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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

Dade City seeks feedback on design plans for Seventh Street

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Dade City leaders are inviting the public to an open house to discuss conceptual design plans for the Seventh Street streetscaping improvement project.

The meeting is scheduled for Dec. 7 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the Dade City Hall Commission Chambers, 38030 Meridian Ave., in Dade City.

The city hopes to make improvements to help create a downtown area that’s attractive, walkable and bikeable — essentially appealing to everyone who visits the area.

And, the city wants to hear the community’s reaction to possible improvements.

The city is considering the reconfiguration of street sections for traffic calming, and to accommodate sidewalks, bike lanes, landscaping and lighting.

The city has hired Johnson Engineering to develop a streetscape improvement conceptual plan along Seventh Street, from Pond Avenue to Florida Avenue.

Johnson Engineering has prepared first-draft renderings of the possible configurations of each typical section of the corridor.

The sections are:

  • Florida Avenue to Church Avenue
  • Church Avenue to Meridian Avenue
  • Meridian Avenue to Martin Luther King Boulevard
  • Martin Luther King Boulevard to Pond Avenue

The open house is intended to be an opportunity for members of the public to express what’s important to them.

“There’ll be information for people to see, people can come in and ask questions, (and) make comments,” Dade City Manager Leslie Porter said, during a Nov. 9 city commission meeting.

The feedback is important, she added, noting the engineering firm already is making some changes based on initial feedback received from residents and citizens. The city held a similar exercise for the Morningside Drive extension route study.

For information, visit tinyurl.com/j6ekbntz, or call 352-523-5050, ext. 420.

Published Nov. 24, 2021

Covid-19 concerns cancel annual Tampa Tour de Clay

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Organizers of the annual Tampa Tour de Clay have announced that the event won’t be held this year.

Last year, the annual tour used a hybrid approach, allowing visitors to meet personally with artists and to also view pottery pieces virtually.

This 8-inch by 12-inch ash and rutile blue teapot, by Jack Boyle, sells for $125. (Courtesy of Deborah Gillars)

This year, the organizers decided it would be more prudent to postpone the event until December 2022.

The organizers explained why they would not be holding the annual Tampa Bay showcase for pottery and pottery artists.

“While we are encouraged to see the Covid-19 rate of infection continue to drop, our members felt it was still too risky to host a crowded indoor event, without the ability to require face coverings, putting you, our valued patrons and your families, at risk,” the news release says.

“The pandemic has been very challenging emotionally, economically and health-wise for so many, and the artists who make up the Tampa Bay Tour de Clay are no different. If anything, we are a microcosm of the struggles artists across the nation have faced,” the release adds.

The group’s 15 core members include those who earn their income and supported their families by traveling to juried outdoor festivals, showing their work in local galleries, working as graphic designers, owning galleries and art studios, and teaching.

Some of the members show their work only at Tampa Tour de Clay, the release adds.

“All the artists have struggled to create revenue when art festivals were cancelled, and galleries were shuttered. Each navigating the constantly changing rules, all the while taking into consideration the risks to their children, grandchildren and/or elderly parents in their care,” the release adds.

The group hopes to resume the annual event next year, on the weekend of Dec. 10 and Dec. 11, 2022.

While the pandemic goes on, the artists also have continued to create their works.

These pottery artists — William Kidd, Ira Burhans, Jack Boyle, Michel Ginouves and Glenn Woods —  will have a limited number of pieces available for purchase, at San Antonio Pottery, 11903 Curley St., in San Antonio.

To find out more about the Tampa Tour de Clay, visit TampaTourDeClay.com.

Published Nov. 24, 2021

Tips to help avoid holiday traffic jams near I-75/State Road 56

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Officials from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) have offered a bit of a playbook to help motorists avoid holiday traffic jams near the Interstate 75/State Road 56 interchange.

The interchange happens to be near Cypress Creek Town Center, which includes Tampa Premium Outlets, west of the intersection on State Road 56; and The Shops at Wiregrass, east of the interchange on State Road 56.

There also are myriad shops and restaurants in the general area — making the State Road 54/State Road 56 corridor a busy area.

Add the holidays and a major construction project into the mix, and traffic jams could become a real source of frustration during the holidays.

