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Lealman sends mixed signals in land deal
By ANNE LINDBERG, Times Staff Writer LEALMAN -- Fire commission officials agreed earlier this summer to build a two-story fire station in a corner of Lealman Park so most of the green space would be preserved for residents. Now, the Lealman Fire District is asking for more land -- but how much more depends on who is doing the talking. Chief Rick Graham says the district needs only a few more feet. The county, which owns the land, originally promised the department could use up to "half the park." The new request for more land is much less than that, he said. "We're not talking like taking another 200 feet of the park. We're talking about something very small," Graham said. "We're still way under half the park." Graham reiterated that the station will be two stories. But in a request earlier this month to Pinellas County Administrator Steve Spratt, Deputy Chief David Brown contradicted his boss. The district needs half the park, Brown wrote, which is more than the county allowed: "The project was started in 1998 and we were promised then 1/3 of the park." The district now needs about 2 acres of the 3.9-acre tract for its new fire station, Brown's report said. As for the size of the building, Brown turned in a "footprint" showing the general dimensions of a one-story structure. Graham said Friday that he knew nothing about Brown's report. Later, Graham said he couldn't find a copy of the report and asked a reporter to fax it to him. Brown was away Friday at a training school. Of Brown's report and meeting with Spratt, Graham said: "That was done when I was off on vacation." As for a footprint with a one-story building, Graham said: "Why the architect would have put that down, I don't know." The chief also said that, on second thought, the county had agreed to give the district one-third of the park and not half as he said earlier. That space was reduced from one-third when community activists complained that the park on 54th Avenue between 37th and 38th streets was the only green space in Lealman. They asked the county to preserve the entire park with all its trees. The fire district agreed to construct a two-story building in the northeast corner of the property, butting up to 37th Street, which was to be closed. But Graham said the arrangement is subject to renegotiation, which is typical of a deal between two government agencies. Both parties knew issues would come up, he said. For instance, because of utilities under 37th Street, the station will be moved back several feet. County officials have agreed to meet with Lealman fire representatives to try to work things out. That meeting has not been scheduled. But the county, said assistant administrator Gay Lancaster, is eager to preserve the park so it can be developed. The county is already erecting play equipment on the western portion. "Our position long ago was to provide a small parcel to the fire service with the understanding that they would be a good, essentially, manager of the site and provide public restrooms as part of their community commitment and we would seek to have them utilize as little of the site as necessary for the fire station," Lancaster said.
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From the Times South Pinellas desks Letters |
