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And finally, the historic Dunedin Golf Course needs a complete restoration in keeping with the original design created by renowned golf course designer Donald Ross. This includes redoing the greens and fairway, replacing the irrigation system and fixing drainage problems at a cost of $4.5 million.

To fund all four projects would cost $34.5 million and drain city resources.

The city’s main revenue sources for capital projects include the federal American Rescue Act money for post-pandemic recovery. Dunedin received $18.3 million in ARPA funds, which must be used before Dec. 31, 2024.

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Dunedin also receives capital funds from its share of Penny for Pinellas sales tax proceeds, approved by voters in 2017, and from Community Redevelopment Agency funds, a tax incremental fund based on property taxes, said Dunedin Finance Director Les Tyler.

Tyler said completely funding the four projects would put Dunedin’s share of the Penny for Pinellas funds at a negative balance by 2030, strain the Community Redevelopment Agency fund and maximize the city’s debt policy limit.

“So, we’re not recommending fully funding them all,” Tyler said.

Instead, he presented the commission with two scenarios.

The first calls for funding all the projects but phasing in the construction of the new Highlander Aquatic Complex without a lazy river. The pool project would then cost $31.8 million with the possibility of a $1 million private donation for the therapy pool.

The second scenario proposes funding Skinner Boulevard, the Highlander Aquatic Complex, minus the lazy river, and the golf club, but eliminating the parking garage.

“The lap pool should be replaced as soon as possible,” Vince Gizzi, director of parks and recreation, told commissioners. “It’s a 47-year-old pool that is cracking, leaking, has mechanical failure and the bathhouse needs a new roof, plumbing and electrical.”

Gizzi said the golf course renovations are also time-sensitive because the master design plans are complete and the renovated golf course is scheduled to reopen in the fall of 2024. Therefore, construction would need to begin in March 2024.

Tyler said $2 million has already been committed to the golf course’s restoration from ARPA funds, the city’s capital replacement funds, golf operations funds, city tree mitigation money, and there’s a possibly the project could receive a $500,000 historic preservation grant.

Commissioners conceded, however, that scrapping the parking garage entirely would not sit well with downtown merchants.

The city currently leases property around the city for parking for employees and visitors including the parking lot at the now-closed Ocean Optics building on Douglas Avenue. But Bob Ironsmith, director of economic development for the city, said the the owner of the Ocean Optics property plans to break ground on a new business at the site next year, so it will no longer be available for the city to use.

“We’re victims of our own success,” said Mayor Julie Ward Bujalski. She noted that Dunedin is a city of 38,000 people with 800,000 visitors annually, 94 percent of which come by car. “That’s 300,000 extra cars coming to our city every year.”

Dunedin Chamber of Commerce board chairman Gregory Brady left no doubt where the chamber’s executive board stands on the subject after reading a letter from the board.

“We believe that the pool is a luxury, not a need, and will not significantly benefit property values or attract future home buyers,” Brady read. “Parking is the No. 1 problem in Dunedin, according to business owners and visitors alike. The chamber executive board supported the purchase of the property on Scotland Street specificially for parking.”

The chamber’s executive board suggested the city solicit developers who would be willing to enter into a public-private partnership with the city to build a mixed-use project that incorporated a parking garage on the city-owned site.

“This would make it feasible to have a portion of the property remain on the tax rolls as well as fit into the downtown corridor aesthetically while providing needed parking,” Brady continued.

“The cost of living is very high in Dunedin and a lot of people can’t afford to live in the city so people are going to need their cars (to get to work in Dunedin),” said Katie Ducharme, vice chair of the chamber. “I do think parking is crucial for those residents who live outside of Dunedin.”

“As a board, we are 100 percent in favor of a scenario where the parking garage is built out,” said Jack Bataoel, president of the Dunedin Downtown Merchants Association. “As you all are aware, we’re constantly dealing with a shortage of parking, and soon it will become more of a burden for visitors. Losing Ocean Optics and Gateway (another leased parking lot) will cause severe issues with our parking. Taking the parking garage completely out is not a viable option for many merchants who put their hearts and soul into the downtown.”