So, the folks at FDOT’s District Seven office are offering some practical suggestions that could help during the holidays, from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day.

Their first word of advice? Avoid the area, when possible.

Instead of getting off at the State Road 56/I-75 exit, FDOT officials advise southbound motorists to get off at the State Road 54/I-75 exit. Those motorists can head west from that interchange and then take Wesley Chapel Boulevard south to State Road 56, to access the area on State Road 56, west of I-75.

At the same exit, head east over to Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and then south to State Road 56, to access the areas east of I-75.

Here are some other suggestions:

  • Use other roads to travel around the highly congested area of SR 56 at I-75, and also near shopping malls, especially if your destination is not actually on the State Road 54/State Road 56 corridor.
  • Seek out alternate access points to shopping and dining destinations. (Remember many major shopping areas have multiple access points to and from parking areas.)
  • Shop or commute during off-peak hours, when possible. Congestion at SR 56/I-75 is at its worst between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., on weekdays, so try to avoid that area during those hours.

In addition to issuing this guidance, the FDOT “will adjust traffic signals for seasonal traffic patterns and the project team is working on other plans to help improve travel times,” according to a news release from Kris Carson, spokeswoman for FDOT’s District Seven office.

Published Nov. 24, 2021

New agreement aims to give EMS students practical experience

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The Pasco County Commission has approved a request for the Pasco County Fire Rescue Department and the School of EMS to pursue a contract to allow students to participate in patient care activities.

The agreement, approved last month, calls for students to gain experience in a prehospital setting through an established clinical program, when the students are enrolled in the paramedic program at the School of EMS.

Currently, students that are employed by Pasco County Fire Rescue and enrolled in the School of EMS program to obtain paramedic credentials are not able to practice and apply paramedic exercises toward their certification hour allotment requirement.

Firefighters hired by Pasco County Fire Rescue agree to a “Condition of Employment” to elevate their Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) status to Paramedic (a medically advanced treatment designation in the emergency services field more appropriate for service delivery through a premier organization within three years of employment with Pasco County Fire Rescue).

Establishing this agreement is expected to provide students with the opportunity to apply skills mastered in the classroom within a “real-world” setting while under close supervision and mentorship from their colleagues, and substantially increase efficiency in the educational advancement path of the county’s firefighters, according to the Oct. 26 agenda materials.

Published Nov. 24, 2021

MPO advisory committee adds two members

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The board of the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization has appointed Christie Zimmer and Jim Engelmann to serve on the organization’s Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC).

The Pasco MPO is the lead transportation planning agency in Pasco County that serves unincorporated Pasco and the municipalities of Zephyrhills, San Antonio, St. Leo, New Port Richey, Port Richey and Dade City.

The board took the action at its October meeting.

The CAC advises the Pasco MPO board on various issues coming before the board.

Under state and federal laws, the Pasco County MPO is responsible for establishing a continuing, cooperative and comprehensive transportation planning process for Pasco County. Key responsibilities are the creation of the 20-year Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), the five-year Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP), and the five-year Transportation Improvement program.

Published Nov. 24, 2021

Thousands of new socks and shoes collected for Pasco kids

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Here’s a look at the scores of shoes collected in the sixth annual Two Good Soles Shoes & Socks Drive, a partnership between Pasco County. Pasco Constitutional Offices and Pasco County Schools. The annual drive provides footwear for Pasco students in need. (Courtesy of Pasco County)

The sixth annual Two Good Soles Shoes & Socks Drive yielded nearly 3,000 pairs of shoes and nearly 4,000 pairs of socks that will be given to kids in Pasco County Schools, according to a county news release.

The annual effort, which involves Pasco County government and the county’s Constitutional Offices, resulted in a bounty of new footwear that was delivered to Wendell Krinn Technical School in New Port Richey on Oct. 27.

Since 2016, the Two Good Soles Drive has collected 12,310 pairs of shoes and 34,457 pairs of socks. Social workers give the items to Pasco students, according to the release.

“This donation drive makes a huge difference for our students in Pasco,” Assistant County Administrator Cathy Pearson, said in the release.

Published Nov. 24, 2021

County allocates $100,000 for tourism website

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The Pasco County Commission has approved a $100,000 agreement with Madden Preprint Media LLC for a website redesign and redevelopment for the county’s destination management organization (DMO), known as Florida’s Sports Coast.

