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Land O' Lakes News

A trip to Ireland helps to inspire a 17-year-old in Land O’ Lakes

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Amanda Finn would be the first to admit she’s more than a wee bit shy.

But, the young woman from Land O’ Lakes said that a trip to Ireland last summer has helped to build her confidence, and now, the teenager is off on her second trip to the Emerald Isle.

She won scholarships both last year and this year for the summer leadership camp in Galway through her participation in the Florida Junior Rose of Tralee program.

Seventeen-year-old Amanda Finn has won two trips to Ireland, and hopes to make another trip to the Emerald Isle and then onto India in the spring. She said she also wants to raise money for a scholarship so another young woman can travel to Ireland next year. (B.C. Manion)

The program promotes Irish culture and involves an annual international competition in Ireland, where the Rose of Tralee is selected at a festival held at the town of Tralee in County Kerry.

This year, the Land O’ Lakes teenager was the first recipient of the Cara Loughran Memorial Scholarship, created in honor of the young woman who lost her life during the Valentine’s Day shooting spree at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

The 17-year-old Finn said one of her goals during the coming year is to raise money to support a second scholarship, to provide the opportunity for another young woman to take part in the leadership camp in Ireland.

Finn, who is a member of the Irish Young American Leaders, said her trip to Ireland last year gave her a chance to explore the way of life in another country, and also helped her to become more outgoing.

The leadership camp offered the chance to learn about Irish history, sample Irish foods and dip into the country’s culture, she said.

During last year’s travels, she learned about international trade issues involving Ireland and America; she visited EA Games, a company where computer games are produced; and she spent some time doing volunteer work at a mental health home for adults.

The group also met the Mayor of Galway and spent time with some high school students who were preparing to compete at the International Science Fair in America.

They also visited a farm where they observed how a typical Irish family spends a Sunday afternoon. And, they listened to live music and tasted traditional Irish stew.

Other parts of the trip included hiking Croagh Patrick and riding bikes around the Aran Islands.

Not only was last year’s trip the young woman’s first international foray, it was the first time she boarded an airplane.

The airplane trip was just her first encounter with many unfamiliar experiences, but Finn said she wanted the chance to learn new things, and the trip fulfilled that desire.

She also had a chance to see some Irish countryside, while traveling down narrow roads.

“We went up some mountains. They were very narrow. We were in a gigantic bus. It was so scary,” she said. “We (passengers) were holding onto each other.”

Her host family provided many American foods, but they also made brown bread and scones every day, Finn said. She also noted that she drank lots of tea, but no coffee.

“So, she did get a little spoiled because for the first two weeks after she came back, she asked for scones every morning,” said Tina Finn, her mom.

She said the trip to Ireland was a wonderful experience for her daughter, in many ways.

“She learned to be on her own and to be assertive in asking for things.

“Since we’ve been doing college visits, we’ve been flying around. I don’t have to tell her what to do. She knows what to do,” Tina Finn said.

After returning from this trip, the teenager, who will be a senior in Pasco eSchool this fall, plans to be busy working on two fundraisers. One would support the trip to Ireland for another young woman.

The second is raise $3,000 to support a trip she wants to take back to Ireland, then to India, in the spring.

Initially, she would be part of a group learning first-aid skills in Ireland, then they would travel to India where they would work to help children living on the streets and in slums in India, and poor families, too.

“It’s to promote immediate and lasting change in their lives,” the young woman said, noting a portion of the time would be spent in a hospital, which would be excellent experience for her because she aspires to become a midwife.

To find out more about the Florida Rose of Tralee, visit the group’s website at FloridaRoseofTralee.com.

Want to help?
If you would like to help Amanda Finn raise money so she can take a trip to Ireland and India in the spring to help the underprivileged in India, or if you would like to help support a scholarship so another young woman can travel to Ireland next summer, please email Amanda Finn at

Published July 18, 2018

New and renovated schools planned

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The Pasco County School Board received an overview last week on projects planned to construct, renovate, expand and repair schools across the district.

