Pebble Creek road work catches some homeowners by surprise

Many people found their driveways blocked for several hours. Others were warned by workers.

By SUSAN THURSTON

© St. Petersburg Times,
published August 3, 2001

PEBBLE CREEK -- A project to resurface roads throughout New Tampa's oldest community has people in Pebble Creek both smiling and scowling.

Hillsborough County began the work about two weeks ago, much to the surprise of some homeowners who said they were not notified.

"A number of people were trapped in their houses," said Michael Carricato, president of the Pebble Creek Homeowners Association. "They were supposed to put a notice on people's door the day before, but that wasn't always done."

Carricato said the association didn't know about the project until the trucks pulled up. Many people woke up to find their driveways blocked for several hours. Others were alerted by workers who went door to door telling residents to move their cars.

"I think it's a good faith maintenance project on the part of the county that went awry because of poor communication," said Carricato, who got a knock on his door at 8 a.m. the day construction started. "It could have been handled better."

Hillsborough County is resurfacing the streets as part of its ongoing road rejuvenation program. In all, the county has set aside about $7-million this year for street preservation, including $170,000 for Pebble Creek.

Crews from Ajax Paving of Palmetto, Fla., began the work last month and will continue for another few weeks. The black silicon treatment seeps into cracks to extend the life of the roads.

County spokesman Steve Valdez said the project has been in the works since last year. He stressed it had nothing to do with recent talks about annexing the unincorporated community into the city of Tampa.

Carricato said the work is long overdue. Some of the roads in the 1,400-home community date back to the 1970s. He referred homeowners' calls about the project to the county's neighborhood relations department or Commissioner Jim Norman, who represents the area.

Since the road project started, the county has tried to let everyone know. In most cases, the county distributes door hangers saying the work starts in a few weeks. A second notice tells the exact date for each street.

- Susan Thurston can be reached at (813) 226-3463.

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