September 17, 2004
Dear Mr. Mayor and Commission Members,
I have read Mr. Starnes` letter of 31 August 2004 to the Cedar Key City Commission. (see attachment) I feel that his version of the history and agenda of the Gulf Trail Advisory Committee are, at best, self serving and in some instances misleading. My fear is that, if I do not respond in kind, his version might be allowed to stand as fact and plans for this trail allowed to proceed.
Several weeks ago, when no one from this committee would talk to me, I spent three afternoons reading all the records, minutes, applications, and notes of the GT AC on deposit at City Hall. I then spent another full day reading the minutes of every City Commission meeting dating back to December, 2000. I have also spoken to every available resident and property owner on Gulf Boulevard, Hodges Avenue, and Museum Road. (approximately 35 people).
In the first two paragraphs of his letter Mr. Starnes notes the press coverage GTAC has gotten over the years of its existence. It seems to me that when a governmental agency contemplates an action which would result in the disruption of the lives of its citizens and a reduction of their property values, then those citizens have a right to due process. Due process begins with notification. Notices and press coverage in local newspapers most residents in Cedar Key do not read, in my opinion, fails to measure up to even the minimum standards for "notification".
Next is the paragraph regarding "Resolution 232" adopted by the City Commission in support of the Gulf Trail System on January 28, 2003. When I read the minutes of the City Commission meetings "sidewalks" was the key word in almost every discussion of the Gulf Trail. In fact I cannot recall "bike trail" ever being specifically mentioned. While I did not copy every single reference, here are some of the ones I did copy: 1) City Commission Meeting, Oct. 9, 2001, Page 4
Hear Presentation on a Gulfside Trail and Authorize the submittal of a Grant Application to the State Office of Greenways and Trails. City Attorney Coffey introduced Dr. Earl Starnes. He also showed the areas included in a network of trails which would link up locations such as the City Park, the dock, the beachfront area, which the City would acquire, as well as the airport, Cemetery Point, and the State Museum. This would give safe pedestrian space along areas that now have no sidewalks or sidewalks that are not up to code. (my underline) etc., etc.
2) City Commission Meeting, March 12, 2002, Page 1
Dr. Earle Starnes – Cedar Key Gulf Trail Dr. Earl Starnes proposed creating a Gulf Trail starting at the trestle area and coming down to the town park through scenic spots in Cedar Key and ending at the State Museum. It would need some additional sidewalks and a few easements on private land. It would not be the 12' trail proposed earlier, but mainly sidewalk to make it safe and interesting for people walking or on bikes. (my underline) etc., etc.
3) Community Redevelopment Authority Meeting, August 27, 2002 Page 1
Mr. Mike Raftis added that the Gulf Trail Committee will have a DOT official at the next meeting to look at what needs to be done about sidewalks for the trail on September 9. (my underline) etc., etc.
4) City Commission Meeting, September 24, 2002, Item #6
6. Jay Myers – Gulf Trail Update (Here is the second instance before the City Commission where I noted the absence of the word "sidewalks" in the dialogue, and I believe the first indication that the GTAC has begun to believe its own con.) Jay speaks about timelines, meetings, phases, and addendums, and then he states "The trail will provide safety for walkers among other benefits." (my underline) etc., etc.
4a) Also of note at this meeting under the title "OTHER", Ms. Nancy Taylor asked if the committee should be moving at such speed towards the Gulf Trail Project. She sees that there is no expectation on the part of the committee to solicit from residents whether or not the trail is wanted or whether some locations such as by the cemetery or wetlands are a proper location for a trail. (my underline) etc., etc.
5) City Commission Meeting, May 13, 2003, Page 4, Item #17
17. Cedar Key Gulf Trail Application for a Transportation Enhancement Project to the Dept. of Transportation. Mayor Daniel asked the Commission for permission to apply for this grant. Attorney Coffey reviewed the application and said that no matching funds were needed but that the Suwannee River Water Management District is contributing. This project will bring $385,000 to build sidewalks in the City. (my underline) etc., etc.
So, does the GTAC talk about bike trails amongst themselves and then when they come before the City Commission use the word "sidewalks"? The reason I ask is because in a recent conversation with Commissioner Edmunds, she told me that since she took office she has not been furnished with any plans or paperwork concerning the Gulf Trail project. She went to the June 1, 2004 City Commission meeting early and asked several people what it was about. She was told it`s about sidewalks. During that meeting, when Resolution 250 (reiterating support for the Gulf Trail) came up for a vote, she thought she was voting in favor of sidewalks.
Before I go on to another paragraph in Mr. Starnes` letter I want to make you aware of something I copied from the application to the American Greenways program. Applicant: E. Starnes, Secretary, Florida Nature Coast Conservancy.
Question #5: Describe the involvement and support of other community groups, public officials, agencies, and other interests, if any, with the project.
