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Consultant criticizes Port Richey's plan to dredge 29 canals

He finds fault with the original consulting firm and says the city should re-examine the project 's size.

By CAMILLE C. SPENCER
Published January 26, 2007

PORT RICHEY - The city's plan to dredge 29 canals is once again stuck in the muck.

A consultant says the project is "unattainable" based on what state environmental agencies will allow. He also said the city should "re-examine the size of the dredge project" and rank which canals should be dredged first.

"I believe if this is performed properly, the project may be reduced to one that has the ability to be permitted in a reasonable time frame," consultant Bill Woods wrote Tuesday in a letter to the city.

Woods, of Woods Consulting of Dunedin, was brought in by the city's Port Authority Board to evaluate the project.

The city has spent $200,000 to apply for three dredging permits but has not received them. The dredging could cost anywhere between $4-million and $10-million, but city officials have yet to find any funding.

Woods' letter also criticizes the LPA Group, the consulting firm hired by the city to obtain the permits.

Woods praised City Manager Jerry Calhoun for being a "visionary" and pushing the project forward, but said the LPA Group "does not have the experience or the will to temper the visions with reality as to what is achievable."

Woods did not return a call for comment Wednesday.

The City Council gave Calhoun permission Tuesday night to fire the LPA Group and hire another firm, even though they are in the middle of the project.

Calhoun said Wednesday he hadn't sent a letter to the LPA Group to terminate the contract, which requires 60 days' notice. He said he wants to give the LPA Group a chance to respond to Woods' letter.

"I don't feel LPA has done anything wrong," he said. "I am still pushing to get this done, whether it's LPA Group or somebody else. It hasn't hurt the project at this point."

Calhoun said members of the city's Port Authority Board were unhappy with the LPA Group and improperly solicited three consultants, including Woods, without his knowledge.

But the Port Authority Board was just trying to get some expertise, said Phil Abst, a member of the city's Port Authority Committee.

"The main thing is, we would like to get canals dredged in a cost-effective way," he said.

Mariben Andersen, the consultant from the LPA Group, was stunned by Woods' letter. Just last week, Andersen said, she and Woods discussed collaborating on the project.

"My reaction was, what happened?" she said. "I thought we were going to work together."

Camille C. Spencer can be reached at 727 869-6229 or cspencer@sptimes.com.

[Last modified January 25, 2007, 23:16:59]