The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Lutz since 1964 and Pasco since 1981.
Proud to be independently owned.

Curley Road

State road projects will ease congestion

By

Orange traffic cones and road signs signaling “a new traffic pattern” are a common sight for motorists, especially those traveling Pasco County’s state highway grid.

Amid COVID-19 lockdowns and now hopefulness that a vaccine could mean a return to normalcy, roadwork in Pasco County never stopped. Construction crews cleared rights of way, smoothed out dirt, buried pipes, paved new traffic lanes, landscaped medians, added pedestrian and bicycle lanes, and realigned existing roadways to ease traffic congestion in one of Tampa Bay’s fastest-growing counties.

Several major road projects from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) will be completed within the next four years. They include work on a new diverging diamond interchange at State Road 56 and Interstate 75, as well as projects on State Road 54 and State Road 52.

The construction schedules haven’t always met expectations.

Pasco County commissioners recently expressed displeasure with the slower than anticipated pace of project completions, especially on the diverging diamond. Pasco officials pushed to get the project started early, hoping for a spring 2021 completion. Instead, the schedule promises a summer 2022 end date, according to FDOT officials.

The new interchange is an entry and exit off I-75 onto State Road 56 where commercial and residential development is bringing new retail, hotels and residents to the area. Among the destinations are Cypress Creek Town Center, Tampa Premium Outlets and AdventHealth Center Ice.

The first completed road project is expected in late 2021 when work ends on the widening of State Road 54 east of Curley Road to east of Morris Bridge Road. The last project through the pipeline will be the widening and realignment of State Road 52 in summer 2024.

Here is a list of some major state road projects currently under construction in Pasco County:

Workers from Sodmore LLC, of O’ Brien, lay sod for the diverging diamond interchange at Interstate 75 and State Road 56, just west of Willow Oak Drive. The new interchange, scheduled to be completed in summer 2022, is expected to relieve traffic snarls at the interchange. (Fred Bellet)

Interstate 75 at State Road 56 diverging diamond interchange
Construction began in January 2019, with a completion scheduled in summer 2022. The estimated cost is about $33 million.

The diverging diamond is a popular design innovation with a unique pattern that relies on multiple lanes of traffic in a crisscross pattern and a limited number of traffic signals.

This project is the first diverging diamond in District 7 of the FDOT. Others are planned in Hillsborough County at State Road 54 and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, at I-75; and at Gibsonton Drive, at I-75.

FDOT’S website praises the diverging diamond for its ability to handle heavy traffic volumes, increased pedestrian safety, more efficient signal timings and fewer opportunities for vehicles to crash.

Interstate 75 at Overpass Road
Construction on a new diamond interchange, including changes to local road patterns, began in October 2020. Completion of the approximately $64 million project is scheduled for summer 2023.

The new interchange is located about 3.5 miles south of State Road 52. There will be a flyover for westbound Overpass Road access onto southbound I-75.

Overpass will be widened from two to four lanes between I-75 and Old Pasco Road, and to six lanes between I-75 and Boyette Road. Blair Drive will be realigned to connect with Old Pasco Road, and McKendree Road will be realigned to connect to Boyette.

Initially, crews will work in the southwest area of the project where a new neighborhood access road will be built at Old Pasco Road. It will replace the current Blair Drive link to Overpass.

Motorists westbound on State Road 54 make their way into Wesley Chapel as eastbound motorists head into Zephyrhills. The state road is being widened from two lanes to four lanes, with a median, to ease traffic congestion.

State Road 54 widening in the Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills areas
About 4.5 miles of State Road 54 will be widened from two lanes to four lanes from east of Curley Road to east of Morris Bridge Road.

Construction began in November 2017 and is scheduled for completion in late 2021. The estimated cost is $42.5 million.

In early November, eastbound traffic shifted onto newly paved lanes from west of Wesley Chapel Loop to New River Road. Simultaneously, Pasco is remodeling the New River Branch Public Library on State Road 54.

A sidewalk will be built on the north side of the roadway with a 10-foot-wide multi-use path on the south side.

