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Hugh Townsend

Pasco schools spending ‘Penny’ wisely

February 9, 2021 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

The Penny for Pasco Oversight Committee has submitted its annual report regarding the school district’s spending of Penny for Pasco tax proceeds.

The one-page report, dated Feb. 2, concluded that “the promises made by the school district to the voters of Pasco County have thus far been kept.”

The oversight committee receives reports from school district leaders of construction services, finance services, maintenance services, and planning services about student and population data, budgeting, funds collected and spent, and project status updates, the report says.

It notes that the district remains ahead of schedule and is ready to meet the needs of the district’s growing population.

“In this seventh year of the second cycle, revenue remains good, in spite of all the challenges presented by COVID 19. Current collections are almost 27% above calculated projections,” the committee reports.

“We are pleased to inform you that real progress is being made with several Penny projects. Zephyrhills High School and Northwest Elementary School will complete their remodeling this summer. Marlowe Elementary has a new wing and construction is now underway at Hudson Middle School,” the report adds.

The committee also “continues to assure voters and the community that the money collected is being prudently used for the purposes intended,” the report says.

In addition to receiving the oversight committee’s report, the Pasco County School Board, in a separate action, reappointed these community members who voluntarily serve on the committee for a two-year term: Gary Evans, Hugh Townsend, Olive (Tom) Massey, Niko Tzoumas and Paul McClintock.

They will serve for the calendar years 2021 and 2022.

Published February 10, 2021

Project prompts school board to hire land use attorney

January 23, 2019 By B.C. Manion

Project Arthur, a major development that’s been submitted to Pasco County for its review, has prompted Pasco County Schools to approve the use of a land use attorney on an as-needed basis.

In seeking the approval, district documents describe Project Arthur as “a new and unique development, which is proposing to use charter schools as a way to mitigate for future student impacts.”

Having that expert resource available, the document notes “will be beneficial to the Planning Service department” and will “help to protect the interests of the school district.”

The Pasco County School Board voted unanimously to hire Alan Zimmet, a land use attorney with the law firm of Bryant Miller Olive, to assist the district in reviewing the Comprehensive Plan, Development Order, and other documents.

“The law firm’s services will be used on an “as-needed” basis over the course of this fiscal year,” according to the school board’s action.

Project Arthur is a proposed development on nearly 6,951 acres of land known as Bexley South and Bexley North.

The proposal calls for a 24 million-square-foot corporate business park, plus 11,495 residences and other supportive uses in an area east of the Suncoast Parkway, west of the CSX rail line and south of State Road 52.

The attorney will represent the district in negotiations and discussions with the owners of Project Arthur, which at this time include Lennar Homes and Metro Development — regarding the placement, construction, purchase and ownership of school facilities within the development.

In other action, the school board:

  • Approved a two-year extension, for the 2019 and 2020 calendar years, for these members of the Penny for Pasco Oversight Committee who wish to serve an additional term: Gary Evans, Hugh Townsend, Niko Tzoumas, George Iwan, Tom Massey and Paul McClintock
  • Approved a memorandum of understanding with the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office and the National Cyber Partnership regarding the district’s collaboration in the establishment and development of the Florida’s Forensic Institute for Research, Security, and Tactics (F1RST) program, which aims to develop leading edge research. The agreement has no binding impact on the district, but would be helpful in applications seeking grants, according to the board’s agenda materials.

Published January 23, 2019

School impact fees set to increase beginning in January

August 23, 2017 By B.C. Manion

The Pasco County Commission has unanimously adopted higher school impact fees for new residential construction.

The increases will be phased in over three years, beginning Jan. 1, and will be charged against all new residential construction, except for new age 55-plus communities.

Pasco County school district officials have calculated that the higher fees will generate more than $220.4 million over the next 10 years. Those funds will be used to build one new middle school, one high school, one elementary school and one school for kindergarten through eighth grade.

