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Simons Road

Zephyrhills tennis center changing membership packages

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The Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center in Zephyrhills is overhauling its membership pricing model — in an effort to streamline options, encourage more annual memberships and better capture growing demand for play.

Among the most noteworthy changes are raising seasonal and non-resident rates essentially across the board, while removing age-specific senior (over 65) and junior (17 and under) packages in favor of a comprehensive one-size-fits-all individual membership.

The Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center in Zephyrhills is altering its membership pricing model for the coming year. (File)

The Zephyrhills City Council approved the requests from the facility’s private operator, Tennis Pro Florida LLC, during an Aug. 23 regular meeting at Zephyrhills City Hall. Zephyrhills entered into a management agreement with Tennis Pro Florida in October 2019, when it was established that any membership changes required council approval.

Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center’s Chief Financial Officer Nick Walton made a presentation at the meeting on the proposed changes, expected to take effect this month, following the council’s action.

During a presentation to council members, Walton began by detailing the tennis facility’s popularity since its soft opening last September, even in the wind of the coronavirus pandemic.

The state-of-the-art complex has seen some 2,000 visitors who have been there at least once. It also has about 175 members who pay monthly dues.

“It’s been a crazy year this past year,” said Walton, emphasizing the consistent turnout.

The $4.9 million tennis complex at 6585 Simons Road in Zephyrhills is marketed as “Tampa’s first boutique-style racquet sports and wellness club.”

The city-owned, but privately operated facility offers:

  • 11 regulation-sized outdoor tennis courts (nine clay surface, two hard surface)
  • Eight outdoor pickleball courts
  • Four outdoor padel courts
  • Outdoor multipurpose turf field
  • A nearly 8,000-square-foot indoor clubhouse, featuring a full-service restaurant/cafe, fitness center, salt room, yoga room, cryotherapy chamber and pro shop

Tennis center leadership is striving to attract more annual members, and to encourage patrons to use more of the facility’s supplementary offerings, beyond tennis, Walton said.

“We have people coming once a month, they pay the non-member rate, but what we want is people to become members, so they’re kind of incentivized to come every single week, and enjoy all of the services that we have to offer,” he said.

Simplifying its existing membership model will help, Walton said, which he labeled “a little confusing currently, because there’s so many levels.”

Changes include tapering membership combinations from 72 different options down to 24 choices.

Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center Chief Financial Officer Nick Walton. (Courtesy of Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center)

Membership increases for seasonal, non-residents
The most significant price hikes will be coming to six-month, seasonal membership offerings —to both Zephyrhills and non-Zephyrhills residents.

A seasonal, tennis-only membership was set at $160 total for Zephyrhills residents and $200 total for non-residents.

Now those rates will more than double —  to $344 total for Zephyrhills residents and $430 total for non-residents.

Other activities show similar seasonal hikes.

A seasonal, pickleball-only membership jumps from $120 total to $264 total for Zephyrhills residents, then from $150 total to $330 total for non-residents.

Annual rates for non-residents are slated to go up, to varying degrees, too.

Encouraging more activities, beyond tennis
Walton went on to discuss the facility’s current supply and demand issue for tennis, in comparison to myriad other sports and activities.

Because tennis is “overwhelmingly” the facility’s largest attraction, that’s causing issues with accommodating adequate court space needs for all users during the evenings, he said.

While “a great problem to have” in one sense, Walton said, the facility is working on inventive ways to encourage other offerings, too. This may include offering one-week trials and other specials highlighting pickleball, padel, fitness classes and so on.

“We don’t want to box anyone out with pricing, but we want to allow ourselves to make money, and we’re almost maxed out with the tennis community,” Walton said. “We almost want to say, ‘Look, we’re not going to sell anymore tennis-only memberships, because we’re running out of courts.”

The council unanimously approved the facility’s membership model request, following some back-and-forth discussion.

Councilman Charles Proctor summarized the membership changes: “We all know, prices go up, so you’re going to have to raise the price, that’s inevitable, so I mean, I don’t have any problem with what I’m seeing here.”

Meanwhile, the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center has grander plans in play in the next year or so.

The city received a $4.7 million state appropriation this year to construct six additional outdoor hard tennis courts, as well as a 30,000-square-foot indoor tennis facility with the capability for other sports and activities, such as soccer, ping pong, banquets and ceremonies.

Another membership step is expected in September 2022, in advance of the targeted completion of the additional outdoor courts and indoor multipurpose facility.

Visit SVBTennisCenter.com for more information.

Published September 08, 2021

Zephyrhills sets legislative priorities

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The City of Zephyrhills has solidified three legislative projects to present to the Pasco County legislative delegation at its annual meeting.

The session is set for Sept. 1 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Zephyrhills City Hall, 5335 Eighth St.

The public, and representatives of various interest groups and local governments are invited to present their requests to the delegation before the 2022 Legislative Session begins.

The City of Zephyrhills is seeking a $5 million state appropriation for myriad improvements to Zephyr Park, 38116 Fifth Ave. Shown here is a draft concept from a park master plan. (Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)

With that, the Zephyrhills City Council unanimously approved a staff recommendation to seek funding for the following multimillion dollar projects, during an Aug. 23 regular meeting:

  • Sewer main extension/water main extension — Kossik Road and Fort King Road ($3.48 million)
  • Zephyrhills Municipal Airport — taxiway, two box hangers, fixed-base operator/terminal ($5.33 million)
  • Zephyr Park improvements ($5 million)

The next step was for representatives from the city to ask state Rep. Randy Maggard and state Sen. Danny Burgess to sponsor the projects on its behalf, during the delegation meeting.

Here’s a closer look at the priority projects, which also were outlined in a report prepared by Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe.

Sewer main extension/water main extension — Kossik Road and Fort King Road
This $3.48 million project calls for connecting sewer lines along Kossik Road from U.S. 301 to Fort King Road, then from Fort King Road north to Phelps Road and south to Simons Road.

It also includes a water main along Kossik Road, from Greenslope Drive to Fort King Road.

The sewer main portion will allow for the decommissioning of existing septic tanks along the route and will accommodate proposed development.

The water main portion will create a loop in the system, allowing for redundancy by being able to service the area from different directions.

The comprehensive project, Poe said, “will help to create a loop for the water system and install a sewer main that’ll open up our system, kind of in the northwest corner of our city.”

Zephyrhills Municipal Airport — taxiway, two box hangers, fixed-base operator/terminal
This Zephyrhills Municipal Airport improvement project is three-pronged, with each portion combining to total $5.33 million, if funded in its entirety.

