Mayor to Attend Green Artery Meeting

Mayor Bob Buckhorn will be the featured speaker at this month's Green Artery meeting, to be hosted at 7 p.m. Aug. 31 by the Tampa Downtown Partnership at the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel, 111 W. Fortune Street.

The Green Artery is devoted to linking Central Tampa's green spaces. The organization, formerly known as the Tampa Greenspaces Initiative, is a group dedicated to identifying and improving Central Tampa's urban trails—bike lanes and pedestrian paths—to connect green spaces such as parks.

The organization was founded in 2010 and is based in Central Tampa's neighborhoods. The members are developing a map of walking and biking trails throughout the city. Each monthly meeting is held in a different neighborhood.

This month's agenda includes a presentation on “assets found in Tampa's central core.” A social hour will precede the meeting at 6 p.m.

Myron Griffin, co-chair of the organization, said this event will be unlike previous meetings, which focused on workshops and speakers as the project took shape.

“Now we've finally gotten the project to the point where we can put it in front of the mayor and city council,” said Griffin. “We will be asking the mayor for his support.”

Griffin said he hops the group can convince city leaders to lend support to the development of the network of trails.

“This could very well be an economic stimulus to Central Tampa,” said Griffin. He pointed out that economic development has taken place along the Pinellas Trail corridor since it was created.

“It's a recreational destination,” he said.

The Green Artery hopes to create something similar to the Pinellas Trail, but in a circular network around Central Tampa, linking city parks and green spaces around the Hillsborough River.

“These are green destinations that we hope to link safely and aesthetically,” said Griffin.