Pasco County’s school impact fees will increase effective Jan. 1, for new residential construction in the county, except for in residential communities for people age 55-plus. The higher fees are intended to help the school district keep pace with increasing enrollments due to the county’s burgeoning growth. (B.C. Manion)

Hugh Townsend, who served as vice chairman of the Pasco County School Infrastructure Funding Committee, was the lone speaker during the public comment portion of the public hearing.

He offered his wholehearted support for the increased fees.

“I think this is a necessary fee in order to supply the necessary schools for all of the new construction,” Townsend said.

Commission Chairman Mike Moore said “what you’re seeing today is everybody coming together.” He later said the obvious result of the higher fees will be more schools to serve the county’s children.

The fees adopted by commissioners represented a compromise between the recommended rate by a consultant hired by the school district and the rate the building community wanted.

The adopted rate was less than what the school board, parents and other stakeholders wanted, but more than homebuilders and apartment developers wanted.

All five commissioners had committed to the proposed ordinance for the higher fees during a July 11 public hearing. The vote was delayed until Aug. 15 to allow some changes to be made to the final document.

David Goldstein, chief assistant county attorney, told commissioners at the July meeting that by the time the rates reach their final amount in 2020, they will represent 92 percent of what the school district’s consultant had recommended.

At the same meeting, Ray Gadd, deputy superintendent for Pasco County Schools, told commissioners: “We didn’t get everything we wanted, nor did the builders.”

There were other stakeholders who didn’t get everything they wanted, either.

Representatives of the multifamily industry, for instance, failed to persuade commissioners to reduce the proposed fee increases for multifamily dwellings.

Parents also were unable to convince commissioners to adopt the full fees that the school district’s consultant had recommended, and to make them effective this year.

In interviews after the commission’s vote, Pasco County School Board member Colleen Beaudoin and school board vice chairwoman Cynthia Armstrong voiced support for the county commission’s action to raise the fees.

“I’m very excited to move forward with our projects, and I’m very proud of the way everybody worked together,” Beaudoin said.

Armstrong added, “It’s wonderful that all of the partners of the community could come together on this issue because it’s so vital for us to prepare and build the schools that we need for the growth that’s coming to Pasco County.”

Current Rate:
Single-family detached: $4,828
Single-family attached: $1,740
Multifamily: $1,855
Mobile home: $2,843

New rates
Effective Jan. 1, 2018
Single-family detached: $7,128
Single-family attached: $2,869
Multifamily: $4,182
Mobile home: $4,377

Effective Jan. 1, 2019
Single-family detached: $7,728
Single-family attached: $3,111
Multifamily: $4,533
Mobile home: $4,746

Effective Jan. 1, 2020
Single-family detached: $8,328
Single-family attached: $3,353
Multifamily: $4,884
Mobile home: $5,114

Consultant’s recommended rate
Single-family detached: $9,028
Single-family attached: $3,634
Multifamily: $5,295
Mobile home: $5,544

Published August 23, 2017

Panhandling off-limits in Pasco

May 4, 2016 By Kathy Steele

Pasco County commissioners have approved a ban aimed at preventing street-corner panhandling in the county.

That action came despite pleas from those who had been selling newspapers in the county on Sundays.

By adopting a total ban, the county would cost workers’ wages and jobs, opponents said.

“I’m begging you, please understand you are affecting so many people,” said Renee Contreras, who oversees workers who sell newspapers on Sundays in the Wesley Chapel area.

Commissioners were unmoved, and on April 26 unanimously approved the total ban.

The ordinance is similar to ones in Hillsborough County and the City of St. Petersburg.

It bans “soliciting or attempts to solicit employment, business, contributions, donations, or sales or exchanges, of any kind from the driver or an occupant of a motor vehicle, or distributing or attempting to distribute any goods or materials to the driver or an occupant” of the motor vehicle.

Data presented to commissioners reported 173 pedestrian-related crashes in 2015, with 13 fatalities. The highest volume of fatal crashes happened on Saturday and Sunday, and occurred more often in daylight than evening.

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco also said that people were taking advantage of the Sunday exception to the ordinance.

