Tower Construction Costs $700K for Caladesi Friends

Friends of the Island Parks officials said building an observation and interpretive facility on Caladesi Island is more complex and costly because of its location.

Cindy Farris is excited about plans to bring a 25-foot observation deck to Caladesi Island. Farris, president of Friends of the Island Parks, told Dunedin city leaders May 16 that the group is close to naming a contractor for the project and fundraising efforts are going strong. The proposed $700,000 Caladesi Discovery Center would provide a panoramic view and include hands-on exhibits in a planned interpretive facility on the popular barrier island. An additional $150,000 would be for educational exhibits. The expense of the project is due, in part, to the high cost of transporting materials and equipment to the remote project site, Farris said. "It's not easy to build on the barrier island," she said. The group's first major fundraising …

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Caladesi Island Tower to Feature Panoramic View, Hands-On Education

Park officials are hoping to move forward on plans to build an $600,000 to $700,000 observation deck at Caladesi Island State Park.

Designs for a 25-foot education and observation tower on Caladesi Island are complete. And state officials already approved them. Now it's just the matter of funding, Peter Krulder, park manager, says. Friends of the Island Parks is spearheading recent fundraising efforts to build the observation deck, which has a $600,000 to $700,000 price tag, Krulder says. He hopes to have it completed in 2014. Plans for the up-and-coming Caladesi Discovery Center indicate that it would be an open-air, ADA-compliant structure at the site of the old tower, which was torn down in the late 1980s, Krulder says. "It had rusted to a point that it was no longer safe for park visitors to climb," Krulder explains. The new tower would provide a panoramic view and…

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From Toronto to Dunedin to Clearwater for Blue Jays Fans

"That day they were able to get an autograph from J. P. Arencibia, a fan favorite, Reave said. They flagged him down after the game, in which he hit two home runs and a double."

Baseball is not just a game. It is an economic driver, from the tourists who journey to the Sunshine State to take in a game, to the grounds crews, ticket takers and concessionaires who depend on those salaries. As the 67th spring training season in Clearwater comes to a close on a brisk spring Thursday, March 28, baseball seems as popular as ever. Crowds jam the roads leading to Bright House Field for their chance to see the Philadelphia Phillies and aging ace Roy Halladay close out the Grapefruit League season with a game against spring training city rivals, the Toronto Blue Jays, who play in Dunedin. It is 12:38 p.m., and Don Guckian begins announcing the lineup for the Blue Jays. Jose Reyes will lead off. Jose Bautista hits in the …

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Police: Dunedin Knock-and-Nab Suspects Charged on Burglary String

Two Dunedin men are accused of taking valuable electronics, clothing and jewelry during a string of neighborhood knock-and-nab burglaries between Feb. 7 and 13, according to Clearwater Police.

Two Dunedin men are accused of taking valuable electronics, clothing and jewelry during a string of neighborhood knock-and-nab burglaries between Feb. 7 and 13, Clearwater Police say. Clearwater Police arrested Skylar D Jones, 19, and Tyler Louis Zerin, 18, both of Duncan Loop in Dunedin, on Feb. 14, and charged them each with four felony counts of burglary of an unoccupied dwelling for incidents in Clearwater and Dunedin. Arrest records indicate that Jones and Zerin were seen knocking on the door of a home on Powderhorn Drive, off of Union Street in Clearwater, around 10 a.m. on Feb. 13. When no one answered, the men went through a gate to the back yard, entered the home through an unlocked door and took a Sony Playstation, an iPad, games…

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Good Neighbors

Local Bulldog Puppy Brings Hope to Sick Michigan Teen

On Saturday, Judy Adair, whose family runs Creative Graphics in Dunedin, is taking a 10-week-old bulldog puppy to its new home in Michigan, where its new owner is in a fight for his life.

It might not be first class, but Bosco is earning his wings this weekend. Judy Adair is taking the 10-week-old English bulldog to a new home in Michigan this weekend. He's going to Andrew, a teen whose greatest wish is to have him. Adair, an 11-year Michigan transplant whose family runs Creative Graphics on Douglas Avenue in Dunedin, said she has no doubt "he is meant for this boy." Bosco is moving north in place of another puppy, she explained from her patio chair in the Edgewater Drive neighborhood in Clearwater early Tuesday. One of her two adult bulldogs recently carried a litter of puppies, an exhausting, yet rewarding process for any breeder, Adair explained. Bulldogs must be artificially inseminated and delivered through C-section, …

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Future Changes Could Come to U.S. 19

Clearwater city leaders unanimously approved a plan Thursday that could change future development and other codes along parts of U.S. 19.

