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Letter to the editor

Muck-clearing plan grows murky

DOWNTOWN Questions abound over who is in charge and who will pay for the project.

By Alexandra Zayas Times Staff Writer
Published November 2, 2007

The lines have become blurred between who is leading the project and who will benefit from it, as well as the source of the money to pay.

The problem is muck that has built up in about 15 city canals in Sunset Park, Beach Park and Davis Islands that could affect about 500 homeowners.

A group of neighbors called Tampa Canal Preservation and Restoration, or CPR, has spent two years meeting with the city to come up with a plan. Their solution? A special taxing district in which everyone on blocked canals would pitch in about $8,000 to clean them up.

But some don't think it's necessary. A group that opposes the plan feels ignored by the city and left out of the process.

Blurred leadership

At a city public meeting at Plant High School last month, the CPR group's co-chair, resident Michael Weigner, presented the dredging plan to his neighbors alongside stormwater officials.

But at city workshops like the one last week, members of the public are not allowed to comment. So when stormwater director Chuck Walter handed Weigner the microphone, some protested.

"No!" Ellie Montague said. Other opponents began to grumble, too.

"Then leave!" Bob Bourgeois, with the CPR group, said.

Council member Gwen Miller interjected: No public comment.

Joseph Cofer got up on his cane. "But he's from the public," Cofer said of Weigner. If he could speak, they should be allowed to have their say, too.

After some debate, council members bent the rules and allowed everyone from the public to speak.

A major point of contention in the project is how it formed.

Opponents say they requested to meet with the city while officials discussed the project with the CPR group, but they were shut out. They have collected e-mails, including one in which Walter denied their neighborhood association's request for a presentation. Two days later, Walter requested a meeting with the other group about the same topic.

The CPR group assigned "canal captains" to talk to neighbors about the project. It wasn't until last month that the city provided residents an official presentation.

Still, public works administrator Steve Daignault, has said the city staff spent a lot of time with CPR members for the purpose of answering their questions. The people on the other side "don't want to have that conversation, because they haven't gotten past 'We don't want to do this,'" he said.

Nobody has been left out of the process, Daignault said.

Blurred money

In 2005, the federal government appropriated a $1.3-million grant, and the city matched it with $1-million for environmental rehabilitation of Tampa lakes and estuaries. The resident canal dredging plan is for navigation purposes.

For efficiency's sake, the stormwater department wants to get environmental and navigation projects done at the same time. But because they're combining resources, some of the environmental money will go toward the resident project. That alarmed council member Mary Mulhern. "If the concept for dredging is a separate issue, I'd like to see them separated."

At the hearing, Daignault couldn't say how much of the money will overlap. The City Council will decide in December whether the dredging proposal will go forward. If the council passes it, residents will vote next year on whether their particular canals will be part of the project.

Anticipating lengthy discussion next month, the council will hold a special public hearing.

Alexandra Zayas can be reached at azayas@sptimes.com or 226-3354.

Fast facts:

If you go

The City Council will vote on the plan at a Dec. 18 hearing at 5:30 p.m. in City Hall, 315 E Kennedy Blvd.

The plan

The CPR group has targeted homes with less than 3 feet of navigable water. Workers would dredge down the middle of the canals to remove silt. Neighbors could elect to privately dredge their own docks.

Homeowners are expected to vote by canal, but no date has been set. If more than 50 percent opt in, everyone on that particular canal will have to pay. If more than 50 percent opt out, the canal won't be included in the taxing district.

Early estimates would be $8,000 per waterfront home, but that price would go up if a majority of homeowners opt out. Residents could pay all at once or yearly for 20 years with interest. Or they could defer payment until the property changes hands; the city would put a lien on the property until it was paid.

What neighbors are saying

"We feel like we've been betrayed on this issue for years. The city never did anything, ever. We're disillusioned and we're mad. But today, we've got some hope that the city will allow us to vote." -Bob Bourgeois.

"Those who can't afford to do the $8,000 dredging will be charged the most because of compounded interest. Everybody is not a fat cat. Some of us live on fixed incomes. I prefer to have a new refrigerator that I need, not a ditch in a canal." - Fran Marshall

"We've worked very hard to be inclusive and educational." -Christine Acosta, CPR co-chair

"If the city were to pay for it, everyone would agree. And I think the city should pay for it." -Trent Goss

[Last modified November 1, 2007, 07:15:22]