The first piece calls for two box hangers on the southern infield — totaling slightly over $1.9 million — to house larger aircraft and boost economic development opportunities in coordination with the extension of Runway 1-19.

The housing of aircraft at the airport also will help to increase turbine operations, therefore beneficial for future FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) funding, officials say.

The second portion — totaling $725,000 — would be the construction of the parallel taxiway, from Runway 5-23 north to Taxiway Bravo to allow aircraft housed in the proposed hangers to access both runways 5-23 and 1-19.

The project’s third component is to construct a new fixed-base operator terminal — costing $2.7 million — to offer better service to pilots that fly in and out of the airport.

Poe said the airport project can be split into separate parts, but advised the entire package be submitted to the delegation, “and then let the state say, ‘Hey, we would only like to fund half of that, or a portion of it.’”

The airport is located at 39450 South Ave.

Zephyr Park improvements
For the past several years, the city has conjured up various ideas on how to spruce up the 34-acre Zephyr Park, at 38116 Fifth Ave.

It presently features Alice Hall Community Hall, lighted tennis courts, handball, fishing, picnic pavilions, barbecue grills, horseshoe pits, playground equipment and a lakeside trail.

But the Zephyrhills Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) envisions the community park to be much more — a place within walking distance to the city’s downtown core, intersecting recreation, fun and art.

Redeveloping the space into a blended urban natural park would provide a connection from downtown to the west of the CRA district, officials say, while promoting the economic development of surrounding neighborhoods and expansion of the downtown area.

The city organized a community open house back in May 2016 to gather input on what enhancements residents would like to see at Zephyr Park. A Zephyr Park master plan also was completed shortly afterwards, by project consultant Kimley-Horn and Burkhardt Construction Inc.

A draft concept shows an event lawn, family fun zone, wedding lawn, dog park, history garden, splash pad, fitness zone, bandshell, and pedestrian bridges, boardwalks and terraces surrounding Lake Zephyr, among other frills.

Should Zephyr Park gain state funding — is requesting $5 million— Poe acknowledged that staff will revisit and likely refine some of the park’s drafted redevelopment plans “because it has been several years,” since those talks took place.

The city manager put it like this: “We’ll look at it, talk about it, tweak it, because, you know, maybe the interest of the community has changed from the time when we originally did the plans, so we’ll look at all that.”

Published September 01, 2021

Dade City awards infrastructure projects

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The City of Dade City is moving forward on a pair of long-awaited infrastructure projects, as commissioners have awarded construction bids for the 10th Street sidewalk installation and the  Howard Avenue drainage improvements.

Dade City commissioners approved both projects unanimously during their July 27 meeting.

In the 10th Street sidewalk project, approximately 2,600 linear feet of sidewalk, which is five-foot-wide, will be installed. Sidewalk ramps conforming with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) standards also will be installed on the east side of 10th Street, between an existing sidewalk north of Camphor Drive and tying into an existing sidewalk at the intersection of Florida Avenue.

The City of Dade City is moving forward on a pair of long-awaited infrastructure projects, including the 10th Street sidewalk installation and the Howard Avenue drainage improvements. (File)

The construction bid was awarded to Land O’ Lakes-based B.R.W. Contracting Inc., totaling $204,859.

B.R.W. Contracting was the lowest of six sealed bids received, with the others ranging from $258,903.75 to $332,189.

The bid award also is below an engineer’s estimate of $266,698.41.

The city has allocated $200,000 in Penny for Pasco funds, with the remaining balance paid for through transportation impact fees, according to a city memo.

The company has 180 calendar days to complete the project, upon notice to proceed.

Dade City Public Works Director Bryan Holmes told commissioners that city staff “investigated some past performance that arose in other counties” with B.R.W. Contracting. (One of the more publicized problem cases with the firm involved the Osowaw Boulevard resurfacing project in Hernando County in 2015.)

But Holmes said B.R.W Contracting addressed such issues at hand, adding his staff felt comfortable moving forward based on satisfactory recommendations from nearby Zephyrhills.

The firm has been involved on U.S. 301/Pretty Pond Road, Simons Road and the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis and Wellness Center in Zephyrhills, among other projects.

Said Holmes: “Staff confirmed with the City of Zephyrhills that (B.R.W. Contracting) has performed work on similar projects and they have been satisfied with their work.”

Mayor Camille Hernandez expressed enthusiasm that the “long-awaited” sidewalk project will soon be underway.

“Gosh, how many years have we been talking about that one?” Hernandez quipped. “I’m excited about this one.”

Holmes agreed that the sidewalk has been in the works for a long time. “I know this (project) predates me, so I know it’s been awhile,” he said.

The Howard Avenue drainage infrastructure project was awarded to Palmetto-based TLC Diversified Inc., in the amount of $215,000.

The project generally calls for drainage improvements at an existing stormwater pump station located on the Hardy Trail at Florida Avenue, to resolve washout issues along the trail.

The scope includes installation of a larger submersible pump with motor, an upgraded control panel, installation of a manhole at the concrete vault, installation of a fence with access gate, and the stabilization of disturbed areas around the location with sod.

The project, Holmes said, “will increase the pumping capacity to empty out that (Howard) pond to allow additional stormwater to flow in.”

TLC Diversified was the lowest of three sealed bids received, the others coming in at $249,500 and $250,150, respectively.

The project to upgrade the stormwater pump station is budgeted for $230,000 through a combination of Florida Department of Environmental Protection grant dollars ($150,000) and Penny for Pasco funds ($80,000).

The Howard Avenue drainage improvements is the second of a three-phase project.

The first phase included the expansion of the stormwater pond along Howard Avenue. Following this second phase project, the third phase calls for removal of ditch reinforcing, which is expected to be handled by city employees using locally sourced materials to save on costs, the public works director said.

Published August 11, 2021

Zephyrhills draft budget shows big jump

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Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe (File)

The City of Zephyrhills anticipates a roughly 24.5% increase over this year’s budget.

The proposed budget for 2021-2022 draft is estimated at nearly $75.3 million.

That compares to this year’s budget of roughly $60.5 million.

The proposed budget also is significantly more than it was in the 2019-2020 and 2018-2019 fiscal years, which were approximately $66.3 million and $59.4 million, respectively.

The city’s proposed budget is based on a 6.35 millage rate, assessed on taxable value of aggregate property of just over $946.6 million within the city. At that rate, it is expected to generate about $5.7 million in ad valorem revenues, based on a 95% collection rate.

