No. 1 Vol. 6


m a r c h 1 0 - 16, 2 0 1 1 Published Weekly


KONK Life


KONK BROADCASTING NEWS DIRECTOR Guy deBoer EDITOR|DESIGN Dawn deBoer


MANAGING EDITOR Jenna Stauffer ASSOCIATE EDITOR Michael Shields


PHOTOGRAPHER Sheel Sheelman lCOVER PHOTOGRAPH by Ralph dePalma


CONTRIBUTORS Guy deBoer Key News, Keys Update, On the Waterfront Louis Petrone Key West Lou, JT Thompson Hot Dish


ON-AIR PERSONALITIES


ADRIENNE, BEV ALLEN, PETER ANDERSON, JULIA AVAEL, REV. RANDY BECKER, ERIKA BIDDLE, GUY deBOER, BO FODOR, CAROLINE FORD, KELLY FRIEND, STEPHANIE KAPLE, SHAUNA LEE LANGE, LARRY & JENNA, VICTORIA LEIGH, DICK MOODY, PAMELA & RHONDA, LOUIS PETRONE, M. L. PRICE, CARLOS ROJAS, DONNA SHIELDS, MICHAEL SHIELDS, JIM SMITH, TY SYMROSKI, SOPHIA/ALICE, RICHARD TALLMADGE, QUEEN KATHLEEN, VANESSA, MARSHAL WALKER,


STEPH WISHEARTH


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www.konkbroadcasting.com KONK Life 3 UP F R O N T WATERFRONT HURRAY T


he cosmic stars aligned, and the gods spoke, and the earth moved. Tat is how so many people feel today for this past week: Te City of Key West took a tremendous leap towards developing the 21-acre parcel of the Truman Waterfront. Finally, yes, finally, after so many years, the system operated correctly. Te appointed citizen counsel


of the Truman Waterfront Advisory Council [TWAC] Board worked tirelessly towards finding a consensus among many vocal opinions to the final conceptual design. TWAC President Jim Gilleran spoke on KONK News Hour describing the


process the committee worked with to finally reach the consensus. I was personally impressed how the committee kept their eye on the mission to reach an agreement and recommendation on the conceptual plan designed by the developer Spottswood Misel. Spottswood Misel was selected by the city in a RFP [Request for Proposal] process over another developer to design and build a marina at the Truman Water- front. Te Spottswood Misel proposal was detailed and fully encompassed both a marina and upland design that included a park and amphitheater. Te Spottswood Misel proposal’s bug in the rug was to build the marina and park using Tourist De- velopment Counsel monies. Everything stalled right then and there when Monroe County Tourism Development Council [TDC] Director Harold Wheeler claimed the TDC would not and is not allowed to use the special tax funds in the develop- ment of a marina here in Key West or anywhere in the Florida Keys. So began many months of wrangling within the City of Key West, community and Spottswood Misel. Like a he-said she-said cheap novel, fingers were pointed and some people were called names and once again the citizens of Key West began to wonder if anything ever could be successfully developed in a timely manner regarding the Truman Waterfront.


A funny thing happened during this period and most unexpectedly. TWAC kept


their eye on the ball and worked towards reaching a consensus for all concerned, especially for us the citizens who want to see something positive and strong for the City of Key West. Was the approval from TWAC a rubber stamp for the Spottswood Misel proposal? No, I don’t think so. With many exceptions and recommendations, City Manager Jim Scholl will


sit down with the Spottswood Misel group to hash out the finally details of the contract to build and manage the marina and park. In a short period, we will see the final outcome of these contract negotiations and before the end of this year hopefully witness a groundbreaking ceremony marking the end of the stalemate that has haunted the Truman Waterfront for almost 30 years. I personally applaud all the parties that have worked together to reach this consensus.


Guy deBoer Publisher


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