They also heard a wrap-up on projects in progress or finished this year.

The presentation, by Chris Williams, director of planning services and Olga Swinson, chief finance officer, came as the district prepares to vote on a final capital construction budget in September.

Numerous projects are underway or planned in communities across central and east Pasco County.

Major milestones this past year have included:

  • Beginning the design of the Cypress Creek Middle School
  • Finishing the site development for Starkey K-8, as well as designing that faciilty
  • Replacing the roof at Denham Oaks.
  • Continuing work on massive renovations at Land O’ Lakes High School and Woodland Elementary, and adding capacity to both locations
  • Purchasing 30 cng buses and five diesel buses, and 35 radios
  • Purchasing more than 8,000 computer and laptops, and more than 2,400 iPads

Major projects planned for 2018-2019:

  • Beginning a major overhaul at Zephyrhills High School, which includes adding capacity
  • Continuing the Land O’ Lakes High and Woodland Elementary projects
  • Beginning construction of Cypress Creek Middle School
  • Continuing design of Starkey K-8
  • Working with the Pasco County library system on the Starkey Library/Theater design
  • Purchasing 40 diesel buses, 40 radios and several fleet trucks and service vehicles
  • Purchasing more than 7,000 computers and laptops and about 1,290 iPads.

As the district continues to build, it also continues to grow, Williams said.

Here’s a look at the renovation project that is giving a new look to Woodland Elementary School, and expanding its capacity. (File)

The big question is which areas will grow at the fastest pace, requiring new schools first, the planning director said.

He gave board members an overview of the current situation.

Odessa Elementary is projected to be at 114 percent, Williams said, adding that he expects relief for that school to come when Starkey K-8 opens, which is scheduled for 2021.

“I’m also concerned about Connerton (Elementary). They’re projected to be at 944 students this coming year, or 124 percent of capacity,” he said.

The district has opened up some additional seats at Sanders Memorial Elementary STEAM Magnet School, giving applications from Connerton students a higher priority, Williams said, so hopes that will help reduce Connerton’s enrollment.

School board member Colleen Beaudoin also suggested the district do more to advertise Pine View Elementary School’s candidacy program for the IB Primary Years Programme.

Some students might choose to attend Pine View, if the families knew about that program, she said.

“Pine View and Connerton are so close. Maybe some families might want to get into that (IB) pipeline,” Beaudoin said.

In Wesley Chapel, there are some schools near the new Union Park Charter Academy that are over capacity, but Williams expects the charter school to have significant impact on enrollment at nearby schools.

“Union Park is up to 483 students,” Williams noted.

In addition to affecting elementary enrollments, it also will affect middle schools because the charter school is for kindergarten through eighth grade students.

Meanwhile, in Zephryhills, Woodland Elementary School’s enrollment is well over capacity, but the district is adding capacity at the school as part of the current renovation, Williams added.

The district expects to increase its middle school capacity with the opening of Cypress Creek Middle in 2020 and with the opening Starkey K-8 in 2021.

When Cypress Creek Middle opens, it will help to relieve crowding at Wiregrass Ranch, which is projected to be at 139 percent of its capacity.

Here’s what the common area will look like when the Land O’ Lakes High School project is finished. (File)

When the middle school opens, Cypress Creek High’s capacity will increase substantially.

The district also is hoping to open an East Side Technical High School in 2022, which will affect enrollments at high schools on the east side of the county, Williams said.

Williams said Central Pasco’s growth does pose challenges.

“Sunlake High School is of concern because it still continues to grow,” he said.

The district has a future high school in the Bexley area, as well as the Starkey area, Williams said.

“We have to continue to evaluate when it makes sense to try to add additional capacity,” he added.

The district’s construction needs and maintenance needs continue to grow, but it doesn’t have the revenues to match the needs, Swinson said, forcing the district to put off projects that are needed because it doesn’t have the money.

Projected revenues for capital purposes remain lower than they were in 2007-2008, she said.

