A proposed fuel pipeline would run from Port of Tampa to Tampa International Airport cutting through many Tampa neighborhoods, including ours. We have not yet been contacted by the contractor Kinder Morgan. A public hearing will likely be held in the near future to inform the neighbors of the dangers (or lack thereof) surrounding such pipelines. HYNCA wants to make sure that the neighborhood’s interests are considered and that a plan is in place to mitigate the impact that the construction would have on many businesses on 15th St. 

Here is the story from the Tampa Tribune:

Jet Fuel Pipeline May Wind Into City

By MARK HOLAN The Tampa Tribune

Published: Sep 22, 2007

TAMPA - A proposed jet fuel pipeline cuts through several central city neighborhoods on its way to Tampa International Airport from the Port of Tampa.

Houston pipeline company Kinder Morgan has begun contacting neighborhood leaders in Ybor City, Tampa Heights, Old West Tampa and Northeast Macfarlane to brief them about the $25 million project.

"The route of the pipeline goes through your neighborhoods and we would like to help you understand the impact and scope of the project," wrote Harry Costello of the Hill & Knowlton public relations and marketing company.

A Kinder Morgan spokeswoman in Houston said the company is not ready to release maps of the proposed 9-mile route.

Project director Jacque Williams, however, sketched out most of the route in a phone interview Friday. He said the underground pipeline would:

•Exit the port near 19th Street and turn west on Adamo Drive before heading north near 15th Street to East Palm Avenue.

•Head west on Palm Avenue to North Boulevard, crossing underneath the Hillsborough River before jogging west between West Spruce and West Main streets.

•Turn north near North Himes Avenue to West Columbus Drive, entering TIA near the New York Yankees training facility.

The 8-inch pipeline would carry up to 1.26 million gallons of jet fuel a day. Williams anticipates construction will begin between February and April and take about six months.
Director Expects ‘Pretty Fast’ Construction

He said engineers are exploring where to dig 4-foot-deep trenches and where to use drilling techniques that allow longer sections of pipeline to be installed 20 feet or deeper.

"It’s very difficult in city streets because of the foreign utilities," such as water, sewer, electric and communications, Williams said.

"Everybody will have access to their property every night," he said. "Our construction is generally pretty fast. We don’t plan to have any open ditches for a very long time."

The pipeline requires right of way approval from the city, as well as state and federal regulatory permits. The city’s legal staff is negotiating a franchise agreement with Kinder Morgan for payments based on how much fuel is pumped through the pipeline.

"We can’t approve any right of way access without a franchise agreement in place," city public works Director Irvin B. Lee said.

City Councilwoman Mary Mulhern called on Thursday for city staff to brief the council on the project in two weeks.

Costello said he hopes to set a meeting with community leaders for the first week of October.

Neighborhood leaders who received Costello’s e-mail said they’re anxious to learn more.

"Everybody wants to know what this is all about," said Lena Young-Green, president of the Tampa Heights Civic Association.

The route sketched by Williams appears to run through The Heights of Tampa, a $500 million residential and retail development planned for Tampa Heights. Redevelopment projects also are under way in Ybor City and West Tampa.

The pipeline would compete with a 6-inch jet fuel pipeline that runs to TIA from Port Tampa near MacDill Air Force Base. The underground pipeline, which runs primarily along West Shore Boulevard, was installed in 1971 and carries up to 756,000 gallons daily.
Airlines Hope It Lowers Fuel Prices

A consortium of commercial airlines at TIA called for a second pipeline to reduce fuel prices, which they say have doubled since 2002, and to provide an alternative source in case of disruptions such as hurricanes.

Tampa International wants to expand its five- to seven-day airport storage supply and has plans for a $1.5 billion terminal within 10 years.

In April, Kinder Morgan announced plans to build the TIA pipeline and expand its Hooker’s Point storage tanks by about 45 percent. The company owns or operates more than 27,000 miles of pipelines and about 145 terminals.

Jet fuel is less volatile than gasoline, Williams said, and fuel pipelines must meet strict safety standards.

Last year, Kinder Morgan agreed to spend $90 million in safety upgrades in six Western states. The federal Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration found failures with the company’s monitoring.

