Construction Delayed on Beach Parking GarageBy Carl WagenfohrCLEARWATER - The impact of this year's BP Gulf oil spill continues to be felt, sometimes in unexpected ways. Now the start of construction of the south Clearwater Beach parking garage will be delayed by five months. L.O.M., Inc., the owner of Surf Style retail chain along the Gulf coast including the Clearwater Beach site where the garage will be built, requested an extension because management attention to the project has been diverted to pursuing claims against BP. In a letter to the city dated September 3, 2010, L.O.M. explained their dilemma, and forecasted that their claim process would be complete by February 28, 2011. They requested that the start of construction be reset to that date. The required completion date, September 30, 2012, would be unaffected by the delay in construction commencement. L.O.M., in fact, are hopeful that the project will be completed in 2011. "In considering the extension, we note that a start date at the beginning of 2011 should allow sufficient time to complete and open the Project by the end of 2011," they wrote. "It goes without saying that we are fully committed to this project," L.O.M. wrote, claiming that they have spent over $1-million on it to date. The Clearwater City Council approved the amendment to the city's development agreement with L.O.M. during their meeting on Tuesday night.
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