Editor: The one way residents of Spring Hill can get out from under the spider web of controls spun by the county government is to incorporate.
Sixty-percent or more (about 78,000 people, according to the last census) of the county population (about 135,000 total) resides from the Suncoast Parkway west to the Weekiwachee Preserve, and from County Line Road north to State Road 50. Spring Hill residents are underwriting programs for the residents of all the remaining areas of the county.
Incorporation, once accomplished, will not cost Spring Hill taxpayers more. Rather, they will pay less because they will only have to pay for services going to their own community.
This idea has been batted around for years. Its time has come. Spring Hill can be run more effectively and efficiently by its own elected representatives. Stop spending your tax dollars to support projects elsewhere in this county.
-- Thomas R. Malone, Spring Hill
Meeting reveals drainage is problem in Sherman Hills area
Editor: The Planning and Zoning Commission meeting on Feb. 9 was interesting, to say the least. The major issue here is not the development in the Sherman Hills area, but the drainage problem.
I would like to thank Mike Gaylor, the engineer for the Sherman Hills development project, for his multiple offers to work with the county in solving the water problems in Ridge Manor West. Mr. Gaylor stated that he had viewed the flooding and that it is a serious problem. I also would like to thank Commissioners Anthony Palmieri and Al Sevier for their opposition when no one could give them a solution to the problem, even after repeated requests.
Why did three of the commissioners vote in favor of ignoring the problem?
I feel that Commissioner Nick Nicholson owes the residents of this county, and especially Ridge Manor West, an apology for his comment of "this irks me" when discussing the flooding problem, "that when viewing Stoney Brook Drive from the entrance, it looks like a canal" and that "this is a flood zone."
We do not live in a flood zone; our flood class is "C." This class is derived from maps created by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. If it was other than that, it would be reflected in insurance rates, mortgage rates, etc.
I also feel that Nicholson should have recused himself because he stated that he was the engineer for the development of Ridge Manor West and engineered certain streets to be drainage streets (Lance wood, Stoney Brook, Park Ridge and Cedar Side). Seems like a conflict of interest. Nicholson does not appear to me as someone who should be in any position that deals with residents. When residents of this county present legitimate issues or concerns, they should not be confronted with the attitude that Nicholson displayed during the Feb. 9 commission meeting.
I would suggest that the Board of County Commissioners require more due diligence by Planning and Zoning when reviewing items that are presented before that commission. A week or month delay cannot be that big of an impact on a project that will span two to four years. The lack of due diligence is what created this current problem. When Ridge Manor West was created, there was runoff but not to the magnitude that occurred in 1998 and 2003. What came into play was the Sherman Hills Golf Course and more retention areas. Keep in mind that water does not go straight down; it seeks the path of least resistance and will flow to the lowest point in the area. Therefore, more retention areas are not the answer, only a Band-Aid. The flooding of the retention area at the end of Stoney Brook and Lancewood drives needs to be fixed permanently.
This same issue was recently covered and addressed in Berkeley Manor ($40,000 for the project, $20,000-per-month pump rental, if required). Our sewage lift station is only 15-20 feet from the retention area. As long as the level of the retention area equals the swale in front of the homes, the natural percolation process cannot take place. I do not think anyone minds the runoff down the streets or swales. It's the water that stays for weeks or months after that poses the greatest threat. The current retention area still has 3-4 feet of water that, in prior years, would have been gone.
This is a golden opportunity for our county commissioners to let the residents of Hernando County know they matter and that it's not just about dollars.
-- Dennis Hannibal, Brooksville
Tree inspections seem nothing more than a money scheme
Editor: I was amazed to find out that Hernando County requires all trees in excess of 18 inches (diameter) to be inspected before they can be cut down.
Not only do the trees have to be inspected, but the taxpayer has to dish out $50 to the county. Now, as a property owner, I understand the need for inspection on new homes, additions to a home, pools, etc. But to cut down a tree on an individual's own property takes the cake.
I have watched, as my home was being built, the efforts of county inspectors approving each aspect of construction - basically driving up to the site, looking out their car windows and then walking over to the site plaque and signing the approval documents. I wonder if the tree inspectors even drive to the site.
To me, this is nothing more than a scheme to bring additional revenue into county coffers. Having said this, I would be more than happy to apply for a county position as tree inspector. After all, I need the income to pay for all these required permits.
-- P. Pettit, Spring Hill
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