The Clearwater Community Sailing Center
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OCTOBER / 2014 ISSUE 29 P h o t o b y B e l l e a i r I m a g e s . c o m THE CLEARWATER COMMUNITY SAILING CENTER The genesis of the Clearwater Community Sailing Center on Clearwater when the Clearwater Optimist Club ceased to Sand Key began back in the 1950s when the Clearwater exist. A group of young sailor’s parents supervised the Optimist Club was given permission to store a fast growing faces and other activities. fleet of Optimist Prams in an old fish processing plant on Clearwater, the birth place of the now internationally the east end of Bay Esplanade, on Clearwater Beach. popular Opti Pram, was in danger of not having its own The Pram, a newly created sailboat designed especially for fleet. Fortunately, in 1964, a sailing organization children, was so popular that the Optimist fleet soon composed of local sailors, formed calling themselves numbered over thirty boats with scores of children eagerly Windjammers. This group sponsored a variety of area joining the Optimist Club's program and learning to sale sailing activities including classes for young sailors. In 1986, and race the little craft. the Windjammers petitioned the Clearwater City When a few years later, the old wooden building burned, Commission for the use of some acreage, immediately along with all of the little boats in it, the people of the south of the Sand Key Bridge, as a sailing center. They had community rapidly donated sufficient funds to build a new, raised $3,600 for the Center by holding an auction and the cement block "Pram Shed" on the site, with adequate space City agreed to allow them to use the property. Windjammer for the boats and additional room for a future recreation sailing activities were conducted on the site from then on, center. This building is now the Clearwater Beach Recreation providing an impetus for expansion of the organization. Center and Library. In 1987, fund raising began in earnest for the Clearwater For years the Optimist Club members conducted pram Community Sailing Center. A fundraiser, generously classes and races in Clearwater Bay, behind the Center. As supported by Carlisle Motors in Clearwater and called the the area developed however, more large boats were using Carlisle Classic, was responsible for providing the the area and high rise buildings were blocking the wind, Windjammers with a beginning sum of $30,000 to be used making sailing in the area more challenging and less safe as seed money for the building of the Center. Future for the young skippers. Carlisle Classics and other programs helped the Windjammers to continue to financially support the Center. Meantime, a bridge to Sand Key island had been built and the development of that island began. The Optimist Pram With the evidence of real interest on the part of the Fleet, which had flourished under the direction of the Clearwater sailing community urging them on, the Optimist Club, was left in the hands of the City of Clearwater City Commission, in 1990, voted to spend $300,000 to build a two-story building on the Center property on Sand Key. The funds for the new center building came from development impact fees, donations from the local sailing community, and recreation facility impact fees. L F , g r u b s r e t e P t S Documents from 1990 indicate that the City officials 8 0 0 4 . o N t i m r e P D I A P expected an operating budget of approximately $65,000 E G A T S O P S U with about $15,000 income from launching fees and other D T S charges. D E T R O S E R P t n e d i s e R t n e r r u C r O By Anne McKay Garris , Historian Continued inside CLEARWATER BEACH NEWSLETTER LITTLE LEAGUE CREDITS CITY NUMBERS John Murphy . 813-486-4430 ROTARY, Clearwater Beach meets every CITY HALL 562-4250 Thursday, 12:15pm at Carlouel Yacht Club 112 S. Osceola Avenue www.clearwater-fl.com John Funk . 599-3864 CLEARWATER BEACH ASSOCIATION MAYOR OFFICE . 562-4050 Wendy Hutkin, President . 216-3274 MAYOR - George N. Cretekos - Seat 1 CLEARWATER GARDEN CLUB CITY COUNCIL . 562-4042 Alice Jarvis . 391-3066 This newsletter is published by Doreen Hock-DiPolito (Vice-Mayor)- Seat 2 Jay Polglaze - Seat 3 Bill Jonson - Seat 4 SAND KEY CIVIC ASSOCIATION GRIFFIN PRODUCTIONS, Inc. and is Hoyt Hamiliton - Seat 5 Meets first Wednesdays each month at the mailed to every occupied residence CITY MANAGER . 562-4040 Clearwater Community Sailing Center in Clearwater Beach’s zip code William Horne Arlene Musselwhite, President 644-7524 33767. We are not associated with ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER . 562-4040 ISLAND ESTATES CIVIC ASSOCIATION the City of Clearwater. BUILDING PERMITS . 562-4558 Mary Lau, President . 813-335-6770 PUBLISHER HUMAN RESOURCES . 562-4870 www.MyIslandEstates.org ISLAND ESTATES WOMEN'S CLUB Bob & Becky Griffin PLANNING & ZONING . 562-4567 PUBLIC SERVICES . 