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Green, Ugly Bench Mystery Probed

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By Mark  Schantz | The Suncoast News

Published: June 7, 2008

TARPON SPRINGS - What happened to old-fashioned streetlights and decorative benches purchased by local merchants that once adorned the city's historic downtown?

The owners of property in the downtown district along Tarpon Avenue who purchased the street-side amenities in the mid-1980s repeatedly raised that question.

Were they removed as part of the Florida Department Transportation-led road resurfacing project on Tarpon and Pinellas avenues?

And regardless of who was responsible for its removal, what happened to the items?

Kris Carson, spokeswoman for DOT's District Seven office, in Tampa, said her research found the benches were not carted away. They were just moved out of the way during repaving and then replaced by the contractor, she said.

Police Chief Mark LeCouris, the acting city manager, said that is what he suspected. The "ugly green benches" now on Tarpon Avenue are the benches that were in place when the resurfacing project began.

The good news, LeCouris said, is he is working to obtain money to pay for old-fashioned Victorian-style benches for downtown. "The benches I am thinking of are going to look really nice," he said.

John Tarapani, a former city commissioner and downtown property owner, said the DOT project raised questions of what happened to Victorian-style wrought iron and wooden benches purchased by local merchants in the mid-1980s. Tarapani, whose family operated a department store on Tarpon Avenue for much of the 20th century, was involved in downtown streetscaping work that took place in the '80s.

The benches from the '80s fit in with the style of the historic district and the nearby Golden Crescent area overlooking Spring Bayou, Tarapani says. The ugly green, St. Petersburg-style benches now seen downtown do not, he says.

Over the last decade the benches the property owners bought suffered the effects of age and weather and were replaced with a cheaper looking bench, Tarapani surmises. When resurfacing took place, the city should have replaced benches in the original Victorian-style like that were purchased by merchants, Tarapani says.

He credits LeCouris with now trying to bring back the 19th century style benches. In fact, this is the happiest he has been with a city manager in nearly a decade, Tarapani says.

Ellen Posivach recently resigned after holding the city manager's job for nine years.

Also awaiting resolution is the question of what happened to old-fashioned style streetlights removed from Tarpon and Pinellas Avenues during the repaving project. Carson, the DOT spokeswoman, said the decorative street lamps were removed but delivered to the city for safe keeping.

In response, LeCouris said he has been following up on what happened to the lights and has been told by city staff members they are in storage. Earlier this week LeCouris was waiting for Juan Cruz, the city's long-time public services administrator, to return from vacation to find the streetlights.

Old-fashioned streetlights are part of the downtown lighting plan now under design, LeCouris said.

Tarapani, however, is questioning whether there is underground wiring in place to accommodate the streetlights LeCouris is talking about.

Nevertheless, Tarapani says, LeCouris has demonstrated he is willing to work with downtown merchants and property owners and takes a common-sense approach to problem solving.

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