Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 4-22-16 Edition

Features
Opponents Of Proposed Toll Lanes Project To Host March
Board Approves MOSI Move To Downtown
MOSI
On April 23rd at 11 a. m., Sunshine Citizens, members of the Tampa Heights Junior Civic Association, and others, will be meeting at the Tampa Youth Development and Com- munity Center, 2005 North Lamar, in opposition of the Florida Department of Trans- portation’s proposed TBX project.
The Community Center, as well as other commercial and residential structures, have been targeted by TBX for their expansion of I-275, and instal- lation of proposed toll lanes.
The group will be marching from the Community Center along the proposed path of the
TBX project, approximately 1.5 miles. Included in the March will be maps with de- scriptions of highlights along the route.
“We will march near Mal- function Junction in Tampa Heights and VM Ybor, high- lighting the impacts that urban highway construction and ex- pansion has had on the city’s urban core,” said Mauricio Rosas with Sunshine Citizens.
“Many of us are still strug- gling to recover from FDOT’s past improvements.”
Rosas said they are looking for signatures on a resolution to stop the TBX project.
“We’re trying to get support
from area churches. Residents are very frustrated and some have said they are willing to compromise, because they feel worn out.
That’s not an option for us, and we want to keep everyone excited until the day of the final hearing in June.”
Parking is free in designated areas, and car owners are asked to please not block the driveways of residents in the area. Citizens are also asked to either carpool, take the HART- line bus, or bike to the event.
The march is child and pet friendly, and there will be free refreshments and restrooms available.
The board members of the Museum of Science and In- dustry (MOSI) decided it was time they left their home for the past 10 years for what they hope will be a brighter and more profitable future in Downtown Tampa.
On Tuesday, MOSI’s board of directors voted to put to- gether a team to plan the move. Members will include community partners, land use experts, museum planners and philanthropists. A spokesperson for the museum said building the task force and planning the move will take a year or more.
The museum’s board made the decision to move based on a study conducted by Museum Management consultants and Consult Econ. They said a downtown location would allow the museum to reinvent exhibits and programs with the hope of attracting younger adults and seniors. Currently, the majority of visitors to MOSI are families with chil- dren.
The exact destination for the new MOSI hasn’t been de- cided. However, county offi- cials have had discussions with Tampa Bay Lightning owner, Jeff Vinik, about a site in his planned 40-acre de-
velopment along the down- town waterfront.
Consultants think a smaller MOSI will make the most sense in a tightly cornered urban area. The current mu- seum is 300,000 square feet. By comparison, the popular Perot Museum of Nature and Science in downtown Dallas covers 180,000 square feet.
MOSI CEO, Mike Schultz, said after a feasibility study, they decided moving he mu- seum would be a good idea.
“The next steps will be hard, trying to bring MOSI into the next century. We have plans that till need to be finalized.”
County Commissioner Al Higgenbotham said he wants to make sure the foun- dation laid by the people who made MOSI possible will not be lost in the move.
Commission Chair, Les Miller, who is listed as a Di- rector on MOSI’s board, said he thinks the move is a good idea, and will make the mu- seum more accessible, espe- cially to people without transportation.
“Moving the museum to downtown will put it in a place where more people will see it, and will be among other mu- seums already in the down- town area.”
MacDill Air Force Base Opens Hotel
It has been a year of delays, and millions of dollars in cost overruns, but last week, the Mac Dill Inn, a 175,000 square-foot, five story, 350 room hotel at MacDill Air Force base, has opened. A for- mal ribbon cutting ceremony will be held May 2nd.
The construction cost of the hotel is estimated to be $45 million, and it was originally scheduled to be completed in January 2015 and opened in March 2015. However, prob- lems with the initial design, plus unanticipated issues re- sulted in a 13-month delay.
MacDill’s host unit, the 6th Air Mobility Wing, last year said it was eagerly awaiting the hotel’s opening.
The project was awarded in September 2012 as part of a much larger contract.
Problems were found in the initial design. Twenty addi- tional concrete foundation
THE MACDILL INN
piles had to be added and an- other 40 tons of support steel was added to the top floor for wind resistance.
The design issues added an- other 168 days to the project, and site and weather condi- tions added another 18 days. Problems also arose during construction with roof leaks, pipes bursting, and mold building up, forcing the re- placement of drywall and insu- lation Also, flaws in the exterior stucco design re- quired repair and in some areas, removal.
The MacDill Inn addresses
a need and according to base officials, is not unusual for a base the size of MacDill.
MacDill hosts many official and leisure travel guests every year, and the previous capacity of 155 rooms has now in- creased to 400 guest rooms in order to support the transient population.
The hotel is open to active duty, Guard and Reserve members of the military as well as cadets, Department of Defense civilians retirees and their dependents. Eligibility may be extended to other guests on a case-by-case basis.
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