The history of Zephyrhills stretches back more than a century, but it wasn’t until recent times that the city was declared the largest municipality in Pasco County.
The city’s burgeoning growth is prompting it to make a number of improvements and to take on new projects, which City Manager Billy Poe talked about at a breakfast meeting on May 10, with members of the East Pasco Networking Group.
One of the latest developments in the city, which now boasts more than 18,000 residents, is the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis and Wellness Center, at 6585 Simons Road.
That’s where the breakfast meeting took place and is a facility that Poe described as a “jewel” of the city.
The tennis complex is a project that was built through a public-private partnership. It features outdoor tennis courts, outdoor pickleball courts, outdoor padel courts, an outdoor multipurpose turf field, and a clubhouse featuring a full-service restaurant/cafe, fitness center, salt room, yoga room, cryotherapy chamber and pro shop.
Now, plans call for expanding the facility with the aim of including more outdoor tennis courts and a 27,000-square-foot multipurpose indoor facility. Cost of this expansion is approximately $4.66 million, of state-appropriated funds.
Poe, who has been city manager since 2019, highlighted some other projects that are underway, or coming soon:
- Roadway improvements: The installation of a traffic signal at the Eiland Boulevard/Simons Road intersection; connecting Simons Road to Fort King Road (about 800 feet of pavement at a cost of $2.2 million); the extension of Dairy Road north to Kossick Road; and, linking Kossick Road to Wire Road, to establish an east-west connector
- Extending the runway at Zephyrhills Municipal Airport runway (That project, expected to be completed in June, will allow the airport to accommodate larger planes and up to 22-seat-passenger corporate jets.)
- Helping to lay the groundwork for a $25-million Armory Complex, which is expected to be completed by 2026
- Seeking contractors for the renovation and redesign of Hercules Park, at the corner of County Road 54 and Gall Boulevard (Improvements are expected to include new trails, nature play, disc golf, splash pad and more.)
- Upgrading the city’s Wastewater Treatment Plant’s filter system that treats 1.7 million gallons of waste per day (One upgrades involves an Adenosine Triphosphate Process (ATP) that removes more nitrogen from the water, for a cost of $7.5 million.)
- Adjusting the city’s water-use permit, which may call for converting agricultural wells into private-use wells
- Processing additional requests for new subdivisions and apartment developments
Zephyrhills also continues to expand its city limits, through annexations.
Published May 18, 2022
