Plans are moving forward for a major renovation of west Tampa's Julian B. Lane Park. Thursday, Tampa City Council members voted 6 to 1 to approve funding for the $35 million project.
- Renovations for Julian B. Lane Park in west Tampa have been approved
- $35 million has been approved for funding
- A portion of the funds will come from BP oil settlment money
"I really do believe as tight as times are now, as difficult as this money is to come by, that at the end of the day, it is a good long term investment for the city," said Councilman Harry Cohen.
Clearly the majority of Cohen's fellow council members agree.
"The thing is this is a great opportunity because the people in west Tampa feel neglected and now they feel a sense of pride," said Councilman Frank Reddick.
Council member Lisa Montelione was the lone critic on the council. She said there are nearby multi-million dollar parks that families can go to, and she said she doesn't understand spending money on a big renovation when other parks in other areas of the city are not being maintained.
"I just cannot support that," Montelione said. "I'm surprised my colleagues don't see we have resources that are crumbling."
The plan also caused some controversy because it calls for using BP oil settlement money to help fund the construction.
"We would have preferred that we saw money like the BP money go to stormwater issues at least to help to reduce the pain that was being suggested as a stormwater improvement fee," said Mike Peterson of Greater Tampa Association of Realtors.
But that opinion was countered by several business leaders who stood up to say Julian B. Lane is the right fit for the money. Now, with the council's support, the project will move forward.