First spur of 'trail' finished

City workers are rolling out a ribbon of sidewalk along 12th Street that could be the first leg of the Seminole Heights Trail - a long-range vision for a street-grid pattern of interconnecting sidewalks that link neighborhoods, schools and parks.

The initial spur of the "trail" is completed in Southeast Seminole Heights along 12th Street from Osborne Avenue north to McBerry Street. Last week a crew prepared ground for another stretch of sidewalk on 12th, moving south from Osborne to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Work eventually will pick up from McBerry heading toward Hillsborough Avenue and Giddens Park at 5209 N. 12th St. Tampa officials said there could be gaps in the pathway because of protected trees in its path.

Construction costs from the public works' budget for the Hillsborough to Martin Luther King segment is about $150,000.

A second project in Old Seminole Heights along 12th between Hanna and Sligh avenues is being discussed and giving hope to some residents that the trail idea is gaining momentum. Members of the Seminole Heights Bicycle Club have lobbied the city for recognition of at least a portion of 12th as a bicycle trail.

"We are trying to bring together all green spaces," said Myron Griffin, who heads the Old Seminole Heights Neighborhood Association's greenspace committee.

But he cautioned, "At this point, it is just a sidewalk."

He helped put together a proposal for the Old Seminole Heights segment for possible construction next year. It likely would be built between Hanna and Sligh avenues. The Old Seminole Heights Neighborhood Association has asked that it be as wide as eight feet if there is enough right of way.

"It is under consideration," said Irvin Lee, the city's public works director.

The association hopes for a longer stretch of sidewalk along 12th beginning at Henry Avenue and going north to Patterson Park and the Hillsborough River.

That is unlikely, at least in the near future, Lee said. Protection of certain trees in some areas of Seminole Heights can complicate sidewalk installation and increase costs for engineering and design, he said.

The idea of a Seminole Heights trail is great, Lee said. "I think the projects they are talking about will compete favorably," the public works director said, and other city departments might provide money for additional sidewalk segments.

If the project is approved, construction on the Old Seminole Heights segment could begin within five to six months.

There are a lot of "ifs" before the trail becomes reality, but Griffin and other residents see potential.

The trail meshes well with a proposed long-range redevelopment plan that seeks to encourage pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods in Seminole Heights. The city, with residents and property owners, spent more than two years crafting the plan, which includes land-use changes and new zoning regulations. The entire process is expected to be completed by January if the Tampa City Council approves.

The sidewalk construction in Southeast Seminole Heights was something of a surprise.

The neighborhood's civic association lobbied for sidewalk money for years, finally giving up about five years ago when the city determined 12th was too narrow, said association President Sherry Genovar-Simons.

"It's always been a big problem," Genovar-Simons said. "People walk in the middle of the street" to get to Giddens Park.

The idea of a sidewalk network crisscrossing the neighborhood is wonderful, she said.

Griffin said long-range plans would be for signage along roadways such as Central, Hanna, Florida and Nebraska avenues to direct pedestrians and bicyclists to area schools and parks. New sidewalks and existing sidewalks eventually would link in a neighborhood street-grid pattern.

Construction has caused some difficulties, however. Mark Cox has lived in his 12th Street home for 12 years, parking his family vehicles on the street. With the sidewalk taking up so much space, off-street parking will not be allowed.

"They are taking us from a situation that was doable," Cox said. With the sidewalks, he said, "We live here, but we have nowhere to park now."

After being told by city officials that a ramp allowing access to his front yard was not possible, Cox said, the contractor installed one at his home and at a house next door.

And the sidewalk hasn't been all negative, he said. Soon after the first stretch of sidewalk dried, Cox said, he saw a woman pushing a stroller on the walkway, not in the street.