Beaches notebook

By Times staff writer

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 2, 2001

Treasure Island seeks sand castle distinction

TREASURE ISLAND -- At the urging of the Gulf Beaches of Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce, the City Commission plans to ask the Legislature to designate the city as the "Sand Castle Capital of Florida."

In 1986, the "Lost City of Atlantis" sand sculpture attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors and made the Guinness Book of Records. For the past several years, the chamber's beachwide spring festival Taste of the Beaches, now renamed Beach Fest, has been the venue for a regional sand-sculpting competition.

Treasure Island

The new regulations reduce the overall number of spaces required and establish a system of "credits" to allow even fewer spaces in some circumstances. Business owners will receive breaks for location in the central business district, sharing parking lots with other businesses, inclusion of bicycle racks and boat slips, and even for expanded landscaping visible from the street

The new rules, the result of months of consultation between city officials and the business community, are effective immediately and primarily will affect businesses seeking to expand or new businesses building or opening in the community.

Indian Rocks Beach

To change directions and go south on Gulf Boulevard, bus drivers now cut between Seventh and Eighth avenues on First Street. Public Services director Dean Scharmen has proposed routing the buses through the Narrows using Second Street, turning right on Fourth Avenue, and leaving the Narrows using First Street

Such a route would allow interchange with trolley passengers by establishing a trolley stop on Gulf Boulevard at Fourth Avenue. Passengers bound for the mainland could walk one block east to Chic-A-Si Park.

City staff rejected the idea of having the buses turn around in the Indian Rocks Beach Nature Preserve.

The commission also passed 7 percent salary increases for three city staff members:

City Manager Tom Brobeil will earn $70,205;

City Treasurer Mary Karayianes, $52,491; and

City Clerk Deane Bulino O'Reilly, $49,543.

All three increases place the staff members at just above the midpoint on the respective pay scales for their positions. Brobeil also will have the use of a vehicle.

Gulfport

The group Keep Gulfport Beautiful, working with the city, is trying to clean the shoreline, grounds and waters of the Clam Bayou nature preserve

Because of the heavy runoff caused by recent storms, the bayou contains a large amount of litter, and many volunteers are necessary.

Cleanup T-shirts will be given to the first 100 volunteers who sign up, and volunteers will receive bottled water and refreshments.

A tour of the park also will be provided by the Sierra Club from 9 to 10 a.m. The club will provide information about the vegetation and wildlife along the bayou.

Volunteers are needed for a number of tasks, including registering volunteers Sept. 15 or helping set up tables and tents. Keep Gulfport Beautiful also is seeking people who have small flat-bottom boats or canoes the can be used during the cleanup. For more information or to volunteer, contact Charlie Alaimo at 321-5745.

Indian Shores

Anyone interested in helping to plan or set up for the party can volunteer for a committee by contacting Vice Mayor Jim Lawrence, who can be reached by e-mail at jlawren2@tampabay.rr.com or by phone at 595-2173

Committees are being organized to handle food, entertainment, decorations and ticket sales and publicity.

- Correspondents Sheila Mullane Estrada and Andy Meacham contributed to this report.

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