In response Mr. Starnes stated: "There again, I have anticipated this in #4 above. We are a small community, 700 plus citizens. Virtually every community project involves a broad base of support from organizations and individual citizens. (my underline) I have had many years.....(the rest of the answer was obscured)
While I was examining the minutes of the GTAC meetings on deposit at City Hall, the minutes of the meeting of May 27, 2004 instantly caught my eye. Here Jerry Scarborough and David Still from the SRWMD were presented with the plan for the CKGT and particularly Phase 4 along Gulf Boulevard and Hodges Avenue. (my neighborhood) What interested me was not the long list of City and County luminaries present, but the two names who apparently represented "the broad base of community support". The first name was Dorothy Starnes, representing the CK Garden Club. Did Ms. Starnes poll the membership of the Garden Club before she went to this meeting? I don`t know. But I doubt it. The next name is IIse Holling who appears to be representing the membership of the Cedar Key Art Center. Connie and I are both members of the Art Center and Ms. Holling never asked us what we thought of this idea. What is even more curious is that Ms. Holling shows her work in our gallery and so we have frequent contact with her and I can hardly believe she would presume that running an eight foot wide black scab up the middle of our neighborhood and right in front of our home would be of no interest to us. The point I`m trying to make, and the point which seems to have escaped Mr. Starnes is: that creating the illusion of community support is not the same as actually having it.
In the last six weeks I have spoken to approximately 35 people who live or own property on Gulf Blvd., Hodges Ave., and Museum Road. Out of all those people only one could not be described as being adamantly opposed to having a bike trail abutting their property, or in their neighborhood.
In addition, in his letter, Mr. Starnes complains about how many hours he has spent on this "community" project. In my opinion if Mr. Starnes and his committee had chosen to proceed in an honorable, decent, and straightforward way towards the residents and property owners along the intended route, we all could have saved him a lot of time and trouble. Several times in the minutes of GTAC I found where someone suggested, or there was a discussion regarding the notification of residents and in every instance he and they chose not to include us.
In my opinion the idea of running a bike trail through these vital, vibrant, and diverse neighborhoods on Gulf, Hodges, and Museum Road is so stupid, so inappropriate, so out of scale, and so disruptive to the lives of the residents as well as the natural beauty along the road that it never should have survived infancy. It took Mr. Starnes and his committee, nourishing this idea in secret, guiding it through the bureaucratic morass, and deliberately keeping it under the radar of any critical public scrutiny, to bring it to "the present controversy".
How do I feel about all this? Betrayed. I am sickened at the thought that a group of my neighbors, people who I wave to in the street, who chat me up in the grocery, the P.O., the library, would plot behind my back to rob me of my privacy, the security of my home, the peace and quiet of my neighborhood, and the value of my property. I live in the only home I have ever owned, and I have worked diligently and relentlessly to pay for it. I can`t understand how these people, appointed by my very own City Commission, could treat my life with so much contempt. Where does this reckless disregard for the lives of others come from? I don`t know. But to contemplate it makes me feel as though the very ground I have stood on for the last 25 years is suddenly washing out from under my feet.
Now that the plot has been exposed, Mr. Starnes appears ready to use the mailing list his committee has been in possession of for some time. He suggests we all participate in a charrette so that he and his committee can equivocate until they get their way. No thanks.
"Let`s change the name" Starnes says. And call it "the Cedar Key Walkway and Bikeway System". More equivocation. Why not call it what it is? Call it `The Earl Starnes Gulf Trail Boondoggle" and then, having identified it, let`s be done with it. I have spoken with each commissioner at length. I have asked each of you to make a motion, or to second a motion, at the next City Council meeting, to disband this committee before they do any lasting damage to our island community. I renew that request now.
In the next 25 years the City of Cedar Key will realize somewhere in the neighborhood of $100 MILLION dollars in Community Redevelopment Area money. These funds are specifically earmarked for capital improvements within the City. We can now afford the best sidewalks money can buy. And most people I have talked with seem to want them. We no longer need this committee of grant sharks, circling us like we were cut bait, trying to force this stupid Interstate for bicyclists down our throats. The CRA money has rendered the very reason this committee was appointed irrelevant.
One final thought. I notice that in the last sentence of Mr. Starnes letter he says "Phase 1 along SR24 is in the works". Does this explain the desecration of our bridges with the prison bars and King Arthur`s old armor? Where are the plans? And who has approved them? Have the residents and business owners along SR24 been queried as to how they need to use the right of way for parking or for access to their businesses? Have the people whose lives will be impacted and who must live forever with the consequences of this obscene plan even been notified? Do the people who live along the road to the airport understand that they are the next victims of this committee?
In the last six weeks I have been all over town talking about the Gulf Trail and I can`t find anyone who knows anything definitive about it. But I can still count on both hands (with a couple of fingers left over) the number of people who are in favor of bike trails, boardwalks, observation points, kiosks, interpretive signs, picnic tables, and toilets, cluttering up the landscape and intruding into our neighborhoods and our lives.
We, the people, are entitled to know whose interests this bike trail is designed to serve, and we are entitled to weigh those interests against our own, and we are entitled to know why we have been deliberately excluded from the process. This whole business should see the light of day not in a remote committee meeting, but before the City Commission, whom we have elected to handle our affairs and act in our best interests.
Sincerely,
Kevin Hipe
CC, Ms. Frances Hodges, City Clerk
Mr. David Coffey, City Attorney
Mr. Mickey Weiland, Development Administrator
Mr. Jerry Scarborough, Ex. Dir. SRWMD
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