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Land buys will move projects forward
By CHRISTINA HEADRICK, Times Staff Writer CLEARWATER -- City commissioners voted Thursday to spend $11-million to buy 46 acres for a new spring training stadium and a major flood-control project. As a result of the unanimous votes, the city will acquire two sites: one for a Philadelphia Phillies stadium on U.S. 19 and another for a drainage project that will prevent flooding along Alligator Creek. For the drainage project, the commission voted to buy the 37-acre Friendly Village of Kapok mobile home park for $7.3-million. Residents of the park's 200 homes will have a year's notice before they have to move, and the city will pay to buy their homes and relocate them, city engineer Mike Quillen said. A meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Clearwater High School for residents to find out more about the city's plans. After relocating the Friendly Village's residents, the city will create a lake and wetlands on the land, which will reduce the risks of flooding for about 500 homes along Alligator Creek. The city will also design the area to clean up pollution that would otherwise flow down the creek into Tampa Bay. Commissioners said it was a difficult decision to move that many people from their homes, but the drainage project is needed. "This should be an affirmation for the general public that we are not going to dodge these kinds of issues," Mayor Brian Aungst said. The total cost of the Kapok project, including buying the mobile home park and relocating its residents, is estimated to be $17-million. No mobile home residents showed up Thursday to oppose the City Commission's decision. For the Phillies' stadium, the commission voted to buy the site of the former Home Depot at 21870 U.S. 19, just north of Drew Street. The $3.9-million purchase price was higher than two city appraisals for the 8.6-acre tract, but lower than the $5.2-million price that Home Depot U.S.A. originally proposed, said Kevin Dunbar, Clearwater's parks and recreation director. Although the decision to buy the land was unanimous, Commissioner Bill Jonson voiced concerns about spending $6.4-million on the stadium when the city has other needs, including redeveloping downtown and Clearwater Beach. "Nevertheless, this is a journey that a previous commission did start us on," Jonson said, before voting for the deal. Jonson said that he hopes that the Phillies have a "true partnership" with the city in financing the construction of the future stadium, which has been estimated to cost at least $23-million. The rest of the commission spoke more enthusiastically about the future stadium and the city's longtime relationship with the Phillies. "Right now we've got a stadium at Jack Russell that is less than appealing," said Commissioner Hoyt Hamilton, who made headlines last year when he stepped on a large, deteriorated, concrete section of Jack Russell Stadium and caused it to collapse. "I do believe that the Home Depot (property) is a site that will be a great location for a community stadium for many, many, many years," Hamilton said. The city decided to buy the Home Depot property for the stadium after another location on the site of a defunct landfill proved unsuitable. In other business, the commission raised occupational license fees that all city businesses pay by 5 percent, slightly increased the cost of propane gas that the city gas company sells and approved the construction of Clearwater's first fenced park for dogs at Crest Lake Park.
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From the Times North Pinellas desks |
