East Pasco regional shelter and community center

1:43:56So uh next one is number four. Um and and let me just stop and say again, this is why we wanted to do this workshop to get this feedback so the commissioners and the and the organization can understand what we should move forward with, what is realistic, knowing that, you know, we weren't gonna get all these, but we wanna, you know, figure out what can Um Be doable. So the next one is An issue that we had a discussion with our Legislators

1:44:27on uh and that is Again, we are such a large county and when it comes time for disaster. Where do we house those when we have to do uh evacuations? Um Senator Fasana was able to get in a regional shelter uh when he was in office over here on the west side. Um but we don't have any shelter um that is set up on uh the east side. We have to work with our schools um and and that is in

1:44:57law when uh that we work with our schools that um w we use their f their facilities. Um but The legislator said Why don't we have a dedicated regional facility for that on the east side that is built to Hurricane Sanders? but can also do double duty, do other things so it doesn't sit empty. The regional shelter in West Side uh through the year uh it's operated by the Department of Health. So on this one

1:45:27I brought up our parks project because this is one is a unique uh project that we also uh sat down with uh our municipality, Dade City, to talk about uh because they had a need as well.

1:45:41Good morning, Keith Wiley. I'm the Director of Parks Recreation Natural Resources. Commissioner Oakley, I would be remiss if I probably took the floor. I know this project is something that you're very familiar with. Do you want me to give a quick recap or do you would like to do that? All right. So at the same time that we know we needed a shelter on the east side of the county. Um, the city of Dade City and Pasco County was also looking at community centers and recreation complex that are tied to their master plans. So when we all got together, we said, okay, well The master plan

1:46:11for the parks plan calls for a twenty-five, thirty thousand square foot facility. The improvements in the city of Dade City for the community center was around ten thousand. And then we know that the shelter need is around 40,000 square feet. So we got together, we all basically did a planning exercise, and we said effectively it makes the most sense to combine forces and budgets and figure out how we can, you know, put this uh facility in one location, which would which would be in the city of Dade City limits, and have it multi-functional. Um and and I think that's pretty much where we are as of right

1:46:41now in terms of the concept, uh, in terms of budget. The county has $20 million. Uh well, we're not going to be able We'll have twenty million dollars through the new impact fee that were approved last year, and we're requesting twenty million dollars. Um to do the remaining for the construction.

1:46:57Yeah, I'll just add to that. Uh a lot of this started when I sat down with uh Commissioner Oakley uh, Woodard of Dade City. They're looking for athletics and recreation for inside Dade City and Dade City's a rural community. But the fact of it is I've heard in the past several times from Randy Baggard and also Danny Burgess, they were looking for a facility that'd house people during storms and things of that nature, but also a meeting place for when we have

1:47:27meetings outside of the our regular courtrooms. We like we go out to Starkey ranch to the library there and have those meetings, we could have this facility also facilitate that. And um It's everybody seems to be on board pretty much with with the issue. The fact of it, it's more than just east side of Pasco County because it's a regional facility. It's a facility that not not only can help people on the west side of Pasco, but

1:47:57also in the region for Pineettles County or Hillsborough County will have a place that they can move off that coast. And we just went through three terrible storms for our area. Bad. Not many people even talk about Debbie, but Debbie flooded Zephyrhills. They had twelve and a half inches in a very short period of time. It flooded Zephyrhills before anything really happened over on the coast. And then of course when Helene came and then Melton I mean It's

1:48:28over 30 inches. People think it's all the development had. They caused it. So I said, We have more power now, bank, so developing property but none of that development caused that. That was just too much rain in a short period of time and uh caused a lot of flooding and all that. But we need that facility 'cause we don't have that on the east side. We're very rural on the east side. We're also rural community looking at federal funds also. I've got uh Congressman Belarakis

1:48:59out looking for funding for and and grants that we can use first too to help with this project. So Everybody seems to be Okay with it and And I think it looks good fairly because of the fact we're a rural community. So I I think that shows up very well.

1:49:19Commissioner Weightman.

