BELLEAIR BEACH - The Belleair Beach City Council Monday night appointed Nancy McCollum, presently the city clerk, as the interim city manager.
McCollum, with years of experience as the city clerk and a reputation as a hard worker and held in high esteem by officials and residents, will fill in for the departing Reid Silverboard until a new city manager is hired.
It might be noted that even a small city like Belleair Beach has tons of paperwork to be fulfilled as a result of federal, state and county requirements thus the need for a manager.
Another important set of appointments Monday concerned the ad hoc committee for the new city hall or the "municipal facility" as it has been dubbed.
With the decision of voters to abolish the police department there will be a requirement for far less space in the new building which has been on the drawing board for several years now.
Now the projected building needs to be reconfigurated. The group working with Harvard Jolley Cleese, the architects on the problem, will be Rob Baldwin as chairperson, Vice Mayor Kathy Mortensen and Dick Crowl.
Each of them will appoint a resident.
A similar arrangement is being done with the selection committee for the new city manager. Mayor Lynn Rives will chair the group made up of Stan Sofer and Mary Schoonover and three selected residents.
The council spent time discussing the idea of having a rest room at the Morgan Park beach access site. Condominium residents oppose the facility and residents who live east of Gulf Boulevard are strongly in favor.
Also discussed were improvements for the marina located at the city line with Sand Key. The subject was turned over to the Park Board to come up with some ideas and report back to the council.
Rudy Davis, Rives's predecessor as mayor and now retired after one term, was appointed to the Cable Television Advisory Committee.
Schoonover was named as the council's liaison to that committee.
Rives will be the voting delegate to the Big C with Mortensen and Sofer as first and second alternate, respectively.
Mortensen was appointed as the board director to the Suncoast League of Cities with Schoonover as alternate.
The council is seeking proposals from Belleair and Clearwater for police service. The Sheriff's Office is already on board with its proposal. It is felt most likely that the sheriff will wind up with Belleair Beach's police contract.