State Road 52 widening and realignment near Dade City and San Antonio
The project will widen and realign State Road 52 between Uradco Place and Fort King Road.

Construction began in November 2019, with completion scheduled in summer 2024. The estimated cost is $81.4 million.

A short portion of McCabe Road between Curley Road and Wirt Road is closed until spring 2021. Williams Cemetery Road is closed east of Wichers Road and McCabe, also until spring 2021.

In addition, some daily lane closures, with flagmen signaling to motorists, can be expected on Curley, McCabe, Prospect Road and Clinton Avenue. A detour route is available using Curley, Prospect and Wirt.

State Road 52 widening in Land O’ Lakes
About 3.8 miles of State Road 52 will be widened into a six-lane divided road from Suncoast Parkway to east of U.S. 41.

Construction began in September 2019, with completion scheduled in late 2023. The estimated cost is $49.8 million.

A 12-foot-wide multi-use path will be built on the north side of State Road 52. In addition, about one mile of U.S. 41 will be widened as it approaches the intersection with the state road.

By Kathy Steele

Published January 13, 2021

How Pasco Schools is navigating through COVID-19

By

Heading up one of Florida’s largest school districts is certainly a tall task on its own merit — let alone when a world-altering pandemic shocks the system from March onward.

So, it’s understandable if Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning tries to bring some levity to the whole situation.

His humor showed through at a speaking engagement before the Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce Oct. 20 breakfast meeting.

Pasco Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning was guest speaker at the Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting last month at Scotland Yards Golf Club. (File)

“I always look for positive things. I think, ‘You know, I could be the supervisor of elections…’,” quipped Browning, before a crowd of dozens at the Scotland Yards Golf Club in Dade City.

Booming laughter, of course, ensued.

Browning held the Pasco County Supervisor of Elections position for 26 years, from 1980 to 2006.

He later joked and shared an anecdote how he once heard current Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley discuss his various responsibilities and lengthy work schedule.

Browning retorted to Corley: “I don’t ever want to you hear you talk about how hard you work, until you run a school district. You don’t know what hard work is, until you run a school system.”

More seriously, though, Browning told the crowd that the past six months or so have unquestionably been a stressful period for administrators, teachers, parents and students alike. “We have had a rough go,” he said.

The superintendent shared his personal experience of contracting the coronavirus in June.
The moment he received word of his positive COVID-19 test, Browning said, “it was all downhill from there.
“Probably the sickest I’ve ever been, sickest I’ve ever been in my life,” said Browning, noting he still feels some lingering fatigue even today.

“It was bad. It was bad, bad, bad. …I was too sick to even worry about what was going on in the office,” the superintendent said.

He discussed the hurdles that the district overcame to get teachers and students either back in the classroom or learning virtually.

The district gave families three learning options for the 2020-2021 school year:

  • Traditional brick-and-mortar campuses
  • Pasco eSchool virtual education program
  • mySchool Online, a hybrid virtual learning model where students follow a standard school schedule and bell times

One of the most challenging aspects of the first quarter has been the continuous indecisiveness by parents on which learning model to use for their child, he said.

Parents initially choosing a virtual model would flip back to traditional, and vice versa, mainly based on the latest news reports of whether COVID-19 cases were spiking or slowing.

“As we got closer to school, I mean people were just ping-ponging back and forth,” Browning said.

He said he had to plead with parents: “Don’t do that. Just pick a model and stick with it, because it’s not good for your student to keep going back and forth, because they’re going to lose instruction.”

Parent indecisiveness has “settled down a little bit,” but some parents are still “ping-ponging.”

The superintendent also noted that parents who intend to send kids back to brick-and-mortar campuses next semester need to inform his office soon, as preparations are already underway. A hard date for those second semester decisions will be set relatively soon.

“Keep in mind, it’s not as simple as moving kids into a classroom,” said Browning, the changes affect teachers and scheduling, too.

Other school district challenges amid COVID-19
Browning also touched on other challenges brought about by the start the pandemic, such as creating drive-thru sites to provide free meals for needy families.

The district served over 1 million meals, from March through the beginning of the school year in August.

