Safety Harbor 'failure' under the lights

SAFETY HARBOR — City commissioners have approved a temporary repair after years of delaying replacement of the city's aging baseball field lighting system, a decision one commissioner called "a city failure."

The commission voted unanimously July 20 to spend about $50,000 on an interim repair expected to keep the lights operating for another year or two while officials search for funding for the nearly $1 million replacement.

"I personally apologize for not having this solved and for the uncertainty over whether you're going to have a baseball season," Commissioner Kevin Shanks told parents, coaches and young players who packed city hall.

“I consider it a city failure,’’ he said. “Hopefully, we do a better job of not getting to this point on issues like this in the future.”

Little League coach Cole Morgan thanked commissioners for approving the temporary repair, but urged them to develop a contingency plan if a proposed constitutional amendment limiting property tax revenues passes in November. Morgan, the father of three boys, said the uncertainty is troubling for families and warned the aging lighting system has already contributed to player wait lists.

Vice Mayor Nancy Besore said she initially wanted the city to move forward immediately with replacing the lights, but ultimately supported the temporary repair.

"Thank God for the relamping option," Besore said. "I wanted those lights, and I wanted them now."

Public Works Director Renee Cooper said the city began budgeting for the project in 2018, after manufacturers announced they were discontinuing the high-pressure sodium lighting technology installed at City Park in 1999.

The project was repeatedly delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, competing capital projects and rising construction costs.

By the time the city sought bids last December, replacing the system with modern LED lights carried a price tag of about $942,000 — nearly $300,000 more than the city had budgeted, despite years of setting money aside for the project.

Cooper warned that rebidding the project today would likely push costs even higher.

The city had at one point set aside about $650,000 for the project over several budget cycles. But Cooper said changing revenue projections and annual audits left only about $350,000 available to carry into next year's capital improvement budget. Those funds have since been committed to other public works projects.

That explanation didn’t sit well with some residents.

"You're not really giving us enough information about where that money went," Shannon Pridon, the mother of a Little League player, told commissioners.

Commissioners also weighed whether to move ahead before November's statewide vote on the proposed constitutional amendment, which could significantly reduce local governments' property tax revenues and affect future capital spending.

"If the measure doesn't pass, I would imagine the city commission is going to come up with money and get those lights changed quick," Commissioner Andy Steingold said. "We realize it's very important."

The commission opted to go with the less expensive option after staff determined relamping the existing fixtures could extend their useful life while the city seeks grants or loans, legislative appropriations, public-private partnerships and other funding sources.

The discussion drew emotional testimony from residents, some of whom questioned why a problem the city had anticipated for years had reached the point of threatening youth baseball.

As the adults spoke, some red-shirted Little Leaguers fidgeted in their seats, while a few sat intently.

Joel Morgan, who played on the same fields as a child and now coaches his son there, urged commissioners not to view the project as just another capital expense.

"Every child deserves the opportunity to play baseball under safe, reliable lights," he said. "Replacing these lights is not just an expense. It's an investment in youth recreation, public safety and the economic growth of our beloved community."

The relamping work is expected to begin in late July or early August, after replacement materials arrived at the city's public works facility earlier in the day.

Officials said the repairs should keep the lights operating for another year or two while the city comes up with a permanent replacement plan.