He noted that, in 2017, a consultant concluded that the city didn’t need a parking garage.

“That study means nothing today,” he said. “It’s proof of how fast our state is growing.”

Bataoel dismissed the idea of making the project more palatable by adding a mixed-use component.

“It’s 3/4th acres. Fitting in more would be impossible,” he said.

“We have the busiest visitors center in Pinellas County,” Dunedin President and CEO Pamela Pravertz said. “And the No. 1 complaint we hear at the visitors center is there is nowhere to park.”

Bujalski said parking has long been a sensitive subject in Dunedin. A few years ago when the city tried to institute paid street parking, “we had actual protests,” she said.

“Now we don’t have paid parking and no one wants to pay for a garage,” she said. “Ocean Optics and Station Square parking lots are full or nearly full a majority of the time at all different times of the day. That says something to you right there. We are not falling off to the doldrums of summer to the degree we did years ago.”

While it made sense for the city to lease space for parking during the recession because the property wasn’t selling and was sitting empty, that’s no longer the case.

“Now we’re keeping these properties from being developed into something else,” she said. “Those leases were always meant to be temporary. If you’re going to have a low parking requirement (for businesses), you have to provide the parking.”

She said the city is spending about $75,000 a year on leases when it could build a parking garage for $148,000 a year.

“That’s nothing,” she said. “And if we find we no longer need it, we’ll just sell it.”

She agreed that building a mixed-used project on the site purchased for a parking garage wouldn’t solve the problem. Right now the city is leasing property for 68 parking spaces and the proposed parking garage would have only 174 spaces. A mixed-use project would take away what the city has gained in parking.

Commissioner Jeff Gow, however, said a parking garage isn’t the solution to the problem.

“I do believe our current focus on transportation just isn’t sustainable,” he said. “A parking garage isn’t going to be solution. We’ll fill it and talk about the next parking garage. I wish we could start thinking differently on transportation.”

He suggested the city look at alternatives such as an electric car that loops around the city, picking up people at off-site parking lots, expanding the use of the Jolley Trolley streetcar ride and the Clearwater Ferry.

“All of these projects are important,” said Commissioner Moe Freaney. “And I totally get the parking. When Ocean Optics goes away, it’s going to be like the shot heard around the world.”

But the city shouldn’t discount the importance of having a swimming pool, she said.

“It’s a 47-year-old pool. We’ve been constantly bandaiding it and, again, it’s leaking like crazy. So, now, we have a moment. It (building a pool) was sent to the Pinellas Board of County Commissioners as one of the top projects for Penny for Pinellas, and we need to do the pool right.”

She noted that one in four deaths of children in Florida are by drowning.

“So a pool is not a luxury. It’s very important,” Freaney said. “We are one of the oldest communities on this side of Florida and, because of that, we have tons of homes with no pools. We also have tons of families. I know there’s not a big constiuency out there fighting for this pool, but I can tell you, when you talk to the families, they’re excited. They use the facilities we currently have. And we don’t have 10 pools. We don’t have five pools. We don’t have two pools. We have one pool, and it’s crap.”

Commissioner Bob Walker emphasized making the golf course renovations a priority, saying they will ultimately pay for themselves in the number of users the renovated course will draw.

“I’m fully in support of it being a full 18-hole Donald Ross course,” he said. “The return on the Dunedin Golf Club I think is going to be phenomenal. We’re already playing 50,000 rounds (a year) there with 250 members. Plus, two Rotary clubs meet there every week, New World Celts, Working Moms and other organizations. It’s highly and widely used.”

Noting that this was just the first of more workshops to come, Bujalski said, “What I’m hearing is not to have either/or,” she said. “I didn’t want to walk in here today to battle it out over what’s important. I think they’e all extremely important.”

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