“They are switching over from selling newspapers to panhandling,” he said. “By afternoon, they switch out signs. It goes back to — there is a public safety issue.”

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Wells brought up the issue in March after hearing about a veteran who was killed while selling newspapers along U.S. 19.

Commissioners then directed staff members to draft the new ordinance.

“It’s an unsafe practice for all involved,” Wells said, adding that he believes Pasco does everything possible to help residents in need.

While Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano sympathized with those selling newspapers, he said, “It’s just not working out. It’s unfortunate we have to take this strong step.”

Hugh Townsend, of the Hunter’s Ridge homeowners’ association, said panhandling “is of grave concern.”

Residents have dealt with litter, broken lights around the community’s monument sign and destruction to landscaping.

“I’d rather see them set up in a parking lot,” Townsend said.

From his wheelchair, Clifton Levigne told commissioners that he and others need the money they earn from selling Sunday newspapers.

“We have to count on selling newspapers, or else we can’t have enough to get through the week,” he said. “We’re not panhandlers.”

Contreras said the ordinance would hurt people trying to work for a living, but probably won’t stop panhandling.

“They (panhandlers) just cost us all our jobs,” she said.

Published on May 4, 2016

Views exchanged on ending Pasco blight

October 14, 2015 By Kathy Steele

A proposed ordinance to tackle blight and enforce minimum standards for maintaining commercial buildings drew mostly favorable reviews at a town hall meeting.

But, some remain skeptical about what they see as more government bureaucracy.

Pasco County Commissioners are expected to vote on the proposal on Oct. 20, following a public hearing.

The issue has sparked considerable interest.

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore talks with about 100 people at a town hall to discuss proposed regulations aimed at ending commercial blight in the county. (Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)
Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore talks with about 100 people at a town hall to discuss proposed regulations aimed at ending commercial blight in the county.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)

About 100 people met at the Pasco County Utilities Administration Offices in Land O’ Lakes on Sept. 30 for a town hall meeting, hosted by Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore.

Pasco County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder, Senior Assistant County Attorney Kristi Sims and Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco joined Moore at the town hall session.

Moore proposed the ordinance during discussions for the county’s fiscal 2016 budget. It is similar to one adopted by Hillsborough County and mirrors codes currently applied to residences.

The new regulations would focus on the major commercial corridors of U.S. 19, U.S. 301 and U.S. 41.

According to Moore, the lack of commercial standards is hurting property values and driving away investors who scout locations in Pasco.

“There’s a good chance they’ll turn their car around and go home,” said Moore. “It brings down surrounding property values. Tell me somebody who says it doesn’t, because they’re wrong.”

In August, Moore met with about 50 Land O’ Lakes residents and business owners. Many at that gathering characterized the ordinance as an example of government overreach.

Among the mostly friendly town hall crowd, some were still unhappy with Moore’s approach on curbing blight.

“Small businesses need a helping hand instead of being slapped around,” said Russell Adams of Russell Adams Realty Inc.

Casie Holloway of the family owned Holloway’s Farm Supply said there is no evidence that new regulations are needed. She said a code enforcement officer could show her only one report from July of blight in Land O’ Lakes, and that case was closed as unfounded.

“I understand the concerns, but if it’s not showing up in (county) logs, I question it,” she said. “The codes are already in place to make this work.”

County code currently defines a blighted structure as “extensively damaged by fire, flood, wind or other natural phenomenon.”

Demolitions can be ordered if the building poses a public safety risk. And, the county can place liens on properties to seek re-imbursement of demolition costs from property owners.

But, supporters say the proposed ordinance would provide stronger enforcement tools.

The ordinance would introduce citations and fines for failure to maintain commercial structures to public safety standards.

For example, regulations would require repairs to holes or defects to exterior walls and roofs, and keeping outside stairs safe and sturdy.

New Port Richey resident Hugh Townsend liked the idea of fines.

“When people get hit in the pocketbook, they conform,” he said.

