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Each plaque has an antique clock face. The clocks' hands rest at 11:40, which remembers the time the space shuttle Challenger exploded after liftoff on Jan. 28, 1986.
By CARY DAVIS
© St. Petersburg Times, published July 4, 2000
ZEPHYRHILLS -- The city will put an exclamation mark on the first phase of Zephyrhills' redevelopment efforts today, unveiling two large bronze plaques that will grace the markers at the entrance to the downtown business district.
The plaques, each weighing 200 pounds and costing $5,000 together, will be formally unveiled at a noon ceremony that will also include the dedication of an alley park to the late Robin Counsell, the former director of Main Street Zephyrhills.
Workers on Monday attached the plaques, paid for by the Zephyrhills Spring Water Co., to the peach-and-gray stucco monuments on the east side of U.S. 301 and Fifth Avenue.
Betty Kennedy, who was named director of Main Street last year after Counsell stepped down for health reasons, commissioned the plaques hoping they would entice people to venture into downtown.
"You want people to look at something really elegant and say, "Wow, let's go down that road,' " Kennedy said.
The identical plaques are engraved with an antique clock face and the words "City of Pure Water." The hands on the clock read 11:40, marking the time on the tragic morning of Jan. 28, 1986, when the space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff. Beneath the clock are the words, "Plaque donated by: Zephyrhills Spring Water Company."
The clock is Main Street's emblem and was designed by students at Zephyrhills High School, honoring the seven astronauts who died aboard the Challenger.
Meg Andronaco, spokeswoman for Zephyrhills Spring Water, said the company agreed to pay for the plaques as a way to give something back to the city it calls home.
"We thought it would be a nice touch for the city," Andronaco said. "The city's been so good to us."
Kennedy prefers to call the plaques "pieces of art" rather than just signs marking the gateway to the business district.
"It helps define the city's identity," she said.
Had it not been for Counsell's vision, Zephyrhills might not have embarked on the $1-million streetscaping project, City Manager Steve Spina said. Counsell, he said, led the charge for the state grant that paid for most of the downtown redevelopment.
"She put a lot of heart and soul into the project," Spina said. "It was her leadership that brought us to this point."
Counsell did not live to see the finished renovations to her beloved Fifth Avenue. She died Dec. 29, at age 43, of complications from a bone marrow transplant.
In honor of her contributions, the brick alley, or "pocket park," between Seventh and Eighth streets on the south side of Fifth Avenue will bear her name. Soon, Spina said, the city will install benches in the small park.
Free hot dogs and soft drinks will be provided at today's ceremonies courtesy of Buddy Foster Chevrolet.