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Plan would beautify Gulf Boulevard
By AMY WIMMER © St. Petersburg Times, published April 8, 2001 If Gulf Boulevard is the county's front yard, as those who promote the beaches like to say, Pinellas doesn't have much curb appeal. Shabby structures pepper the street, mixing with high-rise condos, meticulously maintained resort hotels and well-kept mom-and-pop businesses. Eleven towns line the corridor, each with its own ideas of how to handle development or, more recently, redevelopment. The county has unveiled its plan to redefine the thoroughfare, which runs alternately through residential neighborhoods, tourist districts and busy shopping areas. The plan would add sidewalks, landscaping, and amenities such as colorful light poles and mile markers to bring some cohesion to the Gulf Boulevard communities. The plan will make its public debut at a County Commission workshop April 30. "There's not a project in the county that has involved this level of partnership," said Rick Dodge, assistant county administrator for economic development, who organized the committee and worked with the consultant. Pinellas will pay Phil Graham & Company, a St. Petersburg-based landscape architecture firm, $50,000 for the study, which is now in draft form. Some of the plans might sound familiar. With Pinellas almost fully developed, communities are looking at main corridors such as U.S. 19 and Pasadena Avenue and seeking ways to make them less visually jarring and ultimately safer. The Gulf Boulevard project is a bit different, both in scope and mission. Beyond beautifying and making travel more pleasurable, the county also is trying to showcase some of its most valuable real estate. "A number of these cities have been wanting to do this for 10 or 15 years," Dodge said. "But they didn't have a vision or couldn't afford it or thought by themselves, it wouldn't be enough." The beaches are counting on a new look for a tired street and point to waterfront cities such as Naples as an example of what Pinellas could be doing better. The project's estimated cost is $30-million, and county officials don't yet know how they would fund the program if it is approved. Among the highlights of the Gulf Boulevard report: UTILITY RELOCATION: Burying overhead utilities underground, Graham says, is "arguably the most significant improvement that can be made to Gulf Boulevard." By putting poles and wires underground, the communities remove "eye clutter" and reclaim the street. Florida Power has suggested it could place utilities underground while Pinellas County lays reclaimed water lines in some beach towns. So far, Dodge said, the utility companies seem willing to help make the project a success. "This unprecedented cooperation among the various involved utilities will allow multiple utility facilities to be placed within the same trench, thereby making this project possible," the report states. "What's been phenomenal is that the utilities went from being interesting bystanders, and that would be a nice way of putting it, to working together," Dodge said. STREET LIGHTS: Decorative street lights, all the same color, will be installed from Pass-a-Grille in St. Pete Beach to Clearwater and become "one of the critical common site accessories that help define the project." Officials assembled on a committee that helps direct Dodge's office are looking at different options for accessorizing the poles, including community banners. The banners could say "Florida's Beach" on one side and identify the specific town the traveler is passing through on the other. The poles Graham suggested are similar to those already installed at the entrance to Clearwater Beach. MILE MARKERS: These could find a home on the light poles, though some favor placing them on smaller poles of their own. The mile markers, similar to those found in Key West, would help businesses promote themselves and help tourists find their way around the gulf beaches. The markers, now designed with a sunburst, would be located a half-mile apart at some points and a quarter-mile apart at others. TROLLEY STOP SIGNS: Stops for the Suncoast Trolley, just three months old but already a popular aspect of visiting or living at the beach, will be incorporated into the new design. The mile markers possibly would be incorporated onto the trolley stop poles. Color-coded benches, trash receptacles and ash urns would be provided at some trolley stops. GATEWAY ELEMENTS: Graham also wants the beaches to create a common theme for their city entrance signs, while still allowing each city or town to come up with something that represents the individual community. BIKE TRAILS: Ultimately, beach officials would like to tie the Pinellas County Trail into the bike trails on the beaches. The project is in limbo without a funding source. For now, organizers are thrilled to have everyone on the same page. "I really got a little rush when I saw all those people on the wagon together," Graham said. Said Ward Friszolowski, mayor of St. Pete Beach: "For the first time, we have all of beaches coming together and the county behind it."
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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From the Times South Pinellas desks |
