Courtney Campbell Scenic Highway
Corridor Advisory Committee
Minutes
Regular Meeting at
URS Corporation - Board Room
7650 W. Courtney Campbell Causeway
Tampa, Florida
August 4, 2006
10:00 a.m.
Attending:
Jessica White, Senior Planner, Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council
The Honorable Bill Jonson, Vice Mayor, City of Clearwater
Michelle Greene, Bicycle/Pedestrian Coordinator, Florida Department of Transportation
Mary Helen Duke, Greenways & Trails Coordinator, City of Tampa Parks & Recreation
Mike Palozzi, FDOT/GEC (PBS&J)
Tim Kurtz, Senior Landscape Architect, City of Clearwater
The Honorable Linda Saul-Sena, Councilwoman, City of Tampa
Christine Commerce, Executive Director, Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful
Jane Burmer, Assistant Vice President, URS Corporation
The minutes of the June 9, 2006 meeting were approved with no corrections.
Old Business:
Mr. Palozzi asked whether the website linkage problem, mentioned in the minutes of the June 9, 2006
meeting, had been resolved. Vice Mayor Jonson stated he checked the state website this morning and it still
says $coming soon.# He attempted to reach Andy Nichol before coming to this meeting, but was unsuccessful.
Mr. Palozzi offered to contact him and inquire as to why the linkage has been delayed.
Mary Helen Duke stated she had invited Jim Valentine to this meeting to report on Ben T. Davis Beach, but he
had another commitment. She reported there are definite plans to demolish the concession building, plus
another dilapidated building which is also damaged. The City of Tampa is looking into installing a small
restroom with storage room for cleaning supplies and also lifeguard/rescue equipment and supplies. Ms.
Duke presented pictures of a couple of styles, the first of which is being seriously considered by the city at a
cost of approximately $170,000. The structure would be located partially within the existing parking area due
to beach erosion. Ms. Duke indicated they are also working on the shoreline beach restoration project. They
have a FEMA $127,000 reimbursement grant, of which $98,000 will be applied to consultant fees for a study to
determine what needs to be done in terms of beach re-nourishment and also for the permitting process. She
stated they are now in the process of hiring consultants to perform this study, and the city is also considering
the possibility of installing rebuttments to mitigate future damage. They are looking at the idea of having a
café or eating establishment which will be housed in the existing building. Hopefully, all of this will be
accomplished by next summer. FEMA money in the amount of $118,000 is available to replace the
concessions building and construct the restrooms. A playground is also planned, but that will done last.
Councilwoman Saul-Sena remarked that this is a great opportunity to work toward next summer with regard to
getting signage installed to enable more constituents to appreciate the project. Ms. Duke replied the only
signage discussed with this committee at this point is interpretive signage. She presented samples of tiles
that will be part of the gateway signs, but she explained that she brought the tiles because they are a way of
doing interpretive signage. Councilwoman Saul-Sena wondered if interpretive money could be acquired to use
the tiles because they use graphics, not words. The suggestion was made to make creating the tiles a contest
at the junior/senior high school level. Councilwoman Saul-Sena pointed out that an event of that nature would
have to be administered by someone, perhaps by Keep America Beautiful. The object would be for the
students to create tiles with the winners having their designs used for the signage. Funding would then be
needed only to install the tiles.
1.
Estuary Program Grant Process
In relation to the discussion regarding interpretive signs, Mr. Palozzi stated the contest idea seems to
be more creative, and he thought if the CAC showed it was attempting to partner with the cities, they
could ask for a to-be-determined number of dollars from the Estuary Program to be matched by the
cities. Jessica White read from the instructions for Estuary grants, which states:
$Applicant s proposal must meet one or more of the following CCMP Goals: water quality, habitat
restoration, fish and wildlife conservation, bay awareness education, dredge material management,
spill prevention or invasive species.#
Group opinion leaned toward $bay awareness education,# as the category for the grant application.