Major projects for 2018-2019:

  • Beginning renovation at Zephyrhills High School: Includes massive overhaul, as well as adding capacity.
  • Continuing major renovations at Land O’ Lakes High and Woodland Elementary
  • Starting construction on Cypress Creek Middle School
  • Continuing Starkey K-8 design
  • Working with the Pasco County library system on the Starkey Library/Theater design
  • Purchasing 40 diesel buses, 40 radios and several fleet trucks and service vehicles
  • Purchasing more than 7,000 computers and laptops, and about 1,290 iPads.

More programs, initiatives, on tap at PHSC, provost says

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Pasco-Hernando State College — which recently has been recognized as one of the top schools in the nation for its return on educational investment — continues to add new programs and initiatives.

That was the message that Dr. Stan Giannet, the college’s provost, delivered to a crowd at a recent Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce breakfast at the Golden Corral.

Pasco-Hernando State College provost Dr. Stan Giannet was the featured guest speaker at the Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce July 5 monthly breakfast meeting at Golden Corral. He discussed some of the new programs and initiatives the state college has in the works.
(Kevin Weiss)

The state college received notification from the Department of Education last month that it was one of the top schools for affordability in bachelor’s degree programs.

And, earlier this year, WalletHub, a national economic magazine, ranked PHSC among the top three community colleges in the nation for return on educational investment, out of more than 800 candidate schools. The WalletHub study took into account student learning outcomes plus the cost.

“We’re a major state power in higher education,” said Giannet, who has been at PHSC for more than 27 years.

Giannet, also PHSC’s vice president of academic affairs, said the college has “exceeded every metric” from employability, to test score passage rates in workforce programs — suggesting over 95 percent of PHSC students who graduate with associate of science degrees or receive technical certificates find employment in their chosen career field.

“There’s nothing worse for a college to do than to have a degree program where students invest money, invest time, get out in the workforce and (find) they’re not employable in the industry or the career of their choice. We don’t have that,” he said.

The state college provides training for more than 30 careers in business, health, industry and technology, and public service through new bachelor’s degree, Associate in Science degree and certificate programs.

And, while he’s proud of the institution’s growth and achievements over time, the college has much more on tap, Giannet said.

The state college has more than 15,000 students and 500 faculty and staff members across its five full-service campuses in Brooksville, Dade City, New Port Richey, Spring Hill and Wesley Chapel.

Giannet told the crowd: “We have a lot of things in the pipeline.”

The state college is building a $15.5 million performing arts instructional center, expected to be complete by Aug. 2020.

The facility will be built on a 5.5-acre tract of land donated by Pasco County Schools on the campus of Cypress Creek Middle High School, off Old Pasco Road in Wesley Chapel.

Expanding its program and degree offerings
The state college plans to develop an Associate’s of Science degree in digital design and graphic multi-media technologies, and, Associate’s of Arts degrees in dance, music, and theatre. Several accompanying technical certificate programs also will be offered through the arts center.

The arts center will be shared with Pasco County Schools, and will be a venue for various community events.

“It’s going to be fantastic,” Giannet said.

The college also is working on other degree offerings, he said.

Pasco-Hernando State College boasts 5,000-plus students and 500 faculty members and staffers across five full-service campuses in Brooksville, Dade City, New Port Richey, Spring Hill and Wesley Chapel. (File)

The college offers two four-year degree programs currently, and is working to identify a third, Giannet said. The current four-year degrees, introduced in 2014, are for a bachelor of science in nursing and a bachelor of applied science in supervision and management. The college also is working with the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office to develop an A.S. degree in crime scene technology and forensics.

That program will likely be offered at the Dade City campus, with clinical training opportunities at the Adam Kennedy Forensics Field “body farm” on the grounds of the Pasco Sheriff’s detention facility in Land O’ Lakes.

The college also is gearing up for several contract and corporate workforce training programs that are set to come online.

Among them are a 911 training program for the Hernando Sheriff’s Office; a child protection services leadership program for the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office; a medical scribe exclusive online training program; and, a childhood education certification program for the Pasco and Hernando school districts.

