Mayor asks store owners to spruce up

Concerned with redevelopment and the city's image, officials appeal to business owners' sense of community pride.

By ERIC STIRGUS

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 6, 2000

LARGO -- On a recent drive along East Bay Drive, Mayor Bob Jackson looked at the median landscaping to his left and the sidewalk to his right.

It was the proverbial tale of two cities. On the left he saw well-kept grass, lantana, ilex holly and crape myrtle trees. On the right were used-car lots with unkempt grass covered in dirt and cigarette butts.

Jackson, who took office this week, was not pleased.

"If we're going to maintain the medians, we need to have some effort from the businesses to make their businesses look nice," he said.

Jackson and other city leaders met with city chamber of commerce officials Tuesday to encourage local businesses to do a better job of maintaining the land around their property. But while the chamber agreed to help, businesses are under no obligation to do so. Keeping the sidewalk grass neat and trim is actually the city's responsibility.

Officials concede that they do not have enough staff to maintain the right of way. Their time is consumed by care for 70-acre Largo Central Park and other facilities, said City Manager Steve Stanton. "We just don't have the resources to be cutting and trimming trees on sidewalks," he said.

Still, businesses, out of a sense of civic pride, should try to help, city officials say.

"It's a community pride issue," Stanton said.

It's also a redevelopment issue.

The city is planning to spend up to $4.8-million on the widening of West Bay Drive, which city officials hope will be the catalyst of the revitalization of downtown Largo. The last thing city officials and business leaders want is for motorists to be turned off by unkempt sidewalk grass on East Bay Drive before they get to West Bay Drive. In addition, Largo spent $140,000 on median landscaping on East Bay Drive.

"We would hope that since the city is contributing so much money to the West Bay Drive effort, that businesses would make an effort to make sure their business is clean and nice," said Greater Largo Chamber of Commerce president Marc Mansfield.

Mansfield said he would remind businesses in the organization's next newsletter to take the time to maintain their property. Aside from community pride, Mansfield said, an attractive site is good business.

David Swann, who owns Florida Rent A Heep, a used-car business on East Bay Drive, said he tries to make his business attractive. He sweeps the front parking lot. His secretary washes the old cars on the grounds. He trims weeds in the tiny grass lot in front of his lot, although he does not know whether it is his responsibility.

Swann agrees businesses should do a better job of maintaining their properties.

"I think they should do that," he said. "I don't think you should have a bunch of scrap cars sitting out front."

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.