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Gandy project worries church
By WAVENEY ANN MOORE
© St. Petersburg Times, ST. PETERSBURG -- A proposed $5-million road improvement project for a section of Gandy Boulevard is raising concerns among those who live in nearby Glen Lake Estates and neighbor First Baptist Church of St. Petersburg. Plans call for the widening of Gandy Boulevard, from Dr. M.L. King (Ninth) Street N to Grand Avenue, elimination of a portion of Frontage Road and repositioning of a traffic signal to a new intersection at 16th Street. A longer left turn lane at Dr. M.L. King Street also is being proposed. The city says the goal of the project, expected to be started sometime in 2002, is to improve traffic circulation and safety. The plan also is to improve means of entrance and exit for the surrounding community. Residents of Glen Lake Estates, a community of 83 homes, and the congregation of First Baptist Church, at 1900 Gandy Blvd., disagree. They say the city is accommodating the growing business district on the other side of Gandy Boulevard at their expense. The project will increase traffic hazards and give them only one way into and out of the community, they add. "The concern that we have is the fact that we use that Frontage Road to get out of our neighborhood without having to get up on Gandy," said K. Peter Grogan, president of Glen Lake Estates Homeowners Association Inc. "They are forcing us up onto Gandy to get out of there. And then what really concerns us is having to cross Gandy unprotected in order to get back into our neighborhood, which we believe is extremely dangerous. We have young families. We have teenagers. We have children who are going to be learning to drive soon. Retirees. And the church, they have a large membership." The church is so worried about the potential hardships the redesign will bring, it has organized a committee specifically to address the issue. Wayne Wells, chairman of its Gandy Access Committee, said the church, which is close to completing a $10-million, 1,450-seat sanctuary, is concerned that the proposed changes will adversely affect its growth and endanger the community. "We've been in discussion with Glen Lake over the changes for some time. The concerns they have, we also have. First Baptist is not a Sunday-only church or a Sunday and Wednesday church. There is a lot that is going on," Wells said. "The primary concern is to continue to have access to Gandy Boulevard and a traffic light. That is the primary concern, because what is being proposed removes us from a traffic light. The proposed changes would eliminate a portion of the southern Frontage Road," Wells added. "The basic thing is we are now going to have a parking lot for 750 cars. We presently have two services on Sunday morning. So we have the potential of 750 cars coming and going twice in the morning." First Baptist currently hires two police officers to regulate Sunday traffic from its 10:45 a.m. service and Bible study classes, Wells said. The church does not object to the proposal to relocate the traffic light 400 feet to the new 16th Street intersection, but believes it is imperative that Frontage Road be left open. Closure of Frontage Road will increase the dangers for drivers, Wells said. "Where they are proposing for us to come out will not have a traffic light," he said. "And the traffic that is moving at that point could be moving as much as 60 miles per hour. We cannot put a police officer out there." The church and neighborhood could get their wish. Mike Connors, St. Petersburg's engineering, stormwater and transportation director, said the city heard the concerns they raised during a public meeting. "The city and its consultant would be addressing the concerns ... with a redesign of the intersection that will be brought back and discussed at an upcoming public meeting," Connors said. "I think we will be able to produce an alternative to the concerned parties that meets their needs," he added. Grogan is hopeful. "I'm encouraged by the fact that it is being sent back to have some adjustments made," he said. "I am hoping that the revisions are to keep 94th Avenue open."
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