BBD Widening Enters Final Phase

bbd-roadLocal residents have been waiting more than 20 years for the main thoroughfare through New Tampa to be widened from a four- and six-lane divided roadway to an eight-lane divided roadway to relieve the area’s infamous traffic congestion. And, while it may be premature to say there’s a light at the end of the, well, Boulevard, local residents are a step closer to Bruce B. Downs (BBD) finally being “Bruce B. Done.”

Work on the last of the four segments of BBD widening finally began on Oct. 18, and is expected to conclude by the end of summer 2018. Prince Construction LLC’s finalization of Segment D, a 1.44-mile-long stretch between just south of Pebble Creek Dr. and County Line Rd., should conclude the long and sometimes arduous process of the major project that runs from just north of Bearss Ave. to the Pasco County line.

According to the county’s website, Segment D is a $24-milion project that is funded through the Public Works Transportation Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and was awarded $5 million from the Transportation Regional Incentive Program (TRIP) by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). The segment will include a landscaped median, drainage improvements, pedestrian safety features, sidewalks, a multi-use path and an upgraded traffic signal system.

Segment A, which is still the most congested area of BBD and extends from Bearss Ave. to Palm Springs Blvd. in Tampa Palms (see previous page), is a $54-million project that should be finished around August 2017.

Segments B and C, which bracket the work that was done around the same time I-75 was widened, were considered the most difficult of the segments geographically, but they were finally  completed earlier this year.

bbd-nThe same night that work began on Segment D, the county held a pre-construction meeting in the Paul R. Wharton High auditorium about widening BBD. If you think New Tampa is tired of talking about the traffic on BBD, consider this: the county set up three stands showing the area of construction, but the meeting was attended by only a dozen or residents.

One of the more vocal participants wasn’t even a resident, but rather a bus driver for Wharton who expressed a number of concerns about the traffic flow in the morning and afternoon during construction. Cheryl Puelo, who lives in Thonotosassa but has driven a school bus for Wharton almost since the school opened, said long lines in the morning at the Oak Preserve Blvd. entrance are already an issue that construction needs to be careful not to exacerbate.

Hillsborough Public Works Department project manager David Vogel said that every effort will be made so as not to interfere with the three primary driveways in use at Wharton during peak times.

“We told the principal of the high school (Brad Woods) we will do everything we can to coordinate,’’ Vogel said. “We can’t completely eliminate any impacts, but we will try to limit them, with things like night and weekend work.”

Others in attendance wondered how the road work would affect the already congested areas in front of both Walmart and Wharton, and asked about additional traffic lights to help drivers pulling out from businesses along BBD.

One piece of good news – the left turn lane in front of the Walmart that causes so many issues with drivers suddenly swerving right to exit it will finally be corrected.

“The biggest (problem) is the amount of traffic in the corridor,’’ Vogel said. “There is drainage and power lines (that need to be repositioned and considered), and the staging and coordination for something like that is always a challenge. Power lines have to be moved. And traffic has to be shifted to get a 66-inch pipeline in there.”

And So It Begins…

As a result, Vogel warns that for the first year or so, travelers won’t see many changes happening in terms of the actual road. He estimates that the first 400 days (of the 685 estimated to complete the project) will be underground work. Travelers will first notice temporary pavement put in as traffic is shifted over to allow crews to dig and position the utilities and power and water lines.

“It’s an urban project, so you have utilities and things like that,’’ Vogel said. “The part people have the hardest time with is the underground work. You’re digging holes, you’re putting in pipe, water and sewer and all that stuff. No one sees any progress. All they see is they are digging here and, a month later, they are digging here again.”

Vogel said in many ways, the final segment will be the easiest. In Segment A, a bridge and four retention ponds needed to be built. Segments B and C also involved a bridge and working around construction at the busy BBD exits off I-75. By comparison, Segment D has far fewer challenges.

And, while it won’t mean drivers won’t become frustrated as the widening unfolds, Vogel said locals will start to see significant improvements by the end of next summer.

“There’s just a little bit of pain involved until you can get the cure,’’ he said.