Elsewhere, PHSC is expanding its welding technology program to the west side of the county.

The welding program has been offered on the Dade City campus.

Now, Giannet said night classes will be available Marchman Technical College in New Port Richey, thanks to a developmental partnership between the college and Pasco County Schools.

That expansion is much needed due to an increased demand for certified welders and lack of programming the county’s west side, the provost said.

“We have a huge waiting list for welding on this (east) side of the county,” Giannet said. Our welders, when they graduate from our college, they’re snatched up by the industry. “It’s a win-win situation for our community,” he added.

Giannet also talked about the college’s new aviation program, which debuted last year.

The college offers four aviation-related associate degree programs — professional pilot technology, aviation administration, aviation maintenance administration, and unmanned vehicle systems.

Several PHSC students have already become certified pilots — including a female pilot in what is “a traditionally male-dominated industry,” Giannet noted.

He expects the program to skyrocket in the coming years.

“Aviation is going to be the hottest industry in the nation, with the impending shortage and retirement of all these aviation professionals…so we’re really excited for that program,” the provost said.

The college is next looking to create more aviation partnership, with facilities such as the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport.

It already has an existing partnership with American Aviation Flight Academy, at the Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport, he said.

Published July 11, 2018

 

 

Digital billboard lights up Land O’ Lakes

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The digital age of outdoor advertising is coming to central Pasco.

Motorists may be familiar with a two-sided “Tri-Vision” billboard on U.S. 41, north of State Road 54. The Champion Outdoor billboard flips through a trio of advertisements on each side, as slats rotate and marketing messages change.

But, the area’s first digital billboard is being installed on the west side of the apex where Dale Mabry Highway and U.S. 41 meet, in front of the WalMart Super Store, according to county permitting records.

Workers are installing a digital billboard for Clear Channel Outdoor at 1714 Dale Mabry Highway, in front of a Walmart Super Store.
(Kathy Steele)

Thousands of motorists pass through the juncture at North Dale Mabry Highway and U. S. 41 daily, making it a prime site for outdoor advertisers.

The location is one of four digital locations in Pasco County planned by Clear Channel Outdoor, Inc. as the company moves ahead on the digital campaign it began about nine months ago in the county.

Another location in central Pasco is slated for digital at 6027 Wesley Grove Blvd., in Wesley Chapel.

Activity in west Pasco also is changing the billboard landscape.

Permits for demolition of several static billboards and installation of two digital billboards happened in 2017 at 2310 U.S. 19 in Holiday, and on State Road 54, east of Little Road, in New Port Richey, according to county records.

A representative of Clear Channel couldn’t be reached for comment.

The Pasco County Commission approved an ordinance in early 2017 to allow permitting of new billboards as part of a strategy to reduce visual blight on the county’s major corridors. Until then, a ban on new billboards had been in effect for about 17 years.

Outdoor advertising representatives lobbied for the ordinance, which allowed new billboards and established rules for converting static to digital billboards. Provisions also were included for Tri-Vision billboards.

It took nearly two years of negotiations to strike that bargain.

County representatives wanted to eliminate a glut of static billboards dotting the roadways, including those in disrepair. Outdoor advertising representatives wanted to get their digital messages in front of passing motorists.

Clear Channel, OUTFRONT Media and The Champion Family of Companies participated in crafting the ordinance.

So far, Clear Channel in its agreement with Pasco has removed about 8,220 square feet of static billboard advertising. During the next months, another approximately 8,220 square feet will be taken down by Clear Channel, according to data provided by Pasco County.

The ordinance targeted billboards on major roadways including segments of State Road 54, U.S. 41, U.S 19, State Road 52 and Interstate 75.

A cap permits a maximum of 37 digital billboards in the county, with more digital allowed in some areas than others.

County officials estimated about 190 static billboards would be eliminated through the new regulations.

Some sites are off limits to digital including The Heart of Land O’ Lakes Vision Plan, Connerton New Town, the Villages of Pasadena Hills Stewardship District, and the State Road 52 gateway into Dade City.

