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Schools

Shifting sand thwarts plan to build center near school

By JACKIE RIPLEY
Published April 27, 2007

The community center that civic activists have been abuzz about for the past couple of months won't be happening after all, at least not where it was originally proposed.

Blame weak and shifting sand.

"The soil will not support a building on that site," said John Brill, spokesman for the county's department of parks, recreation and conservation. "Our only option is to look for property elsewhere."

An environmental report made county officials aware of a problem at the Gunn Highway site, between Alema and Alloway streets. Now county officials are scrambling to find another site for the center. And therein lies the problem.

There is little available land in Citrus Park, especially land where children could easily reach the center for its after- school program.

"We want to be absolutely as close to the school as we can," Brill said. "Crossing Ehrlich or Gunn is not a good option."

Brill said the county would like to build the center on school property or on land adjacent to the school so children could safely walk there.

News of the county's change in plans concerned Janet Hiltz, acting president of the Citrus Park Civic Association.

She was especially worried about talk of building the community center on school property.

The community center "would be totally in the hands of the school, and that wasn't what we had in mind," Hiltz said.

"We wanted it to be a Citrus Park community thing for everyone and not one with strict rules where we would have it at only certain times."

Hillsborough County commissioners agreed earlier this year to spend $745,000 for the 1-acre vacant tract on Gunn, a deal the county is abandoning. The county also set aside $2.8-million for the 10,000-square-foot community center and anticipated its completion by 2009.

The original plan was to have the community center on land adjacent to Citrus Park Elementary, though not on school property.

It seemed like a good compromise.

The Citrus Park community, which has long wished for its own center, would have a place where residents could hold meetings, host events, and maybe even house a small branch library.

Children could have safely walked there after school.

Residents are frustrated.

"It's not the first time the county has done this to our community," said Linda Gadbaw, a Citrus Park civic activist. "It looks like we've lost our community center."

Jackie Ripley can be reached at ripley@sptimes.com or at 813 269-5308.

[Last modified April 26, 2007, 08:02:39]