The Key West Citizen Newspaper, November 1, 1952, Page 8

x 4 Page 8 iso ’ THE Key west €iTizéN Saturday, Neveinber 1; 1952 $33,000 Renovations Begin At USO-Club, Jackson Square With Signing Of Contract BENNETT CO. WINS AWARD FOR $18,000 CONSTRUCTION The contract for the $18,000 re- novations to USO headquarters on Jackson square was signed by M. H, Bennett construction company and USO Building Service region- i director William Lukacs yeater- day, Bennett will start the extensive fedoing of the old building immedi- ately. Total cost of the job inelud- ing new furnishings afd equipitent fe $23,000 Richard Evans, club di- fector said, Money for the renovations comes @ut of National Red Feather eam- Let ws give you See the new idea in Venetian Blinds * paign funds, Likaes told The Citt- zen yesterday. “some people think that these are Feleral funds. I waiit to stress that the money the Key West club is gettiig for its renovations comes out of the collected private con- tributions of communities all over the nation who have fund drives anntially.”* Part of the alteration project a Syma org jae, storage space, improved pai dancing, snack bat and ‘other need- ed items, ‘The overcrowded building is gen- erally bursting at the seams with servicemen who find it the place to pass off-duty Hours. A door count has been conducted this month to ascertain the exact number of men who come in daily. SUNLIGHT hl AEA TAA WEST S *k Officials, Dancers, Fishermen Fight For Waterfront Property And Valuable Bay Bottom Here SUSAN McAVOY tate Editor Visitors to Key West ranging from President Harry Truian to the huinblest suite? vacationer exclaiin in wonder at the beauty df Key West's watetfront approach from Stock Island, along palm studded Roosevelt botilevatd to ‘Truman aventie, ‘Theivipraise ahd more tmportant the vast expanses of blue water on the Gulfside will soon be a thing of the past. Key West's famed waterfront is vanishing fast. Where today blue water) = trees, invite the tour- ist or native to enter the city, tomorrow buildings and neon lights will block the water view. “We have one of the most beau- tiful approaches in the world,” said Commissioner Jack Delaney. ‘We should protect it. We don’t want another Miami Beach.” Yet the heat of real estate spec- tilation atid the nibbling into bay bottom by private owners will make the Key West waterfront and the State of Florida's bay bottom just & memory. ‘The City still owns most of Gar- tison Bight bay bottom, and two street ends leading from North Beach drive. “ft think they have given away enough of the waterfront and bay- bottom in the past. This is public domain, God put it there for the people. 1 am ely opposed to ate ownership of the water- ront,* commented, latiey, and of other wity officials, } the shoreline of Key Wést contin- ues to shrink, On North Beach drive, Conchy both fishermen and landlubbers have fought to keep street ends open for the people. But a glance at the ownership of the property on North Beach drive shows that except for tiny parcels, the public is blocked from use or view of the ter-boatmen tie up at little piers they have built, Visiting yachts- then, however, siill have no place to spend a few days, and dollars, refueling, rewatering, and buying tharine hardware, The City has long tried to mae Commissioner Delaney | Despite these statements of De- | fF ene en ey ‘The restlt is says, Charles Rob- érts, City Comptroller, that the $18,930 dragliné, has been used only ha& the time since its pur- chase 18 montlis ago for the Bight job for Which it was intended, ‘Though the City cannot speedily complete its own pier and thus im- prove the waterfront, City comimis- Siohers have beef strangély reliie- tatit to perimit their own local ehar- terboat men to improve the First street pier, now just marl pile jutting out irtto the Bight. Charter boatinen, headed by Pre- sident Johnny West of the “Mae West”, asked Commissioners at their meeting September 8 to lease for five years the 167 foot spit so they could build a dock for visiting yachtsmen, put up a fueling sta- tion, build sea walls, black top the spit, and drive pilings for 34 yacht berths. The Charter Boat Association offered to pay for all these improvements and allow the City ten percent of the net should ‘ofits be made from the venture. e boatinent submitted a sketch di the proposed pier atid appeared in person at the September 22 meeting to submit a ptopesed lease drawn up by City Attorney M. Ignatius Lester. Their proposal was unanimously rejected by the very same Com- tissioners who deplore the lack of yachting facilities on Key West's waterfront. Opposition by the Out- board Motor club was held to be fesponsible