Pasco Schools distributed over 1 million meals to needy families from March through the beginning of the school year in August, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The number of families who needed help increased drastically, Browning said, particularly among the district’s 36 Title 1 schools — campuses with large concentrations of low-income students.

Many of those students rely on school-provided breakfast and lunch, as oftentimes it’s their only meals of the day, “so it’s important we get the food to them,” Browning said.

The superintendent added the 1 million-plus meal figure is “much higher than we’ve ever served meals before, and I think a lot of that was due to folks having lost jobs, not being able to provide food for their kids.”

And, as students moved to remote learning, technology became a big challenge.

The district issued about 20,000 laptops and iPads to students for virtual learning purposes.

The school district primarily uses Apple equipment, but district leadership decided to distribute Dell laptops — in order to distribute more laptops. The district could buy three Dell laptops for the cost of one Apple laptop, Browning explained.

“We learned very quickly, if we’re going to get where we need to be with devices for our kids, we’re kind of switching over to Dell devices,” Browning said. “They’re not as sturdy as an Apple, but if a kid drops a Dell and breaks it, throw it in the garbage and buy another one. With an Apple, you have to fix it, and the investment’s too great to do that with.”

Getting remote internet access to students was another necessity and challenge — particularly at the end of last school year.

“You know how many kids in 2020 do not have internet service? A lot,” Browning said.

To solve the problem, the district equipped school buses with hotspots and set them up in school parking lots in remote areas with no internet service, such as Crystal Springs, Lacoochee and Shady Hills.

The concept allowed families to park their cars into school lots for several hours and have children complete necessary schoolwork from there.

“We bought hotspots by the hundreds,” Browning said.

New technical high school underway
Browning went on to discuss the district’s forthcoming technical high school — Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation, being built at 9100 Curley Road in Wesley Chapel.

The Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation is being built at 9100 Curley Road in Wesley Chapel. The 184,000-square-foot technical school is expected to serve 1,000 students and is scheduled to open for the 2022-2023 school year. The school will prepare students for high-salary, high-skill careers in high-demand areas, such as digital multimedia, engineering and robotics, biomedical sciences, building construction, and cyber security, according to district officials.

The 184,000-square-foot technical school is expected to serve 1,000 students and is scheduled to open for the 2022-2023 school year.

The school will prepare students for high-salary, high-skill careers in high-demand areas, such as digital multimedia, engineering and robotics, biomedical sciences, building construction, and cyber security, according to district officials.

A groundbreaking ceremony was celebrated in early September.

Browning believes it’ll be a win for the school district, underscoring the importance of technical and vocational training programs, as well as dual-enrollment opportunities.

“We want our kids to have options, we want our kids to be successful,” said Browning. “We want them to be exposed to diesel mechanics. You know what a good diesel mechanic is paid? You know what a great welder gets paid? Sometimes six figures.”

The school, Browning said, is being constructed “with a lot of non-fixed walls” to allow for ever-changing learning programs that may require more or less space in the future.

“It’s going to be a very functional facility for our kids, and I believe East Pasco deserves that and needs that for our kids,” Browning said.

Kirkland Ranch will primarily pull students from Pasco, Zephyrhills, Wesley Chapel and Wiregrass Ranch high schools, but also will be available to “any other kid” from the county that wants to take advantage, Browning said.

Published November 11, 2020

Contract extended on intersection improvement

By

The Pasco County Commission has granted an extension of 240 calendar days to D.A.B. Constructors Inc., to complete the construction of intersection improvements at State Road 54 and Morris Bridge Road and Eiland Boulevard.

The project had been scheduled to be completed by Nov. 22, but needs to be delayed because of utility coordination and relocation delays in the state Department of Transportation’s project that is widening State Road 54 to Curley Road.

D.A.B. also is the contractor on that project.

The contractor can’t proceed until utilities have been coordinated at the intersection. This coordination effort resulted in the need to extend the intersection improvements (SR 54 at Morris Bridge and Eiland Boulevard) construction contract by an additional 240 days.

The new completion date is expected to be July 19, 2021.