The bid was awarded as part of the board’s consent agenda, meaning it was part of a vote including several items, without board discussion or public comment.

The contract is for an amount not-to-exceed $100,000 in fiscal year 2022.

It is a one-year deal, but includes three one-year options to renew, upon mutual agreement, or unless it is canceled, according to the materials in the board’s Oct. 26 agenda.

During the bid process, 266 vendors received automatic email notices, including eight from Pasco County. Eighty-five manually searched for and downloaded the solicitation, three of which were from Pasco County. Four responses were received, none of which were from Pasco County.

The bids were evaluated by a committee made up of assistant county administrators Cathy Pearson and Erik Breitenbach; Adam Thomas, director of the county’s DMO; Louise Morgan, IT product manager, information technology; and Kolby Kucyk-Gayson, communications manager for the DMO.

Madden Preprint Media ranked the highest in the evaluation.

Published Nov. 24, 2021

Pasco clerk takes county to court over budget dispute

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A budget controversy involving the Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller’s office and Pasco County Commission has landed in court.

Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller Nikki Alvarez-Sowles filed a petition for declaratory and supplemental relief on Nov. 12, in the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court.

The lawsuit wants the court to determine whether the county may phase-in funding for the multiagency criminal justice information system (CJIS) and whether the county should pay for the increased costs for duplicating court-related operations at the county’s annex court.

Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller Nikki Alvarez-Sowles

Alvarez-Sowles reminded the Pasco County Commission, during the board’s Nov. 9 meeting, about a letter she’d sent to them on Oct. 27, asking them to reconsider their budget decisions.

She noted that the board had not responded to her letter, had not put the issue on its agenda and had not raised the topic during the meeting.

Having exhausted all other options, the clerk said she felt compelled to seek a legal determination over the issues.

“I am confident that my budget request is supported by law,” Alvarez-Sowles said.

She told board members: “This is not the conversation I hoped to have. The last thing I want to do is involve the courts in our dispute.

But, Alvarez-Sowles reiterated a position she has taken throughout the controversy: “The clerk’s office budget adopted by the board is inadequate.”

Commissioner Mike Moore responded by saying, “I hate that we have to go through this.”

Then, he said: “Just a question, if you look at the 2021 budget request, there was no local requirement in there, listed at all. There was no local requirement listed in the ’21 budget, so why was there in ’22?”

Alvarez-Sowles said at the time she submitted the budget, she informed county administration that her office would be doing a “deep dive” into Florida statutes to determine whether there was an issue with revenue sources coming into her office.

“The results of that deep dive into Florida statutes was that local requirement in the budget for 2022,” she said.

Moore persisted, asking why that wasn’t in the budget before.

The clerk responded: “That would be a question for the prior elected officials that were in this position. I can’t answer that question for you.”

The lawsuit notes that in December 2016, the clerk helped the county retire the mainframe system by upgrading the 1970s multiagency CJIS to a new system.

Before January 2017, the county maintained and paid for the multiagency CJIS, the lawsuit says.

After that, the clerk began bearing the costs.

“The law is clear that the county is required to pay for the costs of the multiagency CJIS,” the lawsuit says.

The county has acknowledged it is required to pay the costs, but County Administrator Dan Biles said the county can’t pick up all of those costs at once. He recommended phasing them in over a three-year period.

Alvarez-Sowles rejected that approach, saying the county is obligated to pay the expenses and it should meet its duty.

The other dispute involves whether the county should pay the expenses for the operations of the annex courthouse.

The clerk contends it should. The county contends it should not.

The clerk also asserts that the county “has the financial ability to pay fully and immediately fund its requirements.”

The county’s failure to do so, the lawsuit says, “has forced the clerk to divert other funding sources to the detriment of the clerk’s operations.”

Ryan Hughes, a spokesman for Pasco County, offered this response to Alvarez-Sowles’ action: “Since a lawsuit has been filed, we are unable to provide comment at this time.”

Published November 17, 2021

Pasco lifts ceiling on commercial hauling rates

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Commercial haulers now can operate in a free market in Pasco County — meaning competition among private businesses will establish the charges.