at the time. Charter boatmen, however, say that it may not be coincidental that their proposal for a pier was re- jected last méfith, and this month a lease of land for yachtels and piers by wealthy Miami interests percha by city officials in the lanhing. commission. Outboard men : their boats. Charter boatmen, tus rejected by the City, have given up ghe fight for the proposed lease to im eve the pier from the boulevard | outward. They have also abandon j@@ their fight to get the city to } iid @ gier jutting out at Pine street 800 feet from North Beach | drive. | This would have berths for 130 boats, The proposed Pine street knew well, they ~aay; there would oe ample taciples tor *PalMet tctscs ett tre Gomes 128 DUVAL STREET Siuminum — Glass — Weed Garrision Bight practical and be@u- | pier, together with the proposed tiful place for the public and for | improved pier from the boulevard, | boatmen. | It hes, however, made | would enclose a protected atea for | | little progress, on Though |dyttemiting the Bight dragline op- erations, and for 175 feet of road: way near Hilton Haven, the com- | | pletion ot a clty pier with slips | }seems far off. $12,000 ® available | jin the 1958-68 city budget at this jtoment for the completion af city yacht basin aed pier. City | Maneger Dave King however, has to move the dragline purchased for Right improvemest to any and all | | boats. j | The Pine street pier would have been 15 feet wide. It was planned io have all facilities for eruising yachts, a8 well as a building. | The Key West Yacht club ana the charter boatmien have not co. operated on these projects. Insteag he Yacht club, eompored of prom inent citizens, who lack yatht« for the most part, has recently still another area wp tear Hav oreticed va en for ita lone: WHO tise the long-awaited piers of the City roadway for its boats, While charter boatmen, outboard | men, city coftithissionérs, afid other local people are in disagreement jand thus delay action, the newest hope for yachting facilities comes from the very ian whose drive in and package store will s6oh go up of the Gatdolfo-Wilson proper- ty on the filled bay-bottom at Sigs- bee Park Road. Chuck Rosen told me that he plans to erect a yachtel and a marina Yor eruising yachts. This still does hot care fot local yachts, but at least will cottect if cartied | out, this situation. Not Available Johnny West, charter boatman told me: “Dorens of yacht clubs from all over the United States have writ- | ten. me wanting to make reserva. tions for their winter cruises. I have to write them that we have hothing at all for them.” The charter boatmen get their space from the City for a dollar a |year. They build their own piers and cat walks. At present two of these spaces are available for vis- liting yachtsmen for a day or two. When all charter boatinen get their | boats back for the season, how- | ever, even these two slips may not | be available, West said. There are fo boating facilities and no waterfront improvements \for either the public or yachtsmen from the boulevard along the Bight | to the end di North Beach drive up to the Seaplane base property. The street ends owned by the City are unimproved. The View of the waterfront on the Bight is be- ing continually sbut off by the erection of private homes, and of | eight fout high wails erected by current owners. tween George Margaret Mitehell, The latter ob-{ tained a permit to erect a 35 foot | wall around her North Beseh Inn) which would, claims Gomez, have shut him off. The City Commis- | sioners revoked her permit. The battle at this whiting is still going on. is building a splendid waterfront mansion and will extend his pier out inte the bay-bottom he acquit: el. Farther on toward the Seaplane |base are privately owned parcels. with old boats beached or tied up as the water permits, Boom Couses War | The war of the Key West water front and baybettom on the Gulf. | sila and Atlantic ill be waged as long as the beam continues. A sign of growth in the city, it nonethe ss causes concern to some of the original tourists, now residents. wht cate hete because of the Is ands béswtiful wster approaches | David Lord, Canadian magnate, / OWNS THE x“ to shrink, as more and mote bay bottom is filled by private buyers, is preditted by all réal estate vet- efatis. City Attoriey M. Ignatius Les- ter Has wrillefi a six-page brief on the legality of state ownership of bay bottom afd the sale of such - aaa laid to private individ. Uals, According to this brief, the State of Flofida’s IB, headed the Govertor is the soverigh authority on disposal of bay bottom. ‘The waterfront of “tey West will thus, in the last analysis, either vanish horag nan