The Laker/Lutz News

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

Tampa City Council

Public meeting set on roadway connection study

By

The city of Tampa, Hillsborough County and Pasco County remain at odds over whether Kinnan Street in New Tampa should connect to Mansfield Boulevard in Wesley Chapel.

A 450-page draft report, known as the Wesley Chapel Roadway Connection Study, looks at that road project, as well as two other potential intra-county road connections in the Wesley Chapel and State Road 56 area.

The study says that Pasco County will face substantial costs to address traffic increases — with or without potential roadway connections.

Estimates for intersection improvements in the area, with no road connections, would be about $13.8 million. With road connections, the cost would be about $15.4 million.

A public meeting to discuss the study, and get public input, will be held on May 29 at the Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, at 2727 Mansfield Blvd.

This is part of a multiphase process taking place over several months.

The focus of the meeting is to get comments on the study, not to get a consensus on what should or shouldn’t be connected, said Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore.

“We want to hear from people if something is missing and should be added,” Moore said, noting the study is quite detailed.

A power-point presentation will be made at the meeting. Afterward, people will be able to look at maps, and ask questions one-on-one with consultants and county staff members.

Residents can go online now to peruse all 450 pages, and make comments through June 15. An online survey will be posted in the future to get a consensus on which road projects residents want to see completed.

No decision on recommendations is anticipated from the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization until September. A final decision would be left to Pasco County commissioners, who also will need to identify funding sources for future projects.

The issue of establishing a connection between Kinnan and Mansfield resurfaced recently when developers of K-Bar ranch filed an application with Tampa to build more than 700 new homes, south of Mansfield.

The Tampa City Council postponed a vote on the project until June in hopes that an agreement could be reached regarding connecting Kinnan and Mansfield.

Hillsborough and Pasco have been at odds over the connection for more than a decade.

In 2017, the Hillsborough County Commission approved $250,000 to pay for the project.

The study presents four alternatives, including a no-build choice.

Potential road projects include linking Kinnan Street and Mansfield Boulevard, and building extensions of Meadow Pointe and Wyndfields boulevards from Pasco County into Hillsborough County.

If Pasco and Hillsborough elected officials are divided on where to link up their roads, so are area residents.

Nearly 140 people attended a public meeting in April 2017 to discuss opening roadways that divide the counties.

Oral and written comments gathered through the meeting showed Pasco residents split on joining Kinnan and Mansfield, with 36 people against it, and 37 in favor.

However, Hillsborough residents overwhelmingly supported the connection by a count of 63 for and two against.

Pasco looked with more favor on extending Meadow Pointe by a count of 40 to 6, and Wyndfields by 28 to 4. Hillsborough residents favored Meadow Pointe by 67 to 8, and Wyndfields by 50 to 18.

The study also took note of an agreement between the K-Bar ranch developers and the city of Tampa that says Wyndfields can’t be extended until Pasco allows Kinnan and Mansfield to be linked.

For information, and to view the study, visit PascoMPO.net.

What: Meeting to discuss the Wesley Chapel Roadway Connection Study
When: May 29, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, 2727 Mansfield Blvd., in Wesley Chapel
Cost: Free
Info: Visit PascoMPO.net.

Published May 23, 2018

Proposed road connection remains controversial

By

A proposed 700-home addition to K-Bar Ranch is reopening arguments on the long-debated road connection of Kinnan Street in Hillsborough County and Mansfield Boulevard in Pasco County.

Hillsborough and Pasco officials have disagreed over the connector for at least a decade.

And, Kinnan and Mansfield remain dead-end roadways separated by a weedy plot of land — about 30 feet to 40 feet long.

Barricades are set up on Mansfield Boulevard in Pasco County, where the road dead-ends a short distance from Kinnan Street in the K-Bar ranch development in New Tampa. (File)

Tampa City Council members voted May 3 to postpone a decision on the K-Bar Ranch expansion in New Tampa until June 28.

The added time is to give Hillsborough, Pasco and developers another chance to reach agreement – to connect or not to connect.

