Thursday, March 21, 2013
Sand buildup in Cedar Creek and Lake Sperry may become a big stormwater drainage issue if it is not dealt with, says an engineer hired by the city.
A sand buildup is scientifically proven to be an increasing problem for some Dunedin residents. And it may be the source of a political back-and-forth over whether taxpayers should foot an estimated $2.4 million dredging bill to get rid of it. More than 15 years worth of sand and silt is filling Lake Sperry, a private neighborhood pond, and Cedar Creek, which abuts several residential yards, preventing the flow of runoff into St. Joseph Sound. "There are going to be impacts to the system eventually if no maintenance is done out there," Joe Wagner, P.E., of Taylor Engineering, Inc., told Dunedin commissioners during a March 12 public workshop. "It's going to a condition that's going to, at some point, cause stormwater and drainage problems…
28.012849
-82.785374
Dunedin City Hall
542 Main St, Dunedin, FL
/articles/dredging-who-should-pay-2-4-million-for-cedar-creek-lake-sperry
944000
/locations/9058896
Friday, March 8, 2013
Dunedin commissioners agreed in a 3-2 vote to move forward on a three-year-old agreement with Glen Steinke, the expiring concessionaire at Sail Honeymoon on Dunedin Causeway, to open the land to competitive bidding.
Sail Honeymoon supporters turned out in droves to Thursday's city commission meeting, hoping to convince city officials to make a policy exception for beloved owner Glen Steinke. Despite Steinke's plea to "do what’s right, do what’s right for me, right for the taxpayers and right for the community," the exception they all hoped for wasn't approved. An estimated 60 supporters filled the seats inside City Hall, overflowing into the aisle and front foyer. They wore printed stickers that read "I Support Glen + Sail Honeymoon Dunedin Causeway," and many spoke of their affection for the longtime owner of the iconic kayak rental business. They all asked them to skip the competitive bidding process, known as the RFP (request for proposal) process…
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
After months of delays, Dunedin's city attorney and staff experts are recommending that elected officials allow the Causeway concession services open to competitive bidding at Thursday's public meeting at City Hall.
Sail Honeymoon's expiring contract is causing Chuck Ankney to lose sleep. Ankney, the city's purchasing manager, is worried that repeated delays in the bidding process that allow the kayak rental business to operate on the Dunedin Causeway could potentially push the agreement past its July expiration, a violation in the city's purchasing policy. "I was thinking about this issue last night when I was trying to go to sleep….not a preferred way to go to sleep," Ankney wrote in a Feb. 21 email to City Attorney Tom Trask. Some Dunedin officials have pushed for a loophole that would allow Sail Honeymoon to skip the bidding process altogether, an exception given to no other business in the city. Leaders are reviewing the policy as it pertains to…
28.012849
-82.785374
Dunedin City Hall
542 Main St, Dunedin, FL
/articles/city-attorney-staff-sail-honeymoon-concession-should-go-to-bid
944000
/locations/8955533
A story on Dunedin officials' Jan. 24 discussion for creating a loophole in policy that allows a Causeway concessionaire to skip the re-bid process in a soon-to-expire city agreement sparked some insightful opinions.
Dunedin Patch's story "Are Dunedin Officials Playing Favorites with Sail Honeymoon?" generated lots of discussion several weeks ago. The story focused on public officials' Jan. 24 discussion for creating loophole in policy that would allow the Causeway's Sail Honeymoon concessionaire to skip a re-bid process in a soon-to-expire legal agreement he made with the city three years ago. At least three commissioners moved to delay the bidding process for the Causeway concession contract, saying they wanted to review and address concerns the city's purchasing policy. Some said they also believe Glen Steinke, owner of Sail Honeymoon, who has been operating on the Dunedin Causeway for about 20 years, was treated poorly prior to the legal agreement …
"To not give him a long term contract would be such a loss to all of us on the Causeway and Dunedin," writes Lucy Lynch, Dunedin Causeway resident.
- GOVERNMENT
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Wednesday, March 6
Dear Editor, I have been on the Dunedin Causeway either visiting my family here or as a resident since the early 1970s. During that time I have seen many changes and watched many businesses come and go on the Causeway. I am writing to request that you give Glen Steinke and Sail Honeymoon a long term agreement and not go to RFP. I, as well as my fellow members of the Dunedin Beach Civic Association and the City of Dunedin, have been the recipient of Mr. Steinke's many years of care and consideration for the Causeway. He is certainly the trusted eyes and ears for us on the Beach. As you know, he was awarded and entered into the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce Business Hall of Fame for 2012-2013. Mr Steinke has established a successful, reliable…
28.059878
-82.813209
Sail Honeymoon
61 Causeway Blvd, Dunedin, FL
/articles/letter-to-the-editor-give-sail-honeymoon-a-longterm-contract
943570
/locations/8949849
Saturday, February 23, 2013
An 11-page claim demanding more than $8 million in lost revenue points to visitor declines at Dunedin's major natural tourism destinations Caladesi and Honeymoon Island state parks after the 2010 BP oil spill.