or be held at its present level, by the incoming Governor, and future Governors woh serve with other top officials on the 1B. The State comptroller, state treasurer, the Attorney Gen- eral and the Commissioner of Ag- rieulture, led by the Governor of the State, will now atid forever set- tle the future of the Key- West waterfront. : Next week this page will cover the waterfront from Stock Island around to Fort Taylor on the At- lantic aide. . $20M Toppino Home Permit Is Given Building permits for the week issued in the office of Ray Knopp, | building inspector, were by Charles Toppino who took out 4) permit to build a $20,000 CBS home, | 1100 Flagler Ave., Maftello Tower | subdivision. Total amount of per- mits given was $82,875. | Other permits include: | R. Gomez, 715 Duval, bldg. and block wall, $700 Sofia Ferrer, 407 Catherine st., . | Poteh repair, $50 vee, egy fonny Von Phister, , $700 Gerald Sautiders, 1716 South st., hatiging sashes, #0 st., addi P. J. Ross, $81 Ui tion to font of $2,500 Mr. and Mrs. M ice, — Street, CBS residence, $8,- | George P. Bonemy, Simonton a, repair will and surface $75 | Fred Howland, ine., Front st., | Field office, $100 | Palm restuarant, 1604 Troman, — repairs to bidg. and bar pit, $200 Julia Dames, 404 Catherine st. , miner repairs, $100 ‘BEAR KILLED |AND SKUNK SPARED PENTICTON, Canede # — ton MeKay investigated sounds in his | back yard and Killed @ brown bear with a well-aimed shot. At the same time a skunk appeared on the scene but MeMiay remained newtral apt the skunk disappear WATERFRONT? Here are the 20 public and private owners of land afd bay | bottom extending frofn the Seaplane Bast to Stock Island. The numbers in the above map are keyed to the numbers below show- ing the owners, From left to right, they ate: 1. Garrison Bight shoreline from Sinclair Station (18) on the Boulevard to Hilton Haven (16) anid all of Gartisoh Bight bay bot- tom owned by City of Key West, except that noted Below, 2. The north and west shore line of the Bight is owned by the U.S. Navy. & Outlet for Sewage Sump. No. 2 up to Angela sttest owned by City. 4, Angela to Newton street waterfront, 160 feet along North Beach drive and 1869 feet into Bight including bay bottom, Mts. Mary M. Satcher. 5. Newton Street End, land and bay bottom, owned by City of Key West. ~ 6 From Newton, 84 feet, six inches, along N. Beach drive, owned by George Gomez. No bay bottom. 7. From middle of block through Petronia Street Bnd, @ dis- tance of 193 feet, six inches along N. Beach drive, Mrs. Margaret Mitchell, North Beach Inn. No bay bottom, 8. From Petronia to Pine street, 148 feet, six inches along N. Beach drive, and 189 feet into Garrison Bight, including bay bottém, owned by David Lord. 9. Pine Street End, land only, no bay bottom, Ralph G. Milner, 10, Pitie street, 74 fect to m' idle of block along N. Beach drive, owned by Taft Realty company, No bay bottom, ; 11. From middie of Petronia to Olivia street, 194 feet, three inches slong drive, owned by Peter Almer Knight estate, No bay bottom, includes Street Nnd of Olivia. 12. From Olivia, 78 feet, nine inches along drive, owned by Abe R. Wolkoff, seiling at present to Sally Rand. No bay bettom, 13. From middle of Olivia to Albury, 76 feet, nine ithéhes, owned by Commissioner Louis M. J. Eisner. No bay bottom, 3 14. Street End of Albury, 40 feet wide and land totaling 118 |feat, nine inehes along drive, owned by Virgil S. Lowe stéte, Né bay bottom. 15. To Roosevelt Boulevard, 78 feet, nine inches on drive, | Sitielair Refining company. No bay bottom. The City owns the waterfront along the boulevard until ,, 5 16. Hilton Haven, # 1790 foot by 200 foot spit of land fun. ning from the boulevard to the channel dividing it from | Base. owned by Catt Milton, for the most part. | Hilton owns 18 pareeis of and on this 200 foot strip, plus | setes of bay bottom, which are 872 feet by 460 feet on ae of the Maven strip. | Other land owners on Hilton Maven Edgar: Gilmore Jones, three-tenths of an | ttam J. Mutholiand; Mr. and Mrs. Irving Byster; jdt; De. Julio De Poo; Virgil Kidd; B. C. 7 Sw | Wiltiam Douglas. The latier owns one acre | feet by 108 on the north shore of Hilton Haven. 17. City of Key West swimming pool. 18 From swimming pool up to Sigebee Park reed, bay bottom, except for a 115 foot sirip between thie parcel, owned by Claude Gandolfo afd is the site of Chuck's Drive-In and Yachtel, 19. All bay bottom from the swimming | cept for the Gandelfo-Wileon treet up to (29) lida International Improvement Boned. : 20. Along the Boulevard in the curve eleven and one-half acres of bay botlem are ' Gotan. Of this 1.020 feet runt paraiiel with propery fune vp 16 the channel this side