Bayside Park

The $950,000 renovation to Bayside Park is complete and the park is now open for public use. The Fort Myers Beach town council celebrated the re-opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony and live music from Fort Myers Beach's own Sheena Brook.

Fort Myers Beach Town Manager Roger Hernstadt told the town council this week that the groundbreaking for the new Bayside Park will be the middle of August. The town is spending just under $1 million to rehab the park.

It looks like work is set to begin on the rehabilitation of Bayside Park. Fencing has been put up in the area of the construction zone and business owners in the area have told us they are starting to see activity.

By now you probably know that the Town of Fort Myers Beach is making major upgrades to Bay Oaks, Bayside Park and Times Square. Here's when those projects will see shovels in the ground.

On Monday Fort Myers Beach Town Manager Roger Hernstadt told the town council there's not enough money to cover the town's three major renovation projects; Bayside Park, Bay Oaks and Times Square. And, while no exact amount was given, it appears as if the projects are under-funded by millions of dollars.

The Fort Myers Beach Town Council has approved a contract with Wright Construction of Fort Myers to upgrade Bayside Park located between Nervous Nellie's and Snug Harbor. The cost of the project will be $885,346 and the work is expected to begin around January 1st.

It looks as if the development of Bayside Park will be the first of the three big Fort Myers Beach projects to see shovels in the ground. The town is now accepting bids from contractors to renovate and remodel the park.

Even though the Town Council has moved on, the Anchorage Advisory Committee continues to discuss the Bayside Park location for a new upland services building. Here's what committee members said this week...

Never say never. Before this week Fort Myers Beach residents believed that the 3-story view-blocking building town staff nearly snuck in was long gone. It was back for at least 30 minutes this week.

Business owners from Nervous Nellie's, Harbor House, Snug Harbor and Marina Village have written the Fort Myers Beach Town Council with a list of concerns over the latest Bayside Park design.

The Fort Myers Beach town council gave staff direction to move forward with the Bayside Park plan pictured here. Bayside Park could be the first of the three major projects, the town has borrowed $10 million to help fund, that sees shovels hit the ground.

Town Manager Roger Hernstadt just can't get it right when it comes to redeveloping Bayside Park. At first Hernstadt and the town staff presented a 40-foot high view-obstructing building that would have been wedged between Nervous Nellie's and Snug Harbor. His latest plan has also been rejected.

Redeveloping Bayside Park has been an ongoing saga with a few twists and turns along the way.  Initially DRMP (the engineering company for all three town projects-bayside, Time Square and Bay Oaks)  presented a simple plan with an open area including a stage, splash pad and rain garden at an early March town council meeting.