Within the proposed budget are anticipated leaps in the special revenue fund (estimated at slightly more than $13.1 million in the coming year, compared to about $7.2 million this year); the utility fund (estimated at nearly $22.8 million, up from slightly more than $16.4 million); and the utility impact fee fund (estimated at nearly $6.3 million, up from slightly more than $4.3 million), respectively.

Estimates for other funds are similar to previous years. Those include the general fund, at slightly more than $15.6 million; the Community Redevelopment Agency fund, at nearly $800,000; the impact fee fund at slightly more than $6.1 million; the airport fund, at slightly more than $8.4 million and the sanitation fund at nearly $2 million.

City Manager Billy Poe offered a comprehensive overview of the proposed budget to the Zephyrhills City Council, during its July 26 meeting.
Public hearings on the proposed property tax rate and budget are scheduled for Sept. 13 and Sept. 27, both at 6 p.m., at Zephyrhills City Hall, 5335 Eighth St., Zephyrhills.

Big-ticket projects abound
Poe during the meeting detailed some of the big-ticket items — including the multimillion expansion of the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis and Wellness Center, which comes in as the highest single-ticket item on the books. That project has a state appropriation of slightly less than $4.7 million.

Another 800-feet of roadwork to complete Simons Road Phase II has an estimated price tag of $2.3 million, which is included in the proposed city budget for fiscal year 2021-2022. The elevated cost surprised several members of the Zephyrhills City Council during a July 26 regular meeting. Shown here is the completion of Simons Road Phase. (Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)

The municipality received the state funds to construct additional outdoor hard tennis courts, as well as a 30,000-square-foot indoor tennis facility with the capability for other sports and activities, such as soccer, ping pong, banquets and ceremonies.

The budget item drawing the greatest reaction from council members involves the Simons Road Phase II project, to finish roadwork linking Eiland Boulevard to Fort King Road.

The project carries a price tag of $2.3 million, causing some council members to question its cost.

The work — funded through transportation impact fees — calls for paving about 800 feet of roadway. That’s compared to Simons Road Phase I, which cost about $2.1 million, but required about 1.1 miles of roadwork.

Phase I was completed in February 2020, paving Simons Road from Eiland Boulevard to the northern boundary of The Links at Silver Oaks.

Phase II will continue from the Silver Oaks subdivision to Fort King Road, making a continuous link between Eiland Boulevard and Fort King Road, creating a north-south connector, providing residents on the north end of town another option to get onto Eiland Boulevard.

The cost of phase II drew consternation from the dais.

Councilman Lance Smith was quick to question the cost, as did Council President Alan Knight.

Knight characterized the estimated cost as “almost ridiculous.”

Poe said he, too, was surprised by the figure.

He explained the cost — an engineer’s estimate — is attributed to the road section traversing wetlands and low areas, requiring box culverts and retaining walls, among other add-ons.

Zephyrhills Public Works Director Shane LeBlanc added to Poe’s explanation for the sticker shock, observing economy of scale and current market trends also need to be taken into account.

Given the area’s drainage accommodations, the project’s scope is more involved “than just a road section,” LeBlanc explained.

LeBlanc went on: “The engineer’s estimate was $2.3 million, and I also had a contractor look at the engineer’s estimate, and the contractor said in this day and age, that price is pretty close, so we’re hoping when we go out to bid, it’ll be less than that, but we’ve got to make sure we have enough in the budget to cover that.

The City of Zephyrhills draft budget is $75.3 million budget for fiscal year 2021-2022. Public hearings on the proposed property tax rate and budget are scheduled for Sept. 13 and Sept. 27. (File)

“Historically, an engineer’s estimate is high, so that they cover themselves, and we were skeptical and had it looked at, and it’s checked out,” LeBlanc said.

One option would be to package the Simons Road Phase II project with several other citywide roadway projects to benefit from economy of scale with discounts on construction mobilization costs, Poe said.

“We might be able to get it a little cheaper, a little less expensive,” he reasoned.

Smith noted that allocating $2.3 million in the budget for the job might result in higher bids than it would, otherwise.

“We always understand, a lot of times, if you have $2.3 million in your budget, the bids are all around $2.3 million,” Smith said.

LeBlanc acknowledged that a project’s budgeted amount often is one of the first questions a contractor will ask.

But LeBlanc said if the city allotted too little for Simons Road Phase II, and all of the bids came in higher than the budget amount, the city would need to change the budgeted amount, anyway.

The public works director also noted that a 10% contingency is built into the scope.

Major utilities projects are on tap for the city, too.

This includes a $4 million allocated in the wastewater utilities fund for the Northside lift station and force main.

The project calls for a master lift station in the vicinity of 23rd Street and Otis Allen Road, then installing a force main at Otis Allen, County Road 35A and State Road 54, into another lift station in that area. Poe explained the project not only meets septic-to-sewer initiatives but also helps to serve the rapid development on the north end of town.

Other notable utilities projects include a pair of waterline extensions combining to total $3 million — and paid through loan by Florida’s State Revolving Fund (SRF).

One aims to create a waterline loop from Copeland Drive to State Road 39 and Tucker Road ($2 million).

The other calls for a waterline loop that includes Fort King Road from Simons Road to Phelps Road ($1 million).

The city’s proposed budget also includes $1 million in Penny for Pasco dollars for sidewalk improvements throughout town — a big-picture initiative to make the city more walkable for residents and visitors.

Poe put it like this: “I want to be able to create loops in our sidewalks and our trails, so as individuals want to go out and exercise, they have a loop and it’s not just an out and back, so we’re working on connectors, and also connecting our schools to our parks and our neighborhoods, so we’re hoping that $1 million will make a big dent in our needs for sidewalks.”

Meanwhile, another $1 million-plus in Penny for Pasco funds also will go toward park improvements, the bulk set for renovations to Hercules Park.

“We’ve been talking about Hercules Park, and the enhancements we want to make there,” Poe said, “so we feel that we can put $1 million towards that. We don’t believe that will complete the entire project, but that will get us going in the right direction and be able to do a large portion of that.”

While smaller in nature, Gateway and Jennifer Lane roadway projects also would be notable — as they represent the last dirt roads in city limits, Poe noted.
Those projects — funded through transportation impact fees — are estimated at $350,000 and $120,000, respectively.

Personnel matters
The city manager also addressed various personnel matters during the budget discussion portion of the meeting.

