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Greco's Name To Make Tracks
Photo from Steve Dickey
The statue of former Tampa Mayor Dick Greco sits on a bench in a foundry in Sarasota.
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Published: April 8, 2008
Updated:
TAMPA - There's Curtis Hixon Park, William F. Poe Garage and Nick Nuccio Parkway, all named for former mayors. Now add to the list Dick Greco Transportation Plaza.
Hillsborough Area Regional Transit board members voted Monday to rename the Southern Transportation Plaza, the end point of the city's electric streetcar system, after Greco, mayor from 1967-74 and 1995-2003.
A bronze statue of Greco sitting on a park bench will be dedicated at the site next month.
"I'll be able to wave to myself as I drive by," said the former mayor, who now works for developer Carl Lindell and lives on Harbour Island.
The renaming is appropriate considering Greco's influence on the $56 million streetcar line, which links Ybor City, the Channel District and Tampa Convention Center, HART officials said.
The system, operated by HART, got rolling in October 2002 near the end of Greco's fourth term and after years of debate and planning.
The debate continued even after Greco's term because the system hasn't met ridership expectations and is costing more to operate than anticipated.
Officials say, however, they will extend the line to Whiting Street in 2010, which should boost ridership, and have developed a business plan to keep the system afloat for 20 years.
"He's dedicated much of his adult life to the city and was a major force behind the streetcar," said Councilman John Dingfelder, who also serves on the HART board.
HART owns the land where the plaza sits, but the statue eventually may be donated to the city's public arts program and maintained by the city, Dingfelder said.
The transit agency is looking to lease naming rights to the streetcar station at the plaza. If that happens, Greco's name still would be included in the new name.
The statue depicts Greco in his late 30s or early 40s reclining with his legs crossed and right arm stretched across the top of the bench. In addition to the statue, a poem about Greco by Tampa Poet Laureate James Tokley will be emblazoned on a plaque nearby.
Greco, 74, said it was strange to see himself in bronze.
"At the same time it's very, very nice of my friends to do that," he said. "I'll be able to sit with myself."
Dingfelder said he and friends were talking a year ago about how to honor Greco when someone suggested a bronze statue. The group raised $55,000 and commissioned sculptor Steve Dickey.
Reporter Rich Shopes can be reached at (813) 259-7633 or rshopes@tampatrib.com.
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Reader Comments
Posted by ( ohboy ) on April 8, 2008 at 6:46 a.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by ( ad ) on April 8, 2008 at 8:11 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
"electric streetcar system" - you mean former Mayor Dick Greco was responsible for that debacle too? He got us into paying for Central Ybor when they defaulted. Mayor Iorio spent her first year in office cleaning up all the skeletons that came out of Greco's closet. Now he is attached to the Trolley going no where for tourists? Figures.
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Posted by ( patches ) on April 8, 2008 at 10:31 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Self-serving politicians - did not they get paid for "serving?"
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Posted by ( KingKongOnCocaine ) on April 8, 2008 at 12:31 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
55k buys a lot for people under the overpass.
KONG WANT ANSWERS NOW!
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Posted by ( ad ) on April 8, 2008 at 4:15 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
After all this is over, I can imagine they will have statues of Jim Norman and Brian Blair holding hands and riding the Trolley together, for free of course.
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Posted by ( hockeyray ) on April 9, 2008 at 9:57 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
I think I'd rather have a statue of Joe Redner anthough when Redner tried to name a streetcar station after the Mons the City turned him down.
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Posted by ( tdave365 ) on April 13, 2008 at 5:26 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
There's a glaring error in the report - ridership HAS met expectations and has in fact exceeded them.
Someone should please look into that paragraph, please.
-D
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