Clearwater Time TO CONTACT US Delivery: 895-1181 News phone: 446-6397 News fax: 445-4119 Mon-Frl: 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Sat-Sun: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. By e-mail: northplnsptlmes.com AN EDITION OF THE Petersburg Ghnc WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2005 THE TIMES imv root fooite SAFETY HARBOR r-pin.
ArM mown 14 mile rij) Main St Safety Harbor okays rezoning on McMullen-Booth Road despite traffic, environmental concerns. 3' Land purchased I By MEGAN SCOTT Times Staff Writer i Sources: ESRI, GDT Time map at the northeast corner of State Road 590 and McMullen-Booth Road. New commissioners Kara Bauer and Andy Steingold, who were sworn in at the beginning of the meeting, voted no. Bauer was concerned that construction on the site, where a Shell gas station now sits, would disturb an eagles' nest nearby. She also worried that traffic on an already congested thoroughfare would increase.
"You have development that people just plain and simply don't want," said Bauer. "Once they pass the zoning, they'll come back and who knows what they can do. I don't think a Shell station is pretty per se. I wouldn't see how this is an improvement" ticularly on 10th Street which turns into State Road 590. "How many of these do we need?" said Evans, who rents space with her husband in the general industrial building.
"We can have so many banks in this area. How many do we really need to serve our citizens? What about the base for our birds, our children?" Williamson said current zoning allows for many more intense uses than a Walgreens. And because McMullen-Booth Road is classified as a "constrained corridor," the building space for the Walgreens, bank and restaurant would only be about 25,000 square feet He said he was unsure when Sembler, the developer behind Clearwater Mall, has a contract to purchase the property. Besides the Shell, the site is home to a general industrial building that has six nonretail tenants. Steve Williamson, the attorney representing Sembler at the meeting, said the Walgreens would actually generate less traffic than the buildings currently there.
Williamson, who hired a consultant to conduct a traffic study, said there are 5,562 vehicles that visit the site. A Walgreens, bank and restaurant would generate only about 3,836. Bauer called those numbers absurd. And because of the eagle's nest, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has said construction can take place only during the nonnesting season from May 15 to Oct. 1.
Still, the Clearwater Audubon Society and several residents asked commissioners not to approve the change. "I would only plead with you to preserve everything you can to try and protect all the eagle's nests in Safety Harbor," said Lynn Sumer-son, who represented the society at the meeting. "It's a real gem to have an eagle's nest in Safety Harbor." Barbara Evans, a Safety Harbor resident, questioned the need for another drugstore, with a Walgreens a couple of miles north at Enterprise and McMullen-Booth. She said traffic is already backed up during rush hour, par SAFETY HARBOR City commissioners have approved re-zoning 3 acres on McMullen-Booth Road to pave the way for a Walgreens, a bank and a fast food restaurant. Although the developer, Sem-bler will have to submit a site plan for approval, commissioners voted 3-2 Monday to change the land use and rezone the property Sembler would have a site plan.
The land use change and rezoning still must go before the Pinellas Planning Council and be submitted to the state Department of Community Affairs. Megan Scott can be reached at 445-4167 or mscottsDtimes.com. TRAIL OF CRUMBS Residents want right -V- to mate land A Legislative proposals would give mobile home park residents the right to purchase their park if an unsolicited bid is offered. 0 By NICOLE JOHNSON Times Staff Writer I 7v Times photo EDMUND FOUNTAIN Kathy Atkins helps 2-year-old Drew Peterson, left, of Clearwater and 3-year-old Abby Zager of Clearwater feed squirrels at Crest Lake Park on Tuesday. Atkins, who runs a day care service, brought the children to the park for the afternoon.
"I have a big back yard, but this is just a break. They like the park," she said. "We used to get the seagulls, but they got so used to him chasing them that they don't come down anymore." When mobile home parks make the news, it's usually a horror story. The parks have been sold. Unsuspecting residents are served with eviction notices.
They don't want to leave, but the law says they don't have a choice. Now two bills in the Legislature seek to change that Senate Bill 2234, sponsored by state Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, and House Bill 743, sponsored by state Rep. Nancy De-tert, R-Venice, would give mobile home residents the right to buy their parks even when the owner receives an unsolicited bid. Currently, state law only entitles mobile home residents to make an offer on their parks if the owner publicly puts it up for sale.
