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10/07/2004 . . . ENTERPRISE ZONE DEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOARD MEETING CITY OF CLEARWATER October 7, 2004 Present: Bob Kinney Kristin Dailey Bob Fernandez Brian Schuh Ralph Emmanuelli Isay Gulley Capt. Anthony Holloway Chair Board Member Board Member Board Member Board Member Vice-Chair Board Member/Police Department -arrived 1 :06 p.m. Absent: Rick Rosa Cheryl Wade Board Member/Com. Response Team Board Member Also Present: Art Kader Diane Hufford Linda Byars Brenda Moses Director of Parks & Recreation Economic Development Coordinator - departed 1 :25 p.m. Economic Development Coordinator - arrived 1 :09 p.m. Board Reporter The Chair called the meeting to order at 1 :04 p.m. at Ross Norton Recreation Center, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. It was noted that Kristin Griffin's new last name is Dailey. Ms. Dailey introduced a new member of WorkNet, Philip Nochlin. Mr. Nochlin briefly explained some of the difficulties clients experience in applying for tax credits. Economic Development Coordinator said that Mr. Nochlin would not be allowed to serve as an alternate for Ms. Dailey on the EZDA (Enterprise Zone Development Agency). 3. Action Items a. Approval of Minutes of Previous Meeting - July 8, 2004 Member Dailey moved to approve the minutes of July 8, 2004, as submitted in written summation to each board member. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. b. Schedule next meeting The next meeting is scheduled for 1 :00 p.m. on January 8, 2005. Staffwill try to schedule the meeting at the Main Library. 4. Presentation - Art Kader. City of Clearwater Assistant Director of Parks & Recreation Assistant Director of Parks & Recreation Art Kader reviewed his background and gave an overview of Parks & Recreation projects within the City. Enterprise Zone 2004-10-07 1 . . . Ross Norton Recreation Center Mr. Kader said the City is building a 22,000 square-foot Ross Norton Recreation Center. The $4 million facility will include a gymnasium, fitness room, teen room, and a meeting room overlooking the lake. The swimming pool will be refurbished with slides, sprays, etc. A 35,000 square-foot skateparklbicycle park also will be constructed. The completion date is targeted for April 18, 2005. Once the new facility is completed, the current facility will be demolished and replaced with basketball courts, a picnic area, and a playground. Mr. Kader said the City views its recreation centers as regional centers. The City partners with agencies such as the Boys and Girls Club in Wood Valley and on the Kings Highway Recreation Center. Lake Belleview/Ed Wriaht Park Mr. Kader said the City's stormwater project at Lake Belleview will increase the size of the lake by six to nine acres. That project also will include recreational elements, such as a bicycle/walking path along the lake, which will hook up to the east/west trail. Ed Wright Park. which is in the design stage, also will be refurbished with new restrooms and other amenities. Lona Center Mr. Kader said the City took over operation of the Long Center on Belcher Road and plans to spend $1 million to refurbish and remodel that facility. As more funds become available, a new fitness center, restroom improvements, etc. will be completed. Multi-purpose Countryside Sports Complex Mr. Kader said it appears the City of Safety Harbor will partner with the City for the proposed multi-purpose Countryside Sports Complex. It is hoped the County will increase their offer and fund ongoing operational expenses for the facility. A design team will be selected, and hopes are the project should be completed within the next 18 months. Mr. Kader said currently, nonresidents enjoy privileges afforded to residents by paying a nonresident fee. The nonresident fee likely would increase significantly if the County does not cover some operational costs. Without additional Cuonty funding, nonresident quotas also will be instituted and priority offered to Clearwater and Safety Harbor residents. Mr. Kader said increasing the hours of operation would only destroy the fields and require more frequent maintenance. The demand for soccer fields is greater than the supply of fields in North County. Bavview Park Mr. Kader said with the help of a grant, the City purchased the four-acre, heavily wooded Bayview Park off Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard, near the Bayside Bridge. By fiscal year-end, that site will become a passive park with pedestrian trails and a boardwalk. Glen Oaks Golf Course Mr. Kader said a major stormwater project at Glen Oaks Golf Course will begin in January 2005. When completed, the project will take 80 to 90 homes out of the floodplain, and Enterprise Zone 2004-10-07 2 . . . will result in a park with pedestrian trails, two soccer