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Suncoast Pasco News

Penny For Pasco To Pave Way For More Road Projects

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By Carl  Orth | The Suncoast News

Published: August 20, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - With county officials pinching pennies in the post-Amendment No. 1 budget, the revenue from the Penny for Pasco sales tax will be a welcome sight.

The 1-cent optional sales tax levy will generate an estimated $13,283,711 in the 2009 fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1.

County commissioners recently got a status report on how the county intends to spend its share of Penny for Pasco funds. The county and Pasco School District each get 45 percent of Penny proceeds. The county's cities split the remaining 10 percent.

Transportation gets the lion's share of the county's share of Penny revenue, about $6.64 million. Buying land for environmental preserves will get about $3.3 million. Another $2.66 million will go toward the Sheriff's Office and fire department. A 5 percent contingency fund will come to $664,186.

Since voters approved the Penny for Pasco, in 2004, the county already has completed numerous road projects.

An example of the Penny for Pasco at work is improvements to medians and other safety features along Seven Springs Boulevard, costing $7.86 million.

Penny-funded upgrades to seven intersections include three junctions on Grand Boulevard, plus Little Road at Ponderosa Avenue, Regency Park Boulevard at San Miguel Drive and U.S. 19 at Fox Hollow Drive.

West Pasco projects coming up in the near future include Main Street improvements from Congress Street to Rowan Road, a joint project with the city of New Port Richey. Construction could cost about $5.9 million. The upgrades are scheduled for sometime during fiscal year 2009, which starts Oct. 1.

Also on the horizon within a couple of years is channelization of U.S. 19 medians to reduce traffic darting across the state highway. The estimate is $13.36 million.

Bus stop transit shelters along U.S. 19 are scheduled to be installed beginning in October. Along with shelters on U.S. 301, the estimated cost is $821,258. A bus transfer station estimated at $326,901 could begin by fall 2009.

Long-range transportation projects include a major redesign of Congress Street at Orchid Lake Road, in fiscal 2014. The first phase of the Starkey Trail extension along Massachusetts Avenue won't start before October 2012 under current plans.

Carl Orth can be reached at 727-815-1068 or corth@suncoastnews.com.

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