The area was considered rural when Allan Stowell started buying up land along Gulf to Bay Boulevard in the early 1960s. Over the years, the road expanded, and businesses developed along the corridor. Similarly, U.S. 19, once called the Gulf Coast Highway, has changed through the years.  “That used to be the place to have property, and now it’s not the place to have property,” Stowell said about the road, which is undergoing growing pains as it is expands to a limit-access highway. In an effort to spur development along the changing U.S. 19 corridor, city leaders unanimously approved plans to guide growth along the area at the city council meeting Thursday. The plan is based on resident and business input from meetings over the last year …

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More Changes Could Come to U.S. 19

Clearwater city leaders are expected to approve a plan that could change future development and other codes along parts of U.S. 19, including some stretches near Dunedin, at the its council meeting Thursday.

Clearwater leaders are expected to approve plans that could change future development and other codes along parts of U.S. 19 at its public meeting Thursday. While it is still undergoing some growing pains as crews work on changing a 2.7-mile section from a stoplight-filled, median-separated road into a limit-access highway, for months Clearwater officials asked for opinions in this survery that would shape future land use changes along the commercial corridor. In an effort to entice development around the revamped corridor, Clearwater leaders are looking to approve a resolution that could usher in code and other changes to the area. “This is a plan. It’s going to change because a lot of it is not within our control. But more importantly it…

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Frenchy's 5K, Phinley 10K: Show Off Your Running Photos

Did you or your family run in the Frenchy's Tiki 5K Beer Run And Phinley's Holiday 10K in Clearwater on Saturday? Add your photos here!

Did you or your family run in the Frenchy's Tiki 5K Beer Run And Phinley's Holiday 10K on Saturday in Clearwater? Patch was there! Seven Patch editors and one of our advertising managers took up organizer Suzanne Henslee's fitness challenge and ran in the holiday race at Bright House Field. Check out the attached photo gallery to see Patchers in action. If you took photos of your own, be sure to add them! Just click the "Upload Photos and Videos" button in green.

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Cherlene Willis

9:05 pm on Monday, December 3, 2012

I LOVE the photos! Thanks so much Mack for getting a few fun snapshots of the Patch Patrol! It's always great to meet readers out and about - and yes, there was some razzing going on - but all in good fun!   more ›

Clearwater Man Charged With DUI Manslaughter in Dunedin Crash

Investigators say Adrian David Rodriguez's blood alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit when he ran a red light and struck a car driven by Christopher Holly at U.S. 19 and Republic Drive last month.

A Clearwater man accused of running a red light and killing another driver last month in Dunedin has been charged with DUI manslaughter, the Tampa Bay Times reports, citing the Florida Highway Patrol. Adrian David Rodriguez, 33, turned himself in Friday and was booked in Pinellas County Jail, according to the report. FHP investigators said Rodriguez ran a red light with his 1999 Nissan Altima at U.S. 19 and Republic Drive in Dunedin in the early morning hours of Oct. 6. Christopher Holly, 28, was making a U-turn at the intersection when his Nissan Xterra was struck by Rodriguez's. The impact caused Holly's car to roll over, and he died at the scene. Rodriguez suffered minor injuries in the crash. Blood test results later showed his blood …

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Tony's Pizza Opens on Main Street in Dunedin

The owner of Tony's Pizzeria in downtown Clearwater opened a storefront in downtown Dunedin on Thursday.

Fans of Tony's Pizzeria, a fixture in downtown Clearwater, can rejoice. The popular pizza shop opened its expanded downtown Dunedin location at 320 Main St. (previous Darling Memories), across from Kelly's and Chic-a-Boom Room, on Nov. 8.  Tony’s menu features dine-in and take-out options and a large variety of Italian dishes, including gourmet pizzas, calzones, chicken wings, soups, salads, hot and cold sandwiches and hamburgers. The eatery also sells pizza by the slice, starting at $2.34 for cheese and up to $3.27 for meat lovers. It is open until midnight during the week and later on weekends. The shop is just one part of owner Tony Starova's expansion plans, which also included Tuesday's grand opening of Capitol Beer House, a beer bar …

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