Gordon River park on site of former landfill, council to discuss how to proceed

It took Naples officials 25 years to get the proposed Gordon River park off the ground.

Now, after an auction last month raised $5 million to help build it, some citizens are asking Naples City Council to proceed with caution, pointing out part of the Riverside Circle property is an old landfill with high levels of methane and arsenic.

They want more studies, assurances and cost estimates that consider environmental problems before the city proceeds with engineering, architectural and landscaping phases.

On Tuesday, council is expected to discuss a 2004 city study that showed methane in nearly all 12 drilling locations on the property, and a September 2013 filter marsh report that revealed landfill contaminants were leaching into an adjacent marsh, where the city installed a filter to treat stormwater runoff.

A historical landfill that has been documented to have methane gas and arsenic is contaminating the filter marsh to the northwest of the landfill site, said Corey Cabral, a citizen activist who has emailed city officials about his concerns.

This site has a very high risk of settling if developed, said Cabral, a certified general contractor who spent 35 years in development and construction. If the buildings settle, then the foundations crack and they can fail. These cracks also allow methane gas into the buildings.

He noted design professionals suggest light-load, passive uses for landfill properties, such as bike and hiking trails.

They recommend quiet, low-impact things not Disneyland on the Gordon River, he said of the park, which is expected to include a carousel, pavilion, a caf, rock climbing, gazebos, restrooms, a 40-foot hill, lakes and waterfalls.

The Trust for Public Land, a San Francisco-based think tank, estimates at least 4,500 acres of landfills in large cities were successfully turned into parks, ball fields, golf courses, basketball and tennis courts.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protections protocols for building on landfills recommends caution due to unacceptable risks to human health and the environment.

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Gordon River park on site of former landfill, council to discuss how to proceed