Published July 11, 2018

Love of community, and chamber, inspires honorary mayor

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When Judi Fisher decided to run for the title of honorary mayor of Land O’ Lakes she realized she was making a sizable commitment.

That’s because she knew it would require a considerable amount of time and energy to conduct and attend fundraisers to win the title.

And, if she won, she knew she would be spending an entire year attending ribbon cuttings, celebrating milestones and showing her support at other Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce breakfasts, luncheons and other events.

Judi Fisher, the new honorary mayor of Land O’ Lakes, poses with an oversized check representing the donation she made to the Hunters in Christ’s Kingdom. Also shown, from left, are Jonathan Fisher, Richard Meachum and Chad Hudson, who are on the board of that charitable group.
(B.C. Manion)

But Fisher, of Architectural Signage & Printing, decided it was worth the time and effort.

“I believe that Land O’ Lakes is an amazing little town and I don’t think people are taking advantage of all of these little businesses,” she said.

She also noted: “I want to make sure the community is aware of the chamber.”

Besides helping businesses in Land O’ Lakes to network, the chamber supports local causes and organizes events that help to bring the community closer together, Fisher said.

The business organization also holds annual awards to celebrate the contributions and accomplishments of local businesses and individuals.

Fisher’s victory was announced during a recent awards banquet. Other candidates in this year’s race were David Cravatta with Wells Fargo and Russell Bly with RE/MAX.

The annual race for honorary mayor also raises money to help support the chamber and the work it does.

To raise money for her campaign, Fisher held a high tea, did a bake off and took part in a meet the candidate’s night at Hungry Harry’s Family Bar-B-Que in Land O’ Lakes.

“She put her heart into it and worked very hard,” said Ray Fisher, her father-in-law.

“She’s very interested in community involvement and promoting the business,” added Geneva Fisher, her mother-in-law.

As winner of this year’s race, Fisher was able to direct a portion of the proceeds to a charity of her choice. She chose to support an organization called Hunter’s in Christ’s Kingdom, or HICK, for short.

During a check presentation last week, Fisher was joined by Suzanne Beauchaine, executive director of the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce, other chamber members, family members and other supporters.

She presented an oversized copy of a check for $240, as well as an actual check, to her husband, Jonathan Fisher and two other members of HICK’s board, Chad Hudson and Richard Meachum.

Jonathan Fisher then described what the charitable group does.

“HICK (Hunters in Christ’s Kingdom) is all about sharing the outdoors with other people that don’t know how to camp, how to hunt, how to fish,” he said.

“We give them the opportunity. We just love sharing the outdoors with people, and it gives us the opportunity to share Christ in those situations.

“A lot of times we can talk to people out in the woods that you won’t ever get into a church. It’s all about building those relationships and sharing the gospel outside, outdoors,” he said.

Published July 11, 2018

 

 

 

Land O’ Lakes transforms into ‘Land O’ Liberty’

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Members of the Rotary Club of Land O’ Lakes hit the ground running last week, spreading out in a quest they call “painting Land O’ Lakes Red, White and Blue.”

Justin Levitt adds a special touch to a tree in the median of Land O’ Lakes Boulevard. (Christine Holtzman)

Of course, they weren’t painting — but they were giving the community a patriotic flair, by tying red, white and blue ribbons and bows to trees in the median along Land O’ Lakes Boulevard, also known as U.S. 41.

They also tied ribbons to fences at Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park.

This is the fourth year that the club has taken on the decorating challenge, which aims to create a sense of patriotism while paying tribute to liberty.

Jim Engelmann, president-elect of the Rotary Club of Land O’ Lakes, hands out decorative ribbons and bows that will be used to give Land O’ Lakes a patriotic flair.

It’s done each year just before the Fourth of July, in a salute to the nation’s birthday.

Volunteers offered different reasons for taking part in last week’s decorating blitz.

Ayancy Caicedo, of Wesley Chapel, said she’s been in the United States for two years and that helping out was a nice way to show her respect to the nation.

