Page 10 - Florida Sentinel 7-22-16 Online Edition

Councilman Excited About Riverfront Park Project Launch
This is an aerial view of what the Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park will look like when the $35 million project is completed.
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
As a small child, and later a teenager, growing up in the West Tampa community, Councilman Frank Red- dick and his cousin, Dr. Lewis Brinson lived within blocks of the Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park.
Councilman Reddick re- calls how beautiful the park was when it was first com- pleted, and he recalls with joy the great basketball tourna- ments and other events that were held at the park.
“I think it’s a shame the park was left to deteriorate the way it did. It just wasn’t a great place to go anymore.
“But, now I’m excited the city has invested millions to re- store the park and bring back some of the amenities I grew up with. I’m also happy that programs for the youth and the seniors will be coming. I think there’s no park anywhere in the city that’s had this kind of revenue invested in it.”
Councilman Reddick
said the park has a lot of his- tory, and young people and newcomers to the area need to know about it.
“A lot of people don’t know that we had an NCAA sanc- tioned basketball clinic and tournament at the park.
“We also had future NBA stars like Charlie Bradley, Darrell Dawkins, Otis Birdsong, Vince Young, Tony Mack, and so many others compete at the park.”
Councilman Reddick
said the expansion of down- town is the reason for what’s happening at the park and the surrounding community.
“When Mayor Buckhorn decided he was going to start developing west of the river, and the starting point would be the park, we all knew that other projects would soon fol- low.
“I expect Oakhurst Square complex to meet the same fate as Presbyterian Village, and I also expect to see more new home construction in the
area.”
West Tampa community
leaders who attended park meetings at Blake High School say they are still upset that their wishes weren’t taken se- riously.
“Being a senior myself, and with so many seniors living in this area, we really wanted a senior center at the park,” said West Riverfront Neighborhood Association President, Mrs. Ruth McNair.
“We never asked for dragon boats, paddle boats or any of the other things they are going to put out there. None of those things represent the history of this community and the people who still live here.”
Heem Baisden, Presi- dent of the West Tampa Al- liance, said it’s a shame that these projects tend to take on a spirit of their own and move forward in spite of what the community wants.
“We’re dealing with so much in West Tampa now, and we are beginning to feel like we’re all being bullied by the city and developers who have been given the key to West Tampa.
“We had our own vision for the park, and none of the things we envisioned will come to past. I agree the park needed to be redeveloped. No one in this community denied that. All we asked is that the changes reflect our interests and our history.”
Councilman Reddick
said he thinks once all of the projects are underway, a lot of the residents in the area may began to embrace the changes.
“There will also be a seg- ment of the community who wants things to stay as they are. They know other areas of the city have maintained their historic significance for decades, and want to know why that’s being denied to the residents of West Tampa.”
The $35 million price tag has been approved for funding, and a portion of the funds will come from the BP oil settle- ment.
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