CLEARWATER – Our readers have spoken and your votes have been tallied. Last week, a plurality of 32-percent voted to eliminate the Downtown Parking Garage, valued at $6.25-million, from Clearwater's Penny III project list. The only other project to receive a high percentage of the vote was the Royalty Theater purchase, with 24-percent.
In the four week run of the Gazette's Penny III Project Elimination Poll, our readers have voted off:
for a total of $42-million, far in excess of the $35-million the Council must eliminate from the Penny III project list that includes the recent additions of the boat slips, Royalty Theater and downtown fire station property purchase.
The Clearwater City Council will meet in a special worksession at 1:30 pm on March 12, 2009, to discuss their Penny III budget. We are hopeful that the Council will benefit from the priorities that our readers have established in this poll.