Published October 21, 2020

New schools coming to Pasco County

By

A groundbreaking was held Sept. 9 to begin work on a new career and technical school off Curley Road, in East Pasco County, across from a sizable development called Epperson.

Then, at the Sept. 15 Pasco County School Board meeting, a contract was approved for preconstruction work on a new 6-12 School in the emerging Angeline community in Land O’ Lakes.

Dignitaries gather to fling shovels of dirt during the ceremonial groundbreaking for Kirkland Academy of Innovation, which is scheduled to open for the 2022-2023 school year. (Courtesy of Pasco County Schools)

Meanwhile, work continues on the construction of the new Starkey Ranch K-8 in the Starkey Ranch development, a growing Pasco County community.

During the groundbreaking ceremony and at the board meeting, Pasco School Board members and school district officials expressed enthusiasm about expanding educational opportunities for district students.

The 184,000-square-foot Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation, being built at 9100 Curley Road, is expected to serve 1,000 students and is scheduled to open for the 2022-2023 school year.

The school will prepare students for high-salary, high-skill careers in high-demand areas such as digital multimedia, engineering and robotics, biomedical sciences, building construction, and cyber security, according to district officials.

School board member Allen Altman is delighted with the new school, as he has been pushing for years to expand educational opportunities in East Pasco.

“That just warms my heart,” Altman said, at the board’s Sept. 15 meeting.

“I can’t tell you how many years that I’ve tried for that. The Recession kind of put us behind,” he said, then it was one thing after another.

The new facility, he said, is “just a tremendous thing for the entire county, but especially that community.”

After pushing for years to expand opportunities for East Pasco students, school board member Allen Altman is delighted about the construction of Kirkland Academy of Innovation, a new high school being built off Curley Road.

In a video of the groundbreaking, posted on Twitter, Altman put it like this: “Things came together, I believe, in almost divine intervention, with the right property, at the right time, with the right people in place to make this a success.”

In the same video, Superintendent Kurt Browning said “you know, technical education is so important. We’re excited for what it means for our students and our community.”

Deputy Superintendent Ray Gadd, who also made an appearance in the video, said: “The school will sit right here, on top of this big hill, overlooking the ponds below and the oak trees. And then, behind us, on the back side of the property will have a K-8 STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) Academy, at some point, opening probably in ’24. This school will open in ’22.

“We’re literally going to put a technical school right in the middle of what will be a future suburbia for Pasco County,” Gadd said.

While the district proceeds on construction of Kirkland Academy of Innovation, it also is embarking on another project for a school known on as School LLL, which is planned for Central Pasco County.

At its Sept. 15 meeting, the board approved a $235,000 contract with Ajax Building Company for pre-construction work relating to a new 6-12 school planned for the Angeline community of Land O’Lakes.

The school will be designed for 1,694 student stations, which at 90% capacity translates to about 1,530 students.

The school will be designed on an 18-acre site within Angeline.

Construction is scheduled to begin in September 2021, with substantial completion expected in July 2023.

Meanwhile, the district has begun the boundary process for the new Starkey Ranch K-8.

A parent-night workshop is planned for Oct. 6  from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Odessa Elementary School, 12810 Interlaken Road in New Port Richey. New boundaries must be drawn to assign students to the school.

A public hearing for the boundaries proposal is planned for Nov. 17 at 6 p.m., with final school board action on Dec. 1.

Published September 23, 2020

Boundary process beginning soon for Starkey K-8

By

Construction of the new Starkey K-8 school is well underway, and Pasco County Schools has begun notifying families that may be affected by the boundary changes that will be required to assign students to the school.

The school — part of a complex that includes a theater, library and cultural center — is scheduled to open in the 2021-2022 school year.

Significant progress has been made on the construction.

“I drove by Starkey K-8 the other day and it is just incredible how that building has come up out of the ground,” Superintendent Kurt Browning told Pasco County School Board members at their Sept. 1 meeting.

“It is a phenomenal facility,” Browning said. “It’ll be a huge addition to the Starkey Ranch development, so we’re excited about that.”

But, whenever a new school opens, the district must draw new boundaries — a process that can sometimes become controversial.

Browning told board members that the district is preparing to begin the boundary process for Starkey K-8.

