Pinellas County - Clearwater Beach - Sand Key - Belleair Shore/Beach
Indian Rocks Beach - Indian Shores - Redington Shores - No. Redington Beach
Redington Beach - Madeira Beach - Treasure Island - St. Pete Beach
Trolley to link St. Pete Beach, Gulfport
By Janaki Palomar
ST. PETE BEACH – Starting in Oct., St. Pete Beach residents will be seeing a new trolley come into town. The Gulfport-St. Pete Beach Looper Trolley Service, which will have stops on Corey Avenue and at the St. Pete Beach Recreation Center, is to begin service when the new Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority schedule is
published (slated for Oct. 5).
Gulfport City Council member Michelle King says the route is something that residents of both cities should be excited to see. She has been advocating for a PSTA connection in Gulfport since before joining the council in 2005. She originally proposed PSTA reroute its St. Petersburg/ St. Pete Beach bus through downtown Gulfport. Several more negotiations and an attempt to run a PSTA-sponsored bus through Gulfport led to disappointment until the city suggested a new solution. “What if you gave us a trolley and we ran it?” she
inquired of the PSTA. “They jumped on that,” she said.
With a three-year grant from the PSTA and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) matching funds the city provides for the trolley service, the city will be paying about $80,000 to bring the trolley service to fruition. A special taxing district area established to provide funds for economic development is expected to provide at least half the cost.
“Originally, this started out as a way to bring day tourists to Gulfport,” Council member King said.
Downtown Gulfport has a certain appeal for tourists visiting Tampa Bay. However, with only 12 rooms available for overnight stay, it is not often a destination city. Council member King hopes the new trolley will make Gulfport a daytrip for people visiting the Gulf beaches or St. Petersburg.
Since the idea’s inception, reasons to begin the trolley service have accumulated.
“With the cost of fuel going up, the people working at the beaches can’t necessarily get to work,” Council member Mary Stull said.
Officials hope the trolley will attract residents looking for a cheaper way to commute. The service may also ease parking congestion at street fairs and other local events.
The hour-long route will run from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday with 26 stops. The trolley will start in downtown Gulfport, travel up 58th Street to Gulfport Boulevard, turn on Pasadena Avenue, traverse the causeway and loop through Corey Avenue before heading back to the beginning of the route. Key stops along the route include the Gulfport bus district, Pasadena Yacht and Country Club, Palms of Pasadena Hospital, Town Shores, Gulf Shores, Harborside, the recreation center, Publix, Sweetbay and Corey Avenue. The Looper Trolley will also share stops with the Suncoast Beach Trolley and other PSTA buses throughout its route.
As with any other transit system bus, riders connecting with other PSTA vehicles can use the same ticket and the trolley will accept and sell PSTA passes.
The city council hopes the accommodating operations and route will provide conditions conducive to increasing trolley use.
“The year it (the Suncoast Beach Trolley) was started, it had the highest ridership numbers of any of the PSTA
system,” City Manager Tom Brobeil recalled.
Gulfport officials anticipate five patrons per route and plan to use ridership information to adjust the schedule and stops if necessary.
If the route is successful, officials hope PSTA will assume control of the trolley when the three-year grant expires but PSTA Community Relations Manager Bob Lasher said it is “unlikely, unless we find funding from some other source.”
At the August 21 council meeting, the council passed a resolution partnering Gulfport City Manager Brobeil with PSTA regarding this endeavor. The hall was packed and overflow seating was set up just outside the chambers.
When council members voted to pass the resolution, the room erupted with applause. Not one person spoke against the trolley. “It really felt good,” King responded triumphantly.
A kid’s night out
By Brittany Smith
ST. PETE BEACH — The recreation staff at the St. Pete Beach Community Center recently welcomed back some
of their younger participants for the first Fabulous Final Friday of the school year. The community center hosts a night of fun, games, movies and (of course) pizza on the last Friday of each month from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Children in grades first through fifth are invited. The cost is $5 for those with a community center membership, $6.25 for those without. The evenings are planned in coordination with a wine tasting event held on Corey Avenue in order to provide both kids and parents a night out.
“It gets the kids out and off the couch,” community center Recreation Aide Jimmy Norato said.
Several of the children said their favorite part of the evening is getting to hang out with their friends and playing dodge ball.
Hailey Schoenberger, age seven, said the “really cool” part about the evening is that she “gets to be in the newspaper” that her grandpa reads.
Sisters Rachael and Rylie Marshlack said their mom spent the evening at a tea party while their dad hung out with their brother at the skate park.
TJ Woodward, age seven, said his favorite part was hanging out with his best friend, Dylan Miksch, age six.
Four staff members and a volunteer host Fabulous Final Friday.
The children provided ringing endorsements of their counselors and the event.
Counselor Ty Fraser said after working there for two years, he is building relationships with some of the children. “We just have a good time. We don’t make much money,” he said, adding that the revenue brought in from the night usually just covers their operating costs.
The community center is planning to host a movie night in the pool featuring children’s movies projected onto a
movie screen.
For those planning to attend the festivities, the staff asks that you call ahead so they can prepare enough food and activities for everyone, but indicated it is acceptable to “just show up.”
