Hurricane-damaged Lowdermilk Park to reopen Friday in Naples
A popular beachfront park in Naples will reopen this week.
A little over four months after Hurricane Ian forced it to close for safety reasons, Lowdermilk Park will welcome back visitors after noon on Friday, as rebuilding continues.
The park, off Gulf Shore Boulevard North, took a heavy hit from the storm, and it's still in need of major repairs.
However, the city has made it a priority to reopen the park, a hot spot for residents and tourists alike, looking to enjoy the beach and soak up the sun.
The focus has been on making the park safe again, requiring a lot of clean-up work, due to an unprecedented storm surge and heavy winds that damaged its structures and littered it with debris.
City manager Jay Boodheshwar shared the good news about the reopening at a City Council meeting Wednesday. He recognized the hard work of the city's parks and recreation department that has been "100% focused" on getting the park and all of the other storm-compromised beach access points reopened in Naples.
The good news came with some potentially bad news: The city may have to close the park again for "a period of a couple weeks," due to the construction of an emergency berm on beaches countywide, Boodheshwar said.
"Our goal is to not shut it down, but I just want to brace the public for it," he said.
Collier County plans to build a temporary berm, from Marco Island to Barefoot Beach, to protect upland structures left vulnerable by Ian. Sand for the berm will be hauled by truck, with nearly half of it going on city beaches.
While Lowdermilk may have to close for a few weeks, Boodheshwar said there may be a way to keep parts of the parking lot open, at least.
The city has been eager to get the park reopened, not only because it's so popular, but because it can hold so many cars, easing the stress on other beach parking areas.
In case you missed it:Naples city manager: A lot done, more to do in recovery from Ian
Earlier:Collier opens more beach access just in time for the holidays
Since the hurricane, the city has restored 16 of its 40 beach access points for the public.
Below is the list of access points the city has reopened:
Horizon Way
Vedado Way
Via Miramar
1977 Gulf Shore Blvd. N.
Seventh Avenue North
Fourth Avenue North
Second Avenue North
First Avenue North
Central Ave
Fifth Avenue South
Ninth Avenue South
Broad Avenue South
12th Avenue South, Naples Pier, only first 100 feet
13th Avenue South
17th Avenue South
1900 Gulf Shore Blvd. S.
Accesses on Second Avenue North and Third Avenue North are temporarily closed, due to a stormwater improvement project.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Naples to reopen Lowdermilk Park on Friday after Ian's big punch
