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Bridle
Path tract could be a legacy
There is the lamentable
possibility that the McKay/Swift Bridle Path property, an irreplaceable
natural area and an integral part of the larger Salt Ponds ecosystem,
may be developed. The tract's owner, entrepreneur Ed Swift, has amassed
wealth most can only imagine through various business ventures in Key
West. He has the opportunity to leave a lasting legacy in the town in
which he has prospered. As a gesture of altruism and civic-mindedness, I
urge him to consider donating this tract or selling it to the city at
fair market value for the benefit of generations to come. I fervently
hope he will seize this opportunity and rise to the occasion.
Tom Wilmers
Big Pine Key
Please
take action to save McKay tract
To the Citizens of
Key West:
People are still saying, "How the hell did that happen?" when they see
the ugly glass and steel monstrosity at the corner of Duval and Front
streets. People are asking, "How the hell did that happen?" when they
see the development across from where Houseboat Row was located.
If you read last week's
Key West Citizen, you know that the City Commission has rejected the
trade of the McKay/Swift Bridle Path property for 11 ROGO units. The
ROGO units did not cost the city of Key West a dime. In the overall
scheme of things, in my opinion, it would not have mattered if we gave
Mr. [Ed] Swift two or 20. ...
Mayor [Jimmy] Weekley is
trying to get Mr. Swift and his partners to take cash for this land. It
has been appraised at $1.2 million. The city has a little over half of
that amount in a fund that was set up years ago to purchase and manage
Salt Ponds property. The balance would have to come from grants or other
sources. This is doable. ...
Although it may already
be too late because of lack of public support — many of us thought this
was a win-win and a no-brainer; apparently we got complacent. Where is
Merili [McCoy] when you need her? — the only way we are going to save
this property is to speak out loudly and make ourselves heard by the
city commissioners. If you want to save this property from development,
you must call and/or write and/or e-mail the commissioners, the Citizens
Voice, and the Key West Citizen. At the meeting, Russ Draper was the
only person who spoke in favor of the trade. A few people agreed the
property needed to be saved, but they were not in favor of trading 11
ROGO units. It looks like no one really cares if that property is
developed or not.
Our commission will
sometimes respond to public input if there is enough outcry. The only
other choice here is to encourage the commission to research the
possibility of taking the property through eminent domain. However, with
the makeup of our commission, this would probably be an impossibility
unless enough people rally behind it.
Years from now, when you
walk down the Bridle Path and see the house and someone asks you, "How
the hell did that happen?," you can tell them, "enough people just
didn't care." If we don't speak out, we have no right to complain. ...
If you care, please do
something. This is our last chance.
Mary Alley-Draper
Key West |