The proposed budget calls for several additional positions, including a human resources specialist, senior maintenance mechanic, equipment operator, police officers, water distribution officer, wastewater maintenance/inventory technician and senior utility billing service representative.

Determining how many new Zephyrhills police officers to hire remains an open budget question for Zephyrhills City Council. (File)

The need for additional police officers — and how many to hire — yielded debate among the council.

Poe relayed that Zephyrhills Police Chief Derek Brewer has requested hiring six more officers, to accommodate the city’s rapid residential growth.

That would meet the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) recommended standards of 2.4 full-time sworn officers per thousand residents, Poe explained.

However, the city manager himself told council he’d prefer hiring just two officers for this upcoming fiscal year, with a plan to bring on additional officers in coming years.

Hiring two more officers this fiscal year would roughly give the city 2.1 full-time sworn officers per thousand residents, he said.

The starting salary for a full-time sworn officer is $44,500 plus benefits — bringing a total cost to the city at about $70,000 per officer, per year, Poe noted.
Brewer did not speak at the meeting.

Councilman Charles Proctor, however, was vocal about considering the police chief’s request, or at least meeting somewhere in the middle.

“Personally, with the growth, I would like to see more (officers),” Proctor said.

“I mean, I’d like to try to get closer to the number that (Brewer’s) requesting. I know six is probably undoable, but if we could do four, I mean, with the growth, I am concerned that we’re going to need more.

“I would definitely like to see more than two (officers), but I know sometimes we can only do so much.”

Also on the personnel front, Poe said the budget encompasses a 3% pay increase for all employees — a total impact of $194,618 spread across the general fund, CRA fund, utility fund, airport fund and sanitation fund.

Another subject at hand is ensuring the city is in line with the minimum wage increasing to $15 per hour in September 2026. Anticipated savings from the merger of the city’s fire department with Pasco County may help methodically offset salary increases each year, Poe noted.

Elsewhere, the city manager mentioned several possible add-ons that are not yet included in the draft budget:

* $2 million Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to purchase and install permanent generators for the city’s utilities department
• $100,000 to transform an inline hockey rink at Krusen Field into a short-sided turf soccer field
• $65,000 for place branding the city for marketing purposes

These items will likely be considered at another meeting or budget workshop. Meanwhile, Poe said he wants to schedule one-on-one meetings with each council member to gather additional input on budgetary needs and issues.

Published August 04, 2021

Growth is coming to Zephyrhills

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Activity is on the rise in the City of Zephyrhills — from multiple new housing developments, to myriad airport and roadway improvements, to the prospect of wholesale changes to its local 911 communication operations.

Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe offered a look at what’s happening in the city, during a speaking engagement at last month’s East Pasco Networking Group breakfast meeting at IHOP in Dade City.

Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe was the guest speaker at the East Pasco Networking Group’s March 9 breakfast meeting, at IHOP in Dade City. (Kevin Weiss)

The city’s residential development is booming, Poe said.

“You see it when you’re driving down the road, driving down (State Road) 56, everywhere you go, anywhere you go, you see the development happening,” he said, during the March 9 breakfast meeting.

There are nine housing developments totaling about 3,000 units on the books, Poe said. The housing styles include townhomes, single-family homes and apartments.

The additional housing is expected to bring an estimated 7,000 new residents to the municipality, when all is said and done, Poe said.

These developments are predominately situated beyond the Zephyr Commons Shopping Center and Walmart off Gall Boulevard, as well as around the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center along Simons Road. The projects are in varying stages, from preliminary plans to homes under construction, Poe said.

“Zephyrhills will definitely be changing as we move through this, God willing the economy stays the way it’s going for us,” Poe said.

Airport gets a lift
Several enhancements are coming to the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport, which spans some 900 acres of land donated to the city after World War II.

Most notable is moving forward with the extension of Runway 1-19. It’s increasing to 6,200 feet, up from 4,700 feet.

The longer runway will accommodate larger corporate jets and will bolster industry in the surrounding airport vicinity. It also will provide support, in the long-term, for an industrial corridor, in the area of Chancey Road.

The Runway 1-19 project also calls for a Taxiway B extension, paved runway shoulders and construction of an access road.

The $6.5 million runway extension project, funded via state appropriations and Penny for Pasco, is expected to be completed in November. The city recently awarded a construction bid to Plant City-based C.W. Roberts Contracting for the work.

Poe detailed how instrumental State Sen. Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby was in securing funding, given that improved transportation via air travel is one of Florida’s long-range goals for its communities.

Poe put it this way: “Sen. Simpson helped push this project forward, because he saw the importance of having a longer runway and being able to bring in those corporate jets to Zephyrhills.”

Poe also emphasized that the move isn’t a preamble for the airport to eventually expand into  a cargo hub — something recently implemented at Lakeland’s Linder International Airport in partnership with Amazon.

“There’s been some rumblings that, ‘Hey we’re going to go try to look like Lakeland and try to get cargo jets and all that.’ That is not true. Our goal is to be the best general aviation airport around,” Poe said.

For that scenario to even be considered, Poe said, the airport would need to install a tower and an Airport Rescue and Firefighting Station (ARFF) to clear zones and angles, among other considerations. “A lot of things that would have to be done,” he said. “Now, if somebody wants to come in and pay for that, we can have a conversation, (but) the city is not doing that.”

Other boosts are planned for the airport, too.

This includes upgrading its fuel farm, which features a pair of 20,000-gallon tanks some 25 years old. Poe said the state is funding 80% of the fuel farm upgrade, while the city is on the hook for 20%. The bid for this project is expected to be awarded in May.

There’s also plans to rehabilitate Taxiway A — which runs along Runway 5-23 — due to asphalt pavement reaching the end of its useful life. The project is currently in the design phase with projected construction coming in November. Poe said the FAA will fund 90% of the $3.3 million project, with the FDOT (8%) and the city (2%) contributing the remaining sum. “We would not be able to do it without partnerships with DOT, FAA, the state, all of those different grant dollars,” he said.

Installing some more corporate hangars at the airport is another objective, among others Poe said.

Roadwork improvements en route
Aside from the airport, several roadwork projects also are in the pipeline for the burgeoning East Pasco municipality.

