A year ago the Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners voted to stop the impending demolition of the Friendship TrailBridge, due to the advocacy of a citizens group who asked for time to come up with an alternative plan to keep the bridge viable for the community.
But with the story gathering few headlines in recent months, plenty of people in the community have been wondering what ever happened to that idea, spearheaded by Tampa architect Ken Cowart.
Commissioner Sandy Murman was thinking the same thing, which is why she placed the item on the agenda at Wednesday's Board of County Commission meeting.
The County has yet to develop a request for proposal (RFP) that would allow an organization to craft their own plans for the site, located parallel to the Gandy Bridge that runs from South Tampa to St. Petersburg.
Public Works Director Mike Williams told commissioners that he had done some "initial work" with a consultant this past winter, but it didn't appear to be feasible to call for a $25 million project that would include a high-end hotel on the premises. He said after speaking with Cowart and his colleague Kevin Thurman, the county had decided to refrain from creating the RFP.
Recently Williams and Cowart met again, where Cowart asked for an additional 90 days before the RFP is issued, as he continues looking for potential business partners.
The County has $5.2 million still sitting in their budget for a demolition, but Cowart is hoping to use that money to augment what his potential partners can raise for a new project. Instead of direct subsidies, he says his group would request for certain benefits that are typical in public-private partnerships, such as the rights to develop the area near the bridge without without having to pay property taxes. "We're not asking for any additional taxpayer dollars," he stresses.
County officials say if there isn't much interest when the RPF goes out, they'll go back to square one, which means blowing the bridge up. The company that won the bid to do so, American Bridge Company, is still ready and willing to follow through on that.
Although Cowart says any private group would have access to that $5 million for the bridge, county officials said that half of that money comes from Pinellas County, who wants it back if a demolition does not happen.
Meanwhile Commissioner Victor Crist wondered aloud if Friendship TrailBridge advocates might consider creating a park next to the Courtney Campbell Bridge. His reasoning was the combination of the Gandy's crumbling infrastructure crumbling, along the fact that a pedestrian bridge is being built next to the Courtney Campbell, makes perfect sense for a park setting to be created there.
Williams said that there had been a suggestion to Cowart's group about that new development, but he said ultimately they want to find a way to keep the Friendship TrailBridge alive.