A claim for more than $8.8 million against BP is on its way to lawyers in South Carolina, Dunedin city attorney Tom Trask said Thursday. Trask said he "rushed in the last 14 days to get" Dunedin's claim against BP ready for high-powered, national plaintiff litigation firm Motley Rice LLC. The 11-page document boasts of Dunedin's two largest natural tourism destinations Caladesi and Honeymoon Island state parks and points to revenue lost from declined tourism after the company's 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The claim for $8,812,133, plus another estimated $20,000 for recent forensic accounting fees not yet tallied, had already been sent through overnight mailing services by the time Dunedin city leaders voted to approve the claim …
28.012849
-82.785374
Dunedin City Hall
542 Main St, Dunedin, FL
/articles/dunedin-claims-8-8-million-in-bp-oil-spill-losses
944000
/locations/8868857
Saturday, February 9, 2013
City commissioners accepted a $200,000 check from the Dunedin Youth Guild for a future nature-themed playground at J.C. Weaver Park during Thursday's public hearing at City Hall.
Women from the Dunedin Youth Guild delivered a giant $200,000 check Thursday for a nature-themed playground coming to Weaver Park this summer. The playground will blend into the natural surroundings at J.C. Weaver Park, because all of its parts will "look like real pieces of nature," said Lanie Sheets, parks and recreation superintendant, at the Feb. 7 public hearing at City Hall. It will be built to reflect the trees, ants, caterpillars and butterflies that tend to capture children's imaginations. The surface underneath will be artificial grass. Artifical tree trunks will be used for a natural look, and children will even have "giant bird eggs to spin around in," Sheets said. It is also to be designed with accessibility in mind for …
28.012849
-82.785374
Dunedin City Hall
542 Main St, Dunedin, FL
/articles/nature-playground-coming-to-weaver-park
944000
/locations/8776739
28.02088
-82.78957
J.C. Weaver Park
1249 Bayshore Blvd, Dunedin, FL
/articles/nature-playground-coming-to-weaver-park
2029829
/locations/8776740
Thursday, February 7, 2013
City commissioners will weigh on accepting funds from the Dunedin Youth Guild for a future nature-themed playground at J.C. Weaver Park during Thursday's public hearing at City Hall.
A proposed playground at Dunedin's J.C. Weaver Park would be built to reflect the trees, ants, caterpillars and butterflies that capture children's imaginations. It would be designed with accessibility in mind for all disabilities. It would also have colorful, child-friendly signs teaching kids about the environment, and it blends into its natural surroundings, the city says. And the Dunedin Youth Guild is ready to donate up to $200,000 to make it happen, according to Vince Gizzi, parks and recreation director. City leaders will weigh in on accepting the large donation Thursday, Feb. 7, at City Hall. According to city documents, the Dunedin Youth Guild received a large donation from Tom and Nan Moffatt and was looking for a project it saw…
28.012849
-82.785374
Dunedin City Hall
542 Main St, Dunedin, FL
/articles/future-weaver-park-playground-idea-receives-up-to-200-000-support
944000
/locations/8769353
28.02088
-82.78957
J.C. Weaver Park
1249 Bayshore Blvd, Dunedin, FL
/articles/future-weaver-park-playground-idea-receives-up-to-200-000-support
2029829
/locations/8769354
Monday, November 5, 2012
Dunedin's gift of $35,000 toward a new roof system will allow Neighborly Care Network's Senior Day Care Center to continuing operation at its New York Avenue home.
If officials don't act quickly to replace its roof, a senior day care center providing critical community assistance is in danger closing its doors this December, City Manager Rob DiSpirito warned commissioners at Thursday night's city meeting. And commissioners heeded with a $35,000 gift. The Neighborly Day Care Center discovered in a September inspection that it would need an entirely new roof, gutter system and downspouts — to the tune of an estimated $27,900 — so it could renew an agreement with Mease Dunedin Hospital to continue operating at its New York Avenue location. The center provides day care services to roughly 200 area elderly residents who are unable to stay home alone, and allows some respite for their caregivers. Mease …
28.01432
-82.7797
Neighborly Senior Services
910 New York Ave, Dunedin, FL
/articles/city-saves-senior-day-care-from-closure
944668
/locations/8095325
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
New Dunedin city guidelines for vehicle stacking apply only to new businesses with drive-thru windows or pickup areas, but grandfathered-in offenders may be asked to voluntarily comply.
City officials may ask for voluntary compliance from businesses currently not required to meet newly adopted standards governing the amount of space that must be provided for vehicles lining up at their drive-thru windows or pick-ups areas. Dunedin City Commissioners unanimously adopted at last Thursday's final reading an ordinance establishing minimum standards for vehicle stacking at new fast food eateries, banks, pharmacies, daycare facilities and other establishments offering pickup and drop off services. Under the ordinance a restaurant, pharmacy, car wash, beverage store or other retail establishment will have to provide at least 125 feet of stacking space, while a bank is required to provide 75 feet and a day care or school 25 feet …
Shari Pentecost
10:42 am on Monday, April 8, 2013
Tropical Storm Debra caused major flooding in the Baywood Shores Subdivision, located just before the Curlew / Alt 19 Intersection. It was very much related to the sand buildup of the two canals that encircle the subdivision. more ›