To the editor:

This is a letter to the mayor and members of the city council:

My name is Frank Russo. I am president of the Fifty Plus Softball league in Cape Coral. I would like to urge the City Council on behalf of our 100 members, year round and seasonal, aged 50 to 80 to reconsider terminating our league of 20 years, due to budget cuts imposed upon the Parks and Recreation Dept. With these cuts it is impossible for them to maintain their current level of service which is represented clearly as part of their mission statement to its citizens.

Our league is very important to us, as is every participant in every program or event the city has to offer. Studies have shown that these activities have medical and social benefits which increase our quality of life and longevity. So on behalf of every citizen who takes advantage of all our P and R Dept. has to offer, I reemphasize the need to bridge the gap between the budget of ’09 and 2010.

I moved to SW Florida in ’06 joining a small anesthesia group in Port Charlotte. Despite a 25 mile ride to work we decided to move to Cape Coral. I understood it to be one of the fastest growing cities in the country; Great charter schools and a population of over 160,000 with a small town feel. A Parks and Recreation Dept. that through its diverse programs brings its citizens together on its well manicured ball fields or thru the seasonal events that bring us together on our city streets. I think it makes us unique for our size.

Let me give you an example. I moved here in October. By November after paging through the P and R program guide I joined the Fifty Plus Softball League. Immediately I had 100 friends, the members of our league who introduced me to the city’s schools restaurants and shops. This created the sense of community I am talking about. This is not unique to our league but serves as a microcosm of what takes place throughout our town as we take advantage of what the city P and R Dept. has to offer. So it’s the climate, the lifestyle the fishing that attracts us to SW Florida. But it’s the feeling of community; a small town feel in a big city shell that makes our city desirable and unique and why we move here as opposed to neighboring cities.

Finally, I have heard the P and R Dept. referred to as a business. I partially understand that, but don’t we as taxpayers subsidize some of those programs, as well as pay fees to participate in those programs? What bothers me most I guess is that it makes me feel like a customer instead of a citizen. I remember a CFO referring to my patients as customers. I corrected him quickly. If you’re under my care you’re my patient. I, in turn, am a citizen of Cape Coral not a customer. I am a customer when I walk into Publix.

So as a homeowner who lives in the Cape, with a wife who works here, a son attending pre k here and a daughter who will be attending FGCU next month, I urge you to provide the P and R Dept. the financial resources to maintain their current level of service. Preserve those qualities unique to our city not only for our present population but also for those considering relocating here. Thank you.

Frank M Russo MD

Cape Coral