Council approves Verizon payment
By DAVE SHELTON
Article published on Wednesday, March 26, 2008  |
BELLEAIR BEACH – Over several objections, the Belleair Beach City Council March 24 approved paying up to $35,000 to Verizon in order to build the new city hall over the utility’s cables.
Councilman Rob Baldwin sought the approval to “keep progress moving.” As chairman of the city’s building committee, Baldwin discovered that the telephone company had buried lines leading across city property which hadn’t previously appeared on property surveys.
Baldwin explained that an easement leading from Causeway Boulevard to a small utility company building on city property has been properly mapped. A second route was apparently mapped, but never properly filed in county records.
The city has already decided to use wooden pilings to be drilled into the ground rather than driven to avoid possibly damaging the phone lines. Baldwin said that for $35,000, the utility would add conduits for future expansion of its lines and reinforce the buried lines with cement.
Then, he said, Verizon would allow the city to build part of its new $3 million city hall over the easement.
Mayor Lynn Rives led opposition to the plan, arguing the new city hall could be moved away from the lines.
“You’re bucking a tide you don’t want to buck,” added city resident Ralph Morton.
He said the utility would ignore any agreement with the city in the future if any problems arose with their cables.
Resident Jim Corrigan agreed.
“They (the utility’s representatives) are unscrupulous, unethical people,” he said over objections from Councilman Richard Crowl who asked that such attacks be barred from the meeting.
“I can see why this project has taken six years,” interjected Baldwin.
He said that his experience in private industry is different than managing a public project.
“I’ve kept this all very transparent,” he said. “This (problem) has been on the table for six months.” He said he found it frustrating that now these objections have surfaced.
Councilwoman Kathy Mortensen joined Rives in opposing the plan.
“I’ve always had very good relations with Verizon but I’m afraid this is a bag of worms waiting to open,” she said, adding the building should be moved.
Rives and Mortensen were the only “nay” votes as the agreement was approved in a roll-call vote, 4-2.
The approval will, however, hinge on the city attorney obtaining a release from the utility that the city won’t be charged for any future problems with the cables, an accurately mapped easement is filed showing the buried lines and that the cost to the city for reinforcing the cables doesn’t go over $35,000.
|
Article published on Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Copyright © Tampa Bay Newspapers: All rights reserved. |
