Cambier Park is a hop and a skip closer to getting a new playground.
On May 6, Naples City Council chose its preferred designer, Playcore Wisconsin Inc., doing business as Gametime.
The decision came after council reviewed the designs of three potential vendors, presented in detail by Chad Merritt, the city’s director of community services. The presentation included showing multiple renderings for each of the proposed designs, along with sharing simulated fly-through videos.
It wasn’t a unanimous decision by council — and the chosen firm wasn’t the top-ranked one by the city’s Community Services Advisory Board, or a selection committee made up of city staffers.
Both the board and the committee ranked Playmore West Inc. first and Playcore second.
Councilors Bill Kramer and Scott Shultz both chose Playmore, resulting in a 5-2 vote in favor of Playcore.
Playcore’s design garnered more votes from the council due mostly to its creativity and its native and natural elements that reflect the city’s — and Southwest Florida’s — identity.
Most council members liked the company’s approach toward incorporating the city’s high-priority elements, including a must-have tree house.
The company proposed a Swiss Family Robinson, tree-themed playground, inspired by adventure and nature. The playground is designed to look like it “grew out of the landscape.” It plays up wildlife and sea life, from spiders and ants to sharks and sea turtles, and it includes a life-like banyan tree for recreation and imagination.
With the layout, Kramer and Shultz both expressed concerns about the difficulty in keeping track of kids, especially while playing in the cavernous tree house or in oversized climb-through fish. Others on the council didn’t see a problem with the sightlines.
Building s playground that’s unique to Naples
One of the city’s biggest goals is to have a playground that’s unique to Naples. The top two ranked firms, Merritt said, “really flexed on this,” coming up with designs that he could have never imagined.
During his presentation to the council, Merritt repeatedly emphasized that not one tree will be removed for the project.
“There’s not a tree leaving this site,” he said. “So, all the trees will remain.”
Now that the council has chosen a design, the city attorney can move forward in negotiating a contract with the selected firm.
Council has asked for a few changes to the design, including making some of the wildlife and sea life more Naples-specific, and adding more artistic and theatrical elements, such as a pretend stage, which was part of a competing design.
Playcore has offered a lifetime warranty on some elements of the playground, and 5-, 10- and 15-year warranties on other parts of it, along with a three-year warranty on labor. Overall, its warranties were better than the competing vendors.
Cambier Park playground: What’s next?
The goal is to finalize a contract at a city council meeting on June 17. Construction could take 10 months, following the city’s final approval of a design and site plan.
Much of the old playground was demolished in late November after the city deemed it unsafe, saying it had “exceeded its useful life.” That playground was built in the 1990s.
The city has set aside $2 million to replace the playground in this year’s budget.
Councilman Berne Barton told city attorney Matthew McConnell to use “every lever you have possible to make sure that we get the best deal as a community” in negotiating a contract.
The chosen design has been estimated to cost $2.6 million.
Should the negotiations not work out the way council wants, Barton said the city could always make a different choice and go with Playmore.
Playmore’s design came in cheaper at about $2.19 million.
“That’s also a great option in my opinion,” Barton said.
Laura Layden is a senior business and government reporter. Reach her by email at laura.layden@naplesnews.com.
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This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Naples council picks design for new Cambier Park playground
Reporting by Laura Layden, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Naples Daily News
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