Additional 'Lens' Funding Approved by St. Pete Council

The St. Petersburg City Council voted 5-3 Thursday to approve the next phase of funding for the "Lens" pier design for $869,000. 

That funding, however, was only a partial approval of an original funding request of $1.5 million for the proposal. 

The partial funding approved will cover things such as wind tunnel tests, caisson tests for the existing structure and costs related to permitting for demolition of the St. Petersburg Pier. 

Council members Steve Kornell, Leslie Curran, Jeff Danner, Bill Dudley and Jim Kennedy voted for the funding.

"It's better for our community that we are supportive of the 'Lens', while also attempting to be fiscally responsible and spending the minimum amount of money to get the answers we need to educate our public," Kennedy said Thursday. 

Danner said the additional funding would help better inform the voters ahead of the proposed Aug. 27 ballot question on the "Lens" contract. 

"The common thing (of speakers during public forum), is everyone wants more information," Danner said. 

He said people want to know what shape are the caissons in, what there is to do in the commons area and what is the functionality.

"All of those things need to be answered," Danner said. He said the best way to do that was to get more information, which could only be had if council approved more money. 

Council members Wengay Newton, Karl Nurse and Charlie Gerdes voted no. 

Gerdes said his "no" vote does not reflect his feelings on the "Lens" personally, but he is concerned with voting for something that he is not sure will get approval from the public at the ballot box. 

"I personally don’t want to spend any money on a particular design at this point," he said. 

Had the motion not included wind tunnel testing or other "Lens" specific costs he would have supported the motion because he said getting information on the caissons and pier demolition are necessary moving forward regardless of what happens with the "Lens."

Gerdes said the technical questions people have about the "Lens" are a smoke screen for people who just don’t like the design. 

Council's approval of additional "Lens" funding comes a day after Concerned Citizens of St. Pete, also known as Stop the Lens,  to cancel the city's contract with Michael Maltzan Architecture for the "Lens" pier. 

Mayor Bill Foster said Thursday that he and organizers of Stop the Lens agree that the referendum on the fate of the "Lens" contract should be on the Aug. 27 primary ballot. 

Pier Still Closing May 31

Foster made it clear Thursday that the existing inverted pyramid is still shutting its doors for good May 31. The decision, he said, is fiscally responsible. 

He said keeping the pier open for 90 days, as vendors have asked to stay open for the summer season, would cost the city at least $400,000 because The Columbia and Cha Cha Coconuts are closing May 31. 

"Closing the pier is a business decision," Foster said Thursday. 

According to city attorney John Wolfe, council does not have the operational authority to stop the closing of the pier. That, he said, rests with the mayor. 

The Stop the Lens petitions, "directs council to cancel the contract with Michael Maltzan," Foster said. "No where in that question is it talked about saving the inverted pyramid. If that was the objective of the Stop the Lens group, that would have been the question.

"And so the idea about stopping the closing date and stopping demolition, that’s not an option," Foster said. 

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