Divisive Pier Politics in St. Pete Mayoral Race

In this year’s mayoral election between incumbent Mayor Rick Kriseman and Rick Baker, the New St. Pete Pier has become a political issue. Surprise! Candidate Rick Baker is using the new pier to rally his supporters, some of whom are inconsolable over the demolition of the old pier, and then not getting their preferred design.

Despite what Rick Baker says about “cost overruns,” the new pier is actually on budget. The original 50 million pier budget was approved in 2005. Since then, construction materials and labor costs have gone up, and the rejection of the Lens cost the city millions from that budget. Yet the new pier is being built with this same budget set long ago. So what is Baker complaining about?

In 2015, Pinellas County allocated 20 million to St. Petersburg for waterfront improvements. The city was about to build a new pier, and since the old pier seemed orphaned at the end of Second Avenue – away from the thriving Beach Drive area – why not connect the two? And that’s what they did. The City Council used those funds to create a new Pier District connecting the pier to the Beach Drive area. Developing this mostly unused 20-acre waterfront area for recreational use was a wise choice, and conformed to the Waterfront Master Plan.

As the two architectural teams started working on the new pier and development of the approach area, now called the New Pier District, the reality of the limited budget came to light. Cuts had to be made to both projects to stay within the 12-year-old strict budget. Mayor Rick Kriseman began working with the Pinellas County Commission to more fully fund and complete this signature development in the heart of Downtown St. Petersburg. There was funding available from a failed to pass transportation project, so 14 million additional funds were allocated to St. Petersburg. These funds will be used for both the New Pier District as well as transportation and parking.

So where is all this money going? Fancy bathrooms with golden toilets? Are they building a Taj Mahal at the end of the pier? Uh, no. We’re talking about playground equipment, an outdoor shaded café, a larger water feature for kids, one of the floating docks cut from the original concept, a place to launch personal watercraft like kayaks, and some other features originally proposed.

When Rick Baker says the new pier is over budget, that’s simply not true. We’re not talking about just the pier anymore, but a New Pier District that will transform the area between Beach Drive and the new pier. If elected, what will Rick Baker do to the New Pier District? He doesn’t think the building at the end is iconic enough, whatever that means, and he doesn’t like the additional funding. Does he plan to hire more architects to draw new designs, have another design contest, and then cut funding?

When it comes to recreational areas, people don’t complain about what’s there, they complain about what’s not there. They may say something like there’s not enough rest rooms, concessions, shade, or things for kids to do. When I hear Rick Baker complain about spending for “extras” in an actually underfunded New Pier District, I wonder what he plans to take away. Playground equipment?

The new pier is under construction and scheduled to open in the beginning of 2019. This will be a free attraction that will create jobs and have a major economic impact for the city. Rick Baker talks about redesigning the pier which will cause more delays and take us back to yet another pier fight. Let’s stop these divisive pier politics and reelect Mayor Rick Kriseman. He will finish the new pier with popular amenities in place, and continue to move St. Pete forward.

To learn more about the new pier see the city website and volunteer FB page:
www.newstpetepier.com
www.facebook.com/WeLoveTheNewSt.PetePier