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Community Corner

Project Aims To Reconstruct Temple Terrace Bat Tower

A new site plan has been submitted to the land owner for approval.

Temple Terrace is home to about 24,000 people, and it could also be home to 750,000 bats once the city’s new bat tower is built.

“The point of it right now is kind of to give Temple Terrace back part of its history,” said Grant Rimbey, chairman of the Bat Tower Committee, a non-profit group that wants to rebuild the city’s landmark.

Temple Terrace’s original bat tower was built in 1924 along the banks of the Hillsborough River behind what is now 933 Riverhills Drive. Temple Terrace developers cleared the land for the structure. Arsonists burned it down in 1979.

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It is unclear if bats ever lived in the original tower or any of the 14 towers constructed in the world using the same specifications.

Dr. Charles Campbell, an early pioneer of bat studies, designed these towers. Only three Campbell towers still exist. One is in the Florida Keys, and two are in Texas.

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It was hoped the towers would serve as roosts for bats that would eat the mosquitos that caused malaria and reduce the pesticide load.

“It was kind of a green and sustainable thing in the 20s, and its going to be that again,” Rimbey said.

The committee didn’t consider rebuilding the tower in its original location because the structure can hold 750,000 bats. Riverhills Drive residents probably wouldn’t welcome that many flying neighbors, Rimbey explained.

The committee first chose Riverfront Preserve as the reconstruction site, but when experts George and Cynthia Marks of the Florida Bat Conservancy visited the area, they said the preserve was too heavily wooded.

Bat houses should be located at least 10 feet above the ground and should be exposed to sunlight much of the day, they said.

Bats tend to roost near bodies of water where their food is often found, according to the Florida Bat Conservancy. They like snug, warm places to sleep during the day.

So, Bat Tower Committee members, representatives from the Temple Terrace Parks and Recreation Department, and George and Cynthia Marks, toured alternate tower sites in March.

The group agreed on a piece of property owned by Southwest Florida Management District (SWFWMD).

The site is located on Harney Road across from the Temple Terrace Dog Park. Rimbey said it offers the needed visibility and access and suitability for bats.

Rimbey, an architect and Temple Terrace resident, drew up the proposed site plan. Measurements were taken from the remains of the original tower and from a tower on Sugarloaf Key in Monroe County.

The new tower’s exterior will be identical to the original: 10 feet wide at the base and 40 feet from the ground to the top of the roof ridge.

The interior will be changed, based on input from George and Cynthia Marks. The new roost plywood slats will be a snug three-quarters-of-an-inch apart. The original lathe slats were twice that far apart.

Dana Carver, of Temple Terrace Parks and Recreation, presented the site plan to SWFWMD.

Rimbey said the committee hopes for SWFWMD’s approval this fall.

George and Cynthia Marks will conduct a bat survey at the new site after approval is received, Rimbey explained. They will use echo devices that can detect sounds unheard by the human ear and verify the presence of bats.

“We’re ready to begin phase one, once we receive approval,” Rimbey said. “That will be the concrete base and legs. We’ve raised approximately $15,000, which will cover funding for this first phase.”

The Florida Bat Conservancy is providing plans to folks interested in a community bat roost, which would house approximately 1,000 bats. Rimbey designed this smaller roost and said he hopes one will be located in Riverfront Park.

According to the Florida Bat Conservancy, the most successful bat house in Florida, is located at the University of Florida (UF) in Gainesville. The UF bat house is home to more than 100,000 Florida bats. Most of these are free-tailed bats, but evening bats and southeastern myotis also use the large bat condo.

The Temple Terrace Bat Tower Committee is looking for corporate and business sponsors for donations, equipment, materials and/or labor. Tax-deductible check donations can be sent to the Temple Terrace Preservation Society, referenced for the bat tower project, addressed to Al Latina, 7002 Doreen Street, Tampa, FL  33617.

The Temple Terrace Preservation Society is dedicating its general meeting on Sept. 1 to the bat tower effort. The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. at the Temple Terrace Community Church Parrish Hall, 210 Inverness Road. George and Cynthia Marks will be there with their live bats. Meetings are free and open to the public.

For more information on the project, call Temple Terrace Preservation Society President Tim Lancaster at 813-985-3594 or e-mail him at tim@lancasterdesign.biz.

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