“We’ll be communicating with potentially impacted families currently attending Odessa Elementary School, Longleaf Elementary School and River Ridge Middle School, regarding the timeline and the process,” Browning said.

“Our plan is to open the K-8, as a K-7, its first year, and then become a K-8, in its second year,” Browning said, noting that district staff would be sending out communications in the afternoon. following the board meeting.

“I wanted the board to know about it, first,” he said.

Watergrass and Wesley Chapel elementary schools also may see some boundary shifts, Browning said, but he added there are no students currently in the areas that would be affected.

“Proposed maps will be developed this month and a parent night workshop is planned for Oct. 6, at Odessa Elementary School,” Browning said. “The public hearing for the boundaries proposal is planned for Nov. 17 at 6 p.m., with final school board action on Dec. 1.

“We’ll continue to communicate with potentially affected families throughout this process and provide opportunities for feedback. And, this time, we’ll be relying heavily on our ‘Let’s Talk.’”

In other news, Deputy Superintendent Ray Gadd shared information regarding the district’s inventory of surplus sites that are available for future construction of schools, as the district grows.

There was a time when the district didn’t have any land for future schools, Gadd said, describing how he would drive around the county in his pickup truck searching for acreages with for sale signs.

When he found one, he’d have Chris Williams, the district’s director of planning, check it out.

Over time, the district has acquired a number of sites, through purchases and as part of development orders that require sites to be dedicated for schools, as part of development approvals.

“We now have very tight procedures for receiving land from developers,” Gadd explained to board members.

“We are well-positioned for the future, in terms of building schools and preparing for future growth in this county.”

School board member Alison Crumbley applauded Gadd and other district staffers who have addressed this issue, noting she remembers when the district faced significant challenges in securing affordable land.

Meanwhile, the Pasco County Planning Commission recently took an action that relates to a planned district school site.

Planning commissioners voted on Aug. 27 to recommend the school district’s proposed site for the Kirkland Academy of Innovation, on a 104.4-acre site, southeast of the intersection of Curley Road and Kiefer Road.

The planned project will consist of two buildings, totaling 228,458 square feet.

No one spoke in opposition to the request at the planning commission’s meeting.

Published September 09, 2020

Borrow pit approved, despite neighbors’ objections

By

The Pasco County Commission has approved a request to allow 500,000 cubic yards of dirt to be excavated from a site on the south side of Tyndall road, about three-quarters of a mile west of the intersection Tyndall and Curley roads, in Wesley Chapel.

The permit and conditional use request were approved unanimously by the Pasco County Commission on June 2, despite concerns raised by area residents.

Based on the board’s action, the applicant can excavate and export dirt from about 30 acres of an overall site of 59 acres.

County staff found the request consistent with the county’s land development code — contingent on 31 conditions for approval.

Joel Tew, an attorney representing the applicant Sandhills Flats LLC, said the conditions required by the county staff are standard for this type of operation.

“We did not negotiate or quibble with any of those.”

“The property owners commit to make sure the pit operator complies with them. I intend to attach those conditions to the contract of the pit operator so that they have no choice but to comply,” Tew said.

The pit operator will be required to comply with noise-level limits, operating hours and other county conditions, Tew said.

“We have specific requirements for Tyndall Road maintenance. We have to post a maintenance bond with the county to ensure that our operator complies with those maintenance requirements of Tyndall Road.

“We have to maintain access conditions to all adjacent properties,” he said.

He also noted that more than three-fourths of the way from Tyndall Road out to Curley Road, there are no residences on either side.

Signage will be required, no stacking of trucks will be allowed on Tyndall and no trucks will go west on Tyndall from the site,  Tew said.

He also noted: “Due to the Connected City’s approvals, which you are aware of, there is already a requirement for Tyndall Road to be permanently improved to county standard, that is already in the construction plan review process by Metro, related to the Epperson CC (Connected City) MPUD (master planned unit development).”

Although the permit allows two years of operations, Tew said the hope is that dirt will be excavated and exported within a few months.

“You can’t develop those Connected City properties and VOPH (Villages of Pasadena Hills) without fill dirt,” Tew said.

