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Boat slips plan sails well early

By MIKE DONILA
Published January 18, 2007

CLEARWATER - The city's plan to build boat slips on the downtown waterfront has generated heated debate in the past, but it got a civil reception Wednesday night.

More than 120 people came to the Harborview Center for a two-hour session to discuss the finer points of Clearwater's plans to build 129 boat slips, a promenade, a boardwalk and a fishing pier near Coachman Park on the north and south sides of the Clearwater Memorial Causeway.

It's tough to say which side the crowd was on, since many of the plan's proponents asked some of the toughest questions and opponents threw a couple of softballs. But those who attended the meeting were mostly concerned about whether the city would make money from rentals and whether the project would slide into debt. Some questioned if the slips were insured and whether the city would provide security.

And a few suggested that the city charge higher rental rates.

"It was a good meeting. I think everyone was pleased and there was a great level of interest," Mayor Frank Hibbard said. "Obviously there are going to be different opinions and we welcome that debate, but overall I think once people see the details, they'll support it."

The docks, city leaders say, would help revitalize the downtown by bringing in more residents and visitors with spending power.

The city would pay for the project with $10.9-million in bonds that would be paid back over 20 years, mostly with money raised by boat slip rentals.

The slips would be in an area of downtown where the city charter requires that voters okay any such development. An election is set for March 13.

The project, if approved, would probably start in early 2008 and wrap up a year later.

Wednesday's meeting featured renderings and animations of the project, a market study, detailed financing projections and a question-and-answer session.

It's the first official step in the city's $60,000 information campaign that will include other public meetings, mailings and Web site postings.

While a recent survey showed that most Clearwater voters would support the project, city leaders said they will not underestimate the Save the Bayfront organization, the group that successfully defeated a similar boat slip plan in 2004.

That time, city leaders said, the group sent residents slick, colorful fliers with misleading information days before the election.

Save the Bayfront members deny that the mailers were inaccurate and say they're not against the slips. But they want the project scaled down.

After the meeting, Chairwoman Anne Garris said she still isn't sold on the city's plan, adding that it doesn't include any amenities - like picnic tables and play sets for children - for Coachman Park. She also said she thinks that the boats would block the view of the water for those walking on the promenade.

Another resident said she didn't think people would dock their boats and then walk the extra distance up a pretty steep hill to go to downtown restaurants.

Still, others supported the plan and said it's a key piece to reinvigorating the area.

"There's so much potential for Clearwater ... but Dunedin and other cities are leaps and bounds ahead of us," said Jay Polglaze, a Clearwater resident who works for the Postal Service. "We really need this. It's going to help bring more people in. The city needs to support it, the council needs to support it."

Q & A

The skinny on boat slips

Would it make money?

Officials say the slips would pay for themselves and generate $4.7-million in net profits that could be reinvested. And Clearwater's general fund, which pays for fire and police protection, would get another $4.8-million.

Would the slips be insured?

Yes. The city would be on the hook for only the first $500,000 in damages. But Clearwater also has at least $22-million in an insurance reserve fund to protect city facilities from damage. The slips would be built to withstand Category 2 hurricanes.

Would the docks be secure?

The docks would have a security guard and the gated private slips would be locked nightly.

How much would it cost to dock a boat?

The city initially would let boaters rent 117 slips yearly at $15.50 per foot per month. That price would rise by 25 cents a foot each year. The 12 "transient" slips and about 1,700 feet of side-tie moorings would cost boaters $2 per foot per day. That price would go up 5 cents per foot each year.

[Last modified January 17, 2007, 22:36:56]