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Ball Fields Plan Poised For Rally

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By ANTHONY McCARTNEY, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 21, 2007

TAMPA - Remnants of the failed Championship Park project could be resurrected under a commissioner's proposal to steer up to $40 million to parks countywide.
Brian Blair said he will ask fellow commissioners Nov. 7 to support a plan to set aside millions to upgrade and build new parks. As part of the plan, Blair will make a pitch to help fund the parks system by selling naming rights to parks and expanding user fees, ideas that were central to the Championship Park debate.

'One of the top priorities in a quality-of-life community is the parks and rec programs,' Blair said.

He first announced his intention to try to earmark millions more for athletic fields within moments of Championship Park's failure during an Oct. 3 commission meeting.

Blair said last week he is convinced a viable plan can be developed to use some or all of the $40 million commissioners allocated for Championship Park in 2005 for new ball fields and possibly gymnasiums.

The money would come from the Community Investment Tax, a half-cent sales tax approved by voters in 1996.

Blair said only a fraction of the tax's overall spending has been on parks programs. Unlike Championship Park, which would have been built on a single site north of Plant City, Blair envisions new fields spread throughout the county.

'I think this would be very palatable to the community because there's something for everybody,' Blair said.

Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department Director Mark Thornton said the money would relieve overcrowding on athletic fields, some of which are operating at 200 percent of capacity.

'We know where we have problems, and it is generally countywide,' Thornton said.

Through June, Hillsborough County has allocated less than $79 million of the sales tax revenue to parks programs. That represents less than 6 percent of overall spending from the tax, which helped build Raymond James Stadium and numerous road, stormwater, park and library projects in the county.

Blair noted that parks were specifically mentioned in ballot language during the campaign to get the 30-year tax approved.

A pair of issues is likely to confront Blair's proposal: There may be money to build new parks, but not enough to operate them. And there's not much sales tax revenue left.

Searching For Support

Officials estimate there is about $250 million left for the county to spend from the sales tax, which expires in 2026.

Public safety officials would like to spend most, if not all, of that money on jail upgrades and a new criminal courthouse.

Commissioner Al Higginbotham, who has studied the needs of the parks department, said he did not know if he would support Blair's proposal.

He expressed concerns about the amount of money left in the sales tax fund and the possibility of future budget cuts.

'I'm real open to it,' he said of Blair's proposal. 'I'm not ready to support it.'

Commissioner Rose Ferlita said she would prefer if the $40 million remained uncommitted.

She said it's a top priority for her to see the jail and courthouse projects built.

County Administrator Pat Bean said she supports setting aside more of the sales tax revenue for parks but that the county should hold off on construction.

Lawmakers may further cut property taxes, which pay for the upkeep of parks, she warned.

Bean said she planned to tell commissioners, 'Let's not obligate ourselves to anything more that involves operating expenses.'

Blair said that although his proposal wouldn't make the parks department self-sufficient, it would generate money, much like Championship Park's supporters said that project would do.

Blair Wants 'Pay For Play'

Blair said one aspect of his plan would be to build some 'pay for play' fields throughout the county, in essence mini-Championship Parks. He also said he wants to sell naming rights and exclusive soft drink sales contracts to help infuse the parks department with money and aid with operating expenses.

'Championship Park did a lot of the studying already,' Blair said. 'Why completely waste that?'

The county ranks much lower than some other large counties that collect user fees to help pay for park operations.

According to estimates, Thornton's agency receives only about 2.7 percent of its operating budget from user fees. He said only about 1 percent of the $30 million spent annually on parks and recreation programs comes from revenue generated by athletic fields.

By comparison, Miami-Dade County receives about 36 percent of its budget from user fees, Broward County receives about 22 percent and Pinellas County gets about 12 percent, according to Hillsborough County estimates.

Thornton said that nationally, parks departments recoup between 40 to 60 percent of their budgets from fees.

If commissioners support Blair's proposal, Thornton said he could have a list of possible projects by early December.

Blair said he hoped the board would act quickly to allocate the money for parks. The county could save on construction costs because of the slumping economy, he said.

'Timing is important,' Blair said.

Reporter Anthony McCartney can be reached at (813) 259-7616 or amccartney@tampatrib.com.

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