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Timber Oaks wins first flood victory

At a packed meeting, county commissioners agreed to a study to make the development eligible for a proposed ordinance.

By BRIDGET HALL GRUMET
Published June 9, 2005

NEW PORT RICHEY - They came 200 strong to make a point. They wanted to be included.

They're on their way to getting that wish.

Faced with a standing-room-only crowd of Timber Oaks residents, the County Commission voted Tuesday night to conduct a study of the Port Richey neighborhood's flooding problems.

With that study, commissioners will be able to decide whether to include Timber Oaks in a proposed ordinance that sets tougher stormwater drainage standards for Pasco's most flood-prone neighborhoods.

"It was worth all our while to get in the study," said Sammi Trino, smiling as she left the meeting at the West Pasco Government Center.

County engineer Jim Widman said it would take about a month or two to conduct the study.

Residents said timing is of the essence. Developer Chuck Kalogianis has filed plans to cover the Timber Oaks Golf Course with 250 townhouses, and many neighbors fear the additional construction will make their flooding problem worse.

"Urgency in this matter is extremely important because plans for the development of the golf course are upstairs (at the government center) right now," resident Robert Myers told commissioners. "Once the permits are issued, we are behind the eight ball."

Timber Oaks sits at the bottom of a drainage basin that collects water from the surrounding areas. Floodwaters threatened dozens of homes after last year's hurricanes, and residents frantically pumped water from Footprint Lake to Dollar Lake to save those houses.

Under the proposed ordinance, the county would require developers in certain soggy areas to retain more rainwater in their drainage ponds. The goal is not to solve the flooding problem but to ensure that new development doesn't make it any worse.

The neighborhoods subject to the tougher standards include three east Pasco areas - Tank Lake, East Zephyrhills and New River - but not Timber Oaks.

At least, not yet.

If commissioners adopt the ordinance, they can add other neighborhoods at any time, as long as they first conduct a study and hold a public hearing on the area's drainage problems. Commissioners voted Tuesday night to start that study for Timber Oaks.

The ordinance is slated for a vote June 21. Several members of the Pasco Building Association urged the county to first hold a workshop with the Southwest Florida Water Management District - the agency that approves drainage plans - to determine whether the new regulations will even work.

Among other things, engineer Robert Fudge questioned whether the new standards will starve wetlands by keeping water from flowing downstream. Widman said enough rainwater would percolate through the ground to sustain the wetlands.

In case commissioners needed a reminder of Pasco's flooding problems, Silver Oaks resident Lois Gregg showed them pictures of the submerged streets and yards in her neighborhood after last year's hurricanes.

Her Zephyrhills neighborhood had been professionally engineered and built to the old standards - standards that turned out to be inadequate, she said.

The commissioners agreed.

"Every one of us on this board has put on boots and walked up in water to our knees," Commission Chairwoman Pat Mulieri said. "Residents shouldn't have to live that way. It's a quality of life issue."

--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 hall@sptimes.com

[Last modified June 9, 2005, 01:17:24]