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County puts brakes on Brooker Creek fields

An East Lake Youth Sports representative says its board members will decide whether to proceed.

By THERESA BLACKWELL
Published October 7, 2006

Despite years of planning, the four athletic fields and parking lot proposed for a piece of the Brooker Creek Preserve are not a sure thing.

During a meeting Thursday of the county's Environmental Science Forum, a Pinellas County official said the expansion of the East Lake Youth Sports Association into 38 acres of preserve will require a special exception to the land's zoning and an amendment to the county's land-use plan.

That means a series of presentations, recommendations and approvals - to be aired in six public hearings.

An East Lake Youth Sports representative said Friday that the news was unexpected and the volunteer board members will have to decide whether to proceed with the project.

"I'm really shocked and dismayed that this issue has surfaced," said Bryan Kutchins of East Lake, general counsel for the group and a longtime board member. "We're just looking for this 30 acres to be added for our kids and it's under attack."

The Friends of Brooker Creek Preserve opposes putting the sports fields in the preserve as inconsistent with conserving, restoring and protecting the preserve.

Besides, they say, the preserve is for passive recreation such as hiking and bird-watching, not soccer or baseball.

County actions may have led the sports association to expect smoother sailing.

In 2003, Pinellas County leased the 38 acres on Old Keystone Road to the group for 30 years at $1 a year. A clause of that lease, however, as county officials quickly point out, does require East Lake Youth Sports to obtain all necessary permits and approvals.

In three successive years, the county has earmarked a total of $707,000 in grants to help fund the expansion project, which would include two soccer fields and two baseball fields, a 225-space parking lot and a restroom/concession building on 38 acres of what now is piney woods.

The county had planted 8,000 to 9,000 pines, intending to harvest much of the lumber later and then restore the acres to a more natural habitat for the wildlife that lives there.

Some would stay to provide buffers around wetlands and in other areas, but most would be cleared as part of the expansion construction - if that still happens.

Kutchins was not sure that would be the case, whether the volunteer board would have the time to see the project through so many hoops.

"I just don't think our board signed up for it or are staffed to deal with it," he said.

An alternative he mentioned might be to turn the land back over to the county so that they could get approvals and build it.

"If they would build it," he said. "We would be happy to manage it for free."

Times staff writer Theresa Blackwell can be reached at tblackwell@sptimes.com or 727 445-4170.

BY the numbers

6 - public hearings required before East Lake Youth Sports Association can obtain a special exception to build a recreation facility on land zoned as agricultural/estate and to amend the land use plan for the site from preservation/resource management to recreation/open space.

38 - acres the association is leasing from the county for $1 a year for the expansion.

90 - percentage of the 1,500 to 1,800 youths association serves with sports including baseball, soccer, football and cheerleading who are Pinellas County residents.

$1.15-million - grant money the county has earmarked for the association so far, with about 60 percent of that for the sports field expansion.

4 - Web sites for information and blogging:

www.eastlakesports.com/

www.friendsofbrookercreekpreserve.org/

www.pinellascounty.org/scienceforum/

www.itsyourtimes.com/?q=node/1664.

[Last modified October 7, 2006, 06:43:11]