Bill/Tampa

Based on what I heard at Tuesday night’s meeting I do, unfortunately, believe Mr. Miller, Advisory Boardmember for the Hillsborough County Expressway Authority, is correct. While I was speaking with Joe Waggoner of THEA after the meeting, Mr. Miller came over and joined the conversation. He is one of the very few people I have spoken to who believe there is a majority in favor of this project (THEA is very much spinning it this way). I overwhelmingly disagree with this based on my direct interaction with many members of the community as well as the 1500+ petitions which have purportedly been signed. Jerry Frankhouser, who is the president of Bayside West Neighborhood Association, the association in which Mr. Miller resides, also disagrees with Mr. Miller’s statement. I actually thought it to be outrageous when Mr. Miller stated the “silent majority” is in favor. This begs the question of Where are they? Why is it the vast majority of the people at every meeting are in opposition? At the PAG #3 meeting last month there were 13 community members who spoke about the project, 11 were in opposition and 2 were in support. This was reported in the Augusr 26th 2009 St. Petersburg Times print edition & September 2009 issue of the South Tampa Community News .

The presenters of this project (THEA and CUTR) were, for lack of a better term, masterful spin doctors, making sure everything sounded rosy. They chose their words very carefully to ensure nothing they said would have any negative feel whatsoever. They stressed how much they would be sensitive to aesthetics, and how this overhead concrete structure would look nice. Unfortunately for us this is not possible, and it’s unfortunate because this unwanted detractor is on a fast track to becoming reality, no matter how many of us are in opposition. You must remember, there are always a few who know what’s best for the rest, it’s just the way it is. I just wish our elected officials would make a concerted effort to get a true gauge on the actual community’s feelings and take a position based on such. Apparently, from what we’ve all seen to this point, this isn’t going to happen. They appear to be about the only chance we have of keeping this hideous structure from being built, and they remain silent. The only other chance we have is if this project is determined to be economically unfeasible, and we all know how easy it is to fudge a couple of critical variables to make the numbers come out favorable. For goodness sakes, the person who presented CUTR’s transportation and economic impact study is a former executive director of THEA!!!

Keep in mind that just because David Miller is a member of one of the six advisory groups doesn’t mean he is an authority or that his opinion carries any weight. He is just one person, and as I stated previously I believe he is pushing his personal agenda when he states there is a “silent majority” in favor of this project. Ask yourself this: How many people do you personally know who want this elevated roadway running right down the middle of Gandy? This is what you should base your opinion on.

Imagine a salesman coming to your home and saying a large portion of your electric bill could be eliminated if you installed a huge windmill on top of your house to generate electricity. Of course you would think seriously about it because it has merit, and maybe the cost savings is worth the aesthetic degradation. But you may decide to stick with your current electric service and not have to look at something so unsightly and out of place. I, as well as the vast majority of those I have spoken with, would rather deal with heavy rush hour traffic for a couple hours five days a week than look at an unsightly overhead roadway through the middle of a neighborhood. This is the reality of the situation, and as it stands right now we will eventually be looking at an unattractive elevated concrete structure right down the middle of our neighborhood thoroughfare because a few people think it’s best for us and they do not care about how it will affect the feel of our neighborhood.

There is no doubt that any bypass will lessen the traffic on Gandy, it’s common sense. But it will not make rush hour traffic go away. It will still be bad, no matter what. And regarding hurricane evacuation, yes it is a negative for us to deal with the Pinellas residents clogging up Gandy trying to get to the Expressway. But how often does this happen? Often enough to accept an unsightly structure to be constructed through our neighborhood? I don’t think so. It may be another 20 years, or more, before any evacuation order is issued for Pinellas due to an approaching hurricane. But for some reason we have to see our neighborhood become less desirable due to these factors.