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Matters of Note
By LESTER R. DAILEY
Article published on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2006 |
City to out source some building plan reviews
The City Council last week re-appropriated $75,000 from the general fund of the Development and Neighborhood Services Department to hire outside contractors to help with a backlog of building plan reviews. The backlog resulted from the recent increase in large construction projects in the city.
The building permit revenue for fiscal year 2005 was $475,000 above the projected $2.2 million, so there was plenty of money available to hire the outside contractors. Extra dollars will be fast-tracked for big projects, some of which are up to 129 days behind schedule.
“We’ve done a number of things to shorten the turnaround time for plans that are submitted,” said Jeff Kronschnabl, head of the department. “We have a good reputation for standards. Some people might whine a little, but in the end you have a better product.”
“With this we do retain control,” added Assistant City Manager Garry Brumback.
City establishes scholarship for Japan-bound students
For 46 years, Clearwater has had a teacher and student exchange program with its sister city, Nagano, Japan.
Each summer, four Clearwater high school students and a chaperone travel to Nagano and spend two weeks visiting Japanese schools and touring local attractions. Since 1991, 26 Clearwater area students have visited Nagano, with that city picking up the tab for their travel expenses.
But Nagano officials recently informed the Sister City Advisory Board that they would no longer provide airfare, travel insurance or transportation outside Nagano for the visiting Clearwater students. They will, however, continue to arrange homestays, study tours and visits to local attractions. It is estimated that it will cost $2,500, including a pro-rata share of the chaperones expenses, for each student to participate in the project.
Realizing that some worthy students may not be able to afford the trip, the City Council set aside a $5,000 scholarship fund. Students in grades 9, 10 or 11 who meet the prerequisites can earn up to $1,250 by working up to 50 hours at designated city activities. The city will match that amount for students who live in Clearwater, but not for students who go to school here but reside elsewhere.
Parking language remains ambiguous
To make up for the public parking spaces that will be lost when South Gulfview Boulevard is converted into the scenic Beach Walk, the developers of the proposed Hyatt Hotel agreed to build a 750-space parking garage in which “at least 400 spaces shall be open to the public” and not more than 350 will be reserved for hotel employees and guests.
But the Clearwater Beach Chamber of Commerce worries that that language is too ambiguous because the word “public” is not adequately defined.
The chamber fears that, during Spring Break and other busy times, the hotel will claim it is part of the public and appropriate some of all of the 400 “public” spaces for its guests, thereby driving away other beachgoers who can’t find a parking space. They want the language clarified to make it clear that hotel employees and guests are prohibited from using any of the 400 “public” spaces.
But the City Council took no action on the chamber’s request at last week’s meeting.
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Article published on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2006
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