Government

Tampa’s Downtown Forum To Focus On Transportation

A discussion of transportation development will highlight Tampa's 14th annual Downtown Development Forum, which will be held Friday, March 19, at Tampa Preparatory School's campus located at 727 W Cass St. Topics covered during past Downtown Forums included a discussion of the potential benefits of extending the Channelside streetcar system into downtown Tampa and other ideas that could spur downtown growth. The annual event focuses on the exploration of innovative ideas for urban development. Past keynote speakers have included former Pittsburgh Major Thomas J. Murphy and Brookings Institution visiting fellow Christopher Leinberger. This year's event is titled, "The New World of Downtown Tampa – 2010," and is scheduled to run 7:30 a.m.-noon. The keynote speaker is University of South Florida history professor and author Gary Mormino, co-chair of the Florida Studies program at USF-St. Petersburg. A continental breakfast, a networking session and registration will be followed by a panel discussion of transportation issues as they pertain to downtown Tampa and the Tampa Bay region. A one-cent sales tax increase for the purposes of financing transportation projects could be voted upon by Hillsborough County voters in November. Following the transportation panel will be a discussion of growth management election issues, including Amendment 4, a land-use initiative that proposes to require voter approval of all changes to local comprehensive land-use plans. In addition, updates will be given on the various downtown business sectors. Sponsorships at several levels remain available for the event, which annually draws hundreds of business people, property owners and real estate professionals. For information, call 813-221-3686. Writer: Carter Gaddis Source: Kimberly Finn, Tampa Downtown Partnership

Waste Collection Center Renovations Include New Public Entrance

As part of an ongoing expansion and renovation at the Hillsborough County community collection center in Apollo Beach, the center's entrance has been moved permanently to Powell Road. The center's main entrance, which is located at 13000 U.S. Highway 41 South, will continue to be used primarily by commercial customers. The Hillsborough Solid Waste Management's South County transfer facility needed to grow in order to accommodate the expanding population base in the area, says James Ransom, community relations coordinator for Hillsborough solid waste management department. "The original site had been there for many years," says Ransom. "The facilities out there were not adequate and were depreciating over time because of age. What had to happen was, we had to, in our long-range plan, come up with a capital improvement project that would improve the facility and accommodate the capacity of solid waste being generated there now and in the future." The county's community collection centers accept collectible waste, non-collectible waste, scrap metal, tires and lead-acid batteries. The new Powell Road entrance for the South County facility is the same entrance currently used to access the household chemicals and electronics disposal facility. Hillsborough County's community collection centers are open weekdays, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. A similar expansion and renovation project is scheduled to begin this year at the Northwest County facility at 8001 W Linebaugh Ave. A major focus there will be alleviating potential traffic backup on Linebaugh Avenue, Ransom says. The renovation and expansion at the Northwest County facility is scheduled to be completed by the the winter of 2011. Writer: Carter GaddisSource: James Ransom, Hillsborough County

Web Page Enables Oversight Of Public Works Projects In Hillsborough

Hillsborough County residents interested in learning about ongoing public works projects in the unincorporated parts of the county now can find that information on the county's website. Steve Valdez, the county's public works manager, says the object was to provide the public a less-expensive, more-streamlined method of keeping up with ongoing and upcoming projects. "It came together because in the past we were paying each one of our engineering consultant firms to do this, and they all looked different, had different ways of presenting the information," Valdez says. "We needed a uniform approach. We were able to very efficiently put this up much cheaper than it was to pay consultants." The website's project status feature, which went live in January, gives residents a one-stop site for project overviews, construction schedules, traffic shifts and potential delays. Also available are the same informational videos presented during public meetings. In addition, comments or concerns can be submitted via the website up to two weeks after a public meeting. The first two projects to be listed were the Bruce B. Downs Boulevard expansion in New Tampa and the Racetrack Road project in northwest Hillsborough County. The site will include all major Public Works Department projects in the future, Valdez says, including storm water projects, intersection improvements and widening of roadways. Writer: Carter GaddisSource: Steve Valdez, Hillsborough County

