A groundbreaking ceremony kicked off the Collier County Gordon River Greenway Park —the largest portion of the total greenway with approximately 120 acres—on May15 at the Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens. The project, which utilizes Collier County Parks and Recreation plus Conservation Collier land, is expected to take 14 months.

Attendees at the event included Naples Mayor John Sorey; Rev. Thomas J. Gillespie, OSFS, St. Ann Catholic Church; District 1 Commissioner Donna Fiala; District 2 Chairwoman Commissioner Georgia A. Hiller; District 3 Vice Chairman Commissioner Tom Henning; District 4 Commissioner Fred Coyle; District 5 Commissioner Tim Nance; Public Services Division Interim Administrator Steve Carnell; Conservation Collier Land Acquisition Advisory Committee Vice Chairman Anthony P. Pires, Jr.; and Southwest Florida Land Preservation Trust President Scott Cameron. Collier County Manager Leo Ochs, also involved in the project, was unable to attend.

Other project partners include the Naples Zoo, the Naples Airport Authority, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, Naples Pathway Coalition and the Naples Rowing Association.

For more information, call 239-262-0015 or visit GordonRiverGreenway.org.