County wants Palmetto’s money for new pool. But the county still has to come up with $1.85 million

While Manatee County still has to decide how to pay for more than half the cost of a new pool at Lincoln Park, county commissioners have accepted Palmetto’s offer to pay for part of it.

“If you are going to proceed with accepting the city offer today, you have likely committed yourself to constructing this pool,” County Attorney Mickey Palmer said ahead of the vote.

In a 6-1 vote, with Commission Chairwoman Betsy Benac dissenting, commissioners accepted Palmetto’s offer of $850,000 in Community Redevelopment Agency funds over 15 years and the four acres of land the new pool would occupy at the park, which is valued at $440,000.

“Even though the county doesn’t know how we might proceed financing our part,” Commissioner Vanessa Baugh said they need to acknowledge and accept the offer.

“I think it’s only right to acknowledge and accept what the city has offered,” she said.

With Manatee County’s contributions estimated at $2.15 million and with at least $300,000 of that to come from sales tax revenue, the county will have to figure out how to pay for the remaining $1.85 million.

County Administrator Ed Hunzeker told commissioners that could come from impact fees, additional sales tax revenue or property taxes.

“It will be a combination of those revenues that we will be talking to you (about) in the month of June,” he said.

Tuesday’s discussion on the pool at Lincoln Park, which is estimated to cost $3.44 million, came immediately after the commission heard an update on the county’s Parks Master Plan, which is the county’s first since 1975. A draft master plan is expected this summer, with possible approval by the commission occurring in August, according to Tuesday’s presentation.

“It’s not your father’s parks master plan,” said Kelley Klepper, with Kimley-Horn and Associates, the consultant the county is using to develop the plan. “It’s more of a true comprehensive parks plan and approach. ... The parks here are second to none.”

Nature trails, paved hiking/biking trails and large community parks are the amenities most needed, according to an online survey of Manatee County residents conducted as part of the plan.

“People want the trails,” Klepper said. “They want the large parks. They want those kind of facilities in Manatee County.”

With respect to soccer fields, Manatee County is “getting killed with soccer field usage,” said Charlie Hunsicker, the county’s parks and natural resources director.

“We aren’t able to rest our fields,” he said. “Until we get the resources, we are going to be hurting for a long, long time. We are going to be striving to correct that in the future.”

While Manatee County has 45,603 more acres of parks than the national county average, it has 124 fewer full-time employees than the national county average, according to Tuesday’s presentation.

“You are doing more with a lot less staff and money,” Klepper said. “You have some great facilities but a lot of them are tired.”

Also on Tuesday, the commission:

• Learned that the Fort Hamer Bridge is scheduled to open Aug. 16. This news came as the commission approved increasing the contract sum by $696,999.44 and adding an additional 121 calendar days to the construction schedule.
• Will have a work session at 1:30 p.m. May 16 with Springsted Waters & Company to discuss the national search for the next county administrator.
• Heard the annual progress report from the Tampa Bay Estuary Program. The county will receive $271,000 for Robinson Preserve, according to the presentation.
• Approved allowing staff to proceed with a competitive selection process for a Small Dollar Concession Agreement for a company to “manage sand volleyball camps, classes and tournaments at Coquina Beach,” according to agenda materials.
• Approved a lease agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation and Manatee County for North Coquina Boat Ramp Improvements and Parking Lot Expansion.
• Authorized Chairwoman Betsy Benac to sign a letter of support for Allied New Technologies 2 for the Intermodal Logistics Center grant from FDOT. The company would develop a manufacturing and logistics center adjacent to Port Manatee.
• Approved an Economic Development Incentive Grant and a Transportation Impact Fee Incentive for Project LEAF, which will expand a headquarters facility in the county.
• Approved the wastewater agreement with the City of Bradenton through Sept. 30, 2036.
• Approved Schroeder-Manatee Ranch’s request for revisions to the development order for Lakewood Centre, which would allow light industrial uses in the CORE area, a proposed 305-acre biotech industrial district.
• Approved exempting the commissioners from paying for public records requests.
• The county’s burn ban was extended through May 16.

This story was originally published May 9, 2017 at 2:30 PM with the headline "County wants Palmetto’s money for new pool. But the county still has to come up with $1.85 million."