Commission wants new pool in Palmetto, not Parrish

When Manatee County builds its first public pool north of the Manatee River, it should be in Palmetto instead of the proposed location at Buffalo Creek Park.

During Tuesday’s meeting, county commissioners directed staff to look into possible pool sites closer to Palmetto instead of at Buffalo Creek Park, which is east of Interstate 75 in unincorporated Manatee County at 7550 69th St. E.

“It needs to be where the majority of adults and children, who don’t have pools in their backyards, can enjoy something that the county has done for them and learn to swim but so much more than even that,” Commission Chairwoman Vanessa Baugh said. “This is a big step, but we need to make sure we do it right and make sure we do it for the people that really need the pool.”

Using documents and minutes dating back to the early 2000s, Commissioner Charles Smith said the elected officials at the time said the pool should be at Blackstone Park.

“If you look through the minutes that we have, you will see promise after promise after promise with previous BOCC,” Smith said. “That park is in place for years and still don’t have a pool. My concern is that we are going to keep kicking the can down the road.”

Baugh said the entire pool discussion has been a “total disaster” for her.

“There has been a lot of very incorrect information given to me in the past,” she said. “I don’t have confidence that information that I might receive even might be accurate. I’m very concerned.”

Also on Tuesday, the commission:

▪  Approved using $30,000 of park impact fees to develop a conceptual plan to fill an empty pit in Washington Park into an 88-acre park.

▪  Approved installing a three-way stop sign at El Conquistador Parkway and Bayside Drive.

▪  Approved a new development fee schedule, which “includes increases and decreases for some current fees and several new fees being added,” according to agenda materials.

▪  Approved an Economic Development Incentive Grant and a Transportation Impact Fee Incentive for Project HARBOR, which will expand a manufacturing facility in Manatee County and create 23 quality jobs over five years.

▪  Approved an Economic Development Incentive Grant for Project JAGUAR, which will expand a manufacturing facility and create 35 quality jobs over four years.

▪  Approved an amendment to reduce a grant award from the Southwest Florida Water Management District by $184,067.30 for Hidden Harbour Habitat Restoration and extend the completion date to Dec. 31, 2017.

▪  Approved a resolution in support of state funding for Boys & Girls Clubs.

▪  Learned that Manatee County has $8.95 million in damages from Hurricane Hermine submitted to Federal Emergency Management Agency. The largest cost was associated with beach erosion on Coquina and Manatee beaches at $6.6 million.

This story was originally published November 15, 2016 at 6:02 PM with the headline "Commission wants new pool in Palmetto, not Parrish."