The ordinance also would be a boost for law enforcement in pushing out squatters and drug dealers from derelict buildings, Nocco said.

If approved, the ordinance would allow a six-month grace period for property owners to bring their commercial buildings into compliance.

“This isn’t to nitpick somebody who doesn’t have a painted window,” said Kelly Miller, president of Colonial Hills Civic Association in New Port Richey. “This is the only way we are going to be able to start getting a handle on this problem.”

Published October 14, 2015

 

Browning parts from Scott, stands by Common Core Standards

October 2, 2013 By B.C. Manion

Pasco Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning is standing by the Common Core State Standards, despite a recent decision by Gov. Rick Scott to put the kibosh on the state’s participation in a consortia developing assessments for those standards.

Scott sent a letter to federal Education Secretary Arne Duncan on Sept. 23 telling him that he would ask the State Board of Education to end Florida’s fiscal relationship with the Partnership for Assessment Readiness for College and Careers.

Scott said the move was intended to protect the state from federal intrusion into education policy, and a parade of lawmakers and educators applauded Scott’s action.

Browning did not.

Kurt Browning
Kurt Browning

“It’s all political,” Browning said. “He’s getting a lot of pressure and he’s running for re-election.”

Browning added that Scott is trying to make sure that he has the support of the tea party, a populist movement within the Republican party that opposes the Washington political establishment. Scott was backed by the tea party when he won the governor’s office in 2010.

Florida needs a different way to measure its students’ progress, Browning said.

“Florida cannot afford to go back to another homegrown assessment,” Browning said.

The superintendent’s comments followed a talk he gave about the Common Core State Standards to more than two-dozen members of the Republican Club of Central Pasco.

Browning made it clear that he stands behind the Common Core State Standards.

“We need to be able to have a set of standards that engages kids, that gets them to think and not only to get them to give the right answer, but how they came up with that answer,” Browning said. “That, in large part, is what Common Core is.”

There’s a perception that Common Core is being driven by the federal government, Browning said. But that isn’t true. The National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers led the effort to develop standards, he said.

There are three basic components to Common Core State Standards, Browning said. Those components are the standards themselves, the assessments to measure student performance and the data collection.

Critics are lumping all three of those elements together.

“The standards are the standards,” the superintendent said.

There’s also a misconception about what the standards are, he said. The standards are not curriculum. Curriculum is developed and delivered at the local level.

The standards provide the foundation for the curriculum and establish what students need to learn. They do not prescribe how students should be taught, Browning said.

A new set of tests will be used to measure student performance. Regardless of what test is used, there will need to be some sort of assessment.

Common Core State Standards are intended to raise the bar for students and prepare them to compete in a global economy.

“Gov. Bush just made a comment this week that summed up exactly the way I feel about Common Core,” Browning said, adding he echoed those statements in a letter he sent to Scott. “Gov. Bush said, ‘If you’re ok with mediocrity, fine. I’m not,” Browning said.

“What our current standards really encourage our kids to do is memorize and regurgitate. Common Core is calling for kids to think critically,” Browning said.

Pasco County needs improvement.

“Look at our FCAT scores. Look at our reading scores. Look at our math scores. Look at our science scores,” he said. “They’re abominable. They really are.”

Pasco is ranked 34th out of 67 school districts, and that’s something that has to be improved, he said.

“I am tired of the Pasco district playing second fiddle to other districts in the state,” Browning added.

Teachers have a difficult job, he said.

“We’re getting kids in school that don’t know their alphabet. They don’t know simple words. We’re having to get these kids up to grade level,” Browning said.

About 450 third-graders each year are held back in Pasco County because they cannot read at grade level. Some of those students are held back twice, Browning said.

“When a third-grader is retained two times, you can pretty much write them off,” he said. And while the district doesn’t actually write them off, those children face an uphill battle.

“They’re older, they see their peers moving forward. They begin to think that they’re stupid, they can’t learn,” Browning said. “They’re taller than other third-graders. They don’t fit.”

