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Dunedin should move quickly to buy parkland

Dunedin resident J.C. Weaver has much to be proud of in his life. He survived and thrived after running away from home as a teenager and ending up penniless in Clearwater. He built a successful tile business, he bought and developed properties, including the Weaver Industrial Park in Clearwater, he is a singer and songwriter, and he lives today in an 11,000-square-foot mansion on the edge of St. Joseph Sound, surrounded by all the luxuries one could want.

Not bad for a "simple country boy" from the Shenandoah Valley.

But the thing for which Weaver could experience the most personal pride is the opportunity to convey to the residents of Dunedin a swath of waterfront land for a great park.

Weaver owns 7 acres along both sides of Bayshore Boulevard just north of Main Street, near Pershing Street. On the east side of Bayshore, the land is a surprising stretch of green on the heavily developed corridor. It is mostly vacant, with lots of trees, and the Pinellas Trail runs along the back of the parcel.

On the other side of Bayshore, the Weaver property abuts St. Joseph Sound and includes a long private pier.

The Weaver property is for sale, and a sign on the eastern portion notes that it is zoned for commercial development. However, Weaver is willing to consider an offer from the city, and last week the City Commission voted unanimously to pursue a purchase.

The city hopes to buy the property for about $19-million - appraisals of the land have come in on either side of that number - and eventually develop it into a park, continuing to rent out several homes on the property until the day the park could be built.

City officials hope to obtain grants to cover much of the purchase price.

Acquiring such expensive land isn't easy for a small city. Some would say it is too costly in a time when local governments are confronting rising costs for public projects and their residents are grappling with an ever-higher cost of living.

But it is rare these days in Pinellas for a local government to be able to snag waterfront land and put it under public ownership - so rare that Dunedin can scarcely afford to pass on the opportunity. If the city didn't pursue purchase, there is little doubt that it would one day experience the same regrets as Clearwater, which in the 1960s turned away an offer to buy a mile of Sand Key beachfront for only $3-million.

Dunedin should move as quickly as it can to negotiate with Weaver while also firming up financing plans. Grants for such purchases aren't as numerous these days, thanks to skyrocketing costs of land. The city may need to consider more creative financing plans or even sell some of its existing properties to wrap up such an important purchase.

Perhaps Weaver can even help put the purchase within easier reach of his fellow Dunedin residents. There is no more valuable legacy he could leave in land-starved Pinellas than beautiful waterfront parkland.

[Last modified July 26, 2006, 07:02:15]