Palm River has a lot of shrubbery as well as large areas of wild and protected areas. That makes for pleasant living for wildlife – including but not limited to bears, bobcats, coyotes, otters, snakes, and turtles – but it can be dangerous for pets. Our Boards recommendation is to always keep a leash and a protective eye on personal pets such as cats and dogs.
Each year the management of the LaPlaya Golf Course offers to Palm River residents and their guests a day of golf at a price considered reasonable by most golfers. Golfers and non-golfers are also invited to enjoy a lunch at the club house. Lunch and a cold drink on the veranda are a relaxing pleasure as one views the beautifully landscaped course.
The event is held on a Sunday in October. Members of our Palm River Association handle the entry forms and charges for LaPlaya for this event.
A view by our president, David Alger
The board has credited me with the impetus for Palm River Park. Truly, it wasn’t my original idea. When I became president of the River Oaks Association I was given lots of old stuff to go through. In searching through it, I came across a semi-professionally drawn plan showing a winding walkway along Piper Boulevard with numerous trees. That was over 10 years ago. At the time, I said to myself, “Gee, wouldn’t it be nice if we could one day do this?” But time gets away. However, eventually I got impatient with myself and created a rough painting of how this area might look. I showed it to Fran Hoy who was president of the PRHCA at the time. As it turned out, landscaping that area was also his dream. He scheduled it for presentation at the next board meeting and at that point it took off.
From that point on you know the story. The board hired a landscape architect to provide a conceptual drawing. When we showed it to Jim Wallace, who owned the east half of the Piper Boulevard corridor property, he immediately became an enthusiastic supporter. He helped us get the county interested. It thus became a tri-party project. It turned out the county was interested in the idea of public-private partnerships to create attractive areas in small spots of unused land around the county. With the county involved, it became a much grander project than the modest improvement we originally hoped to make.
We owe our gratitude to a number of individuals for their participation. Jim Wallace, of course. Not only did he donate the east half of the corridor property, he also contributed the five grand sculptures that make it different from other small parks plus an added $10,000 toward construction. Charley Nevaril has been closely involved from the beginning, handled the memorial pavers and has been our continuing contact with the county. Commissioner Georgia Hiller became an immediate supporter. We especially appreciate the efforts of Nick Casalanguida. Nick has handled this project for the county and for us with a professional interest that is a credit to Collier County government. I wish you could have been there to feel the enthusiasm we experienced coming not only from Nick and Commissioner Hiller, but also from all the staff. How excited they all were about this and how many hours they put in to make this dream come true.
Community members line the streets with Old Glory to celebrate July 4th.
There are many ways to celebrate our national Independence Day. Fireworks, barbecues, speeches and parades help people commemorate the Fourth of July. In the Founding Fathers’ day, ringing of bells was a major focus.
In Palm River, they put out flags. For nearly two decades, the community in North Naples has seen its streets lined with almost 2,000 American flags each July, a reminder of the day and patriotism every time residents venture out of their doors.