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The LAKER EAST PASCO EDITION
LAKERLUTZNEWS.COM
APRIL 26, 2017
Seeking connections between counties By Kathy Steele ksteele@lakerlutznews.com
Pasco County planners hope a study will point the way to consensus on whether to open more north/south roads that link Pasco and Hillsborough counties. More than 100 people attended a public meeting on the topic on April 18 at PascoHernando State College, off Mansfield Boulevard.
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The boulevard dead-ends at the county line, just before reaching Kinnan Street, a two-lane, divided roadway in New Tampa, on Hillsborough’s side of the dividing line. Connecting the two is one of three road projects that the study will consider over the next six months. Consultants with AECOM also will look at the potential for southern extensions of Meadow Pointe Boulevard and Wyndfields Boulevard that would link with existing and future roads in
the K-Bar ranch development in Hillsborough. Opening up Mansfield and Kinnan drew largely negative reviews from Pasco residents, specifically those living in Meadow Pointe subdivisions. “More through roads will be needed,” said Meadow Pointe resident Michael Kaufman.“I’m not against development. See CONNECTIONS, page 15A
Trails putting Florida on the map By Kathy Steele ksteele@lakerlutznews.com
Hillsborough County Commissioner Pat Kemp wants to get residents moving when it comes to supporting and building a network of trails and greenways. The first-time county commissioner recently invited trail experts to give residents an overview of current and future projects in Hillsborough and the Tampa Bay region. Regional trails coursing through Pasco County include the Coast to Coast Trail tying together east and west coasts; and, the Suncoast Trail, with trail heads in Hillsborough, Pasco and Hernando counties Nearly 75 people attended the April 4 meeting at the Robert W. Saunders Sr. Public Library in Tampa. Speakers included Dale Allen, executive director of the Florida Greenways and Trails Foundation; Wade Reynolds of the Hillsborough Metropolitan Planning Organization; and Anthony Matonti of Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority, or TBARTA. “Trails are just exploding,” said Kemp. But, she came away disappointed when she attended a regional meeting on trials in Venice in February. At least seven counties made presentations. “Pasco had a great demonstration, good programs,” Kemp said. Hillsborough didn’t have as much going on, but that wasn’t always the case, she said. “It seemed like something happened in Hillsborough because they went dormant.” Kemp hopes that the April 4 meeting will spur efforts to follow through on trail projects in Hillsborough and regionally.An annual summit on trail development in Hillsborough also would keep momentum going, she said. On April 5, Hillsborough County commissioners asked the county’s staff to prioritize a list of hiking and bicycling trails for future
KATHY STEELE
Dale Allen, executive director of the Florida Greenways & Trails Foundation, left, received an award given to the foundation by the Florida Bicycle Association. J. Steele Olmstead is the association’s president; Pat Kemp is Hillsborough County Commissioner.
projects, and to make a biannual report on progress. All across Florida, a trail system is taking shape. It’s one that largely began with local projects, but now is emerging as a statewide network,Allen said. The Coast to Coast trail, for instance, includes about 14 individual trails built by local governments.When the trail opens in 2020, it will connect Volusia County in the east with Pinellas County in the west.A portion of the 250-mile trail will cut through Pasco. People can ride bicycles from the Kennedy Space Center to the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg,Allen said. “The economic impact of this is tremendous,” he said. Florida’s trail system benefits from a number of factors, including year-round warm weather. But, Allen said the state has other assets as well, including its state parks. Florida is the only state in the nation to
win the National Gold Medal Award for Excellence three times for the maintenance of its parks. The state also has thousands of miles of abandoned rights-of-way along railroad lines. Many trail systems around the country are being built on those old routes, including the Coeur d’Alene Trail in Idaho along 71 miles of the Union Pacific rail line, and the High Line in New York City on an abandoned, elevated rail road trestle. Allen said the High Line is the second biggest tourist attraction in New York City. In Pasco, a trail is proposed to follow the Orange Belt rail line. Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey often mentions the trail as an economic boon to Land O’ Lakes. Dade City often is cited as a future hub for bicyclists traveling the trail network. The Coast to Coast trail could benefit Dade City’s efforts, said Allen, in response to See TRAILS, page 15A
Redevelopment project teed up for a vote Symposium spotlights mental health
By Kathy Steele ksteele@lakerlutznews.com
Residents of Quail Hollow subdivision packed the boardroom at the Historic Pasco County Courthouse seeking to persuade county commissioners not to allow a developer to swap a golf course for houses. “It betrays the existing residents who have expectations of a golf course remaining. It (houses) would change the character and sense of place of our neighborhood,” said Edward Glime, who lives in Quail Hollow. He and others spoke during public comment at a hearing on April 12 in Dade City. The Quail Hollow Neighborhood Citizens Group Inc., presented county commissioners with a petition signed by about 380 people who oppose the closure and residential development of the golf course. But, the contentious public hearing didn’t end in a final vote as normally happens — that is scheduled for May 9 at 1:30 p.m., in Dade City. The voting delay will give Pasco County’s planners and legal staff time to review a prior decision to recommend approval of the project to the county commission. Staff members will make a presentation to the commission prior to the vote. No additional public testimony will be taken. Kris Hughes, the county’s director of planning and development, described the delay as “prudent,” though he said nothing he heard during the hearing was likely to change the staff’s recommendation. David Goldstein, the county’s deputy attorney, said the additional review is needed to “cross every T, and dot every i, to make sure it’s bulletproof.” Property owner Andre Carollo, of Pasco Office Park LLC, wants to build a maximum of 400 single-family houses, 30,000 square feet of office/retail and 10,000 square feet of day care. In support of the project, land use attorney Barbara Wilhite recounted the history of
By Kevin Weiss kweiss@lakerlutznews.com
the golf course, which dates to the late 1960s. “It’s always been a privately owned golf course open to the public,” she said. “The golf course came first.” It was nearly a decade later that houses were built around the golf course, which was closed for several years before reopening in 2011. Despite expensive improvements,Wilhite said the golf course is not profitable. She also noted that the proposed development is less dense than the 800 dwelling units the county’s current comprehensive land use plan would allow. “It’s always been zoned for residential units,”Wilhite said. The attorney also pointed out that her client is taking the unusual legal step of making the proposed site plan “binding.” “I’ve never seen anyone do what we’re
College life can be exciting, but also can be challenging. Besides searching for independence, there comes a new level of responsibilities — academically and socially. That’s why administrators and student leaders at Pasco-Hernando State College organized a Community Resource Fair and Symposium on mental health and wellbeing, at the college’s East Campus in Dade City. Research conducted by the National Alliance on Mental Illness on mental health on college campuses shows: • 25 percent of students have a diagnosable illness • 40 percent do not seek help • 80 percent feel overwhelmed by their responsibilities • 50 percent have been so anxious they struggled in school About a dozen organizations were present during the April 19 event — part of the college’s ongoing community awareness series. Several local mental health and wellness agencies were on hand, including BayCare Behavioral Health, and Sunrise of Pasco County Domestic and Sexual Violence Center. Representatives from those groups, along with a college staff member, led a panel discussion on mental fitness among college students. One of the panelists was Jacqui Turner, a liaison for BayCare Health System’s Student Assistance Program (SAP), which provides support to students in dealing with personal, academic, or relationship problems via
See VOTE, page 15A
See HEALTH, page 15A
FRED BELLET
Land use attorney Barbara Wilhite spoke in support of a proposed project to redevelop the Quail Hollow golf course.