fields, and a restroom facility. The fields will provide flood retention. During rain events, the soccer fields will flood, then drain. Kapok Mobilehome Stormwater Proiect Mr. Kader said the Kapok Mobile Home Stormwater Project will become a 150-acre nature park with bicycle and nature trails that will connect to the east/west bicycle trail, which runs from Bayshore Boulevard to the Long Center. That east/west trail will connect to the future Progress Energy Trail that will run north and south. Another trail project, planned on Druid Road, will connect to the Pinellas Trail and allow bicyclists to travel from Bayshore Boulevard to the beach via a trail. A pedestrian overpass also is being constructed across McMullen-Booth Road. Other Proiects Mr. Kader said the E. C. Moore ball fields are nearly complete. The fields will be used mainly for girls fast-pitch softball. An indoor batting tunnel is part of the project. Mr. Kader said consultants have been hired to perform design work on the entryways to the new Memorial Causeway Bridge and to finish the causeway area to the beach. In response to a question, Mr. Kader said the City locates restroom facilities in facilities that are staffed or where high sporting activity occurs. Some restroom facilities must remain under lock and key due to maintenance and vandalism issues. Parties wishing to hold celebrations at those facilities can contact the Parks & Recreation Department for restroom keys. City brochures and FITS (Fun In the Sun) Magazine list all City parks. In response to a question, Mr. Kader said Ed Wright Park's restroom facilities and picnic area will be improved. While the tennis courts will remain, most likely the playground will most likely be removed, as a large playground is planned at the nearby Ross Norton Recreation Center. 5. Staff Report - Diane Hufford Economic Development Coordinator Linda Byars indicated the Enterprise Zone is scheduled to sunset on December 31, 2005. All area Enterprise Zone agencies are working together to prepare a letter to legislators supporting the program's continuance. This board also will develop a letter of support. Ms. Byars reported since the last meeting, staff received three applications for material sales tax credits in the Enterprise Zone, for primarily affordable housing. Ms. Byars said the DRC (Development Review Committee) is reviewing a proposal today for a 192-unit residential project with a retail component on the former Salvation Army site on Ft. Harrison Avenue. The deveioper requests a flexible standard to increase the project's height. A 10-unit development is proposed for the corner of Prospect and Court Street near the Town Lake. Another project proposes several hundred units at Jasmine and Ft. Harrison Avenue. A new shopping center is planned for the corner of Turner Street and N. Ft. Harrison Avenue. Mediterranean Village is moving forward with the units around Town Lake. That Enterprise Zone 2004-10-07 3 . . . property has been cleared and remediated for contamination, and a "No Further Action" letter from the FDEP (Florida Department of Environmental Protection) is expected. In response to a question, Ms. Byars said 15 additional units at Mediterranean Village and the pool house are near completion; another 85 units are proposed to be constructed across the street, which will surround the lake on the north end once Prospect Avenue is vacated. Ms. Byars said construction at Station Square is scheduled to begin in December. As the project will cause hardships to Cleveland Street businesses, the City is considering marketing tools to support retailers. A 48-unit gated town home community featuring a significant amount of open green space has been proposed for the former school site on Martin Luther King Jr., Avenue. The same developer has begun construction of Clearwater Villages north of Union Street at Kings Highway. Ms. Byars said the City has received a proposal from Amstar Cinemas for a theater at the site of the Amsouth Building on Osceola and Cleveland Street. The City received two responses to the RFP (Request for Proposal) for Jack Russell Stadium. 1) for 192 rental units and 54 townhomes, with a three-acre park, and 2) an office/business park, which would create 300 to 500 jobs. In response to a question, Ms. Byars said she is not aware of any proposed projects for Myrtle Avenue. A project, in the conceptual stage, would construct a 3.5-acre residential condominium project with retail on the lower level at the former Scotty's site on Druid Road and Myrtle Avenue. Ms. Byars said many of these residential changes will occur within the next 24 months which will bring retail and commercial uses to the Downtown area. 6. Public Comment - None. 7. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 1:45 p.m. <.. Chair Enterprise Zone Development Age B Enterprise Zone 2004-10-07 4