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Repairs To Close Causeway, Beach At Pinellas' Howard Park

Tribune photo by CHRIS URSO

Marc Rogers, of Holiday, casts his net while fishing along the Fred Howard Park causeway Saturday, Aug. 23 in Tarpon Springs.

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By STEVEN GIRARDI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 29, 2008

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• See The Park
• People Talk About The Closure
• Beach Guide
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TARPON SPRINGS - Labor Day traditionally marks the end of summer, but for fans of the scenic beach at Fred Howard Park, it means the end of fall, winter and spring, as well, this year.

Forty years of sun, salt and wind have deteriorated the two bridges on the mile-long causeway that leads to the beach, and they must be replaced.

To do so, Pinellas County parks officials are closing the causeway until October 2009, beginning Tuesday.

Judging from her e-mails, county spokeswoman Meg Korakis said, it is not a popular decision. Many question why portions of the causeway can't remain open during construction.

But closing the causeway will save about six months and $1 million on the $4.8 million project, Korakis said. The new bridges, designed to last 75 years, will have wider travel lanes and sidewalks and will require extensive road work.

"It's a pretty big deal in terms of structures," she said.

The picnic areas, playgrounds and walking trails in the 50-acre mainland park will remain open, but that is little consolation to many beach fans.

"It's really a hardship," said Bruce Gordon, 72. A teacher at Westfield State College in Massachusetts, Gordon has a condominium here and walks the causeway regularly during his frequent trips.

"It seems unnecessary. I'm not quite sure it makes sense," he said, taking a break from a morning walk with his son, Kenneth.

Kristen Conciatori spends several mornings a week at the beach with her children and has met other mothers there. The calm, shallow water and light crowds make her feel safe with her 3-year-old and 6-month-old.

"When I saw that sign that it was closing, I was devastated," she said. "We come here all the time. It's perfect."

Two or three times a week, Lynne LaCroix parks a van that is her makeshift art studio on the small island beach and works and chats with tourists and regulars. LaCroix concedes the bridge work is necessary and said she will move her operation.

But she is not going quietly. "We'll all probably have a big picnic party the last day."

She might find a crowd.

Built on a sandbar in the Gulf of Mexico in 1966 and hidden behind a maze of waterfront neighborhoods, the once-secluded beach has become second only to those at Fort DeSoto Park in popularity among parks operated by Pinellas County. That doesn't count parks in coastal cities such as Clearwater and St. Petersburg.

Fred Howard Park attracted about 2.1 million visitors last year, compared with 3 million for Fort DeSoto Park, whose beaches have a national reputation and are repeatedly rated highly by reviewers including "Dr. Beach."

"It's hard to compete with Fort DeSoto," said Fred Howard Park supervisor Bob Zakrzewski. "But we reached the top 10 one time."

Zakrzewski is among those who will miss the beach.

He and his staff have spent 10 years cultivating the sea oats and clusters of palm trees sprinkled around the 100-acre beach. There are mangroves along the causeway and backside of the beach, and snorkelers enjoy the sea grass growing 50 yards offshore.

"It's very clean, very healthy," Zakrzewski said.

Dolphins and manatees, osprey and eagles are common sites. And with a capacity of about 6,000 people, there is plenty of elbow room.

Zakrzewski said he sees people from around the world, as well as the regulars who begin showing up at 7 a.m. each day to walk the causeway and beach.

Some of those people will continue coming to the mainland park, he said. Or, they can go to other beach parks nearby, including the city's Sunset Beach, a quarter-mile south, and Honeymoon Island State Park, about eight miles south in Dunedin.

And despite the inconvenience, the bridge work must be done, Zakrzewski said. "Those are safety issues. You cannot ignore it."

About Fred Howard Park

WHERE: 1700 Sunset Drive, Tarpon Springs

WHAT: 155 acres of parkland and man-made beach on the Gulf of Mexico. It is the second most popular Pinellas County-operated park, with 2.1 million visitors a year.

HISTORY: Dedicated April 16, 1966, and named for former Tarpon Springs mayor and longtime member of the county parks board

WHAT'S NEXT: The causeway and beach will close Tuesday until October 2009 for the replacement of two bridges.

Reporter Steven Girardi may be reached at (727) 451-2333 or at sgirardi@tampatrib.com.

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