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Cleveland Street work will be worth it, officials say
By LESTER R. DAILEY
| Article published on Thursday, March 16, 2006 |
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CLEARWATER – If the city’s Downtown Communications Plan had to be condensed into four words, those words probably would be “No pain, no gain.”
At the March 13 City Council work session, Joelle Castelli, the city’s assistant director of communications, gave the council a preview of the plan, which is designed to spread the word that the long-term benefits of a revitalized Cleveland Street corridor will far outweigh the temporary inconvenience that will be experienced during the construction phase.
Construction is expected to start in early May and take a year if the street is completely closed, or 18 months if it is only closed one lane at a time. And the city has vowed to take steps to minimize the inconvenience.
“We will only be affecting front entrances when we have to,” Castelli explained.
The plan is primarily intended to reassure nervous Cleveland Street merchants, people who live or work downtown, tourists and downtown developers. Secondary audiences include Clearwater residents who live outside the downtown core,
city officials and employees, county and state officials, Chambers of Commerce and the news media.
“To me, the first priority is that Clearwater businesses are open and accessible during construction,” Vice Mayor Bill Jonson said, adding that the city also needs to let people know that adequate parking is available. “I would think that another important message to send is that the downtown Clearwater infrastructure is due for an upgrade.”
The plan will employ a variety of means to get the word out. They include the city’s Web site and C-VIEW 15 television station, print messages in various newsletters and other publications, postcards and rack cards. The Downtown Development Board has earmarked $20,000 for the project, and more is available if needed.
“We’ll be ready to go in 60 days,” Castelli said.
The key messages the plan is intended to convey are that businesses are open and accessible during construction, and parking is available nearby. Castelli explained that the plan also will explain the benefits of the streetscape project, and ask people to be patient during its construction.
That led Jonson to reply that the part about having patience sounds patronizing and should be downplayed. But Mayor Frank Hibbard didn’t see it that way.
“The public expects government to have a character about itself that is sensitive to their pain,” Hibbard said.
The goals of the plan are to minimize negative feedback and perceptions about the Cleveland Street project, build public ownership of the project, create a “buzz” about downtown and convince all Clearwater residents of the importance of a revitalized downtown.
“I’m well aware that there are people in Clearwater who are willing to write off downtown,” Councilman John Doran said, adding that those people must be convinced that a vibrant downtown will benefit all Clearwater residents.
And Hibbard agreed.
“I always talk about the city as a body,” Hibbard said. “Unless the entire body is healthy, the infection starts to migrate to other parts of the body.”
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Article published on Thursday, March 16, 2006
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