| The Key West City Commission will hold a special
commission workshop meeting this Thursday (July 24), beginning at 6PM
(Old City Hall on Greene Street), to discuss the possible annexation of
Higgs Beach, which currently is county property within the city.
Last Stand has not at this
time taken a position whether the city should take over running the
beach, but we did ask that the commission not take hasty action before
fully exploring the financial ramifications and revealing to the public
what plans they might pursue if they do acquire the property from the
county. Thursday evening's workshop is scheduled
for that purpose, and the City Commission is to make the decision
(whether to put the Higgs Beach annexation question to the voters on the
November ballot) at its regular commission meeting August 5.
Last Stand urges its members and
interested persons to attend this important meeting.
From the Jul 23 Key West Citizen: |
Can Key West afford Higgs Beach?
Workshop to explore financial facts of
as-is annexation
BY MANDY BOLEN
Citizen Staff
Key West officials hope to reveal the financial realities of
acquiring and maintaining Higgs Beach and surrounding park areas
in a public workshop Thursday evening.
The effort to enlighten both residents and city commissioners
paves the way for an Aug. 5 meeting when commissioners will
decide whether to place the question of annexing the beach from
Monroe County on the Nov. 4 general election ballot.
Thursday's workshop "will be a presentation of 'the way things
are" Assistant City Manager Mark Finigan said Wednesday after
compiling facts and figures for the public and the City
Commission.
Budgetary constraints within Monroe County have made it
impossible for the county to pay for some improvements at the
park that it initially agreed to make, Finigan said.
"They would be conveying the property as is," he said, adding
that the county will not finish making necessary changes to make
the area accessible to handicapped visitors.
City commissioners will hear how much it will cost the city in
terms of operating costs and personnel, and with plans to staff
a full-time security officer during park hours, personnel costs
will be higher than those of the county, Finigan said.
"We looked at the county's budget, and they have no provision
for any level of security there," he said. "We're building in a
direct security approach."
City Manager Jim Scholl also may present possible alternative
uses for the park, but said, "I don't think we have a vision for
the area, we're just letting people know what it would cost to
take this park over and operate it. I think people want to know
whether or not it will be a drain for the city."
Mayor Morgan McPherson, on the other hand, has had a grand
vision for Higgs Beach for more than two years. With the
potential for the waterfront area to be a "world-class,
family-friendly park," McPherson has long championed its
annexation from the county and wants to get a local nonprofit
organization involved in its management, and bring local youth
programs to the park.
He envisions the management group charging a nominal fee for
pavilion rental at the beach in order to free up shaded seating
areas for families and visitors — those areas frequently are
occupied by groups of homeless people who presumably would be
unwilling or unable to pay a fee.
McPherson met in May with leaders of the Police Athletic League
and the local Boys & Girls Clubs to discuss relocating their
programs to the beach area.
The former will lose its training facility during the
development of Truman Waterfront and the latter has outgrown its
after-school space at Bayview Park.
The mayor has the support of the city's Planning Board chairman,
Richard Klitenick, who called the county's management of Higgs
Beach "a complete and total disaster."
Founders of the Key West Dog Park, across the street from the
beach, are encouraging dog owners to attend the Thursday
workshop to show support for the dog park and ensure it is not
changed in an adverse way.
Members of Key West Garden Club at the West Martello Tower also
have been paying close attention to discussions about park
ownership, and have asked to have input on the proposed
acquisition if it comes to fruition.
The workshop is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at Old City Hall,
510 Greene St.
mbolen@keysnews.com |
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