The Pasco County Commission voted on Oct. 26 to remove the ceiling on the rates. The action brings Pasco into alliance with the approach used by other counties around the state, according to county staffers.

The change does not affect residential hauling rates.

At the same meeting, the county board approved increasing charges associated with water and wastewater connection fees — previously referred to as impact fees.

The board also established new fire line and fire hydrant rates. The increased rates take effect on Jan. 3. For a complete breakdown of the new charges, visit Pasco County Utilities, on the county’s website, PascoCountyFl.net.

In other action, the county board:

• Accepted a check for nearly $2.9 million, in “excess fees” from Paco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano. The tax collector’s office is funded entirely by fees and commissions, with no direct ad valorem dollars. When the office’s total revenues exceed expenses, the “excess fees” are returned to the county board and other taxing authorities on a pro-rata basis at the end of the fiscal year.

• Approved a change to the comprehensive plan on 37.58 acres, east of Old Pasco Road and north of Overpass Road, to allow for commercial development. The board also approved a companion rezoning, allowing a commercial planned development of use to 315,000 square feet of commercial at that site.

• Authorized to shortlist and negotiate agreements for a Tower Road route siting and pond siting analysis for an area that begins east of Sunlake Boulevard to east of U.S. 41. The shortlisted firms are: American Consulting Engineers of Florida, LLC (American); Kissinger, Campo & Associates, Corp. (KCA); NV5, Inc. (NV5); Baslee Engineering Solutions, Inc. (Baslee); and George F. Young, Inc. (George F. Young). The county board authorized negotiations with the top firm, and if an agreement can’t be reached, authorized staff to negotiate with the remaining firms, in the county’s ranked order.

• Authorized to shortlist and negotiate agreements for a Tower Road route study and pond siting analysis for an area from the terminus of Rangeland Boulevard to east of Sunlake Boulevard. The shortlisted firms are Kissinger, Campo & Associates, Corp.; WGI, Inc.; American Consulting Engineers of Florida, LLC; NV5, Inc.; Baslee Engineering Solutions, Inc.; and, George F. Young, Inc. The county board authorized staff to negotiate with Kissinger, Campo & Associates, and if an agreement can’t be reached, to negotiate with the remaining firms, in the county’s ranked order.

• Approved an agreement to accept a $6.5 million grant, through the state Department of Environmental Protection, to provide water and wastewater infrastructure improvements to stimulate economic growth in the currently underdeveloped area of Pasadena Hills. The county will construct a water and wastewater distribution system including a piping system and appurtenances, a lift station, restoration, project management, and all work necessary to complete the project as outlined in the grant work plan. The grant begins upon execution of the agreement and expires on March 31, 2024. No county match is required and this is a cost-reimbursement agreement.

• Approved a change order involving additional work and a time extension of 129 days for the installation of a drain field at Starkey Ranch District Park. The amount of the contract with R.L. Burns Inc., will increase by $455,234.37, bringing the not-to-exceed total to $3,994,628.37. The new completion date is March 14, 2022.

• Authorized to shortlist and negotiate agreements with firms to complete an Orange Belt Trail route study, design and permitting. The firms are: Atkins North America, Inc.; HDR Engineering, Inc.; Rummel, Klepper & Kahl, LLP; Burgess & Niple, Inc.; NV5, Inc.; Baslee Engineering Solutions, Inc.; and Sand County Studios, LLC. If an agreement cannot be reached with Atkins, the board authorized negotiations with remaining firms, according to the county’s ranked order.

• Approved a change to the county’s comprehensive plan to allow commercial development to be considered on 9.24 acres south of State Road 54 and River Glen Boulevard. The land previously was planned for residential development. The proposed change received a unanimous recommendation for approval from the Pasco County Planning Commission on Aug. 26. A change in the land use designation is the first step necessary to change the potential use on the land. A rezoning is required, too, before commercial development could occur.

• Authorized the reappointment of Steven Hickman to the board of the Pasco County Housing Finance Authority and appointed two new members, Jeffrey Sklet, deputy director for the Pasco County Housing Authority, and Stacy Ferreira, vice president of BB&T.

• Adopted a resolution honoring the Friends of the Pasco County Library System, a not-for-profit organization the helps the library through volunteering, fundraising and advocacy.