Importance Of Cybersecurity Stressed At PHSC

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Keynote speaker Sri Sridharan, the managing director of USF FCC, told the audience that cybertheft of consumers’ financial information and money has become so common that it is usually unreported by the media and not investigated by law enforcement.

As people spend more of their time working, shopping and socializing online, they’re risking real-life consequences to their financial, professional and even personal well being. That’s the message that a group of experts delivered on Oct. 11 during a recent cybersecurity symposium at the Pasco Hernando State College (PHSC) Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch in Wesley Chapel.

Speakers presented information about protecting yourself from identity theft and social media risks, as well as about internet-based crimes such as human trafficking. The event was co-hosted with the Florida Center for Cybersecurity (FCC) at the University of South Florida (USF) and is part of PHSC’s Community Awareness Series.

Keynote speaker Sri Sridharan, the managing director of USF FCC, told the audience that cybertheft of consumers’ financial information and money has become so common that it is usually unreported by the media and not investigated by law enforcement.

“Just because you don’t hear about it doesn’t mean the problem isn’t there,” Sridharan said, adding that identity thieves target public Wi-Fi networks such as those made available by coffee shops, restaurants and stores to intercept personal information from people using those networks.

Another trend, called ransomware, allows hackers to encrypt information on a computer or data network, preventing users from accessing their files. Users regain access by paying money to the hackers. Sridharan said one way people can avoid identity theft is taking personal responsibility for online behavior.

“Cybersecurity is a serious problem and people have to practice good cybersecurity ‘hygiene’ to protect their personal information,” he said.

Using complex passwords that are unique to each login, shopping at well-known commercial websites, not using unknown USB drives or memory cards you’ve found laying around and becoming savvy about malicious links in emails and websites are some of Sridharan’s suggestions for maintaining your online security.

Dumpster diving (going through people’s garbage looking for discarded documents with personal information on them), shoulder surfing (peering over someone’s shoulder to steal a password or PIN) and skimming (a small device that scans your credit card when it’s inserted at the gas station, ATM or other automatic money machine) may sound like extreme sporting activities but they’re actually some of the common techniques used by identity thieves according to Jeff House, associate director of PHSC network services, who also spoke during the symposium.

“The main thing is being aware that the technologies we take for granted can easily cause us to lose our identities,” House said.

He recommends shredding sensitive documents before discarding them, positioning yourself away from the prying eyes of people around you when working online or using bank cards in public and taking a good look at point of sale terminals at registers and gas pumps to see if they appear to have been altered with information-stealing skimmers.

Social Security Protection

Staking out your Social Security account online long before claiming your benefits was the advice from Daryl Rosenthal, a public affairs specialist from the Social Security Administration. He says going online to SocialSecurity.gov and creating your account (called “my Social Security account”) allows you to review your earnings history for accuracy, learn about benefits and keep someone else from accessing your account and stealing your benefits. Rosenthal said it’s not easy for someone else to access your account, but it can happen if they acquire enough personal information about you. “To get an account, you have to enter information you know about yourself beyond your Social Security number,” he said.

Rosenthal also advises that people shouldn’t routinely carry their Social Security cards with them, and that they should resist providing their Social Security number to businesses that request it.

The internet has become a virtual playground and shopping center and Corporal Alan Wilkett of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) says there’s a dark side to that activity, with human trafficking taking place online. He says the practice of human trafficking involves economic slavery, body organ harvesting and the sex trade.

“The auctions of people are taking place online and it’s one of the most diabolical things around,” Cpl. Wilkett said. “Most of the adults I talk to have no idea this is going on.” According to Cpl. Wilkett, the best way to combat human trafficking is increasing public awareness of the problem and a willingness to get involved.

Bullying is the topic for PHSC’s next Community Awareness Series event, which will take place Wednesday, November 16, 2 p.m.-3 p.m. It will be held in the Building B conference room of the Porter Campus, located at 2727 Mansfield Blvd. For more information, you can visit PHSC.edu or call 527-6629.

Unsightly Donation Bins On The Way Out

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Bins like this one will face stricter regulation when a new ordinance proposed by District 2 Pasco County commissioner Mike Moore receives final approval on October 25.

