As an outdoors fan and as someone that attends many community events, a trend is becoming evident across the city. Our City Parks are being neglected.
Gadsden Park at the south end of MacDill looks like a sandspur farm with picnic shelters there are virtually unusable.
Bern Laxer Park on south Howard Avenue is now a year behind schedule from the plans the city expressed to me over a year ago. Over $200,000 has been budgeted by the city and could be in jeopardy if not allocated by the start of the next year's budget. Hopefully a planned meeting in early June will get this project back on track.
Kiley Park in downtown is another victim of neglect. Hard to imagine a riverfront property in our highly touted downtown that has been ignored for years.
There are quite a few other problem parks, and we want to hear about them. Please add your comments or email them to me.
Improvements are happening at some, but it is the overall state of maintenance that is the problem.
Let's be honest, with around 150 parks and recreation sites, the city does have their hands full.
With the value of real estate where it is, TAMPAGOLD.COM believes we should protect these valuable resources before it is too late. The city will see dramatic increases in its income due to these rising property values. We must remind the City to put more money in to these treasures to better enhance the life of all Tampa residents.
Watch for us to get more answers to why our City is letting this happen.
Please send your comments and suggestions to: bill@tampagold.com
You can visit the City of Tampa's Parks and Recreation website here.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Monday, May 16, 2005
SAVE KILEY PARK !
The hardly noticed park just north of the Kennedy Boulevard and Ashley Street intersection is not your typical park. Raised on top of an underground parking garage and tucked between the Tampa Museum of Art and an over 30 floor tall round office building, there are not swings or ball fields. Just an imaginatively designed urban space that allows you to escape from the hustle and bustle of the downtown of a rapidly changing city environment. City council membr Linda Saul-Sena and Harry Wolfe, one of the original architects of the bank site should be commended for raising the knowledge level and awareness of this significant downtown issue.
With a dense coverage of trees, easy walkways, and a riverfront location, this park is at risk due to several key issues.
First, the park has been neglected and ignored. While the city is responsible for the park, it has not been on its priority list (amazing for a waterfront site in a city where the mayor keeps talking about a Riverwalk plan to include better use of this area for our residents). It has been ignored due to the continuing upheavel in the banking and real estate industry that has lead to many changes in the ownership of the adjacent beer can shaped office building.
Second, with the recent defeat of the plans for an expanded Art Museum at the current site,: vultures of every stripe are looking at the three adjacent sites with dollar signs in their eyes. That's right ! Kiley Park, the Art Museum and the farther north park could allow for significant development of commercial or residential space. While we are still hearing about the possibility of an arts district a few blocks more into downtown, the silence as to what might happen to the Art Museum has been almost deafening.
Third, and the largest risk to saving the park is our silence. With the explosion in development and real estate prices, getting land for public green space is getting more difficult with every day. Why would Tampa residents possibly want to give up a waterfront, already established, nationally recognized park in a booming downtown without a fight ? Easy anwer, lack of awareness and just plain apathy.
The Tampa Tribune recently issued an editorial calling for efforts to save the Belleview Biltmore in Clearwater, a noble effort. BUT KILEY PARK is being also called upon by the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation as one of Florida's most endangered sites - along with the Biltmore. Get involved. Visit this beautiful urban site, send an email to let your City Council know that you want city park property to stay city park property. Post your comments below AND email them to let them know how you feel. DO THIS BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE !
With a dense coverage of trees, easy walkways, and a riverfront location, this park is at risk due to several key issues.
First, the park has been neglected and ignored. While the city is responsible for the park, it has not been on its priority list (amazing for a waterfront site in a city where the mayor keeps talking about a Riverwalk plan to include better use of this area for our residents). It has been ignored due to the continuing upheavel in the banking and real estate industry that has lead to many changes in the ownership of the adjacent beer can shaped office building.
Second, with the recent defeat of the plans for an expanded Art Museum at the current site,: vultures of every stripe are looking at the three adjacent sites with dollar signs in their eyes. That's right ! Kiley Park, the Art Museum and the farther north park could allow for significant development of commercial or residential space. While we are still hearing about the possibility of an arts district a few blocks more into downtown, the silence as to what might happen to the Art Museum has been almost deafening.
