BELLEAIR — The Belleair Town Commission met for its regular monthly meeting March 12, and it was a bittersweet evening as the board bid farewell to departing Commissioner Coleen Chaney.
Chaney, who was first elected in 2021 and chose not to run for reelection this month, was recognized by Mayor Mike Wilkinson, who said he wanted to “acknowledge my esteemed colleague” in her final meeting as commissioner.
“I want to thank you very much for your service,” Wilkinson said prior to his commission report. “Our residents appreciate you, staff, and of course, all of us up here. It’s been a great time.”
“It’s been a ride!” Chaney replied before the mayor handed her a goodie bag that included a Belleair hat. Police Chief Rick Doyle gave Chaney a token of appreciation for her support of the BPD.
After accepting the gifts and several rounds of applause, Chaney made her last speech as a commissioner.
“I’ve enjoyed every minute of it,” she said. “It has been challenging, it’s been rewarding, and it’s been very, very educational.”
Chaney spoke about the journey the town has been on the last few years, relating it to the Keanu Reeves/Sandra Bullock movie “Speed,” with newly installed Town Attorney Tom Trask and Town Manager Gay Lancaster “jumping on to that speeding bus, and we survived. And we are slowly rolling to a stop. We’re more stable than I think we have been in many, many years, and to both of you, I am so grateful.”
She went on to thank Deputy Mayor Tom Shelly for his knowledge, insight and relationships with state and county officials and Mayor Wilkinson for his leadership. She said she was looking forward to the town’s direction under recently appointed commissioners Patricia Barris and Tom Kelly.
“I look forward to your leadership, and I’m sure that the town is in great hands,” Chaney said. “And I just want to say thank you to the residents who trusted me to do this.”
Chaney’s commission colleagues returned the kudos during their reports.
“Coleen, I wanted to say that I’ve enjoyed working with you and I appreciate the time and energy and all the extra effort you put into everything,” Shelly said. Chaney “asked a lot of good, important questions that helped us all. Thank you for your service. I’m sad to see you go.”
In other news
• Wilkinson announced the town has assembled a centennial advisory board in advance of the celebration of Belleair’s 100th birthday next year.
• Lancaster said the town would be hosting a public meeting related to the wells that need to be drilled for the new reverse osmosis plant. “We will be having a public information meeting when we have established the proposed well sites for the RO plant … so everyone can see what the footprint is going to look like and what the process will be,” she said. The four new well sites would be installed in public spaces. “So, we’re looking for the best and least-intrusive spots,” she said.
• The commission unanimously approved on second reading an ordinance amending the town’s schedule of fees, a housekeeping item that had previously been discussed and approved, according to Lancaster.
• The commission also unanimously agreed to approve a statewide mutual aid agreement that allows participating Sunshine State municipalities to share equipment and resources during a disaster.
• Public Relations Coordinator Amanda Oreskovich gave a presentation on the state of the town’s communications, earning praise for her work. “I just want to applaud the commissioners … for funding this position,” Chaney said of the spot that was designed to improve communication and transparency between Town Hall and Belleair residents. She said she has noticed “a tangible difference in communication” while thanking Oreskovich “for all your efforts.”
• At the beginning of the meeting, former Tampa Bay Newspapers executive editor and current part-time correspondent Tom Germond spoke on behalf of donating blood, a cause near and dear to his heart.
“As a self-appointed, unofficial ambassador of our nation’s blood banks, I’m standing here simply to encourage the good citizens of Belleair to give blood,” said Germond, a prolific donor who donated his 100th gallon of blood in August 2017. “Every 2-3 seconds, someone in the nation needs a blood transfusion. There is no substitute for blood. And you can’t do it online!”