However, Pasco isn’t likely to be ready with an answer before September at the earliest.

Pasco County commissioners approved the “Wesley Chapel Roadway Connections Study” in 2017. The study is looking at three potential connectors between the two counties. One is Kinnan and Mansfield.

Other connections under consideration would extend Wyndfields and Meadow Pointe boulevards in Pasco to link with existing and future roads in the K-Bar ranch.

A draft report is scheduled for May 15, but a final recommendation from Pasco’s Metropolitan Planning Organization won’t be presented to the Pasco County Commission until September.

“We’re sticking to our timeline of getting the study and getting public input,” said Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore. “We represent the citizens of Pasco, not the citizens of Hillsborough or Tampa. That’s what we have to be concerned with, what will have a negative impact, what will have a positive impact.”

For residents of New Tampa, the lack of a north/south connector is a traffic hardship on a daily basis. The drive toward Wesley Chapel follows a circuitous route that adds miles and minutes to the trip, coming and going.

“Many of them feel locked in their neighborhoods,” said Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera. “It’s very important to them to have the connector.”

Viera has, to date, been the lone vote on Tampa city council against the K-Bar project, based on the uncertainty over Kinnan and Mansfield.

“It’s a crisis of governments not really working together,” he said. He added, “I certainly hope we can use all of our power…to advocate for this connection to be made.”

Viera said he would bring up the topic on May 11 at a public meeting of the Tampa Bay Transportation Management Area Leadership Group. The group includes representatives from Pinellas County, Pasco, Hillsborough and Tampa, and generally discusses regional transportation issues.

The meeting will be at 9:30 a.m., at the Pasco County Utilities Administration Building, at 19420 Central Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes.

Area residents in Hillsborough and Pasco have competing petitions at Change.org, for and against the connection.

Meadow Pointe II resident Chris Dillinger organized opposition. He lives near the connector site in Pasco, and has children who attend area schools.

Opening Mansfield to additional traffic is a safety issue, he said. “I’m very, very concerned about it,” Dillinger said.

Meadow Pointe II residents also opposed a rezoning for a 7-Eleven gas station and convenience store at Mansfield and County Line Road. The matter was postponed in January to a “time uncertain.”

7-Eleven wants to build there in anticipation of Mansfield and Kinnan linking, and the additional traffic that will flow onto Mansfield, Dillinger said. “That’s still out there,” he added.

Published May 9, 2018

A new fire station is coming to New Tampa

By

Residents of New Tampa will get a new fire station in 2017, amid a boom in development and population growth.

Other proposed capital improvement projects include upgrading playground equipment at New Tampa Recreation Center and installing CCTV cameras along Cross Creek Boulevard to help regulate traffic signals and ease congestion.

“The growth here has been tremendous,” said Tampa City Councilwoman Lisa Montelione. “Having the fire station will bring comfort to a lot of people that they will have a rescue unit nearby.”

The city paid about $1.3 million in 2008 for 2.2 acres of land at County Line Road and Trout Creek Drive anticipating construction on Fire Station No. 23.

But, budget cutbacks during the recession delayed several construction projects citywide.

The station, at 20777 Trout Creek Drive, will cost about $4.7 million. A construction schedule is not yet available.

Another proposed fire station for New Tampa isn’t included in the 2017 budget, but does have design funds for 2019.

Fire Station No. 24 in the K-Bar Ranch area, off Morris Bridge Road, will be built “as growth continues to occur,” according to Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, who presented a nearly $906 million budget to the Tampa City Council in July.

Council members approved the budget on Sept. 21. The fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

About 2 acres within a proposed 54-acre park in the K-Bar Ranch development are planned for Fire Station No. 24.

Montelione worked with M/I Homes, and Hillsborough County’s parks and recreation department, to secure the land.

A mix-up between Pasco and Hillsborough County dispatchers about a 911 call in 2015 drew attention to the need for a station serving New Tampa’s K-Bar Ranch area.

Hillsborough will develop the park, while the City of Tampa will build the fire station, Montelione said.