Among other roadway improvements, the city has entered the design phase for paving the remaining northern portion of Simons Road, from the Links of Silver Oaks subdivision to Fort King Road. It will create a continuous north-south connector linking Eiland Boulevard to Fort King Road. (Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)

The city manager said activity is well underway on the U.S. 301/Pretty Pond Road intersection project, which calls for the relocation of an existing signalized intersection from the shopping plaza entrance to Pretty Pond Road, a signalized intersection at Medical Arts Court, and all other required roadway improvements. The addition of signalized intersections at these locations serves to improve the mobility of the northeast section of the city, and become an economic driver for the northeast and northwest corners of Pretty Pond to be developed into a national grocery store, national chain hotel, pet supply store and chain restaurants.

The $2.3 million project is fully funded through a state appropriation.

Meantime, the city has entered the design phase to pave the remaining northern portion of Simons Road, from the Links of Silver Oaks subdivision to Fort King Road, making a continuous north-south connector linking Eiland Boulevard to Fort King Road. Upon completion, residents living on the north end of town will have another option onto Eiland Boulevard, and otherwise helping eliminate congested traffic.

The city manager expects the Simons Road construction project to bid out around October, adding “hopefully by this time next year that road will be open.”

He explained the reason the city didn’t pave the entire road all at once was due to obstructing Duke Energy transmission poles. Now, the utilities company is in the process of relocating those poles at no cost to the city, Poe said, noting it would’ve cost the city around $2 million to move them at the time a couple years ago. “The city works very hard to get those grant dollars and tries to stretch the taxpayer dollars as far as we possibly can,” he said.

He added the city also is seeking grant funding, plus partnerships with the county and Lennar development to add a traffic signal at the Simons Road/Eiland Boulevard intersection, to alleviate traffic coming to and from the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center, at 6585 Simons Road.

Elsewhere, the city plans to extend Dean Dairy Road from Pretty Pond Road north to Kossick Road. This action, Poe said would “help alleviate some of the traffic going up onto U.S. 301 and being able to access (Zephyr Commons) Publix and things from that back road.”

Poe otherwise detailed how the city spends roughly $400,000 per year repaving and rehabbing its local roadway network, using techniques like full-depth reclamation and micro seal to extend their useful life. The city’s streets department otherwise maintains roughly 66 miles of roadways throughout Zephyrhills, the city manager said.

Published April 07, 2021

Expansion plans unveiled for Zephyrhills tennis center

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The Sarah Vande Berg (SVB) Tennis & Wellness Center in Zephyrhills has sights on a major expansion to significantly enhance its tennis offerings and also establish a boarding program — all of which may run upwards of $20 million, when all is said and done.

The existing tennis center situated on 10 acres of land at 6585 Simons Road already has garnered much attention for its present slew of amenities, including:

  • 11 regulation-size outdoor tennis courts (nine clay surface, two hard surface)
  • Eight outdoor pickleball courts
  • Four outdoor padel courts
  • Outdoor multipurpose turf field
  • Nearly 8,000-square-foot indoor clubhouse, featuring a full-service restaurant/cafe, fitness center, salt room, yoga room, cryotherapy chamber and pro shop

But, the center could be broadening its reach through an expansion that would be funded by a state appropriation, private investments and financing.

Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center CEO Pascal Collard (Courtesy of Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center)

Preliminary details and various renderings were announced during a special presentation at the facility on Feb. 25.

Perhaps of greatest interest to the general public are proposals to nearly double its tennis offering by installing 10 more courts.

This would include six outdoor regulation hard surface tennis courts, plus a 30,000-square-foot multi-use indoor sports complex with room for four full-size tennis courts, as well as other athletic events, trade shows, banquets and ceremonies.

A nearly $4.7 million state appropriation for the slate of courts is being sponsored by state Sen. Danny Burgess, a Republican from Zephyrhills.

Besides helping to stimulate Pasco’s economy, the initiative would “provide access to low-income residents and children, as well as to provide athletic tournaments and events to east Pasco,” according to the state funding proposal.

If approved in the 2021 state budget, funding would become available around July, with expectations to begin construction by September or October, said Pascal Collard, the CEO of the SVB Tennis & Wellness Center.

Plans call for a half-dozen hard courts to be built on the northeast corner of the tennis center property, while the multi-use complex would be situated on another adjacent 10-acre tract of land southeast of Simons Road purchased by Collard and other private investors a few months ago.

Collard emphasized the need for the court additions during the presentation, citing the facility’s rampant demand since opening October 2020, even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic: “We have days where there’s a waiting list. We have days where there’s not enough space on the parking lot. We are already too small. We are, literally. There are moments where we don’t have enough courts,” he said, during the special presentation on the proposed expansion.

Adding an indoor component is particularly important, too, Collard said, noting, “sometimes it rains, sometimes it’s too warm for the kids” to play tennis and other sporting activities.

The Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center in Zephyrhills could be in store for a roughly $20 million expansion that calls for an international sports boarding program and a slew of indoor and outdoor tennis courts. (File)

An international sports boarding program?
Aside from further beefing up tennis offerings, Collard and other private investors are pursuing financing to establish an international residential sports academy and boarding program — similar to a scaled-down version Bradenton’s IMG Academy and Wesley Chapel’s Saddlebrook Preparatory School.

The concept calls for an assortment of phased-in student condos, dormitories and houses on the adjacent land tract that would eventually accommodate from 60 to 80 international students. That would be called the Sarah Vande Berg Learning Village.

A shared master plan rendering shows a dormitory building, 31 individual 1,500-square-foot homes and a three-story condo building with nine two-bedroom units and nine one-bedroom units, with walkable or rideable connections to the present tennis center.

Renderings also show the learning village subdivision is slated to feature a community center, pool, park, playground, community garden, and pond and fountain, among other outdoor and recreational features.

Here’s how the sports academy would work: International and out-of-state students would train and reside at the tennis center properties, then get bussed to North Tampa Christian Academy in Wesley Chapel for a more traditional academic setting, Collard said. The academy also would offer training and development packages for youth golfers and soccer players, Collard said, through partnerships with Dade City’s Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club, and Florida Premier FC.

Depending on the amount of amenities and programs (boarding, meals, sports training, academics), costs could run anywhere from $50,000 to $70,000 annually per visiting student, Collard said.

Meanwhile, he added, there will be opportunities for area-based youth to enroll in various portions of the sports academy, while still living at home. Various sports academy scholarships also will be made available for Zephyrhills area youth through the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Foundation, he said.

