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Sharing space will better serve county

Sharing educational and recreational space is moving from theory to practice in central Pasco.

The new town development of Connerton in Land O'Lakes is expected to house the first joint venture between Pasco County's government and school district to locate schools and parks on adjoining sites. Though still in the talking stages, the plan calls for elementary and middle schools to abut an 80-acre county recreation center that would include youth sports fields and other amenities, plus a passive park, bicycle trail and a nature preserve. Across the street, but connected by an under-the-road pedestrian walkway, would be Connerton's town center.

Co-location of schools with other government services is a design suggestion from the U.S. Department of Education, which advocates schools as the centers of communities to help meet the public's leisure, recreation and wellness needs.

The cooperative effort among the county, school district and Terrabrook developers should be applauded. If all goes according to plan, the project will be an efficient use of public space and save taxpayers' dollars.

For instance, the county would be required to put in 300 fewer parking spaces for its recreation facility because of the schools' available spaces. The district, meanwhile, wouldn't need to include meeting space because of the availability of open rooms at the recreation center.

Pooling drainage requirements makes more land available for recreation and education instead of being dedicated as space to hold storm runoff. As designed, the school district will be able to put an elementary school and multistory middle school on 40 acres, usually only big enough for the middle school.

The county and school district said there are opportunities to replicate the Connerton concept at developments of regional impact planned for the Starkey ranch in Odessa and Two Rivers Ranch in southeast Pasco and to a lesser scale at New River township between Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills.

Sharing county recreation and library space with public schools is an idea that has been kicked around for more than a decade. In Land O' Lakes, for instance, the public library and Lake Myrtle Elementary are within walking distance, but that was more happenstance than progressive planning. The school opened before voters even approved a bond issue in 1986 to build parks and libraries. In Wesley Chapel, the county plans to build a library adjacent to the new Seven Oaks Elementary School, but the district's need to ease crowding and open the school by August precluded planning the two projects as a single entity.

Connerton, the planned site of 8,500 homes on 4,800 acres south of State Road 52, east of U.S. 41 and northeast of Ehren Cutoff, is the first time the county and school district worked together to plan shared space. The Hillsborough County School district and the city of Tampa have a similar co-location project, just a few miles south of the Pasco County line where Freedom High School, Liberty Middle School and the New Tampa Community Park share space west of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.

There are plenty of details to be worked out, including maintenance agreements and safety issues complicated by the Jessica Lunsford Act. The law is intended to separate registered sex offenders from school-age children.

And, certainly, this won't be ready to open soon. Design work, obtaining appropriate permits and construction are expected to take two years at a minimum.

In the meantime, the county, school district, and Southwest Florida Water Management District officials, private developers and interested citizens who have been meeting on this plan should take a bow. A little patience and a continued cooperative spirit should result in a valuable community asset unlike any other in Pasco County.

[Last modified October 20, 2005, 01:19:18]