The month of October will feature a concert in the park series every Friday night beginning at 7 p.m.
The St. Pete Beach Community Center is located at 7701 Boca Ciega Dr. and can be reached at (727) 363-9245.
Community shows love for shuffleboard club
By Janaki Palomar
ST PETE BEACH – The Pass-A-Grille shuffleboard building will be receiving a facelift in the coming months.
After a short discussion at the commission meeting on September 10, St. Pete Beach commissioners voted to
expend $4650 from reserves to repair and improve the small building located in Pass-A-Grille Park between 9th and 10th avenues.
The Pass-A-Grille Shuffleboard Club has been around for more than 30 years and uses the building for its annual winter tournaments but up until now, the one-room structure has been used for little else.
“To be frank with you, that park is underutilized,” Commissioner Christopher Leonard said.
Leonard walked inside the building for the first time the day of the commission meeting. The park has coal barbeque stands, a water fountain, picnic tables and eight shuffleboard courts complete with benches, a small set of bleachers and chalk scoreboards. Outside of scheduled shuffleboard tournaments taking place three days a week during the winter season, community members and visitors can use the shuffleboard courts for recreation at no cost. A small, unlocked closet on the outside of the building holds disks and shuffleboard
cues for public use.
Named Trudie Perry Courts, the area surrounding the building carries the charm of its original custodian, Trudie
Perry. Perry founded the shuffleboard club after moving to St. Pete Beach in 1961. Perry took great care of the building before she passed away in 1998. Since then however, the structure of the building has been largely neglected, causing rotting problems along the bottom of the exterior and to the roof.
After noticing the issue, custodian and PAGSC Vice President August D’Alessio contacted a building inspector to examine the needs of the building and the commission to supply the monies for such repairs. The commission granted the money on Sept. 10, but a mere two weeks later it was approached by a local contractor offering to donate time, materials and repairs, pro bono.
The improvements proposed at the commission meeting include new vinyl siding and some roof repairs.
“I’m a little concerned, (but) I understand the aspect of the vinyl siding; it’s (a) more reasonably cost than doing the wood on the exterior,” Commissioner Leonard said. Soon after, the commissioner donated a substantial sum to the project. Residents followed the giving mood. At the commission meeting, Vice Mayor Harry Metz, a resident and representative for Pass-A-Grille, had already received about $1000 in donations. He received additional donations after the meeting.
The money accrued from the community will be used to help fund additional improvements to the building such as electrical wiring and new doors for the exterior men’s and women’s restrooms.
While the shuffleboard building is not designated historic, City Manager Mike Bonfield commented it is “emotionally” historical. Perry’s cue stick is mounted on the ceiling and a tree planted in her honor has been growing on the property for ten years.
After gaining exposure at the commission meeting and support from the community, the building will soon host
more than its typical slew of guests. D’Alessio explained since the building is public property, citizens could obtain the key from the recreation center and hold small gatherings there.
The commission is already talking about holding meetings in the 15-person capacity structure.
With shuffleboard cues lining the walls and ceiling, the property will make an interesting venue for the myriad of community events in its probable future.
SPB Development Updates
St. Pete Beach continued to move forward with development goals as it passed an ordinance outlining procedures for development contracts at the Sept. 10 commission meeting.
The Pinellas Planning Committee (PPC) outlined the need for this amendment during its review of the change
in land use designation for the Sabal Palms and Gulf Winds inns. The change from residential-medium to residentialhigh with resort facilities overlay (passed to the state for approval at an October commission meeting) granted properties the right to expand up to 30 residential units per acre (UPA) in order to
make 50 tourist UPA.
The city’s “high hazard” location however, prevents the properties from utilizing its pending designation to full
capacity.
“The PPC is requiring a developer’s agreement where the property owner agrees that the property cannot later be rezoned to allow a higher residential density,” City Manager Bonfield said. This means the residential density will remain at the current 10 UPA.
While the amendment was brought forth by request of the PPC, Community Development Director Karl Holley and attorney Susan Churuti explained that the document could benefit the city in future interactions with private property owners or developers. “The intention is to provide for certain guarantees, perhaps the streamlining of processes and other types of activities that could work to the advantage of both the private
property owner and the city,” said Holley, who mentioned that cost benefits to the city were also a possibility. Churuti added that the contract would enable the commission “to enforce the rights of the public against the developer.”
While some commissioners were concerned about what obligations to the developer they may incur based on
certain language within the amendment, ultimately they resigned to the confidence of the city’s development director and attorney. “I’m leery of it, but I think that the staff we have will keep us out of high water,” Vice Mayor Harry Metz announced.
The development policy outlines the procedures, requirements and guidelines for enforcement regarding
any developer’s contract that the city chooses to enter with a property owner. While it consolidates some power for granting variances and conditional uses and places these decisions in the hands of the commission, it also outlines strict guidelines regarding public notice to ensure the citizens are aware of any contract being formed.
“Any development agreement which is executed must be, number one, publicly advertised; number two, there must be public hearing conducted by this commission and number three, the commission must vote in the majority to approve it,” Holley explained. Such documents are standard in most other jurisdictions to guide contracts when planning codes provide for greater allowances than are consistent with the city’s development
vision.
10|01|08