Tampa Pipeline Corp., which operates the existing pipeline to TIA, has been warned or fined three times since 1998, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Reporter Jose Patino Girona contributed to this report. Reporter Mark Holan can be reached at (813) 835-2102 or mholan@tampatrib.com.

General Membership Meeting located at Rock & Sports @ 6:30pm

We are holding a crime watch meeting this Weds. at 6:30pm. Location TBA. Please call Jose @ 813-789-4252 for further details

Our next HYNCA General Meeting will be held Tuesday, Sept. 25, 6:30 p.m. at Rock N’ Sports located at the corner of 8th Ave. and 15th St.

See you all on Sept. 25!

Almost weekly we are seeing large fights outside Club Fuel. Two weekends ago, bouncers of the club became violent towards police trying to break up a large fight. Here are the police reports:

Friday August 24, 2007: The crowd seemed smaller than an average Friday night.  At approximately 3:00 AM, there was a large fight behind Club Fuel involving about 45 black males.  The fight apparently started inside of the club and spilled into the back parking lot.  Officers responded and had to use OC gas to break up the fight.  Some of the group became hostile towards the police and were identified to be bouncers from Club Fuel.  Two people were arrested after they became disorderly toward the police and refused to leave the area. Coincidentally they were identified as former bouncers from Club Fuel. 

Saturday August 25, 2007: It was an average size crowd for a Saturday night, with heavy rain earlier in the night.  At 3:30 AM, there was a DUI-crash involving Officer Sal Mazza and his horse.  Officer Mazza was handling a traffic congestion problem at 19th St & 7th Ave.  The driver of a Buick failed to see the officer and the horse and he drove directly into the officer and his horse.  Officer Mazza and the horse tumbled onto the hood of the Buick.  Officer Mazza and the horse suffered minor injuries.  The driver had a blood alcohol level of .21.

September is turning out to be a very active month. Labor Day weekend saw some news-making incidents including a high-speed car chase ending in Plant City and reports of an assault rifle being waved out of a car! Here are the police reports:

Friday August 31, 2007: Officers received a call from a parking lot attendant in regards to a subject riding in a vehicle eastbound on E. 7th Avenue at N. 20th Street, waiving an assault rifle out of a car window.  Officers located the vehicle abandoned, but did recover the assault rife from inside of the car.  The vehicle was not reported stolen. This case has been referred to detectives for further investigation.

Saturday September 1, 2007: Three black male suspects approached a victim near E. 6th Ave & N. 20th Street, while displaying a firearm and demanding the victim’s property. The victim grabbed the gun from the suspect and they struggled over the firearm.  During the struggle, a shot was fired.  The suspects then ran towards and entered a blue Buick and fled the scene in this car.  A police officer had heard the gun shot and was in the area with other officers investigating the shots fired when they located the Buick and the victim.  The suspects refused to stop for police and a vehicle pursuit was initiated.  The pursuit ended in Plant City with the arrest of two of the three suspect

We urge you to become involved with our crime watch. Our first meeting this Weds the 19th 6:30pm in Rock and Sports.  For questions please call Jose at 789-4252

One of the items our neighbors had requested for the 2007 TIF budget was the construction of brick crosswalks. Many of the heavily transited intersections will be adorned with the crosswalks. Not only will they serve as traffic calming devices but are a great way to improve the look of the streets. Here is the notice from the YCDC:

Beginning Tuesday, September 4, 2007, Kimmins Contracting Corporation will begin work constructing a brick street crosswalk at the intersection of 7th Avenue and 15th Street. During construction, 15th Street will be closed for approximately one week, with 7th Avenue remaining open. 7th Avenue will then be closed for approximately one week, with 15th Street remaining open while the original brick (not faux) is laid on both sides. This is the first crosswalk of several that will soon be constructed in the Ybor District Residential neighborhoods. Wednesday, August 28, 2007, the alley improvement with brick aprons between 18th and 19th Streets, south side of 7th Avenue was completed. This was the last of 6 alleys with brick aprons that have been improved in the district with CRA 1 TIF $$$. In addition, a dumpster pad and curb improvement was completed in City Parking Lot #5. Three medians will be removed on and 7th Avenue and 20th Street prior to the fall festival season. For further information, please contact the Ybor City Development Corporation at (813) 274-7936.