1:49:20Thank you. Yeah, good late Keith, Commissioner Oakley. Important to note for this project. is this land is already off the tax rolls. So if it were to be funded. It's not gonna be a lost revenue source for the city of Dade City. And also during the storms what we learned is a lot of the folks from East Pasco, if they were displaced from their home from the river re flooding, they were having to commute all the way to Wesley Chapel District Park. Or the Fasano shelter, which nobody's gonna travel

1:49:51twenty five, thirty-five, forty miles away from their home when they're trying to just put any piece of their life

1:49:59together. So um I think the distance Wesley Chapel District Park was obviously a lot closer than the team did a great job, Keith. And if you're gonna be displaced, that's a great facility to be displaced too. But Yeah. i it it the distance I think deterred people from wanting to leave their their homes because it was so far away from where where they were. So uh it was a it was a good substitute. The distance I just think deterred people from either leaving during the storm. uh

1:50:30or feeling confident enough to leave their home behind and then him trying to figure out how to get a bus back wherever, back up to wherever they're going through. So to chairs or Michelle Oakley's project that I think is a a good project for the folks.

1:50:44Well the project I left out a part of actually. And most people on the east side If there's a bad storm coming in on the west side, they're not going to move to Pasano. They're not gonna move into where the problem's gonna be.

1:50:57And we kind of that's our special needs shelter too.

1:51:00Oh yeah. And it's the fact the fact of it is I've got one major part. On this property we own is also our VA office, one of our three VA offices. And the VA does a great job in Pasco County. Um The fact of it is. Ten thousand square foot of this property is planned to be for that VA office. That BA office was built in the 50s. And it needs improving, but we have great people there that

1:51:30do a great job for our county and our veterans. That's a part of this also. So you know that Bilrakus is fully aware of these things and Yeah. He fights for VA every time he gets a chance.

1:51:46A question I had on this was which which silo or can it be divided up into multiple silos?

1:51:53Would you consider the funding? I was sitting here thinking the same thing trying to figure out w where this would come out of. It would probably come out of uh under maybe ten appropriates under emergency

1:52:04management. That's what we're looking at. I mean when we look at this and here's a great example, right for

1:52:13Especially on the house side, this is a project we've been talking about several years. Yeah. And been looking worried about it. Why because we saw the need, whether it's cold weather, people who would need, you know, this these three storms taught us a lot of things and it made Senator Burgess and mind up that something on the east side needs to happen. When Commissioner Oakley came up and said, Hey, I got a piece of property and I got something huge again. That's what we were looking for to make it, but

1:52:44we need it for the storms and things of that nature. But a great example here is twenty billion, right? So if I put in 20 million on the house side, that may be all I get. So to me to rate this is number four high on my list? Number four is probably number one in my list, right? So when we go forward and they're cutting the budgets, I'm gonna fight for number four is what I'm gonna fight for because I see the biggest threat for my community than our community. So it gives you a little bit of idea of what

1:53:14we're gonna be facing going to the budget now.

1:53:16That's a big number.

1:53:17Now I Can it all change? There's a lot of things that change. But we're going in the house is like The chair said, okay, what's your number one? I may give you number two. What is it? And mine going into this will be this and that's how I'm looking at it going forward. And that's where it routes and number four is my number one. It's real easy for me to make a decision. But if money opens up, then we need to rate them.

1:53:47Yeah.

1:53:48Where do we need to go so I know where we need to push once the best? And it's gonna be what happens out of these storms and we're like you said. where they won't take the money out of and that tells us what plot we can get so

1:54:02I think we're lucky that the that your budget chairman is our neighbor in Hillsdor County. I represent McClure, a good guy, good common sense guy. They obviously Tampa Bay is home. Um so he and I work well together and I'm We're we're gonna do the best we can. We're sick and tired of some of our southeast counties in this state getting all the all the grease.

1:54:28Yeah.

1:54:28Uh we don't wanna be treated extraordinarily, we just wanna be treated equitably.