But, neighbors living west of the site raised objections.

Mark Stober, who has lived on Tyndall Road for about 12 years, said the road cannot handle the heavy truck traffic.

“Tyndall, as a completely unimproved dirt road, already turns into an absolute mud pit during heavy rains, which we inevitably experience every year, and that’s without heavy trucks,” he said.

“There’s no way the company would be able to maintain that road during that period unless they substantially improve the road by either paving it or laying down a considerable amount of lime rock or stone to elevate the roadbed,” he added.

Instead of merely maintaining the road, the applicant should be required to improve it, Stober said.

Christopher Abati, also opposes the borrow pit.

“I have lived on Tyndall Road for 24 years, in peace and quiet,” he said, via email. “I do not want the borrow pit for our neighborhood.”

Abati added: “Our quality of life here is in jeopardy.”

Ernest Black, who also lives on Tyndall Road, asked, via email, whether the project would affect the area’s water table.

“This just seems like a bad idea for all of us living here,” he added.

Commissioner Ron Oakley, noting the county had placed “very good restrictions” on the project, made a motion for approval, which passed unanimously.

Published June 10, 2020

New East Pasco school gets a name

By

A new high school that will focus on technology, STEM and business programs on the east side of Pasco County will be called the Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation.

The Pasco County School Board approved that name unanimously during the board’s Feb. 18 meeting.

The school is located at Curley Road and Keifer Road in Wesley Chapel on the former Kirkland Ranch property.

Program plans for the school include academies for Business, Finance & Marketing; Digital Technology; Engineering Technology; Health Science & Human Services; Transportation Technology; and Building Technology, according to Pasco County Schools’ Facebook page.

The school will serve grades nine through 12 and offer industry certification in high-demand career fields with a focus on technology, STEM, and business, the Facebook page adds.

The name Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation encompasses both the area where it will operate, and in general, to the school’s mission.

Board members received about 100 suggested names for the school.

Board member Alison Crumbley said there were so many fine people on the list that she couldn’t narrow it down to just one.

Board member Cynthia Armstrong said the name — Academy of Innovation — is broad enough to cover the ever-evolving direction of career and technical education.

“As we know, CTE is changing daily,” Armstrong said.

The new school is slated to open in August 2022.

Published February 26, 2020

Charter school coming to Connected City’s Epperson

By

A K-8 charter school could open as early as this fall in Epperson, if all goes according to plan.

The Pasco County School Board has approved an agreement with Metro Apple LLC and Red Apple Development LLC — known collectively as the developer — for a charter school that is planned on the east side of Curley Road.

Details regarding the school are spelled out in the agreement.

Plans call for a two-story school of approximately 55,000 square feet, that will be built on a site of about 8 acres to 10 acres.

The charter school will have a capacity of 765 students.

The proposed concept for the school is based on the acronym of W.I.S.H., which stands for Wellness, Innovation, Science and Health.

The aim is to open the school for the 2020 school year.

The charter school will be built to the state standards, certified by a third-party architect. It will not include any hurricane shelter requirements.

Once construction is completed and students are enrolled, the entity that paid for the design, permitting and construction of the school shall be entitled to school impact fee credits, for the land and facility portion of the impact fee only.

The maximum amount of any fee credits and the cash reimbursement for all design, construction and land costs shall be $18.2 million. Land value for fee credits or cash reimbursements shall be based on a fair market value appraisal obtained by the developer.

Published January 22, 2020

Improvements continue on State Road 54 in East Pasco

By

A project to widen a stretch of State Road 54 in East Pasco, and to improve the road’s intersection with Eiland Boulevard and Morris Bridge Road, is making progress.

The improvement calls for two left-turn lanes on State Road 54 onto Eiland Boulevard and two through lanes heading east.

A right-turn lane, also heading eastbound, will be incorporated on the state road, turning onto Morris Bridge Road.

State Road 54 is being widened, and intersection improvements are being made at the road’s intersection with Eiland Boulevard and Morris Bridge Road. The improvements aim to ease the flow of traffic on the busy road. (Brian Fernandes)

Heading west, State Road 54 will have one left-turn lane going onto Morris Bridge Road, a right-turn lane onto Eiland Boulevard, and two through lanes.

