Letters to the Editors

Opponent of area community center erred

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 26, 2000

Editor:

Regrettably, in voicing his opposition to a greater Carrollwood area community center in the North of Tampa section of the May 21St. Petersburg Times, Dr. Robert Neuhardt made several misleading statements of fact. Your readers may wish to note that:

While we're proud to support the Four Oaks community in its efforts to revitalize its community, we take no credit for its speed bumps. The bumps came before the Carrollwood Area Association of Neighborhoods came into existence.

Only out of solidarity with our member homeowner association from Carrollwood Springs, and in concert with the Carrollwood Village homeowner associations, did CAAN oppose the Lowe's rezoning request.

At the request of another member homeowner association, CAAN lobbied the county commission to tighten -- not relax -- rules governing public notification of rezonings that would permit construction of affordable and low income housing.

CAAN is a public body of interested citizens with no official ("quasi" or otherwise) standing.

The group spearheading the community center proposal, a committee of CAAN, has included members of communities adjacent to the proposed Lowell Road center site since its founding.

Two-thirds of the proposed 31-acre center site is buildable uplands unaffected by the drainage from Carrollwood Village and the surrounding area. Only the remaining third has a drainage problem.

While it is true that the community center concept originated among members of the Carrollwood Village community, soon after its inception the organizing group was expanded to include communities along Casey and Lowell Road, as well as The Plantation.

Of course, little of this touches on the central issue: the merit and location of a community center. It never occurred to us that everyone would agree with us. The thrust of our efforts has been to refine a concept that seems to have broad -- if less than unanimous -- community support in the interest of the public good.

In doing this we have been successful in having certain public monies earmarked for the project and have identified land that would, in our view, be ideal for the purpose. What we have done to date is lay a foundation upon which a plan of action might be built.

We welcome reasoned comment on our proposal and urge all concerned citizens to make their views known. We have no doubt but that through civil discourse the community will become a better place to live.
-- John R. Miley
Director, CAAN

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