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Not Sweating The Small Stuff

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By KENNETH KNIGHT

kknight@tampatrib.com

Published: January 21, 2009

TAMPA PALMS - A review of the new decorative entrance signs revealed minor imperfections but not enough to make community supervisors change course.

At their Jan. 14 meeting, the Tampa Palms Community Development District board of supervisors scrutinized the improvements under way at the entrances to most of the community's 23 villages.

They concluded that slight differences between the colors of the new and existing bricks as well as the black granite slabs used for the background on the signs were acceptable. The board also agreed not to make changes to the spacing and size of the lettering on some of the updated monuments.

A lengthy discussion ended with the board deciding not to sweat the small stuff.

"I am hearing so many positive things from people all over the community," supervisor Patty Maney said. "I don't think we need to tweak them."

Supervisor Randy Marlowe, who volunteered to review much of the construction material used in the project, also encouraged his colleagues to "stay the course."

Marlowe agreed with Maney, who said in six months when the rainy season begins, the minor flaws would likely disappear once the black granite slabs and gold lettering starts to take on patina finishes.

The district is in the midst of refurbishing four dozen monument signs at the entry to Tampa Palms Areas 1 and 2 at a cost of slightly more than $1 million.

The supervisors decided to conduct the review during a progress report presentation by consultant Maggie Wilson, hired by the district to keep the board advised on long- and short-term projects.

Wilson told her bosses it was not a surprise that the old and new bricks didn't match.

"We knew the bricks would lack a little difference from ones that have been there 20 years," Wilson said.

Supervisor Bill Shimer said he was contacted by a resident who registered a complaint about the different colors of the materials used to build the signs. However, Shimer concluded the differences weren't a deal-breaker.

Warren Dixon, a resident of the Manchester village, attempted to persuade the board to consider raising the lettering on the signs two inches higher to give the village names slightly more prominence.

The board approved only one addition aimed at resolving an issue on how to mount the granite background to the existing surface. By unanimous vote, the five supervisors created a $20,000 budget to permit contractor CRS Building of Safety Harbor to try a new installation method.

The new signs are part of Tampa Palms Visioning 2011, a joint project of the Tampa Palms CDD and the Tampa Palms Owners Association, intended to refresh the community developed in 1986.

Reporter Kenneth Knight can be reached at (813) 865-4842.

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