Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Beaches' main drag gets half-mile markers

Residents and business owners say the colorful fish signs are more helpful as locaters than street addresses are.

By RITA FARLOW
Published September 9, 2006

Ask a Key West resident how to find a business and most likely you'll be given the number of the closest mile marker, not the street address.

"It's so nice because you don't ever have to give anyone your address, you just tell them to stop at Mile Marker 15. I love the system," said Mary Broman, manager of Baby's Coffee on U.S. 1.

Some business owners along Gulf Boulevard in Pinellas County hope the mile marker system will work as well here.

"It's something that's probably not going to happen overnight. It takes a little time to be developed," said Sam Maisano, managing partner of Gator's Caf and Saloon in Treasure Island.

In recent weeks, several beach communities have been installing new half-mile markers to supplement the mile markers that went up along Gulf Boulevard in 2003.

"It was such a big success that a lot of the beach communities and the businesses were using them as a marker, that we decided to go with the half-mile markers," said county planner Sandra Knoebel-Gamache.

The signs, which carry the same colorful fish logo as the mile markers, cost about $26,000 total and were paid for by the county with funds left over from the Gulf Boulevard corridor study and beautification project that began in 2001.

Each beach city is responsible for installation, which has begun in several towns between St. Pete Beach and Clearwater Beach. The signs are on both sides of the street and both sides of the pole, so that they can be seen while traveling north or south.

In Indian Rocks Beach, the signs went up this week and took about two days to install, said Randy Schwab, public works supervisor. Treasure Island's signs are also up, said Rick Raus, assistant public works director.

"Once the merchants and places along Gulf Boulevard start using the system, now that they've got it narrowed down to a half mile, it should help," Raus said.

Most of the signs will be installed within the next few weeks, except in areas where construction is ongoing like Madeira Beach and Indian Shores, Knoebel-Gamache said. The fish signs measure 28 by 18 inches and the mile markers are 12 by 9 inches. "They're not that big, so they're not creating sign clutter," said county planning section manager Gina Harvey. Harvey said the county has received positive feedback from communities and businesses since the original markers were erected.

Maisano from Gator's said the system is especially useful for those who aren't familiar with the area.

"When the tourists are here, they like it and use it ... They look at the mile marker on the different ads and stuff and they see 'We're kind of close to the 8 mile marker by Gator's.' It gives them a location (for reference)," Maisano said.

[Last modified September 9, 2006, 06:23:27]