Rotarian Rick Buzzee said the annual effort serves a dual purpose — it brings the community together and raises awareness about the Rotary Club.

Jim Engelmann, president-elect of the Rotary Club of Land O’ Lakes, put it this way: “There’s not enough patriotism in the world; let’s do what we can.”

By Christine Holtzman

Published July 4, 2018

Cesar Rabi and his 20-year-old daughter, Maddy, put the final touches on a patriotic ribbon wrapped around tree.
Nine-year-old Nan Peake, a student at Classical Prep, flashes a peace sign, as efforts get underway for the Rotary Club of Land O’ Lakes’ salute to liberty.
Rotarian Rick Buzzee adds some bows to a chain-link fence, in another show of patriotism. It’s the fourth year that he’s pitched in on the decorating effort.
Volunteer Ayancy Caicedo studies her bow to make sure it looks just right, while helping to create a patriotic feel in Land O’ Lakes.

 

TouchPoint brings jobs, good wages to Pasco

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TouchPoint Medical Inc., a global supplier of technology-based health care delivery systems, will bring 116 new high-paying jobs to Pasco County.

Company officials plan to relocate their headquarters to prime vacant land in Land O’ Lakes. They will build an approximately 125,000-square-foot facility, including a parking lot, on the northwest corner of Suncoast Parkway and State Road 54. The site is part of the South Branch Ranch property.

This rendering shows the future campus for TouchPoint Medical Inc., which will be located at Suncoast Parkway and State Road 54.
(Courtesy of the Pasco Economic Development Council)

Construction is expected to begin by the end of 2018, with an opening date in late 2019. The company’s capital investment is about $23 million.

The average annual wage paid by TouchPoint Medical will be about $57,000. In addition to new hires, the company expects to retain about 160 existing jobs, largely from positions currently held at several locations, including the Atlanta area and Connecticut.

In addition to serving as global headquarters, TouchPoint Medical also will be the site for its American operations.

“When you mention the words ‘global headquarters,’ it fires us all up,” said Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano.

The impetus to relocate began with the company’s acquisition of Promedica Inc., located in Oldsmar, in 2016. Promedica designs and manufactures custom medical carts and assemblies.

However, the facilities in Oldsmar didn’t meet TouchPoint Medical’s expanding needs, said Brian McNeill, president of the parent company, TouchPoint Inc.

“It’s not an ideal location,” O’ Neill said. “It wasn’t designed for what it currently is used for.”

TouchPoint searched for suitable new locations and settled on Pasco County.

“We are really making a statement here,” said O’ Neill. “The medical business is a huge platform for us.”

TouchPoint, the parent company, is privately owned and focuses on long-term investments, and acquisition of high-growth businesses in manufacturing and technology.

TouchPoint Medical offers hardware and software solutions for health care providers in 100 countries around the world. Products include medical workstations, mobile carrier systems and wall mount systems.

The company also is a major supplier of automated medication dispensing equipment.

The Pasco County Commission on June 19 approved about $1.7 million in incentives for TouchPoint Medical.

Over time, county officials project the direct or indirect creation of nearly 300 jobs, with total salaries of about $252 million. An estimated $125 million will be contributed to the Gross County Product.

Included in the incentive package:

  • About $464,000 to be paid over eight years in return for providing new jobs
  • Up to $150,000 in payments or credits for permitting fees
  • An estimated $980,000 in property tax rebates over 10 years
  • $100,000 in reimbursable employee training costs

Some of the funds come from the Penny for Pasco program.

TouchPoint Medical will partner with AmSkills as part of training and recruitment.

AmSkills is a Tampa Bay initiative that helps high school students, adults and veterans learn manufacturing job skills.

“It’s feeding the (job) pipeline,” said Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey.

Pasco’s workforce played a role in luring TouchPoint Medical to the area, said Bill Cronin, chief executive officer of the PEDC.

The first question company executives usually ask is does the area have a skilled, diverse workforce, Cronin added.