“This is going to enhance what we’re trying to do here for the kids,” Collard said. “We went to be special and different, and bringing some stuff to the table that nobody has, and that’s truly what we’re doing with everything. We want to create an atmosphere that kids are loving…”

This rendering shows plans for an international sports academy boarding community on property adjacent to the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center, at 6585 Simons Road in Zephyrhills. The community would feature dormitories, apartments and housing for international and out-of-state students looking to enhance their athletic skills, in hopes of securing college scholarships or professional opportunities. The concept would be similar to Bradenton’s IMG Academy and Wesley Chapel’s Saddlebrook Preparatory School. (Courtesy of Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center)

Collard acknowledged the boarding program initiative is “not a done deal yet,” though he noted that multiple banks are interested in taking on the project.

Collard indicated initial investment for the boarding campus may be in the ballpark of $10 million to $15 million.

The proposed project also has an ambitious timeline. The idea is to open a portion of the boarding program in conjunction with the multi-use complex around September 2022, he said.

Benefits of the expansion, as outlined in the presentation, include: raising the city’s regional and national profile; additional tax revenue and increased property values (projected up to 15% or more); and, providing a valuable community resource; and, introducing a diverse international presence to Zephyrhills.

The existing $4.9 million Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center is a public-private partnership between Collard and the City of Zephyrhills. The municipality owns the facility while Collard’s company, Tennis Pro Florida LLC, is tasked with management and day-to-day operations.

The facility is named after Sarah Vande Berg, a former Zephyrhills High School district champion and three-time state qualifier who died in an automobile accident in South Carolina at the age of 21, on Oct. 11, 2015, while a member of the University of South Carolina-Upstate women’s tennis team.

Collard and his team were responsible for leveraging connections and forging partnerships with individuals and organizations to bring aboard some of the facility’s splashier features — such as the salt room, cryotherapy, and restaurant. The city — with the help of a state appropriation and other impact fees — funded the tennis portion of the facility.

Collard brings a varied tennis background, having founded other academies in his native Belgium, and being a former tennis director at Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel and The Merion Cricket Club, in Haverford, Pennsylvania.

His professional coaching resume includes working with several widely known international tennis pros, including Younes El Aynaoui and Dominique Monami, among others.

Published March 24, 2021

Zephyrhills development yields roadway concerns

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The City of Zephyrhills is experiencing booming growth and development that includes thousands of new homes and myriad commercial projects — and that’s on top of a newfound tourism and visitor rush felt with the opening of the $4.9 million Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center, at 6585 Simons Road.

As the city begins to add new population and outsiders, concerns are increasing about the ability of the city’s road ways being able to sustain traffic arising from all the happenings in the small East Pasco town.

Those qualms were front and center at a Zephyrhills City Council meeting last month.

“We’re having tremendous growth right now, and I think it’s really hard to stay ahead of it, I really do, from a traffic management standpoint,” Councilman Lance Smith said.

Zephyrhills development yields roadway concerns. (Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)

“We see it in (Pasco County). In the county we see the lag that’s happened, and my gosh, how long have they been working on (State Road) 54, adding additional lanes? I’m just concerned that we stay ahead of it,” the councilman said.

Smith directed attention to the Abbott Square development that will add some 700 units surrounding the new tennis center on Simons Road.

The roadway is already becoming a problem with motorists trying to make left-hand turns off the Simons Road/Eiland Boulevard intersection, without a traffic signal, he said.

He also observed “cars stacked up turning left” during a recent event at the tennis complex, therefore increasing the likelihood of accidents and wrecks.

“People get frustrated when they can’t make that left-hand turn, and they’re willing to take a chance when they do that,” Smith said.  “We need to do something.”

In response, Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe explained a signalized intersection improvement is tied into a developer’s agreement with the Abbott Square homebuilder, Lennar Corporation. Meanwhile, the city is looking to time up those signalized improvements and connect Simons Road into Fort King Road by the end of 2021, Poe said.

Smith credited city staff for “doing a really good job” with facilitating various development projects — along with getting some transportation projects in the pipeline, such as the busy U.S. 301/Pretty Pond Road and County Road 54/U.S. 301 intersections.

But he cautioned that those involved must think of any potential issues that might result before construction actually begins on a particular project: “Just put on your thinking cap when you’re looking at these developments, ‘How’s it going to impact the road network around it?’”

Smith brought up the example of consulting engineers not including a right-hand turn lane into the recent State Road 56/Morris Bridge Road project.

He said: “Let’s try and avoid (those mistakes). Somebody holler and say, ‘Hey, you forgot this.’ It’s a shame to open up a new road and have these goat trails on the side where people are coming up and making their own right-hand turn lane.”

Meanwhile, another Zephyrhills roadway issue brewing is the sustainability of Wire Road. Nearby construction is afoot on Abbott Park, a 500-plus unit development popping up on the site of the former Gore Dairy Supply property.

Councilman Alan Knight observed: “Wire Road’s taking a beating already and you know with the new people coming in, and we’re looking at 500 homes — whew, it’s going to be tough (to maintain).”

Poe explained that Wire Road is scheduled to be repaved at some point but has been pushed back due to Abbott Park’s construction. Also, Poe said city officials are having internal discussions to find some way to get a utility transmission pole relocated, so that Wire Road can be connected with Kossik Road. There’s also designed plans — but not yet budgeted —  for Dairy Road to be extended north to connect with Kossik Road, the city manager said.

Meanwhile, Knight and other council members called for additional funding and resources to move such transportation projects forward.

Knight, for one, made a vocal plea for more help from the Pasco County Commission: “There’s a lot of money coming from our county commissioners that are going other areas…and some of that money needs to come to us. I’ll be the first to be very vocal about it. I see where a lot is going to Wesley Chapel; I understand the growth. I understand a lots going, but Zephyrhills needs to get some of that money. We need to get some improvements. We’re growing at a rate that’s unreal.”

Council President Charles Proctor echoed those sentiments: “This city is growing so fast. We all lived here a long time and I believe we’re doing our best to stay ahead of it, but we definitely need to work with the state and with the county to stay ahead of it.”

Published January 13, 2021

Zephyrhills seeking state funding for four projects

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The City of Zephyrhills is pursuing state funding for four projects, although ongoing financial impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic may hamper some, or all of the requests, from being included in the state’s budget.

Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe explained the requests during a regular Zephyrhills City Council meeting last month. They call for:

  • Transforming Seventh Street into a complete street, generally from U.S. 301 to South Avenue and C Avenue
  • Building sewer line and sewer capacity expansions and improvements on the north end of town to make way for additional development around the Zephyr Commons Publix Super Market on Gall Boulevard
  • Paving and taxiway improvements at the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport
  • Phase II of the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center, which calls for a 30,000-square-foot indoor multi-use complex on the northeast portion of the 10-acre property on Simons Road — large enough for four tennis courts, but could also be converted to accommodate soccer, weddings, concerts and other community events or sports

The deadline to submit requests to the state is Feb. 2. Final project submissions and prioritization will come before a formal council vote, likely at a Jan. 11 regular meeting.

