Tampa Preparatory School has offered its 200 parking spaces to help with Sunday crowds at Riverfront Park.
By KEVIN GRAHAM
Published May 28, 2004
TAMPA - Downtown Tampa's Riverfront Park has become a popular gathering spot on Sundays, bringing together as many as 3,000 people, city officials say.
People come from as far away as Orlando to barbecue, play basketball and just hang out. As summer approaches, even bigger crowds are expected at the park, near Interstate 275 at North Boulevard and W Cypress Street.
Congestion has accompanied the crowds in surrounding neighborhoods. Residents have told city officials that vehicles and pedestrian traffic disrupt their communities.
Earlier this week, Tampa Preparatory School offered some relief. The private school said it is prepared to open its nearby parking lot to the public on Sundays, allowing 200 cars to park there instead of on neighborhood streets.
City Council member Kevin White said Thursday that the Tampa Prep lot could be available as soon as this weekend, if the city agrees to pick up any trash left on the private school's property.
Earlier this month, some parkgoers appeared before the council to air complaints about what they saw as intimidating actions by Tampa police officers. They said police had arrived at the park one Sunday with bean bag guns when no one in the park was acting inappropriately.
Police Chief Stephen Hogue said it was an isolated event caused by miscommunication between the parks department and the officers. Someone with the parks department reported a disturbance in the park. Officers arrived expecting to find a rowdy crowd, Hogue said, but when they saw everyone was behaving properly they put away their bean bag guns.
Police continue to patrol the park on Sundays.
At least one vendor has started selling food in the park on Sundays, and the council hopes more people do the same.
"I'm glad to see the park is finally being used to its fullest," council member Mary Alvarez said.