“They see this workforce is getting trained,” he said. “It seems we’re doing something right when the workforce is so attractive.”

June 27, 2018

Bond referendums will be on 2018 ballot

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Pasco County’s jail in Land O’ Lakes is overcrowded.

Fire rescue needs new and refurbished stations.

And, the upkeep and repairs for parks and libraries are years behind schedule.

Annual budgets, however, barely scratch the surface on the costs to fix these deficiencies.

Pasco County wants to issue bonds to pay for fire rescue improvements to stations, including Fire Station 22, at 9930 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.
(File)

So, Pasco County commissioners are hoping voters will approve four general obligation bond referendums in November 2018.

If all four were approved, owners of a $100,000 home would pay about $8 a year in each of the first three years. As the loan on the bonds was repaid, the amount would gradually increase to about $31 a year during the lifetime of the bonds.

In a June 19 vote in New Port Richey, county commissioners agreed to put the bond issues on the ballot, and see what happens. No one spoke in opposition at the public hearing.

Two library advocates spoke in favor.

They reminded county commissioners of the bond referendum in the 1980s that paid for libraries operating in the county.

The library bond would collect more than $18 million to help modernize the county’s libraries.

“Certainly technology has changed dramatically in the way libraries offer their services,” said Gail Stout, a member of the library advisory board. “This bond will provide some of the renovations and repairs drastically needed for many years.”

Rosalyn Fenton, president of the Friends of the Library, said libraries make a huge difference in the quality of life for Pasco residents.

“Our library system is a wonderful, wonderful service we provide our citizens,” she said. “We’re really reaching out to provide many more services.”

Voters will mark a simple yes or no response for each bond on the ballot.

About $132 million would be collected in total for the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office to build a 1,000-bed expansion of the existing Land O’ Lakes Detention Center. About $1.5 million would be collected in the first year, with the amount increasing to about $7.5 million in the third year.

At times, the jail houses more than 1,800 inmates in a facility built for about 1,400 inmates. Pasco is under a judicial order to come up with a plan to resolve the overcrowding, before the inmate count reaches 1,900.

“That means either letting inmates walk or coming up with another solution,” said Bob Goehrig, Pasco’s budget director.

County officials estimate costs of $4 million to $6 million annually to temporarily house inmates in on-site trailers, or offsite at jails in other counties. Funding for this is included in the draft 2019 budget.

The fire rescue bond would collect about $70 million in total. The funds would pay for nine fire stations, either new or refurbished, as well as for equipment and staffing.

Goehrig said some stations were built in the 1970s when the county relied on volunteers, rather than full-time firefighters.

Parks would receive about $20 million to help with a backlog of about $26 million in deferred maintenance. The county’s budget in recent years has included as much as $1.5 million for maintenance at parks in danger of closing.

The approximately $18.6 million bond for libraries would pay for repairs, renovations, equipment and upgrades at seven branch libraries.

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey noted that the annual cost to most homeowners for parks and libraries would be $2.55 and $2.35, respectively.

“To me, it’s just critical if these pass,” she said. “I’m hoping the public will look at these as wise investments.”

Published June 27, 2018

Construction soon on safety improvements at sinkhole

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Construction on two turn-around driveways to ease traffic flow at the site of a sinkhole in Lake Padgett Estates is expected to be done by this fall.

Construction will begin soon on two turn-arounds on each side of a sinkhole on Ocean Pines Drive in Lake Padgett Estates.
(File)

The sinkhole opened up on July 14, 2017, causing extensive damage. It split Ocean Pines Drive into two segments, swallowed two houses, a motorcycle and a boat, and caused seven houses in the area to be condemned.

Pasco County is in initial stages of purchasing needed right of way on Ocean Pines Drive for the turn-arounds.

A 6-foot decorative fence, and a gate, also will be installed around the sinkhole.

Pasco County officials also have ruled out any possibility of opening a connection between the sinkhole and Lake Saxon.

Some residents had expressed interest in linking the sinkhole to Lake Saxon in meetings with county officials.