Monies would be made available to Zephyrhills in July, should one or more of those projects be approved by the Florida Legislature and signed off on by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The city manager said each of those projects should be “shovel-ready” for construction by the summer time frame, except for the sewer line initiative, which first needs to be designed.

Published January 13, 2021

Zephyrhills adapts to growth, economic shifts

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If 2020 demonstrated anything, it was the necessity for area communities to have economic resiliency — that is, the ability to prevent, withstand and quickly recover from shocks to its economic base, whether that’s in response to a pandemic, natural disaster or stock market volatility.

In Zephyrhills, it’s something city planning director Todd Vande Berg and other city officials are actively balancing and preparing for, as the East Pasco municipality experiences a wave of growth and development, as well as transportation and infrastructure improvements.

Zephyrhills Planning Director Todd Vande Berg outlined how the city is setting itself up for future economic windfall during the annual Zephyrhills Economic Summit. (Courtesy of Todd Vande Berg)

Vande Berg provided an in-depth look at the city’s ongoing efforts during the annual Zephyrhills Economic Summit that was held this fall.

One key moving forward, he said, is reevaluating, updating and incorporating some “best practices” into the city’s comprehensive plan and land development code.

This includes taking a harder look at density bonuses and floor area ratios, as well as stream-lining permitting processes and broadening permitted uses, he said.

Prioritizing municipal investments in transportation (multi-modal, pedestrian-oriented, public transit) and infrastructure (water, sewer, communication networks), and recreation is important, too, he said.

Ripe for industrial manufacturing
The city is banking on diversifying its local economy and bringing high-wage jobs to town via a regional industrial/manufacturing buildout.

Local leaders believe this can be achieved through leveraging approximately 9.76 square miles (6,248 acres) of land in the southeast portion of the city around the State Road 39/Chancey Road corridor and Zephyrhills Municipal Airport. There is 3,000 acres to 4,000 acres available for potential industrial development.

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

Within the 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.

As industrial space along the Interstate 4 corridor begins to fill up along Tampa, Lakeland and Orlando, Zephyrhills “might be a next logical location for industrial manufacturing to come to,” Vande Berg said.

He reasoned the city’s vast land offerings is ripe to someday be home to a mix of light and heavy industrial and commercial uses — such as building spaces large enough to house semi-trailer truck bays.

The City of Zephyrhills and other local partners are working to bring industrial manufacturing to several thousands of acres of aggregate vacant land in the southeast portion of the city situated around the Chancey Road/State Road 39 corridor and Zephyrhills Municipal Airport. (Courtesy of Pasco Economic Development Council)

The planning director explained it makes sense now more than ever to prepare for a long-range industrial plan, as Central Florida is following national trends of heavier investment in warehousing than retail construction.

The COVID-19 pandemic expedited this trend as more people and business are working and providing services remotely, in addition to the rise of Amazon and other e-commerce companies, Vande Berg said.

The city also enjoys north-south and east-west state and county road connections that support the long-term vision for industrial development, the planning director said. The city’s municipal airport, CSX main line rail access and close proximity to Port Tampa Bay and Central Florida markets are among its selling points.

“We’re pretty unique in that we have a pretty good roadway network being developed. That’s going to benefit the industrial corridor, to again make us very resilient, but we’ve got to continue to work on that,” he said.

The planning director acknowledged one challenge involves finding a way to widen the U.S. 301 corridor to four lanes from Fowler Avenue in Hillsborough County up through Zephyrhills. The roadway presently stretches four lanes from Port Tampa Bay to Fowler, but transitions to two lanes north through Pasco.

Vande Berg acknowledged that the Hillsborough Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) hasn’t been on board with widening the road further north.

To resolve the impasse, the Pasco MPO needs to gather and collaborate with Hillsborough, Vande Berg said, “and really emphasize the importance of getting that segment of road, four lanes.”

He continued: “That four-lane corridor, I think, will pay off huge dividends for manufacturing and just overall betterment of our transportation network.”

Aside from stated transportation improvements to supplement an industrial corridor, Vande Berg also emphasized the importance of having a mechanism that provides workforce training opportunities, as people look to transition to manufacturing jobs.

“I feel like we need to look at identifying, and supporting and incentivizing all those things to provide for more of a diverse workforce,” he said.

Some next steps in the measured industrial corridor planning process include meeting with large industrial property owners; coordinating additional stakeholder meetings; having more discussions with industrial brokers; making airport and railroad improvements; and, continuing with various citywide master plan updates, Vande Berg said.

Growth already ramping up in Zephyrhills
While efforts continue to shape a future industrial hub, plenty is already happening in Zephyrhills in the way of new development, particularly residential construction.

A slew of new housing communities set to come online — such as Abbott Square, 700-plus units surrounding the new Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center off Simons Road; and Abbott Park, 500-plus units tucked behind the Zephyr Commons Publix Shopping Center, off Gall Boulevard.

Other notable homesites include the Link at Calusa Springs, north of Silverado Golf & Country Club; the Oaks at Pasco, southeast of Silverado Golf & Country Club; and Skybird Properties, off Alston Road near the municipal airport.

Various roadway improvements are paving way for new commercial development, too.

Most notable is the $2.3 million state-funded U.S. 301/Pretty Pond Road intersection project, now under construction.

The project calls for new traffic signals on U.S. 301 at Pretty Pond and at Medical Arts Court/ Townview Avenue, along with other median and roadway improvements.

The 442-acre Zephyrhills Airport Industrial Park is a build-ready site equipped with water, sewer and electric utilities, and is accessible to natural gas. It’s adjacent to the city’s municipal airport and CSX railroad. (Courtesy of Pasco Economic Development Council)

The addition of signalized intersections at these locations is designed to make it easier to move about the area, and to be an economic driver for the northeast and northwest corners of Pretty Pond.

Once construction is complete, the area is poised to land Chick-fil-A and Chipotle chain restaurants, and other businesses.

Vande Berg joked he frequently gets asked about when Chick-fil-A is coming aboard — and said the popular franchise was waiting until the intersection project received the OK to move forward.

“I’m happy to share that they’re still on board,” the city official said.

He also mentioned enhancements coming to a 1.31-mile stretch on County Road 54, east of U.S. 301, east to 23rd Street.

