Council Expected to Make Bat Tower Decision Tuesday

A decision on where the Temple Terrace Bat Tower will be placed is imminent.

The Temple Terrace City Council is scheduled to choose a site for the tower at its meeting Tuesday.

The three options are Riverhills Park near the tennis courts, the northern part of Scout Park, and Rotary Park near Fisherman’s Landing Apartments are the contenders.

City Manager Gerald Seeber said in an Aug. 14 memo to council members that city staff recommends:

• If the city wants to create a historical entryway marker that serves as a highly visible reminder of its past and the architectural significance of the original bat tower, then Rotary Park is the best location.

• If the city wants to create a visual reminder of its past while developing a low-key structure that serves as a more attractive and successful environment for bats, then Scout Park or Riverhills Park are the locations they should choose from.

City staff prefers the Scout Park site “from a recreational and maintenance perspective,” the memo states, and the Florida Bat Conservancy prefers either the Riverhills Park or Scout Park sites.

City council members will have the final say. They are not scheduled to take public comment before they make their decision. If you would like to share your thoughts with them, here are their email addresses:

• Robert Boss, rboss@templeterrace.com
• Alison Fernandez, afernandez@templeterrace.com
• David Pogorilich, dpogorilich@templeterrace.com
• Grant Rimbey, grimbey@templeterrace.com
• Eddie Vance, evance@templeterrace.com

See also:

• Meet One of the Bats That Would Live in the Temple Terrace Bat Tower
• Bat Tower Site Possibilities Narrowed Down
• How Many Bat Roosts Are on City Property?
• Preservation Society Withdraws Request to Build Bat Tower in Riverhills Park
• Bat Tower Plan for Riverhills Park Withdrawn: What People Are Saying
• Bat Tower to Rise in Riverhills Park
• Temple Terrace Bat Tower: What People Are Saying
• Bat Tower to Be Safe, Educational, Environmentally Friendly
• Supporters Attend Bat Tower Talk