County officials have estimated that linking the sinkhole and Lake Saxon would cost an estimated $2 million.

But, that option has been ruled out, after county officials met with representatives from the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

“They were strongly against the connection because of unraveling, deep unraveling, and possible sinkhole activity,” said Margaret Smith, the county’s engineer services director. “They also have concerns about the aquifer, knowing a lot of people are on wells.”

Smith gave the Pasco County Commission an update of the county’s plans during the commission’s June 19 meeting in New Port Richey.

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore expressed concerns about the aesthetics of the wrap-around fence.

“What are we going to do to make sure it’s appealing to the eye, and continuing to keep up property values?” Moore asked. “We’re not just tossing a fence up. It’s got to look decent.”

Smith said current plans were for a “little bit of landscaping.” More can be added to the design, but she said the county would own only a strip of land bought for right of way.

Pasco County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder noted: “This is not a county project. We are stabilizing a situation that basically occurred by an

act of God.”

Pasco County commissioners agreed in March to build the turn-arounds and install the fence at an estimated cost of $242,000.

The turn-arounds will provide greater safety when garbage trucks and emergency vehicles drive in and out of both ends of Ocean Pines. Currently, vehicles must back up to exit or back into private driveways to turn around.

County commissioners reviewed several other options, including simply installing a fence.

Published June 27, 2018

Delay appears likely on Ridge Road extension permit

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Pasco County officials were hoping for a decision on a permit, and a construction start for the proposed Ridge Road extension by winter 2018. Instead, a revised schedule provided to the United States Army Corps of Engineers projects the anticipated permit decision in late February 2019.

Despite the revised time frame, Pasco County Administrator Dan Biles remains hopeful of a quicker decision.

“I still think there’s a way to get there this year,” Biles said.

Ridge Road currently dead-ends at Moon Lake Road in west Pasco. Pasco County wants to extend the road eastward to U.S. 41 to provide a hurricane evacuation route. (File)

Pasco is whittling down a checklist of additional information requested by the Army Corps in May 2017.

Monthly status reports are provided to the Army Corps and weekly conference calls are held.

Biles said he was set to meet with Army Corps representatives on June 15 in Cocoa Beach.

Members of the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization got a brief update on the project at their June 14 meeting in New Port Richey.

A May 3 letter to the Army Corps, with the new schedule, was included in an agenda packet for the meeting.

The county has been on a quest for the Ridge Road extension permit for nearly 20 years. The roadwork would entail an 8-mile extension of Ridge Road, which currently dead-ends at Moon Lake Road in New Port Richey.

The new segment would link Moon Lake to U.S. 41 in Land O’ Lakes, across from an entrance into the master-planned community of Connerton.

The county puts a priority on Ridge Road as an east-west evacuation route during hurricanes.

Environmentalists are fighting against the project, which would cut through environmentally sensitive wetlands in Serenova Preserve.

The Army Corps is the federal agency in charge of regulating the Clean Water Act. In April, the agency selected one of 17 proposed routes through the Serenova Preserve as “the least environmentally damaging practicable alternative.”

But, the Army Corps requested additional engineering and environmental information, including wetlands mitigation plans.

In March, Pasco County commissioners approved a wetlands credit purchase agreement with Ecosystem Investment Partners Credit Co., for up to $4.4 million. The Florida Turnpike Enterprise would pay a portion of the costs.

The credits would come from the Old Florida Mitigation Bank, located south of State Road 52 and east of U.S. 41, adjacent to the Connerton Preserve.

The route under review was set aside in a court settlement years ago to mitigate about 200 acres of wetlands lost during construction of the Suncoast Parkway.

Opponents of the road extension say the county’s road project violates that agreement. They also maintain the road is meant to encourage new development, and will destroy wildlife habitats.

Attorneys for the Save the Serenova Coalition have submitted documents in opposition to Ridge Road. Coalition members have said they would file a lawsuit, if the Army Corps grants the permit.

Published June 20, 2018