Lutz Youth Sports Complex Expansion Nears Completion

A $3.7-million expansion at Oscar Cooler Youth Sports Complex in Lutz is on track for completion in April.Construction began in September on a new soccer and football complex at the corner Lutz-Lake Fern Road and Crooked Lane, located across the street from the 35-year-old original park.A $300,000 renovation of the baseball complex is scheduled to begin once construction has been completed on the new soccer and football fields.Care was taken to preserve a portion of the wetlands that exist on the project site, says John Brill of the Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation department."When this thing first started, it was a pine forest, basically," says Brill. "The first thing they had to do was they removed a colony of gopher tortoises and relocated them. Then, they started the harvesting of the pine, then they started moving the earth around."The complex includes new restrooms and concession stands, a playground and parking lot. The new soccer and football complex intentionally were established as self-contained entities, separate from the original complex, in order to discourage children from crossing through traffic on Crooked Lane.A new youth soccer league is planned for the facility.Brill says construction will be substantially complete by the end of March, with an opening date tentatively planned for late April.The original complex will be renovated and expanded. Existing ball fields will be improved, with new fences and new lighting, and a softball diamond will be added. One of the fields will be realigned in order to accommodate an expanded parking area.Writer: Carter GaddisSource: John Brill, Hillsborough County

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Renovations Begin At John B. Sargeant Sr. Park

Renovations and repairs to the floating dock and boardwalk handrails at John B. Sargeant Sr. Park in Thonotosassa began Monday, Feb. 15, and are scheduled to be completed by April 1. The dock and the boardwalk at the park, which is located at the confluence of Flint Creek and the Hillsborough River, will remain closed to the public for the duration of the Islander Construction project. The park's other amenities, such as the small boat ramp, picnic areas and access to the Old Fort King Trail will remain open. "You can still launch your small boat and your kayak and your canoe, but when you launch it from the boat ramp, you have to get in there (rather than from the floating dock)," says John Brill of Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation. "So, it'll be a little bit more inconvenient for a while, but when the work's done on the floating dock it'll be better." The 1,830 linear feet of handrails on the park's boardwalk will be brought up to code, Brill says, and the benches on the boardwalk's observation deck will be replaced. In addition, the decking, rail and bumpers on the floating dock will be replaced. Funding for the approximately $80,000 project was provided by Hillsborough County's Repair, Replacement, Renovation and Maintenance (R3M) program. The park, formerly known as Flint Creek Park, was renamed in 1989 for a member of the Hillsborough River Basin Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. Writer: Carter Gaddis Source: John Brill, Hillsborough County

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Public Access To Hillsborough’s Cone Ranch Still Years Away

Cone Ranch, a nearly 13,000-acre parcel of undeveloped land in northeast Hillsborough County, has been used for little more than cattle grazing for the better part of a century. It soon will be under the protective umbrella of the county's land preservation agency, the Environmental Lands Acquisition and Preservation Program (ELAPP). The county commission voted 6-1 in January to transfer ownership of Cone Ranch to ELAPP from the water department. A proposal to sell the land to private investors with assurances that it would not be developed was opposed by environmental groups and was rejected late last year. Instead, the water department will receive $12 million, approximately what it paid for the land in 1991, and the land will be added to the approximately 48,000 acres already administered by ELAPP. No plan has been formulated for how the land will be used by the public, although the county parks, recreation and conservation department generally designates ELAPP land for hiking and outdoor activities. It could be years before that happens at Cone Ranch. "In the near future, Cone Ranch will not be open to the public," says Mark Thornton, Hillsborough County's director of parks, recreation and conservation. "At least probably the first year, maybe the second year, maybe the third year. When we will get it open as a typical ELAPP site, we really don't know." Thornton hopes eventually to add six new employees in the environmental and land preservation profession to the 22 already employed by ELAPP. The county budget won't support that kind of workforce increase at the moment, Thornton says. Writer: Carter GaddisSource: Mark Thornton, Hillsborough County