim lessons.
“We worked very closely with the local high school, Palmetto Ridge High School. Their dive team, their swim team will use this facility as kind of their home pool. We’re very excited about that,” Mr. Williams said.
The initial phase of the park also includes four multipurpose fields, two with natural grass and two with artificial turf. They can be used for soccer, football, lacrosse and a variety of field games. Just north of that area are two baseball/softball fields and an off-leash dog park.
On the other end of the park are six pickleball, two tennis and two basketball courts. There’s also an oval event lawn with a stage and an 8,150-square-foot concession building. A 22,641-square-foot community center is set for local meetings and programs with two community rooms, two multipurpose rooms, a VPK daycare room and office space.
A sizeable playground features various slides, cable bridges, zip lines, monkey bars, climbing stations, ramps, and therapeutic, tire and strap swings. The hand-built playground also has solar-powered charging stations and lots of shade. A large, colorful castle for kids to explore serves as a centerpiece.
“Your kids are going to love it. It’s like no other playground I’ve ever seen,” Mr. Williams said. “It is probably our signature part of the park. It really is spectacular.”
Collier County is building a water treatment plant near the fairgrounds and a new regional park in Golden Gate Estates. TIM ATEN / NAPLES FLORIDA WEEKLY
The park also has nine picnic pavilions and a 10-foot-wide multi-use path for jogging, walking or bicycling that winds around the park’s perimeter.
The park’s second phase, expected to begin construction this fall, will have four more ball diamonds as well as more outdoor fitness stations, play areas, walking paths, concessions and picnic pavilions. A large lake will have a kayak and canoe launch.
Tanks for everything
Q: What is the purpose of the large tank being constructed next to the park construction near the fairgrounds. — John Kulbitskas, Golden Gate Estates
A: Under construction east of the Collier County fairgrounds, recycling center and future Big Corkscrew Regional Park, the large tank — actually two large tanks — are water storage tanks for what eventually will be a water treatment plant serving that fast-growing area.
“While we’re building the park, we’re also building our regional water sewer system to serve the countywide water sewer operations. More importantly, countywide water operations as the population grows,” said George Yilmaz, the county’s government facilities and utilities administrator. “What you’re seeing is the interim plant that we put there to make sure we’re meeting the demand and, also, we’re serving our current customers in this area.”
Moving forward and modernizing the regional system, the county has been able to discontinue the water plant of the former Orange Tree Utility Co., which served that immediate area until four years ago.
Eventually, the Northeast Water Reclamation Facility immediately east of the northern end of the park will be joined by the Northeast Water Treatment Plant farther east. The interim plant in Golden Gate Estates is targeted to be 60 to 90 percent completed in about 18 months, Mr. Yilmaz said. In the meantime, he said the county is working with neighbors there to make sure the plant has the appropriate buffers, berms and fencing.
“We want to make sure we are good neighbors,” he said. “We have proven we can be an invisible operation.”
The county has proven it can operate wastewater plants in even more populated areas. “This will be the third water plant and it will be the third wastewater plant, regional water reclamation plant,” Mr. Yilmaz said.
The other county plants — the North County and South County regional water treatment plants — are on Goodlette- Frank Road in North Naples and St. Andrews Boulevard in East Naples. Combined, the two plants have a total constructed capacity of more than 50 million gallons of drinking water per day.
The third plant is designed to increase the sustainability and reliability of water and sewer service in the entire county. Seeing the need for water and wastewater facilities in that region, county commissioners approved the water/wastewater master plan in 2001 and purchased the 216-acre Northeast utility property in 2003. ¦
— “Tim Aten Knows” is published each week in Naples Florida Weekly. Mr. Aten is managing editor of Gulfshore Business magazine. Email questions to TimAtenKnows@floridaweekly.com. Follow @TimAtenKnows on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
