Thursday, May 16, 2013
The $869K in approved funding, however, is only a partial approval of the $1.5 million the proposal was originally seeking.
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 …
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
More than 20,000 petitions were turned into the city clerk's office Wednesday morning at City Hall.
With more than 20,000 petitions in hand, Concerned Citizens of St. Petersburg, also known as Stop the Lens, turned in the petitions to the city clerk's office Wednesday morning. 20,559 petitions to be exact. "The signers of those petitions are asking the city of St. Petersburg to cancel the contract for the design of the 'Lens' or give the citizens the right to vote. The city can do better," said Fred Whaley with Stop the Lens. A day before city council votes on the next phase of funding for the "Lens" pier project, Stop the Lens said the city should adopt its petition and refuse to approve any new funding for the "Lens" project. "The citizens want the city to pause the funding of the “Lens” and not waste their money," Whaley added. "…
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
The group said Mayor Bill Foster has assured them the vote on the "Lens" pier design will happen on the Aug. 27 primary ballot.
Less than nine months into its campaign to collect 15,652 signatures needed to halt the construction process of the "Lens" pier design, Stop the Lens will be turning in its petitions Wednesday at St. Petersburg City Hall. The petition, which sought to create an ordinance to cancel the "Lens" contract with Michael Maltzan Architecture, was signed by more than 20,000 people, according to Stop the Lens. That's well more than the 15,625 required to force the city to choose one of options: adopt the petition as written and cancel the contract with Maltzan or hold a public referendum on the issue. The city has chosen the latter, which will take place on the Aug. 27 primary election. According to a report by the Tampa Bay Times, Mayor Bill …
Thursday, May 2, 2013
The St. Petersburg City Council is scheduled to vote on $1.5 million in funding for the next phase of the pier in two weeks.
A decision to approve $1.5 million in funding for the next phase of the "Lens" pier project has been deferred for two weeks after a 5-3 vote by the St. Petersburg City Council. Last Friday, April 26, a 400-plus page schematic report was released from city staff and the Michael Maltzan Architecture team. In it were updates and more specifics to the design not previously released. Council members Jim Kennedy, Bill Dudley, Karl Nurse, Charlie Gerdes and Steven Kornell voted to defer the time. Jeff Danner, Leslie Curran and Wengay Newton voted no. Kennedy, who made the motion to defer, said getting the report a week ago was not enough time to ask staff questions about the financial costs of regular maintenance for the new pier. He said the…
StPetePolls released the results of its latest poll late Wednesday night ahead of Thursday's city council vote on the next phase of funding for the "Lens".
Results from a new survey from StPetePolls show overwhelming opposition to the city moving forward with the "Lens" pier design and to closing the St. Petersburg Pier before a public vote. The release of the poll comes just hours before the St. Petersburg City Council votes on $1.54 million for funding the next phase of the "Lens" project Thursday morning. According to results released Wednesday at 11 p.m., 67.2 percent of respondents said they would vote 'yes' to terminate the "Lens" pier project contract if a public referendum were held today. Only 27.8 percent said they supported the "Lens", with 5 percent undecided. Around 68 percent of respondents said the city should keep the existing inverted pyramid open until a vote on the …
Opened in 1973, the St. Petersburg Pier will close May 31 and be demolished by the end of the year.
Walking up to the St. Petersburg Pier this week and you'll find men and women casting reels off the pier approach and the pelicans staked outside the Pier Bait House waiting for the next person to feed them. Outside of the pier, not much seems out of place ahead of the May 31 closure. Inside, however, signs of the pending closure are very real and are starting to sink for pier tenants. Multiple shops inside the pier now have "closing," "moving", or "going out of business sale," signs in the windows ... along with their Stop the Lens signs. For pier tenants, the end of the fight to save the pier is not a relief; just a sad ending to a process that they say failed them. "At this point, I think I just have to take a break because I’ve …
Monday, April 29, 2013
Last week, county commissioners said their hands were tied at stopping the pier demolition. Thursday, St. Pete City Council will vote on the next phase of funding for the "Lens" pier.
The Pinellas County Commission cannot stop the closure or the demolition of the St. Petersburg Pier, but it could have a say if the "Lens" pier design will be built. Whether or not the county has a say in the construction of the new pier is actually up to the city St. Petersburg. Should the "Lens" design require variances from what county specs allow, the commission would have a vote on the construction plan. County administrator Bob LaSala said the city did submit an initial permit application that would require variance approval from the county. However, he said the city would be submitting another proposal with updated figures that would fit county requirements. "What was brought to our attention last week was not consistent with …
Saturday, April 27, 2013
City Council will vote on the next phase of funding for the new St. Petersburg Pier May 2.
What was once billed as an underwater garden marina has evolved into a lighting display at the center of the "Lens" pier design, according to documents released by Michael Maltzan Architecture Friday night. According to "Lens' design documents: "Our lighting strategy is to present the water as the main attraction of the new pier. An organic atmosphere inspired by bioluminescence will highlight the marina and pier water enclosures as the features where other programs revolve around. Supporting this will be the circulation aspect where the drive and brigs loop around and solidify the journey along the water. Subtle lighting touches for the amenities and other area well serve as a backdrop to the strong presence of the water and the …
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
The public has until May 3 to submit comments regarding the pier's demolition to the Army Corps of Engineers.
With a lack of a second, a motion to keep the St. Petersburg Pier open past May 31 was denied. Its scheduled August demolition, however, is not set in stone. For the city to demolish the pier and construct the "Lens", the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — and the Southwest Florida Water Management District— must approve of the demolition. On April 19, the Army Corps of Engineers put out a public notice for comments regarding the pier's pending demolition. All comments are due by May 3, which is a day after council will get new design details of the "Lens" pier and vote on the next phase of funding for the "Lens." Stop the Lens has asked its member to contact the Corps to request a public hearing before the agency approves of the city's …
Friday, April 19, 2013
The St. Petersburg Pier is slated to close May 31. The next phase of "Lens" funding is up for approval on May 2.
Members of city staff staunchly defended the proposed "Lens" pier building materials and where the city is in the design process for the new pier during a workshop Thursday afternoon. The workshop was in response to questions brought about by Concerned Citizens for St. Petersburg, also known as Stop the Lens, and other city residents about the feasibility and longevity of the "Lens" building materials. Stop the Lens members argued that the materials proposed to build the "Lens" have not been tested over saltwater conditions and the city is assuming a huge security and financial risk by moving forward with the "Lens" design. "We are not against new designs," Bud Riser with Stop the Lens said. "...New things come with risk." Concerned …
DRaymond
3:40 pm on Sunday, May 19, 2013
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