New markers to dot a 30-mile stretch of Gulf Boulevard
The mile markers between Pass-a-Grille and Clearwater Beach will resemble sunflowers.
By MYDRIA CLARK
Published June 4, 2003
TREASURE ISLAND - With the installation of mile markers on Gulf Boulevard, travelers soon will know exactly where they are going along the 30-mile stretch of road between Pass-a-Grille and Clearwater Beach.
The Gulf Beaches of Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce will pay for 30 of the mile markers on the boulevard. The markers will mimic the look of the current trolley stops - 1-foot diameter signs that resemble sunflowers. The chamber will also pay to add numbers to the trolley signs that already mark each tenth of a mile.
Because of the county's slow movement on the Gulf Boulevard beautification plan, the Barrier Islands Governmental Council has decided to seek state and federal funding for the larger portion of the plan, the burying of utility lines. This project would cost about $46.2-million.
The County Commission has made several proposals to the Barrier Islands Governmental Council about the fate of these lines, such as paying half to two-thirds the cost of burying, paying the cost of burying if the municipalities pay for the streetscaping and possibly using part of the new gas tax to pay for the project.
The County Commission won't decide until July whether it will use the gas tax to pay for Gulf Boulevard improvements, which made the beaches council wary.
"We felt that there are too many ifs on the county's part for the project to be materialized," said J.J. Beyrouti, mayor of Redington Shores and president of the Barrier Islands Governmental Council.
Beyrouti doesn't anticipate the project being started until next spring.
"Our goal will be to get into next year's budget," Beyrouti said.
