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County agrees to fund Gulf Boulevard projects
By BOB MACPHERSON
| Article published on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2008 |
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CLEARWATER - Pinellas County officials have committed $7 million annually for five years to 11 beach communities beginning in 2010 for Gulf Boulevard improvements.
County Board of Commissioners Chairman Bob Stewart told the Barrier Island Governmental Council on July 30 the funding program will allow each of the municipalities to determine how it would spend its share.
Stewart gave a brief historical review of progress made since the need to improve the coastal highway came to the attention of the county more than eight years ago. A key requirement to spruce up the boulevard, according to Stewart, was to put utilities underground, a responsibility handed to municipalities.
Some towns such as Redington Shores and Indian Shores did not wait for the uncertainty of county financial help and went ahead on their own with undergrounding projects.
Stewart said the original price tag placed on the project effectively precluded the county and municipalities from coming up with all the needed funds.
“The effort then stalled,” Stewart said. “I went to every Gulf Boulevard town council meetings to see how we could make an equitable commitment.”
Subsequently, the county then made its funding commitment based on each municipality’s portion of the length of Gulf Boulevard. In the case of municipalities that went ahead with work by themselves, reimbursement may be in the offing.
Stewart said at a May Board of Commissioners meeting, the board approved $6 million for Clearwater and $1.1 million for Redington Beach.
“Speaking as this year’s president of the BIG C, I believe the county’s commitment to invest $35 million dollars in the beautification of our main tourist-visitor thoroughfare is a wise and timely move,” said Indian Shores Mayor Jim Lawrence, in an e-mail.
“The 11 beach municipalities involved in the project are grateful for Commissioner Stewarts’ steadfast determination to ensure the county’s promised Penny for Pinellas commitment to the voters and to the beach cities-towns was kept before he leaves office,” Lawrence said.
Lawrence said that as mayor of a town that already has invested more than $6 million in utility undergrounding and streetscape beautification, he is “extremely happy that our portion, $4 million of Penny for Pinellas money spread over five years, can be used to help offset the cost of the investment already made by the people of Indian Shores.”
Beach nourishment
Stewart said that expected revenues, about $30 million from dock stamp revenues, earmarked for beach renourishment, “became smaller and smaller.”
“There is nothing more important for tourism than the beaches and your communities provide those beaches. We need to stay vigilant,” he said, referring to the need to work together to find the wherewithal to maintain the beaches.
Search for new county administrator
The county is currently interviewing for a new administrator with the short list down to four candidates including an in-house candidate. Stewart said the four will be further culled to two. The final two applicants will be interviewed by the board of commissioners.
Baseball park
Stewart reviewed the status of talks with the Tampa Bay Rays management concerning funding for a new ball park. He said the county doesn’t want to make a financial commitment unless it can be shown that a new park would help tourism. The issue is moot for the time being since the Rays withdrew their proposal.
Instead of going forward with plans for a November referendum on the stadium issue, the Rays have agreed to listen to ideas from a community coalition led by Progress Energy president Jeff Lyash.
The move, which is heavily supported by government leaders in St. Petersburg and Pinellas County, was made in June to slow down the process for the stadium effort and gives the community time to respond to the long-term needs of the ball club.
County budget
Stewart said that due to the state’s Amendment 1, which will result in a decrease of property tax revenues, coupled with the downturn in the real estate market reducing property tax values, the proposed fiscal year 2009 budget of nearly $2 billion is 6.7 percent less than the total current fiscal year’s budget.
Stewart said the county eliminated 400 positions, some of which are vacant, but left the millage rate at 5.45, the same as 2007’s. He said major revisions will be made in the county’s park system and in medical and pharmacy services.
Public hearings are set for Sept. 2 and Sept. 16 at 6:30 p.m. in commission chambers, Clearwater.
Tom Germond contributed to this report.
Revision: Corrected the date of public hearings.
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Article published on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2008
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