Third, and the largest risk to saving the park is our silence. With the explosion in development and real estate prices, getting land for public green space is getting more difficult with every day. Why would Tampa residents possibly want to give up a waterfront, already established, nationally recognized park in a booming downtown without a fight ? Easy anwer, lack of awareness and just plain apathy.
The Tampa Tribune recently issued an editorial calling for efforts to save the Belleview Biltmore in Clearwater, a noble effort. BUT KILEY PARK is being also called upon by the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation as one of Florida's most endangered sites - along with the Biltmore. Get involved. Visit this beautiful urban site, send an email to let your City Council know that you want city park property to stay city park property. Post your comments below AND email them to let them know how you feel. DO THIS BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE !
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
HOW MUCH MONEY CAN THEY WASTE ?
Yesterday I received a letter from the Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority. Did you get one too ?
The letter went into explaining the delays in construction, the increase in fares, the concern about safety, and of course, the design/engineering mistakes that has helped contribute to these issues.
If I had been the only recipient of this letter, it would not have really bothered me. BUT, living in a condo, it takes little to look in the trash can by the mailboxes and see all these discarded letters from the Expressway authority.
I do not use the toll road very often, but the cost of the letter to me would about equal the proposed raise for a one time use. How about all those letters in the trash bin ?
They just don't seem to get it about using taxpayer money. Why did they send me a letter now about a road not to be completed for at least another year ? The answer is simple : WE ARE NOT HOLDING THEM ACCOUNTABLE ENOUGH !
I must commend the chairman for having the courage to signing his name to a letter about a project that has been an almost total disaster.
Think about it: 1. a project many do not feel is safe; 2. cost overruns around $100 million; 3. Fare increases of 25-50 cents; 4. Additional wasted money on sending out letters about the project.
IF this doesn't bother you then so be it, BUT, if you want to let the Authority know what you think, you contact them here.
The letter went into explaining the delays in construction, the increase in fares, the concern about safety, and of course, the design/engineering mistakes that has helped contribute to these issues.
If I had been the only recipient of this letter, it would not have really bothered me. BUT, living in a condo, it takes little to look in the trash can by the mailboxes and see all these discarded letters from the Expressway authority.
I do not use the toll road very often, but the cost of the letter to me would about equal the proposed raise for a one time use. How about all those letters in the trash bin ?
They just don't seem to get it about using taxpayer money. Why did they send me a letter now about a road not to be completed for at least another year ? The answer is simple : WE ARE NOT HOLDING THEM ACCOUNTABLE ENOUGH !
I must commend the chairman for having the courage to signing his name to a letter about a project that has been an almost total disaster.
Think about it: 1. a project many do not feel is safe; 2. cost overruns around $100 million; 3. Fare increases of 25-50 cents; 4. Additional wasted money on sending out letters about the project.
IF this doesn't bother you then so be it, BUT, if you want to let the Authority know what you think, you contact them here.
Sunday, May 08, 2005
Let the SONY Buyer Beware !
Having become a tech use junkie with all that happens on www.tampagold.com and www.sohotampa.com, it is always pisser when the systems go wrong. It is worse yet when it is poor support that helps make it happen.
Two years ago I bought the then state of the art pda from Sony - the Clie with built in camera and all. It has served me ok for the two years, until recently when the screen decided to add lines on each side making it hard to use. After two tries with Sony support, the problem has been solved. That's right ! With their help the lines are still there and now all my data has been deleted. The online help person seemed to continually fail to respond to what I was indicating was showing up on the screens, clearly was not just trying to help me due to the long waits between his responses, and of course, the final result being that the solution is now solved because I am throwing this $599 piece of Sony garbage in the trash. Looks like the old yellow legal pad wins again ! And they don't even have an online support office.
Two years ago I bought the then state of the art pda from Sony - the Clie with built in camera and all. It has served me ok for the two years, until recently when the screen decided to add lines on each side making it hard to use. After two tries with Sony support, the problem has been solved. That's right ! With their help the lines are still there and now all my data has been deleted. The online help person seemed to continually fail to respond to what I was indicating was showing up on the screens, clearly was not just trying to help me due to the long waits between his responses, and of course, the final result being that the solution is now solved because I am throwing this $599 piece of Sony garbage in the trash. Looks like the old yellow legal pad wins again ! And they don't even have an online support office.
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