[CPEO-MEF] City finally owns Truman waterfront

[CPEO Moderator <cpeo@cpeo.org>]

[Florida]
City finally owns Truman waterfront
BY GINNY HALLER
keysnews.com

KEY WEST -- It is official. The U.S. Navy signed over the Truman
Waterfront property to the city of Key West just a few minutes after 5
p.m. Friday during transfer ceremonies at the Key West Custom House.

An imperceptible sigh of relief could be felt in the room, then a long
and sustained standing ovation took over after all the signatures were
on the documents. It has been a long time coming for the city to get the
nearly 33 acres and more than eight buildings at the Truman waterfront
abutting the Mole Pier, still owned by the Navy, which includes the
Outer Mole berth the city will continue to for cruise ship docking under
an agreement with the Navy.

In 1995, former President Bill Clinton accepted the Base Realignment and
Closure Commission's recommendation to get rid of all property not
"required to support its operational commitments."

That began years of negotiations that were set back after the events of
Sept. 11, 2001, when the Navy reconsidered because of heightened
security concerns. Then in May of 2002 it was back on again and the city
was ready to accept more than 70 percent of the Navy property.

"This is a glorious day for Key West," Mayor Jimmy Weekley said. "The
citizens have been looking forward to this day for a long time."

Weekley went on to say that the property will be an economic boon for
the city and that the open spaces it offers will add to the quality of
life for Key West residents and tourists alike.

This article can be viewed at:
http://keysnews.com/276390329638401.bsp.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~