District 2 commissioner Mike Moore is hoping the sight of mattresses and couches stacked against overflowing donation bins will soon fade from the view of residents throughout Pasco County, now that his fellow county commissioners have voted to introduce an ordinance to more closely regulate these sometimes-eyesores.

A public hearing was held on the proposed ordinance Oct. 11 in Dade City and received no opposition, with another scheduled for Oct. 25 in New Port Richey. Moore said he did not expect any public opposition to his proposal, which has been endorsed by the other commissioners.

“I’ve talked to many constituents about it, and they say, ‘It’s great to hear you talk about it, now let’s do something about it,’’’ Moore said. “And we are.”

Moore, whose district represents much of Wesley Chapel, including the Wiregrass Ranch area, said he has had enough of driving past unsightly stacks of garbage masquerading as donations to the needy. Among the offending bins he cites most are one on a private service road off S.R. 54 by the Super Wal-Mart that was visible to passers-by and attracted dumpings, and another on Ancient Oaks Blvd. by the Sam’s Club on S.R. 56.

Those are just two of the sites Comm. Moore has noticed in Wesley Chapel. “There are multiple ones across the county too,’’ he says, adding that if he had to put a number on the donation bins in the county — and he admits that not all of them have become dumping spots — he would estimate there are more than 200, although an exact number is hard to tell.

The owners of those bins, however, will now have to obtain county permits and be held responsible for ensuring that the areas where they place their bins remain junk- and vandalism-free — if and when the ordinance is enacted into law.

According to the proposed ordinance, in some cases, the bins are placed on private and public property without approval from the landowners.

The county currently has no standards or permitting procedures for site location, number of bins, signage, maintenance, or security of donation bins, but Moore says the ordinance would change that.

Some Provisions…

Anyone placing a bin within the county first has to prove it is authorized to conduct business in the state and county. They also must produce a site plan showing the location of the proposed donation bin and have written consent from the property owner to set up the bin.

Moore says the bin he cited near the Sam’s Club, which has now been removed, had no markings on it indicating who owned it or what it was even for. It attracted people looking to get rid of tattered mattresses, kitchen appliances, rugs and other items just dropped off in its vicinity.

The owners of the property, Moore says, had to pay to the have area cleaned up. “He told me it was about the seventh time he had to do that,” Moore says.

The removal and regulation of donation bins isn’t a new problem. Some cities in California and Michigan have banned the bins or have begun stricter regulation of them in recent years.

While many bins are marked as non-profit, not every bin is for charity and many have no markings of any kind on them. Moore says it is hard to tell them apart, as many for-profit businesses have collection bins, and sell the contents to recycling companies, which then ship them overseas. The clothes and other items are then re-purposed as rags or furniture padding and sold.

Without regulations, however, Moore says for- and not-for-profit businesses can put bins wherever they like, and not even bother to keep the area clean. In many cases, Moore says, it appears they bins aren’t even emptied in any sort of timely manner.

On S.R. 54 just east of Advance Auto Parts and across the road from Parks Ford of Wesley Chapel, Moore drove by an unmarked bin collecting junk almost every day until something had to be done.

“We actually went out there and did it ourselves, it got so bad,’’ Moore says. “We used county staff, though, and that’s paid for by taxpayer money.”

Moore said the problem was finally solved with the county removed the bin and placed a sign banning the dumping of anything in that area.

RADDSports Begins Negotiations With Pasco For Indoor Facility In Wiregrass

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A computer rendering shows RADDSPORTS’ plans for an indoor sports facility surrounded by a park with fields for outdoor sports like soccer and baseball.

Pasco County has been here before. Can county leaders close the deal this time?

After past failures at luring an athletic complex to the Wesley Chapel area, the county is set to begin negotiations with RADDSPORTS after the Sarasota company was chosen to lead the way to a new indoor sports complex in the Wiregrass Ranch Development of Regional Impact (DRI).

RADDSPORTS was one of four companies to submit bids to build and operate the proposed complex, and was one of two finalists, along with Sports Facilities Management of Clearwater, to appear and give a presentation before a special selection committee on Sept. 30.

RADDSPORTS beat out Sports Facilities Management, and its Request for Proposal (RFP) was on the consent agenda at the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) meeting on Oct. 11, where it was accepted.

