CLEARWATER - Kevin Dunbar, Clearwater's Parks and Recreation Director, thinks that City taxpayers have been footing the recreation bill for non-residents for too long. He also claims that non-resident use of City playing fields has increased to the point that City residents don't have enough facilities for their own use, especially at the Countryside Sports Complex.
"The Plex", as it is known, is the home of two very popular youth sports programs, Junior Cougars football and the Countryside Youth Soccer Association, also known as the Lightning; a total of 1475 youth used the Plex in 2003-04 according to Dunbar. But the success of the Cougars and Lightning has caused deterioration of the facility from overuse; during the August 2 City Council Work Session, Dunbar said, "We have vastly too many participants at the facility."
Dunbar's solution? Move the Plex across McMullen Booth Road onto a larger City-owned parcel currently used as a golf driving range, and increase the number of playing fields from four to six. But that project carries an estimated cost of $2.8 million, an amount that the City of Clearwater does not have.
That's also an amount that Dunbar thinks should not be borne entirely by Clearwater taxpayers because 65% of the facility's demand has come from non-residents; of the 1475 youth athletes who used the facility on 2003-04, 506 were City of Clearwater residents, 377 were residents of Safety Harbor, and 394 were residents of unincorporated Pinellas County according to Dunbar. While it is true that non-resident participants are charged $80 for a City recreation card versus the $5 cost to a resident, Dunbar says that additional revenue is just a drop in the bucket; it fails to equitably distribute the costs among the users.
Dunbar has proposed forming a partnership of the major users of the Plex to fund its expansion and operation. Dunbar has sought $1.05 million each from Safety Harbor and the County to fund the capital project, plus $75,000 each annually to cover operating expenses. Clearwater's contribution would consist of the land, administration of the facility and its construction, and cash and in-kind contributions of $700 thousand for construction and $75 thousand annually for operating expenses.
While the City of Safety Harbor has agreed to the partnership terms, Pinellas County has not. In a letter to Clearwater City Manager Bill Horne dated June 9, 2004, County Administrator Steve Spratt offered only a $700 thousand contribution to the capital funding, and nothing for the ongoing operating expense.
Horne responded to Spratt's offer on July 9, asking that the County increase its offer by $350 thousand for construction, and provide $75 thousand annually for operations. "In order for this project to be successful, Clearwater, Safety Harbor and Pinellas County need to share equally in its development and operations. It is unreasonable to expect the taxpayers of the City of Clearwater to absorb this burden", Horne wrote.
Horne's letter went on to suggest that due to limited resources only citizens of Clearwater and partner agencies would be accommodated at the Plex during the next fiscal year (2005-06). "..without equitable funding we will need to position our facilities to support only those who help fund them", he wrote. In the absence of the requested County funds, Clearwater would only have enough capital to renovate the existing four fields, not construct the six-field complex.
Those statements prompted a heated response from Spratt. Referring to County funding of the Memorial Causeway Bridge and Brighthouse Networks Field, and the tax concessions to support Clearwater's CRA, Spratt complained, "Our share is pegged to equal Safety Harbor despite our extraordinary discretionary "subsidies" to Clearwater?" Spratt considered it a "slap in the face" to "kick MSTU kids out." He called the City's position an "our way or the highway mentality", and expressed regret for the "substantial" County funding of Clearwater's CRA; "..we should have kept that money to build our own soccer fields", he wrote.
Liz Warren, Pinellas County Director of Culture, Education and Liesure, said, "We do want to partner with Clearwater." She explained that Pinellas County has traditionally provided passive parks, and that County funding of active recreation has occurred only within the last two years. The County established a Multiple Service Taxing Unit (MSTU) that has generated a couple million dollars, supporting active recreation programs used by unincorporated County residents.
The MSTU dollars are used to fund the County partnership programs, but Warren said, "We haven't been in the business of funding O&M (Operations and Maintenance) costs." The County is concerned about setting a precedent; "If we fund O&M for Clearwater, we'll have to consider funding other requests", she said. When asked if it was reasonable for Clearwater to request County funding of ongoing operating expenses, she said, "It's not unreasonable."
Because the staff's of Clearwater and Pinellas County have failed to reach an agreement, the future of "The Plex" will likely be decided by City and County elected officials. As they deliberate, those involved in youth sports at "The Plex" hope that their needs are as well understood as the opposing positions of City and County staff.
Todd Foster, President of the CYSA soccer club, likes Clearwater's plan for a six-field "Plex". He said that the current fields are over used, and that the additional two fields would reduce the conflict between the soccer and football programs. He also doesn't want to turn anyone away. He said, "The success of our teams depends on all the kids we attract, not just those from Clearwater and Safety Harbor." He added, " "I'll do whatever I can to keep the kids on the fields. I'd rather have an imperfect place to play than no place at all."