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Proposed road races prompt concern
By WAYNE AYERS
| Article published on Tuesday, May 26, 2009 |
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REDINGTON SHORES – A group of residents and business owners are urging the Redington Shores Board of Commissioners to oppose restarting of road races along Gulf Boulevard from Sand Key to Archibald Park in Madeira Beach.
The events, organized by Florida Gulf Beaches Road Races, have not been staged since 2005 due to road construction on Gulf Boulevard.
More than 2,000 participants are expected to run in the proposed Halloween Halfathon, a half marathon, scheduled to start at 7 a.m. on Oct. 31, resident Stefan Schreiner told the commission. In the past, the event has tied up traffic and made restaurants and shops difficult to get to, he said.
Promoter Chris Lauber is requesting to run a minimum of three races a year on Saturday mornings, and wants a five-year contract, according to Schreiner. Schreiner said the races “contribute nothing to the community except trash.”
Also present were business owners David Hitterman of the Frog Pond restaurant and Kenny Baldanza of Kenny’s Corner. Both said they agreed with Schreiner’s concerns about traffic disruptions.
Schreiner asked the commission to deny any and all permits that Lauber is requesting to run the races.
“I don’t think it is the promoter’s right to tell us what is good for us,” he said.
Schreiner recommended the race be moved to the Pinellas Trail, which he termed a “superb route” paid for with millions of taxpayer dollars.
In fact, Lauber is proposing a route for his December Holiday Halfathon that would utilize part of the Pinellas Trail, but it would start in Madeira Beach and go through the Redingtons before crossing over the Park Boulevard bridge.
Mayor Bert Adams said he understood the citizens’ concerns about the race and will bring the issue up for discussion at the commission’s May 27 workshop session. Adams also said he had told Lauber that he would not get a five-year contract from the town.
“That would commit future commissions,” he said.
Baldanza said closing of southbound Gulf Boulevard for the races is unfair to business owners.
“I own commercial and residential property,” he said. “This inconveniences my tenants, my employees, and hurts my business.”
Mayors of the beach communities had expressed concerns over the race following a presentation by Lauber at a recent Barrier Islands Governmental Council meeting, according to news reports.
New police contract up 5 percent
The commission approved a new contract with the Indian Shores Police Department which is up 5 percent from the present pact.
The increase is due to rising personnel costs and increases in fees from the Sheriff’s Office for dispatch and forensic services, Indian Shores Police Chief E.D. Williams said.
Raises given police personnel were part of a union contract, he said. Health insurance costs also rose.
Commissioner Lee Holmes wanted to know if, considering the hard economic times, Williams had given any thought to “adjusting those numbers.”
“You don’t want to reopen a (union) contract,” Williams responded. “They will fight you and you will spend more money on the legal end of it than you will gain in the adjustment.”
He pointed out that the Indian Shores officers’ pay compared with the rest of the county “has always been at the bottom of the list.”
Even considering the increase, Redington Shores is paying about 25 percent less for police protection than comparable services provided by the Sheriff’s Office, Williams said.
Vice Mayor John Branch noted that arrests are down 50 percent recently, indicating “either the police department is doing a good job or they have run everybody out of town.”
‘Noisy, dirty’ paving to begin
Road paving in connection with the storm sewer project will begin in the next two weeks along Wall Street, Wall Circle, part of First Street East and Long Point Drive, and then progress to the 176th Avenue area, Branch reported.
He said the work will be noisy and messy, so residents should expect some disruption, but the end result will be worth the trouble.
Lawsuit continues over beach access
Recent compromises proposed to resolve the controversy over paving of a beach access adjacent to the Gulf Mariner condominium apparently have not worked.
The condo association is going ahead with its lawsuit against the town and has filed for an emergency temporary injunction to stop work on the access, Town Attorney James Denhardt said.
Adams said the lawsuit is all about the driving of the town’s vehicles over the access.
Part of the compromise proposed by the town would have kept much of the greenery valued by the condo and nearby residents.
Adams warned that if the condo association wins the lawsuit, the town may have to pave the rest of the north easement to allow the vehicles to pass, and in the process eliminating the plantings.
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Article published on Tuesday, May 26, 2009
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