Also, at the intersection, a bicycle lane will run along the state road’s north and south ends, respectively.

In addition, a shared-use path will be implemented on the south end, with a sidewalk running along the north end.

Eiland Boulevard turns into Morris Bridge Road once is passes the intersection  with State Road 54, and heads south.

Motorists heading north on Morris Bridge Road will have two left-turn lanes onto State Road 54.

There also will be two through lanes, including one that can be used to go straight or turn right.

Eiland Boulevard heading south will have the same setup, except that it will have a right-turn lane in addition to two through lanes.

There will be a shared-use path on the west side of Eiland Boulevard and Morris Bridge Road, and a sidewalk on the east side.

There haven’t been any lane closures yet, but in the future this could occur for three to four weeks, according to Brendan Fitterer of Pasco County.

This comes as efforts continue to widen State Road 54 in Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills.

The 4.5-mile widening begins east of Curley Road and ends east of Morris Bridge Road. It involves widening the road from two lanes to four lanes, with a divided median.

The project is being done in phases, with the lanes at the north end — heading west — being completed first. Then the lanes on the south end — heading east — will be done, and then the divided median.

When the two westbound lanes have been paved and striped, opposing traffic will occupy these lanes, while the eastbound lanes are built, said David Botello of the Florida Department of Transportation.

This will occur over the span of six months, he said. Ninety-five percent of the utility pipe installation has been completed.

Botello added that: “We have over half of the new drainage installed and are working on constructing the new westbound lanes on the north side of the corridor, while traffic is temporarily shifted to the south in several locations throughout the project.”

The project also incorporates a sidewalk on the north side of the road and a multi-purpose trail on the south side.

Lane closures have occurred, but future closures have not been announced yet.

The intersection with Eiland Boulevard/Morris Bridge Road is a $3.8 million-project and is expected to be completed in June 2021.

The state road’s widening is a $42.5 million-project, with completion set for mid-2021.

Published November 13, 2019

Zephyrhills economic summit highlights industrial hub

By

It may now be famous for its crystal clear water and skydiving but, someday, the City of Zephyrhills also wants to be known for its industrial offerings and high-wage jobs.

The third annual Zephyrhills Economic Summit, held earlier this month, focused on the need to maximize both the use of the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport and the development potential of adjacent industrial property.

The event, at Zephyrhills City Hall, was presented by the Zephyrhills Economic Development Coalition (ZEDC) in partnership with the City of Zephyrhills and Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce.

The third annual Zephyrhills Economic Summit focused on the importance of developing an industrial corridor and cultivating high-wage jobs. Shown here speaking is Zephyrhills planning director Todd Vande Berg. (Kevin Weiss)

City officials are developing a 20-year master plan known as the Zephyrhills Industrial Corridor Plan.

The proposed industrial development hub encompasses approximately 9.76 square miles (6,248 acres) of land in the southeast portion of the city, around the Chancey Road corridor and municipal airport.

Roughly a third of the property is within city limits and the remainder in unincorporated Pasco County — representing the largest aggregation of industrial lands in the county.

Within that area is 442 divisible acres of what’s known as the Zephyrhills Airport Industrial Park, a build-ready site equipped with water, sewer and electric utilities, and accessible to natural gas.

While the corridor is still in preliminary stages, it ultimately will set the city up for long-term growth and economic sustainability, said Zephyrhills planning director Todd Vande Berg.

Possible targeted industries could include aerospace, aviation and defense; advanced manufacturing; light manufacturing; electronics and technology; logistics and distribution; life sciences and medical technology; telecom/data hosting centers; research and development; showroom; refrigeration/cold storage and other uses.

Vande Berg explained a built-out industrial corridor will yield more revenues for the city and create a better jobs-to-housing balance. He also noted industrial manufacturing uses less services — police, fire, water, sewer— compared to, say, residential or commercial land use.

All that, he said, will ultimately “raise the bar in quality of life” for Zephyrhills residents, allowing funds to be steered toward downtown redevelopment, recreational amenities and other community uses.