The city is splitting the cost of the $6.5 million project with Pasco County, which will include the addition of intersection turn lanes; a traffic signal at 23rd Street; and multi-use paths and trails on the north and south sides of the road, among other improvements.

The project is addressing one of the city’s “bigger areas of need” to improve traffic capacity along a busy and sometimes dangerous roadway, Vande Berg said.

Elsewhere, the planning director highlighted a slew of other forthcoming projects and goals, further giving a look inside the booming activity in the city:

  • Mixed-use properties along the Zephyr Commons gateway
  • New Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic off Eiland Boulevard
  • Upgrades to Hercules Park, at U.S. 301 and County Road 54, adjacent to Zephyrhills High and Woodlands Elementary schools.
  • Implementation of form-based building codes from North Avenue to C Avenue, between Sixth Street and Seventh Street
  • Efforts to have more designated complete streets throughout the city, designed to enable safe access for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities. (This may include adding sidewalks, bike lanes ,or wide paved shoulders; special bus lanes; comfortable and accessible public transportation stops, frequent and safe crossing opportunities; median islands, accessible pedestrian signals; curb extensions; narrower travel lanes; roundabouts and so on.)

Published December 09, 2020

Improvements slated for County Road 54 in Zephyrhills

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A congested roadway in Zephyrhills is set to receive some long-awaited and seemingly much-needed improvements to ease traffic patterns and enhance safety overall.

The City of Zephyrhills and Pasco County have come to a cost-sharing agreement for upgrades to a portion of County Road 54 which crosses both city limits and unincorporated county areas.

Zephyrhills City Councilman Ken Burgess (Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)

The scope of the project calls for the following enhancements along a 1.31-mile stretch, east of U.S. 301 east to 23rd Street:

  • Additional signage and pavement markings
  • Left-hand turn lane at the Dairy Road intersection
  • Right-hand turn lane and new mast arms at Wire Road, turning onto 12th Street
  • Signalized intersection at 23rd Street
  • Pedestrian signals and ADA sidewalk ramps at the intersections of Wire Road/12th Street, 20th Street and 23rd Street
  • A 10-foot concrete multi-use path on the south side of County Road 54 adjacent to Zephyrhills High School, and a 5-foot to 6-foot path on the north side of the road, plus associated drainage

The Zephyrhills City Council on Oct. 12 unanimously approved an interlocal agreement with the county that calls for a 50/50-split on costs for the multi-million project.

An engineer’s estimate for the project’s entirety came in at $6,855,255.44, meaning the city and county each will have an estimated cost of $3,427,627.72.

The entire project will be constructed in one phase. How it’s actually funded will be handled a bit differently, however.

The county has agreed to fund all improvements east of 20th Street to east of 23rd Street, including a new signalized intersection. Any dollars leftover from their cost-sharing portion will be used to help Zephyrhills fund improvements from east of U.S. 301 to 20th Street, which is inside the city’s jurisdiction.

Also, under the agreement’s terms, the county will conduct construction engineering and inspections either by utilizing its workforce or contracting with a third party. The county has also agreed to be responsible for facilities maintenance after construction.

Initial plans outlined many years ago called for the stretch to be widened to four lanes. But, various infrastructure and logistical hurdles necessitated the project to instead feature turn lanes, traffic signals and adjacent multi-use trails.

Zephyrhills City Councilman Lance Smith (File)

Either way, any improvements to the roadway section are greatly needed, city leaders say.

Councilman Ken Burgess labeled the stretch “a nightmare to navigate for many, many years.”

Councilman Lance Smith similarly called it “probably one of the most congested areas, at times, in the city.”

“I think there’s some necessary segments that we need to do,” Smith said. “I’m a little disappointed that we couldn’t get the four lanes in there, but hopefully, this will help with the traffic.”

The project’s sizable price tag — and how to split funding — had been a snag over the last several months between the city and county.

That in mind, the city does have the option to terminate the agreement should receive bids exceed cost estimates for its funding portion.

Council members acknowledged it’s quite possible that project bids will come in higher than anticipated, but they said they likely still will move forward with project — unless bids come in excessively greater than the engineer’s initial projections.

Smith put it like this: “Nothing is getting cheaper to build. I mean, as much as it’s a bitter pill to swallow, I think it’s something we should go ahead and do.”

Bid opening for the project is anticipated for some time in December, with Pasco County commissioners expected to award the bid/contract in February or March.

Once that happens, Zephyrhills will make an initial payment of $1.1 million to the county within a month of the bid award. From there, the city will pay installments (estimated at $581,906.93, plus change orders) to the county each of the next four years, through fiscal year 2024-2025.

Purchase thresholds upped for small projects
In other business, the council unanimously approved a first reading ordinance amendment increasing purchasing thresholds for when quotes and sealed bids are required.

It’s part of a move to streamline smaller purchases and projects, officials say

In a staff memo, Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe and Zephyrhills Finance Director Ted Beason outlined how small projects have been stalled as they’re required to comply with lower, outdated thresholds ($2,500 for quotes; $20,000 for bids) instituted back in 2014.

To alleviate those issues, the altered ordinance raises proposed thresholds for quotes and bids to $5,000 and $50,000, respectively.

Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe (Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)

As an example of the ongoing threshold issue, Poe explained how a somewhat routine purchase of a new city-operated pickup truck requires council consideration if it’s greater than $20,000 — which most new trucks are — even though it received prior approval in the regular budget.

The city manager outlined other examples, too.

A damaged handrail on Green Slope Drive cost about $3,600 to repair, but the project “took a while” to complete because the city was having trouble finding three separate quotes, Poe said.

Meanwhile, a pedestrian crossing on Simons Road estimated to cost slightly more than $20,000 is being delayed because it must go out to formal bid “as opposed to taking the plans and getting three prices, and getting the project done,” the city manager said.

“It’s just slowing things down a little bit,” Poe said of the current lower purchasing thresholds. “You know, staff does a great job of finding the most cost-efficient piece of equipment or tool as they can. This just helps…of reducing some of the search time.”

Council members expressed they are on board with the threshold changes. They added there’s still transparency in such purchases and projects, as they’ll still get listed as noted items in regular council meeting packets.

“I’m OK with what we’re doing here, because you don’t want to slow things down,” Councilman Ken Burgess said. “It’s just a formality of making sure that we’re aware of it.”

A second and final reading of the amended ordinance will be considered at an Oct. 26 regular council meeting.

Published October 21, 2020