But if the owner has received an unsolicited bid for the park, the residents don't get the option to buy. "You're talking about senior citizens." Fasano said. They're worried to death that someone is going to come and buy their park and they won't have the ability of first refusal." Fasano said he has received hundreds of e-mails from residents expressing these concerns. The most recent case was the sale of Anchor North Bay in West Oldsmar. More than 100 residents were told this month that they have until September to find new homes.
The new owners, Alex Sullivan and Adam Schoenbaum, have said they hope to transform the park into luxury townhomes or condominiums. Under current state law, the former owner, Hometown America of Chicago, did nothing illegal. The landlord didn't have to tell Anchor North Bay residents anything because the new owners made an unsolicited bid for the park. The 7.8-acre park on Old Tampa Bay sold for Please see MOBILE Page 5 106 "Wealthy with family woman dies at By BETSY BOLGER-PAULET Times Staff Writer Elizabeth "Lizzie or Betty" Meyer, who came to the United States twice from Hungary, died in Safety Harbor. 1 i i More than 100 relatives gathered for the first 100th birthday party.
She was then feted by friends at Neighborly Senior Services Center in Safety Harbor and again with more than 150 neighbors and friends, including then-Safety Harbor Mayor Patrick Slcvin, celebrating in the clubhouse of the mobile home village where she lived for more than three decades. Even after all that, on Sunday after Please see MEYER Page 8 family and love." This was apparent when five generations of family members came from Maryland and Wisconsin to help her celebrate that birthday. It took three parties to mark the occasion. "It's been party, party, party, and all week long I haven't been able to go to the mailbox without being kissed and hugged and congratulated by someone," the smiling centenarian said. "I love it" Elizabeth "Lizzie or Betty" Meyer of Safety Harbor died Monday (March 28, 2005) at Mease Countryside Hospital, Safety Harbor.
The plucky woman, whose life was simple and filled with more than the average share of grief and hard work, was 106. The Hungarian immigrant worked for the knitting mills in Milwaukee before coming here in 1960 and was never one to complain. As she said on the occasion of her 100th birthday in 1998, Mrs. Meyer "enjoyed a life wealthy with Young scholars' pride to shine bright tonight at Ruth Eckerd Hail He heard the principal call the name of one of his friends for the science award. Then he heard his name called for the social stud About 500 elementary and middle school children who excel in specific subjects will be honored.
ies award. "I was so happy," Justin said. "I could hardly contain INSIDE List of PRIDE award winners PAGE 7 By DONNA WINCHESTER Times Staff Writer initiatives supported by the Pinellas Education Foundation. Ditek Inc. of Largo has provided money for the awards for many years, said Rich Engwall.
senior vice president of the foundation. The district's gifted office coordinates the event but it is open to all fifth- and eighth-graders who are in the top 15 percent of their class. More children qualify each year, said Art Dimter, the district's gifted supervisor. He expects tonight's crowd to be enthusiastic as always. The high point for the students will be when their principals introduce them and they shake hands with superintendent Clayton Wilcox.
Each will wear a bronze medallion engraved with his or her name and subject and will receive a gold-toned trophy. win a PRIDE award. They also must earn the highest score in their class on a county-developed test and demonstrate a positive attitude. Eighth-graders must maintain a 3.5 average in their subject throughout middle school, show interest in it through participation in clubs, and exhibit good citizenship. PRIDE awards are given to high school students at individual year-end ceremonies at their schools.
The awards are based on SAT or ACT scores and grade point averages. Originally a state of Florida initiative, the Pinellas school district decided to continue giving PRIDE awards after the state dropped its funding. The program became one of many A lot of concentrated effort in the classroom and at home paid off with straight A's for Justin this year. The PRIDE award is the icing on the cake, Trimmer said. Tonight she will watch her son as he is honored along with nearly 500 other ele mentary and middle school children at Ruth Eckerd Hall in what has become a Pinellas County tradition.
PRIDE, which stands for Program to Recognize Initiative and Distinction in Education, recognizes fifth-graders who excel in math, science, social studies and writing. Eighth-graders are recognized in math, science, social studies, writing and world languages. Fifth-graders must maintain an A average in their subject throughout the year to Her son's accomplishment is a real turnaround, Theresa Trimmer said. Justin struggled with reading as a third-grader, which caused him problems in his other subjects. "When he came to Bauder as a fourth-grader, his teacher knew he was behind," Trimmer said.
"She did everything she could to get him caught up." Justin Gearhart was in math class the day his school principal made an unexpected visit to announce this year's PRIDE award winners. The 11-year-old had qualified to win an award in four subjects, but he knew the competition was stiff this year among the students in his fifth-grade class at Bauder Elementary..
