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LAND O’ LAKES EDITION
Let Us Do Good Village breaks ground
The new community in Land O’ Lakes will be the first of its kind in the nation By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
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DECEMBER 15, 2021
The patriotism was palpable at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Let Us Do Good Village, a first-of-its kind community in the nation — where mortgage-free homes will be provided for catastrophically injured
veterans, and for surviving widows and small children of fallen members of the military and first responders. The subdivision of more than 100 homes is planned off Parkway Boulevard, in Land O’ Lakes, on 75 acres donated by the Esther and Harold Mertz Foundation to the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation. Tunnel to Towers, established 20 years ago after Stephen Siller perished on Sept. 11, 2001, will provide the mortgage-free homes. “The Tunnel to Towers Foundation was
started in memory of Stephen Siller, a New York City firefighter who laid down his life while saving others on Sept. 11, 2001,” said Bradley Blakeman, who served as master of ceremonies for the groundbreaking event. “Stephen, with 60 pounds of gear strapped to his back, raced by foot through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to the Twin Towers, where he gave his life, saving others,” he said. Blakeman was working on the White See VILLAGE, page 9A
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Tunnel to Towers Foundation Chairman and CEO Frank Siller expressed gratitude for the work that’s already been done and encouraged everyone to do what they can in the quest to thank the families of those who have given up their lives, or sacrificed their bodies in order to keep others safe.
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Tunnel to Towers Foundation supporter Jim McKiernan, of Spring Hill, was among the many flag-toting motorcyclists who welcomed event-goers as they disembarked from shuttle buses.
Disabled veteran Bret Jacob Menard received some unexpected news that he will be a Tunnel to Towers beneficiary. Menard’s life coach and friend, Gil D’Amore, of Dade City, left, lifts Menard’s arm in thanks. Menard’s father Bret Menard, of New Tampa, right, applauds the announcement.
After decades of waiting, Ridge State Road 54 Road extension to open this month work expected to By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
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B HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS INSIDE, PAGE 1B
It has been more than two decades in the making — but the first segment of the Ridge Road extension is expected to open this month. Don’t expect great fanfare to accompany that opening, though. “The plan is, the second it can open to traffic, it will open to traffic, and we will have a big event at some point, after that day,” Pasco County Administrator Dan Biles told the Pasco County Commission on Dec. 7. “Now, we may do some kind of small parade that day, but nothing big,” Biles added. Biles explained that he’s not going to delay opening the road simply to schedule a celebration. It takes time for those things because it involves coordinating “a ton of different calendars,” he added. The first leg of the extension will carry traffic from Moon Lake Road in New Port Richey to the Suncoast Parkway in Land O’ Lakes. The second leg, which is slated for completion in 2025, will extend Ridge Road to U.S. 41 in Land O’ Lakes. The completion date for the second leg might be accelerated, if the Florida Legislature provides additional funding for the project. Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore recently announced that he had asked State Rep. Ardian Zika and State Sen. Ed Hooper to sponsor legislation seeking $14 million for the
project, adding they both have agreed to do so. County officials have pushed for the extension for decades, justifying the need for it to provide an additional east-west hurricane evacuation route. The new 9-mile extension, once completed to U.S. 41, also will relieve traffic on State Road 52 and State Road 54, the only two through east-west roads that carry traffic across the county. The extension also will support the area’s burgeoning growth. A huge development known as the Angeline community will be rising on thousands of acres, south of State Road 52 and west of U.S. 41. The future growth includes a 775-acre Pasco campus planned by Moffitt Cancer Center, near the Ridge Road and Suncoast Parkway interchange. Moffitt’s campus is expected to become a magnet for life sciences research. The county’s elected leaders and economic development experts also expect Moffitt’s development to have a transformative effect on the area’s future development and to generate thousands of jobs. Leadership from Pasco County Schools and Moffitt already foresee great possibilities of working together when the district builds its planned 6-12 STEAM school on land near Moffitt’s planned campus.The acronym STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.
resume this month
By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
Work on a project to widen State Road 54 — from Curley Road to Morris Bridge Road — is expected to resume on Dec. 20, according to Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District Seven Secretary David Gwynn. Gwynn recently updated the board of the Pasco Metropolitan Planning Organization regarding the status of three construction projects that were stalled this summer, when the contractor handling the work defaulted. “It was the end of July when DAB (Contractors) defaulted, more or less put us on notice that they were not financially able to continue to complete the projects,” Gwynn said. The FDOT notified the surety, which provides the bond on the project, that is responsible for bringing in a replacement contractor to complete the work. It typically takes two to four months to bring a replacement contractor on board, Gwynn said. In addition to the State Road 54 project, work also was stopped on the diverging diaSee SR 54 page 9A