“We want to be economically diverse. We don’t just want to have family residential, we want to have a mix of uses,” Vande Berg said.

“If we bring in industrial, we’re going to be more fiscally solvent, and that ties in with being resilient. If we have the industrial there, we feel like we’re in a better position with the city.”

The city planner expressed confidence the corridor’s utility offerings and centralized proximity to Orlando, Lakeland and Tampa makes it an attractive spot for companies looking to relocate or set up shop.

“We’ve got a great location we feel like,” he said. “We have such an asset out there in the southeast quadrant of the city.”

The entire planning area is generally bound by Melrose Avenue to the north, the CSX Transportation railroad and U.S. 301 to the west, Pattie Road to the south, and Barry Road and the Upper Hillsborough Wildlife Management Area to the east.

Two CSX mainline railroads traverse the area and it is accessible to Port Tampa Bay and the CSX Central Florida Intermodal Logistics Center.

The local airport also is undergoing a $5.9 million runway extension and roadway improvements to accommodate larger commercial aircraft, and encourage aviation and industrial development.

Moving forward, Vande Berg said ongoing collaboration is vital between the city, county and state officials to have a coordinated plan on zoning and land use, and “to continue to improve transportation accessibility to this industrial corridor.”

He mentioned a more near-term priority is working with the Florida Department of Transportation to extend State Road 56 east of U.S. 301 to connect to Chancey Road. “Transportation’s huge, like anywhere,” he said.

Aside from transportation and infrastructure boosts to draw companies in, other speakers said the city needs more workforce development programs to develop skilled labor employees and then keep them in the area.

It’s already something holding back existing industrial businesses in the city, said Dr. Randy Stovall, president of the Zephyrhills chamber.

“They can’t find those people they want to hire,” Stovall said. “They want to hire them, but there’s not enough of them, so that is a challenge. We’ve had that (issue) for some time.”

Tom Ryan, economic development manager for Pasco Economic Development Council Inc.,  said having training programs and a baseline of skilled labor in place is “a huge component” for luring large companies to a particular area.

“We’ve got to have (workforce) inventory,” Ryan said. “We’ve got to have a plan to tell those companies, ‘Look, we want your jobs here, and we have a plan to help you bring those jobs here.’”

Pasco County Commission Chairman Ron Oakley pointed out that Zephyrhills and the East Pasco area are working to position the area to do just that.

Pasco County Schools plans to build a technical high school by 2022 near the intersection of Curley Road and Kiefer Road in Wesley Chapel that will hold nearly 900 students.

Meanwhile, Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative (WREC) plans to construct a 4,000-square-foot facility for AmSkills to teach manufacturing jobs.

Also, local business owner Kevin Bahr of Bahr’s Propane Gas & A/C is starting a teaching school to train propane service and HVAC technicians.

“The county is working very hard for jobs,” Oakley said. “Our county’s growing. We need jobs, and we need to teach them (the necessary skills).”

Elsewhere during the summit, State Rep. Randy Maggard commended Zephyrhills “for thinking ahead of schedule” in regards to its future and planned industrial hub.

Maggard, a Republican representing District 38, specifically applauded city leaders for this year putting a $2 million septic to sewer project at the top of their state appropriations request list.

The project includes decommissioning existing septic tanks to a residential subdivision and homes along Sixth Avenue and Armstrong Street, with potential for sewer expansion to additional properties in the future.

The project aims to prevent springs from dying because of nitrates from septic tanks.

“At the end of the day, if we don’t have water, none of this matters,” Maggard said. “We can talk about infrastructure, we can talk about a lot of things, but if we can’t provide water, it doesn’t matter at all.”

The elected official also gave this piece of advice for the city going forward: “You need to tell us where you want to go, and we need to help you get there in the long-term planning, funding, whatever it takes for us to be able to do that.”

Other summit speakers included Mohsen Mohammadi, chief operations officer for American Infrastructure Development; David Gwynn, District 7 secretary for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT); and Danielle Ruiz, economic development manager for Duke Energy.

Published October 23, 2019