Small park proposed at pier

The CRA approves funds for preliminary work on a plan to build a park at the landward end of the Bradenton Beach Pier.

BY LESLIE LAKE SUN CORRESPONDENT | llake@amisun.com

BRADENTON BEACH – Mayor John Chappie presented a proposal at the Aug. 2 Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) meeting to discuss having an elevated small park created at the landward end of the Bradenton Beach pier, in the spot where a fenced, unused cistern is located.

Chappie had made the presentation the day before at the Council of Governments meeting.

“A big part of that presentation was a discussion about the CRA projects that have been going on and they are really all connected,” he said.

Chappie outlined recent Bradenton Beach projects.

“The cistern project area is the center point of what we’ve been doing for the last several years - this 1,800-foot-long walkway,” Chappie said. “We have the city pier that has been totally rebuilt with 630 linear feet, we’ve added the 36 feet of floating docks, we’ve added the finger docks which expanded our docking facilities for up to 21 boats.”

He also said the city is ready for the water taxi.

“It’s all about walkable communities, trying to draw people in,” he said. “This is what the CRA is all about, revitalization, redevelopment, business increasing for our community. “

But once past the boardwalk clock tower area, he noted a gapthe fenced cistern.

“I have basically dubbed it Bridge Street/Bayside Park area instead of calling it the cistern project,” Chappie said.

He outlined his vision for a small park in the area of the cistern.

“This is going to be a connectivity with decking between the end of the boardwalk someplace in that area, along the shoreline to the dinghy dock, to have that connectivity around that cistern area, whether we can remove it or not,” he said.