What a week!  Now that we are finally starting to dry out a bit, we can get on with other things.

The Sims Park project is starting to take shape.  If you stand in front of the Business Incubator, you can see where Grand Blvd will be once the dust settles.  The road work is supposed to be done in just over a month.

We made it through the last of the budget presentations last week.  Two of the items on last week’s agenda stick out:

There is a recommendation that the city increase its Main Street budget to hire a Main Street coordinator.  As I mentioned last week, the grant we had been providing the Main Street group was simply inadequate for them to do more than barely survive.   Without the need to try to pay staff, the volunteers can now concentrate on things besides fund raising.

Related  to ramping up the Main Street program is putting some serious money into a fund for business improvement grants.  The grants will be available to businesses throughout the city, not just in the downtown.  Combine this with the residential grant program and I believe we’ve got the basis to remake New Port Richey into what it should be.

There is no city council meeting this week, but there will be a public forum on Thursday evening at 7pm to talk about proposals to try to address the mess that is parking in the residential areas of town.  The forum will be held at the New Port Richey Public Library and you are invited.  We’ll have additional meetings on each of the next two weeks as well.  Next week’s meeting will be at the Rec. Center and the week after will be at Gulf High.

The really big news this week is that the Market off Main is going to relocate into the old Cafe Grand building on Grand Boulevard.  The target date is September 1st.  Carolyn and I talked to Jerry and Rose Friday night when we had dinner at the Market.  They are both quite excited.  They will have a coffee shop with an expanded dessert and ice cream selection.  They are promising to keep all of the menu items we’ve grown to love (eg.  the items that came from Juan’s Black Bean Deli), along with some new additions.  Given the mess that will be coming next door to their current location as the old Spoonbills is demolished to make way for a Beef O Brady’s , I’m glad they snagged the Cafe Grand location.

Johnny Grits and Cornerstone Pizza should be opening within the next week or so.  They are currently hiring.  I can hardly wait for them to open.

The Bank Street Coffee shop is also getting closer to opening every time I peek in the door.  The current estimate is some time in September.

Ottaway’s Parkside Ice Cream Parlor next door to Bank Street Coffee also appears close to opening.

Just for good measure, there is now serious talk about a new Italian restaurant coming to town.

Add these to our existing restaurants, Boulevard Beef & Ale, Jimmy’s, Christina’s, the Thai Bistro, the Dulcet,  and  Estela’s and there is absolutely no reason NOT to come downtown when you get hungry or simply want a good cup of coffee.

All this talk about food and I’m getting hungry for supper.

I’ll close by explaining the title of this week’s NPR Note.  “Etc” is an accepted abbreviation for the Latin et cetera.

In this week’s context though, it stands for the Navy’s Electronic Technician Chief.    Congratulations to New Port Richey’s own  ET Chief Select Steven Marlowe on being chosen by the Navy’s selection board for advancement.  Your mom and I couldn’t be more proud of you.

Rob Marlowe, Mayor