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Decision delayed on proposed Hudson high school

By JODIE TILLMAN
Published January 12, 2007

NEW PORT RICHEY - Facing an outcry from a crowd of about 50 residents, county administrators on Thursday postponed until next month a decision on the controversial proposal to build a high school in Hudson.

The development review committee's decision to, well, not decide yet guarantees opponents of the project one more chance to plead their case with the School Board when it meets this month.

About 50 Hudson residents showed up at Thursday's committee meeting, armed with neon protest signs with slogans like "Don't you know what the roads will cost first?" For nearly an hour, about a dozen residents spoke, mostly about their traffic concerns.

Pasco County Administrator John Gallagher told the opponents that their real beef was with the School Board - not his committee.

"We're just staff members," said Gallagher, chairman of the committee, which makes recommendations to county commissioners. "We're not elected."

The school district can't finalize its $8-million contract on the potential site until it receives county approval, a case that unhappy school officials made Thursday in arguing for the committee to make a decision.

The development review committee will take up the matter again Feb. 22. Their recommendation then goes to county commissioners, who have final say.

The school district is under contract to pay $8-million for 37 acres at State Road 52 and Canton Avenue. The county currently assesses the commercially zoned property at $1.5-million for tax purposes. The land is owned by EBML Enterprises LLC, which is registered to Edwin Sargent of Dade City.

Ray Gadd, the school district's representative on the development review committee, and other school officials in attendance opposed the committee's delay. They said they had already held a number of meetings with residents and that they had deadlines to meet under the contract.

District officials say the proposed three-story facility for nearly 2,000 students would help relieve overcrowding at Ridgewood High School.

Al Hein, who lives near the proposed site, told committee members that the traffic, particularly on Canton Avenue, would be dangerous. Plus, he said, the school district has not looked hard enough at other options for property.

"Pasco County is being hijacked on this," he said.

Residents said after the meeting that they were happy at least for the delay.

"This gives us an additional time to be heard," said Dan Slagle. "But for Mr. Gallagher, this would've gone forward."

[Last modified January 11, 2007, 23:05:54]