1:54:35Kinda gonna be the goal for equal is

1:54:38let's make sure everybody gets treated fairly. Yeah. So this this project pulls everybody together. because it is rule and it will help not only Pasco it will help Pillsburg and his

1:54:50Well,

1:54:51I think it was out of

1:54:52life.

1:54:52So

1:54:52it's because it's just it's not the state trying to pull the whole weight of the elected Sandle Center. We have several people involved to try to make this come through. So that's what we're gonna fight.

1:55:07This is a project that the the executive branch

1:55:12Yeah.

1:55:14Sometimes that that vote seems to be that that's that should be a a project of the local government so we deal with that extra session. I mean he only got me fifty million last year.

1:55:26We we feel those very much in Pasco County. Happens to us a lot. There's a lot of

1:55:33play there in a lot of stuff. And that's what we're about to figure out in the next year. We'll work on it.

1:55:38Well we hired three lobbying firms to help protect the vetoes. Anybody good?

1:55:45Well

1:55:46they're a bit questionable,

1:55:48but

1:55:49emphasized those two.

1:55:51This is the number one job. Protect the veto.

1:55:54And again, we appreciate this feedback. Uh uh we did not anticipate that you know all these would be, you know, seeking sponsors, but we wanna feel what is doable, what uh you know, and and and we again uh appreciate talking about the local match. Uh the different silos, knowing that there might be something for emergency and recovery uh coming off those hurricanes. Uh we always know water is another priority. We have a an issue dealing with that. Uh so the next one Right.

1:56:25Yeah. Thank you. Um you know Representative Baggett, I think you really touched a good note as far as your passions gonna be for this project. And part of this meeting was all about finding what your passions were. We've got a list But we need to find out which ones you think are best and go All right. So that's that's it's that's the beauty of this whole thing. But I will tell you we we do feel that uh you know it's not just part of the county. We're we're one county. Um When Tropical Storm Debbie came years ago, and

1:56:56flooded up Little Road, that connection to fifty four. Everybody in Penels County was stopped. Nowhere to go.

1:57:01Well I'm gonna bring that up here in a second.

1:57:03That that drove us to go to make it an elevated hurricane route. to make it safer and better. And that road is a tremendous benefit for tr transportation as well as going forward. But then we looked at that as a regional thing. And I think this is a regional thing as well. With all the storms that hit Dade City and Zephyrhills over the summer before Debbie even got here, Hurricane Debbie. They were in trouble all the way through. And then when the storm's hit it's like, what do you do next? And we're gonna work on some big infrastructure things, but I think this this shelter out there is very

1:57:33much needed because like you say, you're not gonna drive thirty, forty miles unless you really had to. If you're stuck on an island you couldn't get into, maybe you're gonna just go do it. But this facility could help you. Anywhere around the whole central part of the state as well, where those storms tend to go that we've seen many times. So I do think it's a very big regional thing and I think it's very applicable. I do want to make sure when we build it though, we build it so Unlike the hurricane shelter we built in uh for Sunday.

1:57:58If I

1:57:59been

1:57:59on board I would have given you those inches. Literally

1:58:02if we went up like another eighteen inches or two feet, we could've made that where it could have been an indoor volleyball place. All sorts of other indoor sports could have been money during

1:58:09the

1:58:09year instead of just sitting there. Yeah. Now we do have premier health care, which helps that area for poor folks to come right there was great, so tie in with the with the VA. The benefits of this are just Com complexo. You may be hit by four or five pots of money with this. We're still gonna go federally too to try to get more money as well, but whatever you can do with it I think with this is something that I think is a great project. I think

1:58:30it's the number one of the converges to uh Mr. Mariano was it's gonna be designed where we have basketball and a Olympics room pool in this this facility and our meeting rooms and things where we can have extra meetings. But it'll have that activity. It's right next to a elementary school and a junior high school and it's not too far from the high school. So there is a multi use building and the VA of being this building also. It just connects

1:59:01everybody together in this one facility. All right.

1:59:04And an aquatic facility there much near on the east side. Yes. Yes, that's that's what I

1:59:08said. Um number five.