Bill to come due for dredging of canal

Oldsmar had the smelly sludge cleaned out, now Bicknese subdivision residents must repay $48,405.

By MEGAN SCOTT
© St. Petersburg Times
published March 18, 2003

OLDSMAR -- The muck is gone. The water is back. And the boats are sailing through.

Now all that's left for residents in the Bicknese subdivision to do is pay the bill.

Oldsmar City Council members are scheduled tonight to discuss collecting assessments from the homeowners. The dredging of the canal off W Shore Drive was completed late last year.

"A lot of sediment had come into the canal to the point that there was no water in the canal," said Esperanza Hughes-Johnson, 34. "Besides that, there was an odor that was coming from it. There was also grass growing in there. We were paying for waterfront property when there was no water."

It's been almost four years since residents first came to the City Council asking the city to dredge the canal.

Dead fish, grass and silt had turned their neighborhood canal into a smelly, muck-filled backyard eyesore. The sludge was so thick a boat couldn't pass through.

Residents thought the city was responsible for maintaining the canal because the silt that filled it up came from a drainage ditch that carries stormwater runoff.

"The dirt all came in from them developing other property on Shore Drive," said William Morgan, 73, a resident in the Bicknese subdivision.

But officials said most of the silt did not come from the city. The drainage ditch has handled stormwater for northeastern Pinellas and northwestern Hillsborough for about 45 years.

"Their opinion that the silt came from the stormwater system is just that," said City Manager Bruce Haddock. "It's their opinion. My opinion is that the canal silted up from the bay."

Bicknese homeowners agreed in August 1999 to pay the cost of dredging, provided the city hauled and disposed of the material removed from the canal.

The fees would be assessed once the work was completed.

The dredging cost $48,405.

Under the proposed resolution up for discussion tonight, residents would have the option of paying the $4,840.50 per lot assessment all at once or financing it over seven years at 7 percent interest. There are 10 lots along the canal, two of them owned by the same person.

Council members are scheduled to discuss levying the assessments at 7 p.m. in council chambers, 100 State St. W. "I'm sure a lot of people will say, 'Why did you pay for it?' " said Hughes-Johnson. "It was the only way to get it done. I personally don't have a problem with paying as long as the project is completed. Of course, we would have preferred that the city or county saw it as beneficial for everyone."

Hughes-Johnson and other residents said they were satisfied with the dredging. But they said there's still one thing left for the city to do: install a filter at the narrow end of the canal facing Shore Drive.

"It started filling back up again," said Morgan. "By the time they get it built, the dirt's going to be back in here again."

Mayor Jerry Beverland said he knows the canal needs a filter. He said the city should have one installed within the next two to three weeks.

The filter was not part of the contract for the dredging and therefore had to be done separately, said Haddock.

Under the proposal, residents' first dredging payment would be due after the filter is installed.

The whole process has taken a long time, said Hughes-Johnson. But it was well worth the wait.

"We're thrilled that we indeed did come this far," said Hughes-Johnson, who has lived in Bicknese for six years. "It's a lot more pleasant than it's ever been. We hope we can throw a party or celebration."

-- Megan Scott can be reached at (727) 445-4183 or mscott@sptimes.co .

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