562-4950 Marie Wadsworth, President . 447-7182 ART DIRECTION PUBLIC UTILITIES . 562-4600 FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY Becky Griffin PUBLIC UTILITIES EMERGENCY462-6633 Anne Garris . 446-4410 SALES CLEARWATER GAS. 562-4980 CLEARWATER HISTORICAL SOCIETY Bill Wallace, President . 446-2676 727-517-1997 SOLID WASTE . 562-4920 ------------------------------------------------- PIER 60 . 462-6466 PINELLAS COUNTY INFO . 464-3000 CONTACT INFO MARINA. 462-6954 P.O. Box 1314 COMMISSION OFFICES. 464-3000 BEACH REC CENTER . 462-6138 Susan Latvala, Beach/Island Estates 464-3276 Indian Rocks Beach, Fl 33785 BEACH LIBRARY . 462-6138 Karen Seel, Sand Key. 464-3278 517 -1997 ~ 517 -1 998 FAX VISITOR INFO CENTER . 442-3604 STATE: BeachNewsletters.com BEACH AQUATIC FACILITY . 462-6020 Senator Jack Latvala . 727-793-2797 POLICE NON-EMERGENCY. 562-4242 Republican, District 20 We’d like to hear from you. Is there FIRE DEPARTMENT . 562-4334 26133 Hwy 19 N., Ste 201, Clearwater something you would like to see POLICE HOTLINE. 562-4080 [email protected] NEIGHBORHOOD LIAISON . 562-4554 Representative Larry Ahern 727-395-2512 included in this newsletter? Tell us ------------------------------------------------- what you think at CHAMBER OF COMMERCE . 447-7600 Republican, District 66 333 South Gulfview Blvd, Clearwater Beach 8383 Seminole Blvd, Suite B, Seminole [email protected] POST OFFICE ISLAND ESTATES449-8732 [email protected] SAND KEY PARK . 588-4852 Governor Rick Scott © 2014 Griffin Productions, Inc. Shelter Reservations,PinellasCounty.org/park [email protected] MARINE AQUARIUM . 441-1790 FLORIDA UNITED STATES SENATORS: 249 Windward Passage, Island Estates Marco Rubio . 202-224-3041 CLEARWATER SAILING CTR . 517-7776 www.Rubio.Senate.gov 1001 Gulf Blvd, Sand Key Bill Nelson . 202-224-5274 CLEARWATER BEACH JOLLEY TROLLEY . 445-1200 www.BillNelson.Senate.gov NEIGHBORHOOD NEWSLETTER 483 Mandalay Avenue, Suite 213 AREA UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE: CLEARWATER YACHT CLUB. 447-6000 David Jolly. 727-392-4100 This is our 29th Clearwater Beach 830 Bayway Blvd South 9210 113th St, Seminole, Fl 33772 Neighborhood Newsletter. We started CARLOUEL HOMEOWNERS ASSN www.house.gov/jolley this publication in December of 2009. Kris Hampsey, President . 441-4188 You will find articles and local information about the Beach area CALENDAR OF LOCAL EVENTS inside. We call it a Neighborhood NOVEMBER Heritage Village Trees Traditions Opens 28 Newsletter because it is primarily Property Tax Bills Mailed 1 Hurricane Season Ends 30 about your neighborhood, Clearwater The Clearwater Challenge Regatta 1 DECEMBER Clearwater Historical Society Fish Fry 1 Beach Chamber Annual Breakfast 2 Beach. It is mailed it to the entire zip City Garage Sale Belleair Beach 1 Official Christmas Tree Lighting 5 code of 33767 including Island Estates Daylight Savings Time Ends 2 Miracle on Cleveland Street 5 and Sand Key . Election Day 4 Blast Friday 5 We want your input. How did you like Taste of IRB 8 Post Office Toys for Tots 6 this issue? What suggestions do you Visit Egmont Key Day 8-9 Holiday Home Tour Heritage Village 7 Christmas Under the Oaks 9 CBA Holiday Party Rec Center 12 have for future issues and articles? Tri Rock Triathlon 9 Island Estates Lighted Boat Parade 14 We hope you enjoy this newsletter. We Veteran’s Day 11 Gift & Plant Sale Botanical Gardens 15 call it a “Neighborhood Newsletter” Farm Day at Heritage Village 14 Hanukkah Begins 16 because it is about Clearwater Beach, RibFest St Petersburg 14-16 CBA Christmas Caroling 18 your neighborhood. It is mailed to Suncoast Dixieland Jazz Classic 14-16 Indian Rocks Lighted Boat Parade 20 about 5,000 households and includes Carlisle Classic Regatta 14-16 Winter Begins 21 Island Estates and Sand Key. We Manatee Season Begins 15 Public School Close for Holidays 22 publish this edition six times a year. America Recycles Day 15 Holiday Camps Open 22 Beaujolas Day 20 Kwanzaa Begins 26 Call or email us, Great American Teach In 20 BitCoin St Pete Bowl 26 Bob & Becky Griffin, Mayor’s Annual Prayer Breakfast 20 Blast Friday 26 727-517-1997 Festival of Trees 21-23 Dog Parade Botanical Gardens 28 [email protected] Public Schools Closed 24-28 Outback Bowl on the Beach 29 Thanksgiving 27 Heritage Village Trees & Traditions Closes 31 SEE YOU AGAIN IN DECEMBER! Turkey Trot Run 27 Fireworks at Sand Key Park 31 CLEARWATER BEACH NEWSLETTER CLEARWATER BEACH NEWSLETTER HOLIDAYD BOiAdT You Know... PARADE The 2014 Memorial Holiday Boat Parade, organized by the Island Estates Yacht Club, is scheduled for Saturday, December 13th beginning at 6:30pm. There will be a captain’s meeting Thursday 6:30 pm, December 11th, at the Clearwater Yacht Club. The Island Estates Yacht Club Boat Parade is one of the largest and most popular marine events in the Clearwater area and will be celebrating its 40th year.