Common Core State Standards are not a new idea, Browning said.

“This has been going on for like six years,” he said. “There were public hearings. There was time for input. There was all this time for public involvement.”

People who want to learn more about Common Core should research the issue, he said. But when they do, he advised that they make sure the websites are reliable.

“With all due respect to radio talk show hosts, that is not a good place to get information from,” Browning said.

Hugh Townsend, who was attending the Republican club’s meeting, said uniform standards are a good idea, particularly in a mobile society. The military has already demonstrated that.

“They’ve already proven that this system works, migrating children around and getting the same outcome of a well-educated, thinking student,” Townsend said.

Alison Crumbley, a Pasco County school board member, said she knows from personal experience about different standards used in different school districts.

“I moved from Chicago in the third grade. I came into third grade. I was put in the sixth-grade reading classes at the time,” Crumbley said.

The disparity in educational opportunities was one of the things that motivated her to seek a seat on the school board, Crumbley said.

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05/26/2022 – Food distribution

Farm Share, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, Pasco Sheriff Charities, the Pasco County NAACP, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay will partner for a free food distribution on May 26 starting at 9 a.m., at the Boys & Girls Club of Lacoochee, 38724 Mudcat Grant Blvd., in Dade City. Food will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last. The event is a drive-thru, rain or shine. … [Read More...] about 05/26/2022 – Food distribution

05/26/2022 – Lawn fertilization

Keep Pasco Beautiful will host a workshop for HOAs, homeowners and anyone who wants to learn how to properly maintain their lawn, on May 26 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the Patel College of Global Sustainability, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., Room 136, in Tampa. Panelists will include members from the Tampa Bay Estuary Program and the University of Florida Pasco Extension Office, who will explore a range of fertilization topics. For information and to register, visit EventBrite.com. … [Read More...] about 05/26/2022 – Lawn fertilization

05/28/2022 – Memorial Day Concert

The “Let’s Do Good Memorial Day Concert” is scheduled for May 28 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., at Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., to benefit the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. Tunnel to Towers provides mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children, and builds custom-designed smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders. The foundation is committed to eradicating veteran homelessness and aiding the victims of major U.S. disasters. The event will include vendors, gifts, a Forget-Me-Not Garden, and more. Entertainment will be provided by Fred Chandler, Charles Goodwin, Cruz Er Mac, Mike Henderson, and Travis White. Special guests include Congressman Gus Bilirakis and State Sen. Danny Burgess. Rain date is Sept. 10. … [Read More...] about 05/28/2022 – Memorial Day Concert

05/28/2022 – Pet supply drive

Munchies Natural Pet Foods, 1722 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., in Wesley Chapel, will host a Pet Supply Drive on May 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., to benefit the Pet Peace of Mind Program at Gulfside Hospice. Gulfside team members will be on site to offer information about the program and to collect donated supplies, such as pet food, cat litter, treats, basic supplies and other items. The donations will be distributed to hospice patients, to help provide care for their pets. For information about the Peace of Mind program, visit Gulfside.org, or call 727-845-5707. … [Read More...] about 05/28/2022 – Pet supply drive

05/28/2022 – Seafood Festival-CANCELLED

The North Tampa Bay Chamber’s Summer Seafood Festival is scheduled for May 28 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., at the Tampa Premium Outlets, 2300 Grand Cypress Drive in Lutz, between the outlets and At Home. There will be seafood, crab races, a kids zone, live bands, craft beer, a local market, a Nautical Art Show, and a crab claw-eating contest. For information, call 727-674-1464. … [Read More...] about 05/28/2022 – Seafood Festival-CANCELLED

05/30/2022 – Memorial Day Ceremony

Lexington Oaks Community Center, 26304 Lexington Oaks Blvd., in Wesley Chapel, will host a Memorial Day Ceremony on May 30 from 3 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., in front of the big flag. There will be patriotic songs and readings, and the playing of "Taps."  The event is weather permitting. … [Read More...] about 05/30/2022 – Memorial Day Ceremony

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