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Letter to the editor

Cities are wise to seek grants to buy parkland

With tax dollars for public amenities tight and likely to get tighter in the next couple of years, it is good news that Clearwater and Dunedin may have tapped a well of grant money to buy land for future parks.

This week the Florida Communities Trust released its preliminary rankings of the 118 applications it has received for $66-million in land acquisition grants.

Clearwater's application for funds to buy land near scenic Lake Chautauqua was ranked No. 1.

Dunedin's application for funding to help pay for property on both sides of Bayshore Boulevard was ranked No. 2.

Given the competition - the 118 applications received this year was a record number - it is a feather in the cap of both cities that they ranked so high.

Clearwater is seeking help to buy 49 acres adjoining its Lake Chautauqua Park south of Enterprise Road. The cost to buy the property is estimated at $6-million, and the city would one day like to put hiking and horseback riding trails there.

Dunedin's effort to qualify for the state grant dollars last year fell flat. This year, the city staff got a big assist on its grant application by calling in the Trust for Public Lands, a conservation organization that visited the property and offered some good ideas to make the project score higher. Mayor Bob Hackworth, the biggest city booster of acquiring the Bayshore Boulevard property from local resident J.C. Weaver, sought the help of the Trust for Public Lands, and though he got some criticism for doing so without permission of his City Commission colleagues, it apparently paid off.

Even if Dunedin gets the grant dollars, it is not certain that city commissioners will support purchase of the Weaver property.

Some commissioners think the land is way overpriced at $18-million. Some see problems because the property is divided by a multilane road and because the waterfront piece of the property is too small to allow for any substantial waterfront activity plus parking. Some have said the city already has plenty of parkland and doesn't need to invest so much money in another piece.

However, Hackworth has argued that the city should not let pass the opportunity to buy and preserve waterfront land. The waterfront portion of the property could provide a stop for people canoeing or kayaking the west coast. For the eastern portion of the property, he envisions a close connection to the Pinellas Trail and trail-related amenities.

For Clearwater and Dunedin, there will be political considerations if they win the grant dollars.

The public has demanded tax relief and cities are trimming their budgets to cut costs, even laying off workers. Elected officials will no doubt debate whether this is the proper time to buy land for future parks. Yet if the land is not bought now, the opportunity may be lost forever.

If Dunedin in fact qualifies for millions of grant dollars when the Florida Communities Trust makes final decisions in November, it surely will be difficult for officials to decline the cash and let such a visible property perhaps be sold for development. The award would make it essential for commissioners to move beyond their tiff with Hackworth and seriously study the property's potential and market value, whether there is money in city coffers to match the state grant, and whether Weaver can be trusted to negotiate in good faith.

Even if the city cannot afford to develop the park for years, the opportunity to save that parcel from development in perpetuity is worth considering. And the same holds true for the 49 acres Clearwater wants to save in an area surrounded by a sea of homes and businesses.

[Last modified September 6, 2007, 20:14:56]