Commissioners back street renaming
Some officials' doubts are overcome about changing the name of Lock Street to Calle de Milagros, or Street of Miracles.
By BRIDGET HALL GRUMET
Published November 10, 2004
Margarita Romo might get her Miracle on Lock Street after all.
Two weeks after they questioned the practicality of the idea, several county commissioners on Tuesday pledged to support Romo's request to rename Lock Street to Calle de Milagros, Spanish for Street of Miracles.
The commission stopped short of a vote, saying it wanted to give Romo, the executive director of Farmworkers Self-Help, time to address the board at its Nov. 23 meeting in Dade City. But the majority agreed with Romo's reasoning that the name change would give a fresh start to the impoverished, predominantly Hispanic community of Tommytown, just north of Dade City.
"I think you'll be giving them some food for the soul," Commissioner Steve Simon said at the meeting in the West Pasco Government Center.
Commissioners faced criticism on the editorial pages after questioning two weeks ago whether people - particularly 911 callers and dispatchers - would be able to pronounce the Spanish street name. Commissioner Ted Schrader repeated those concerns Tuesday, saying pronunciation could be a problem for people who are unfamiliar with the area.
Schrader also said some residents and businesses owners want to keep it as Lock Street, named for one of the area's pioneering families.
"Just changing the name, I don't see how that's going to be an overall fix" for the area, said Schrader, whose district includes Tommytown.
But Commissioners Pat Mulieri and Peter Altman said they would support the change, and Commissioner Ann Hildebrand said she would go with the majority. Altman said the issue shouldn't cast a shadow over the county's massive redevelopment efforts in Tommytown, which include $20-million in paved roads, water and sewer lines, drainage improvements, home repairs and other repairs.
"This board has put so much financial effort and attention into that area," Altman said. "For there to be any bad taste in the mouth or animosity or anger is hard for me to fathom."
As for the pronunciation issue: Simon rolled the phrase (ca-yeh deh mee-lah-gross) without difficulty, and with some flourish, several times. But Schrader noted that Simon was the only commissioner who could do so.
"I can't pronounce it right now," Mulieri said, "but I'll learn."
In other commission news:
Cypress Creek Town Center inches forward. Sitting as the Land Planning Agency, commissioners gave their blessing to the transportation plan for the Cypress Creek Town Center, the massive mall planned near Interstate 75 and State Road 56.
The developer, Richard E. Jacobs Group of Cleveland, is responsible under the agreement for nearly $23-million in traffic improvements. But the developer will end up paying closer to $27-million to extend County Road 54 and widen State Roads 54 and 56, attorney Biff Craine said.
The plans drew opposition from a half-dozen neighbors who say the area has enough traffic congestion without a mega-mall. Commissioners will hold another hearing, at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 23 at the historic courthouse in Dade City, before casting their final vote on the 500-acre project.
About Curley Road. Commissioners will discuss the proposed road widening project at the Nov. 23 meeting, which starts at 1:30 p.m. at the historic courthouse in Dade City. San Antonio residents have mounted fierce opposition to the project, which they say would destroy their town.
Schrader scheduled the item so commissioners can address residents' concerns and tell the engineers which options to pursue.
"I think there's a resolution to the dilemma," Schrader said.
More repaving projects in the works. Commissioners agreed to set public hearings, at dates to be determined, to discuss repaving the roads in two more communities: Jasmine Lakes in Port Richey and Tanglewood East in New Port Richey.
The two could be the latest in a series of "forced paving assessments," in which commissioners repave the roads and bill residents for the work, even though residents didn't vote for the project. Commissioners have done so in a couple of other neighborhoods with deteriorating roads.
An Altman farewell. Tuesday was the final meeting for Altman, who was defeated in last week's elections by car salesman Jack Mariano. Altman's fellow commissioners thanked him for his ideas and said his leadership would be missed.
At times the board faces an unhappy audience, Hildebrand noted, and "you always could make everybody chuckle, and I appreciate that."
"We didn't always agree on things, but I thought you had some great ideas," Mulieri said.Altman urged the board to follow through on its projects, including the Ridge Road extension, the Penny for Pasco projects, the redevelopment efforts in older neighborhoods and along U.S. 19, and other initiatives.
"You have always been open to my ideas," Altman said, "and we have served the people of this county very well."
Bridget Hall Grumet covers Pasco County government. She can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6244 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6244. Her e-mail address is bhall@sptimes.com