Upgrades to playground equipment at New Tampa’s recreation complex also won approval in the final budget. However, area residents still are waiting for an expansion of the existing gymnasium, which has earned a reputation for its high quality, competitive gymnastics program.

At least twice in the past five years, funds were withheld, including last year. “I was very upset,” said Montelione.

Instead, the budget re-routed capital improvement dollars to other projects, such as the recently completed restoration of the historical Cuscaden swimming pool in V.M. Ybor.

Another disappointment this year was lack of funding for New Tampa Nature Park, off Donna Michelle Parkway. More than five years ago, the park’s design included water fountains, restrooms and shaded hospitality areas.

“There’s no funds to service this park,” said Montelione during a public hearing on the budget. “It’s not even on anybody’s radar.”

Montelione lobbied for the park, as well as additional funds overall for Tampa Fire Rescue for equipment and training.

Published September 28, 2016

People and pets gather for dog park opening

By

When residents (and their dogs) showed up to commemorate the grand opening of the Rotary Club of New Tampa Dog Park on May 2, they admired the new facility located at 17302 Commerce Park Blvd.

But they might not have known how much time and effort went into it.

Tampa mayor Bob Buckhorn shook hands and gave dogs a friendly scratch or two at the opening of the Rotary Club of New Tampa Dog Park on May 2. (Courtesy of Bob Thompson)
Tampa mayor Bob Buckhorn shook hands and gave dogs a friendly scratch or two at the opening of the Rotary Club of New Tampa Dog Park on May 2.
(Courtesy of Bob Thompson)

“We actually started on this two years ago,” said Joyce Gunter, the Rotary Club of New Tampa’s committee chairwoman for the dog park. “It took a long time, and we’re so excited that it’s finally open.”

It took $25,000 and a couple of years of planning and coordination with the City of Tampa to bring the dog park to fruition.

The Rotary Club of New Tampa approached the city looking to start a public/private partnership on a project that would benefit the community. The city suggested the dog park, which was planned but not fully funded. If the rotary club could match their funds, the city explained, the project might get completed.

So the group set to work, obtaining sponsors to help raise the money. They also sold space at the park itself, one little block at a time. Engraved bricks in two different sizes have already been placed to outline concrete at the park. The Rotary Club of New Tampa sold more than 300 bricks at a cost of between $50 and $100.

That kind of positive response not only reinforced the idea that residents wanted a dog park in the area — there isn’t one for at least 13 miles — but showed the community’s willingness to step up and financially support the cause.

“It confirms my thought that there are a lot of great people in this community, and all you have to do is ask and talk about things you can do, and people are willing to help and join in,” Gunter said.

Now that the park is finished and open for guests, people in the community can enjoy its amenities. At just under an acre, they had room for benches and picnic tables, stations containing cleanup bags, and a water fountain with special accommodation for four-legged visitors. There’s also a large special section specifically for smaller dogs.

Shade was a big part of the design.

Some dog parks, Gunter explained, have very little shade, which can be uncomfortable when it’s hot outside.

The Rotary Club of New Tampa Dog Park has plenty of trees which provide an abundance of shade, which makes for a more pleasant visit.

After just a few days, they’ve already received some feedback as to potential improvements.

For instance, mud puddles can be a big attraction to dogs, but they aren’t welcome with owners. So, a dog-washing station to help everyone come home clean is one possible improvement.

In addition to plenty of canine representation at the opening, two-legged dignitaries were there as well. Lisa Pontilione from the Tampa City Council, state representative Shawn Harrison and Mayor Bob Buckhorn all came out for the event, alongside brick purchasers, Rotarians and those who were eager to use the facilities.

One guest was not able to be there, unfortunately.

Gunter’s labrador mix, Linkin, passed away before the park opened.

He would have loved it, Gunter said. She plans to frequent the park with another pet at some point in the future.

Until then, she’s happy to see others use the park and appreciate the hard work and time put in by the Rotary Club of New Tampa.

“It’s so nice to drive by there and see a lot of people utilizing the park, and seeing the dogs having a great time,” she said.

The dog park is open every day from sunrise to sunset.

Published May 13, 2015