Pasco County staffers have begun the negotiating process with RADDSPORTS and the Porter family, which has donated 120 acres of the land for the Wiregrass Ranch indoor sports complex project.

“It’s exciting to see this move forward,’’ said Pasco commissioner Mike Moore of District 2, which includes the Wiregrass Ranch area. “I think this will be a great project.”

If a deal cannot be finalized with RADDSPORTS, the county could turn back to Sports Facilities Management.

RADDSPORTS is led by Richard Blalock, who was formerly a popular parks and recreation director credited for turning Newberry, FL into a sports tourism hotbed.

RADDSPORTS is partnering with Mainsail Development Group, Inc., which develops resorts and hotels. RADDSPORTS is proposing a $14-million, approximately 100,000-sq.-ft. indoor sports facility with eight basketball courts, plus a 100+ room hotel, an open-air amphitheater with event lawn, sports turf fields for soccer and other sports, trails and playgrounds.

The cost of the hotel would be $15 million, but the deal Pasco County has with the Porter family prohibits a hotel on the site and will need to be negotiated. A 92-room Fairfield Inn & Suites is being built on land sold by the Porters just south of the proposed facility off S.R. 56.

The outdoor amphitheater shell will accommodate 500 to 1,500 attendees for a variety of events such as concerts, festivals and theater performances. RADDSPORTS’ plan projects 36 events per each year’s nine-month season.

A second phase of the project will include baseball, soccer and other outdoor sports fields.

The company also proposed 700kw solar panels for the roof of the facility, which it says will produce 1,075 MwH of power annually, enough to offset current energy prices by $140,000 each year.

Sadly, the county has been here before. There have been three failed attempts since 2001 to build some sort of athletic complex, with proposed tennis, baseball and outdoor complexes somewhere in Wesley Chapel all falling short when none of the deals could be completed.

“I’m optimistic this time,’’ says tourism director Ed Caum, the program manager of Visit Pasco. “I was here for the last two and watched them go by the wayside, but I think there are more players at the table this time. And, we have great support from the (Wesley Chapel) Chamber of Commerce, which is really, really, really helpful.”

The last project to fail was a proposed baseball complex in the same area of Wiregrass Ranch in 2014, when a group led by former Major League Baseball star Gary Sheffield failed to secure financing for the project.

Since then, the county hired Johnson Consulting, which steered the conversation to an indoor facility that could serve not only Wesley Chapel, but would be a draw throughout the entire state, particularly central Florida.

“Here’s the beauty of an indoor facility,” Caum says. “The bottom line is hoteliers in the area have asked the sports commission and tourism folks to find a way to get people into rooms in July, August and September  when it’s too hot to do outdoor sports. Indoors, there’s no rain, no lightning, no heat stroke. The stars have aligned. I think it’s the perfect fit for central Florida. All of central Florida is going to benefit from a facility like that.”

‘Making Strides Pasco’ At Wiregrass Tomorrow!

making-strideAs the number one cancer killer among women, most adults in Wesley Chapel — and around the nation — have had a close friend or family member who has had and/or succumbed to breast cancer.

But, whether you’ve been touched by this scourge personally or you just want to go for a 5-km (3.1-mile) walk for a good cause, we hope you’ll wake up tomorrow morning — Saturday, October 22 — throw on something pink and head to the American Cancer Society (ACS)’s “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Pasco” walk at the Shops at Wiregrass mall in time for the 8:30 a.m. start.

ACS of the South Nature Coast of Florida (serving Pasco, Hernando & Citrus counties) senior market manager Robyn Liska says the 2015 walk between the Shops and Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel attracted an estimated 5,000 people, including more than 1,250 registered participants on 176 teams and raised more than $175,000.

A week before this year’s event, Liska said there were 116 teams and 724 participants registered that had already raised nearly $60,000, and that figure doesn’t include sponsorship money.

According to the ACS website (Cancer.org), “Making Strides walks are the largest network of breast cancer awareness events in the nation, uniting nearly 300 communities with a shared determination to finish the fight.”

For more info about tomorrow’s walk, visit MakingStridesWalk.org/PascoFL or MakingStridesWalk.org/RealMeanPascoFL. — GN