Vice Mayor Jonson stated Clearwater Christian College is located on the Courtney Campbell, and he
suggested checking to determine whether or not they have an art program. Councilwoman SaulSena stated she thought that, in terms of generating publicity, engaging kids in the community is a
great idea. The kids would actually do the tiles. One member stated she has worked in the past with
Boy Scout troops where the older scouts working toward the rank of Eagle must do a community
service project as part of their requirements and they are always in search of building projects or
restoration projects. Others felt that with a project like this, it might be better to go through the school
system. Christine Commerce stated that there is a whole application process in order to accomplish
this. Tim Kurtz stated he had seen tiles used in a fence in a park in southeast Florida where kids of
various ages had painted them and the project was quite nice. Councilwoman Saul-Sena felt a
project of that nature would generate a lot of publicity and would be an enduring visible improvement.
She asked if the CAC would like to say the tiles would reflect the natural environment. Ms. White
stated the theme would definitely have to be related to the estuary since they would be applying to the
Estuary Program for the money.
Councilwoman Saul-Sena stated she was meeting with the art director later this morning. He asked
what other action was needed. The Estuary grant application is due October 1, 2006. The next
scheduled meeting of the CAC would normally be in October, but he will be out of town at that time,
so the suggestion was made to meet in September. The meeting in September would be on Friday,
September 8. Mr. Palozzi felt there is a need for a small group of folks to take on the grant
application, because there may be a need for technical coordination if the schools are used, or the Art
Center. The grant must be prepared and a schedule worked out, since the grant money, once
awarded, must be used within a year.
2.
Debrief on the Visit Florida grant application that was turned down
Vice Mayor Jonson reported that neither he nor Jessica White have received a return telephone call.
The letter from Visit Florida stated they had $107,000 for all of the grants applied for, and they did not
have the funds available. Ms. White mentioned she thought their budget had been cut from last year.
New Business:
3.
Review of sponsorships and solicitation opportunities
The contract with the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council (TBRPC) originally intended to provide
the Council with $12,000 in sponsorship funding for its support of the CCSH CAC. Vice Mayor
Jonson stated the TBRPC has been very generous, but in a conversation with Manny Pumariega, he
was informed that Jessica White is currently doing the work of two planners in order to cover a
vacancy on the staff. Mr. Pumariega did, however, state that the TBRPC is willing to continue to
provide the minutes and support and did not seem concerned with the CAC continuing to provide the
$12,000 a year. Vice Mayor Jonson expressed the belief that the CAC still has an obligation to
continue to contribute. Once the state website is updated, the CAC can contact its sponsors with
website material to review, and based on that review, ask if they wish to make any changes in the way
the website is presented. At that time, they could be asked to renew their sponsorship. He stated
there are several new organizations that should be approached.
4.
Upcoming end of the year State Scenic Highway Status Report
Mr. Palozzi stated that on a yearly basis each of the corridor management entities is required to
complete a status report for its respective corridor. He distributed some copies of what other scenic
highways are doing and he is assuming the questions are the same for all. The status report is due
October 1 of each year, and is completed online. Because there are a lot of questions, the process
will take some time.
One of the CAC members reported she had received a complaint after the Fourth of July about all the
trash left laying along the roadside after the festivities, and she wondered who is responsible for
cleaning up. The suggestion was made to schedule some of the local clean-ups to coincide with the
th
July 4 holiday. There are two Adopt-A-Shore groups on the Courtney Campbell, and the Tampa Bay
Parrotheads did a clean-up on July 8.
While on the subject of clean-ups, Christine Commerce announced that the Coastal Clean-up is
Saturday, September 16. Check-in begins at 8:00 a.m., Clean-up lasts from 8:30 a.m. until Noon.
Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful will again have a site at the Courtney Campbell boat ramp. She
reported that last year they a couple hundred volunteers who picked up over 10,000 pounds of trash.
A list of all site locations and a registration form will be available by the end of August. Vice Mayor
Jonson suggested the CAC participate by manning a table with Scenic Highway trinkets available.
Vice Mayor Jonson re-stated that the next meeting will be held on Friday, September 8, at which time the
group will focus on the art project.
Councilwoman Saul-Sena reported that the Courtney Campbell made it onto the Regional Trail list, which is a
great accomplishment. This action was approved by the Chairmen s Coordinating Committee and will
definitely be an item to include in the annual report.
Vice Mayor Jonson asked if the committee wanted to meet in October. Councilwoman Saul-Sena suggested
October 20 and that date was agreeable.
Next Scheduled Meetings:
Friday, September 8, 2006 at 10:00 a.m. and
Friday, October 20, 2006 at 10:00 a.m.