Friday, April 26, 2013
Crews worked for about an hour Thursday dismantling the Clearwater restroom facility.
Crews worked for about an hour Thursday dismantling the restroom facility at Clearwater's Crest Lake Park. The seven, open-air bathrooms were built for about $35,000 as a new amenity for the park around 1980. It is estimated to cost that much to maintain them yearly. The bathrooms were closed June 11, 2012 as a cost savings effort and to move the homeless who frequented the facility into social services. The cost to destroy them is about $9,000. The chain link construction fence surrounding the former facility is all that remains. Sign up for the free Clearwater Patch email newsletter to stay connected to your community.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
The controversial Crest Lake Park restroom facility, closed since June 11, 2012, is set to be destroyed this week.
Barricades, heavy equipment and fences are in place. It seems all that is left is to remove the blocks, doors and roof that once made up the restrooms at Crest Lake Park. And it appears a crew is set to complete that part of the job this week. *** Birds chirped, palm fronds shook in the gentle breeze, and pet owners took their dogs for a walk around Crest Lake Park on a recent Wednesday morning. Lisha McCauley lives across Gulf to Bay Boulevard and treks daily to the park for a run, just as she's done for the past 11 years, and also to walk her 2-year-old dachshund, Buddy. Yes, she used the restrooms occasionally when they were opened. She also took her 2- and 4-year-old grandchildren to the playground there. But not without bathrooms. No…
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Clearwater Patch readers shared their ideas about what they would like to see added to the park.
Crest Lake Park could be redeveloped to offer more than Largo's Central Park some Clearwater Patch readers said regarding plans to revamp the public space. Others gave warning to the potential consequences that could come from recreating the park. The type of amenities, financing for them and the different stakeholders who will be involved in the process will be unveiled this summer. Under the plan, which still needs funding, the park’s berms could be removed, interactive activities for children would be added, as well as a possible veterans memorial. Clearwater Patch readers shared their thoughts about what they would like to see added to the park: InsiderMyself: "Let's have a water splash area. A fenced in play area like Largo. Let's …
Saturday, April 6, 2013
After voting to demolish the bathrooms at Crest Lake Park, city leaders talked about the potential plans to revamp the public space Thursday.
Doreen Hock-Dipolito celebrated her daughter’s first birthday at Crest Lake Park. But that was in 1989 and the park has changed since then, the city council member said. She wants to see children enjoy ducks, boat races and other community events there again. Hock-Dipolito talked about her hopes for the park after voting to demolish the bathrooms at Crest Lake Park Thursday. “We want to demo these bathrooms not to take them away from you, but to put new ones up, to make the park beautiful,” she said. “If we make it beautiful then we will not see people peeing on a tree.” The potential plans to revamp the public space including what type of amenities, financing for them and the different stakeholders who will be involved in the process were…
Bring original stories, poetry, songs, comedy or other spoken art to share with others at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, April 6, at Crest Lake Park, 201 S Glenwood Ave.
Friday, April 5, 2013
City Leaders voted 3-2 to destroy the bathrooms at Crest Lake Park, with council members Bill Jonson and Jay Polglaze in opposition, during the city council meeting Thursday. It could cost $9,000 to destroy them and could happen within 30 days.
Julie Thompson is not sure how it got to this point. Thompson, president of the East Gateway Business and Neighbors Association, was part of a committee that addressed homeless issues in the city with Dr. Robert Marbut. Part of the plan included reducing amenities for the homeless, to include public restrooms, in an attempt to usher them into social services. “We agreed to temporarily shut these bathrooms and it has snowballed to that we are going to demolish these... That’s not what it was all about,” she said. “The last thing we need is that park to die. That was not the intention when those bathrooms were shut.” Even after the pleas from about 20 neighbors, the seven, open-air style bathrooms will be coming down within about 30 days. …
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
City leaders will decide on destroying the bathrooms at Crest Lake Park as well as financing future upgrades there at a meeting Thursday, April 4 at City Hall, 112 S Osceola Ave.
It seems a matter of when, not if, bathrooms at Crest Lake Park will be demolished. City leaders plan to vote on destroying the bathrooms and pursue a program to finance future upgrades for Crest Lake Park at their April 4 meeting. “If there’s a mistake that we’ve made, it is we probably should have had this discussion months ago,” Mayor George N. Cretekos said regarding removing the bathrooms. “It looks terrible having them welded shut... I’m tired of seeing that photo op.” Neighborhood leaders hoped to convince the council to reopen the restrooms by March 7. They have been closed since June 11, 2012. The bathroom closure is part of the city’s efforts to usher homeless into social services and deter crime at the park, officials have said…
Monday, April 1, 2013
City leaders will offer ideas for the redevelopment of Crest Lake Park at their work session meeting at 1 p.m. Monday at City Hall, 112 S Osceola Ave.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Bring a lawn chair to listen and share stories at Crest Lake Park April 6. Participants can share original stories, poetry, songs and other spoken art.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Clearwater Patch readers shared their thoughts about plans to destroy the bathrooms at Crest Lake Park, including support for redeveloping the public space and the need for restrooms there.
Neighborhood leaders asked for the bathrooms to be reopened at Crest Lake Park. City leaders responded with talk of pursuing a program to finance future upgrades for the park and destroying the bathrooms, something they will talk more about at an April 4 meeting. Bathrooms at the park have been closed since June 11, 2012 as part of the city’s efforts to usher homeless into social services and to deter crime at the park, officials have said. Clearwater Patch readers shared their thoughts about plans to destroy the bathrooms at Crest Lake Park, including support for redeveloping the public space and the need for restrooms there: "It makes me sad that it has come to this. Crest lake is a beautiful, natural park that has been the center of …
Wendy Gilmore
12:59 pm on Saturday, April 27, 2013
Michael D. Here is a link to the Patch article that tells you the city leaders that opposed it. They will be the only ones I will be voting for! http://clearwater.patch.com/articles/crest-lake-park-bathrooms-to-come-down more ›