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Panel Favors Street Lighting

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By LAURA KINSLER

lkinsler@tampatrib.com

Published: November 6, 2008

DADE CITY - After years of accumulating money for downtown redevelopment, Dade City city commissioners expect to vote this month on whether to spend some of those funds to install decorative streetlights downtown.

During a workshop Monday, commissioners and members of the city's Redevelopment Advisory Committee overwhelmingly designated street lighting and streetscaping as their top priorities for the downtown district. The RAC has been negotiating with Tampa Electric Co. to install 82 decorative light posts, for an annual cost of about $50,000.

"Let's go ahead and pull the trigger on it," Commissioner Curtis Beebe said.

The decorative lights would be similar to existing lights around the East Pasco Government Center and the Wachovia Bank building. The lights would be installed over an 18-month period.

"They would coordinate with the existing lights," RAC chairwoman Jean Ward said after the workshop.

The downtown business district has a handful of businesses that stay open after dark. City leaders hope the new lighting would help create more of a night life in Dade City.

"It's sort of a chicken-and-egg thing," Ward said.

The community redevelopment district, established in 1996, brings in about $140,000 a year. It has built a reserve of nearly $750,000.

Commissioners and RAC members also agreed to update the city's redevelopment plan so redevelopment funds could be spent for economic development activities, including offering business incentive grants.

The district also wants to hire a consultant to develop a long-range economic development plan for the downtown area.

The study would include a parking analysis and suggest a potential site for a community center.

Building a community center would obligate the city to pay for ongoing maintenance and staffing, though, City Manager Billy Poe said. The city has struggled in recent years to pay for routine maintenance in other city buildings.

"I'm not against it. I just want to make that clear," Poe said.

The city's redevelopment area also may be growing. City commissioners expect to vote in December on whether to add nine blocks south of Howard Avenue. Technically, the commission would be establishing a new district adjacent to the existing district, which runs 10 city blocks between 10th Street and U.S. 98.

Reporter Laura Kinsler can be reached at (813) 865-4844.

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