Published November 17, 2021

Zephyrhills approves contract for Hercules Park design

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Planning for the redevelopment of Hercules Park in Zephyrhills continues to move forward.

The Zephyrhills City Council has granted a contract for the park’s design and construction document services with engineering firm Kimley-Horn, in the amount of $292,985.

The agreement, approved on Oct. 25, is within 10% of the park’s estimated probable cost, of $3,386,636.

The scope of services includes creating construction documents and doing the permitting, surveying, architectural design and the construction phase services — to implement park elements depicted on the Hercules Park Master Plan, approved by the council.

The Hercules Park renovation project is moving forward, after the Zephyrhills City Council approved a contract for the park’s design and construction document services with engineering firm Kimley-Horn. Shown here is an initial conceptual sketch plan of the Hercules Park redevelopment. (Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)

Penny for Pasco revenues are being used to pay for the Hercules Park design.

City leaders have been talking for years about the need to spruce up the 12-acre park property, at the corner of County Road 54 and Gall Boulevard.

Leaders have been pressing for an action plan for vacant park land, which sits next to Zephyrhills High and Woodland Elementary schools. The area once had a popular aquatic center and swimming pool.

“I’m kind of glad to get started on this project,” Councilman Lance Smith said, after the council vote. “It’s been a long time coming.”

One of the more significant amenities proposed for the project is a BMX (bicycle motocross) track where mountain bike enthusiasts traverse jumps and obstacles, at still-to-be-determined heights and difficulty levels.

A rough conceptual sketch plan shows a circuitous riding trail covering roughly 5.29 acres on the southwest corner of the park property.

There also are plans to build a more traditional multi-use path that surrounds the perimeter of the mountain bike course to accommodate walkers, joggers and casual bike riders.

During a June workshop, several city leaders expressed reservations about dedicating such a large portion of the park for BMX.

Zephyrhills Mayor Gene Whitfield again raised objections to the BMX concept, at the recent meeting.

“It just seems like a lot of the project is going to that, a lot of the land area. We could do multiple things in there, or a couple of things,” Whitfield said.

Revisions to the plan are expected in the coming months, contingent on the community’s wants and needs, as well as cost considerations.

Depending on feedback, the BMX course could be scrapped, pared down or rearranged, to take up less acreage, officials said.

“This is like a cartoon drawing, basically, so I think we’ll see something come down a little more evolved, especially as we get down to pricing different things,” Smith said, referring to Kimley-Horn’s conceptual sketch plan.

Meantime, other Hercules Park property upgrades that are expected take on a mostly passive vibe, with a nearly 1-acre open playfield, 1.42-acre playground and picnic/shelter area, and a soft trail surrounding an existing retention pond and lighted fountain spray.

Renderings for the playground call for nature-based equipment beyond conventional slides and swings, such as a rock arch, cave overhang and tree ring surface.

The open playfield area, surrounded with pavilions, offers a grassy space ideal for throwing footballs, Frisbees and so on.

A splash pad — estimated at $350,000 — is listed as an alternate feature that’s also being considered.

Additional creative landscaping and seating options, such as benches, lounge chairs and picnic tables, need to be finalized, too.

A notable update from initial proposals is the addition of a public restroom building.

Restrooms were left out of the plans, given that proximity of bordering a Wawa gas station and Culver’s fast food restaurant, but council members insisted the park needs a restroom.

However, the estimated $250,000 for the facility did raise eyebrows.

Councilman Ken Burgess quipped, “I know we asked for a bathroom, and I know these prices are not the final prices, but they allowed $250,000 for a bathroom? It’s going to be one heck of a bathroom.”

City manager Billy Poe said there are added costs to ensure the facilities are indestructible, or “bomb-proof, basically.” He also noted that public restrooms built downtown behind Clock Plaza some 15 years ago cost about $175,000.

“Unfortunately,” Poe said, “we think that is the proper cost.”

Smith backed up the assertion: “Even though we know everything costs a lot, it’s amazing a bathroom costs as much as it does, it really is, but it does, I know it does.”

Later on during the meeting, Burgess also suggested infrastructure to install security cameras should also be considered throughout the project’s design and planning process.

Poe said that request is a good idea.

Published November 17, 2021