Saturday, August 28, 2010

Attention all Preston Hollow Homeowners'

Pasco Variance Hearing Newsletter ItemPasco Variance Hearing Continues

The Pasco County Development Resource Council (DRC) held a public hearing for a permit and variance application on August 26th as scheduled. Attendees included approximately sixteen Preston Hollow owners and/or HOA Board/ACC members. There were representatives from the Wellington HOA Board and Leisure Hills homeowners as well. All that attended who desired to speak publically to the Pasco DRC were permitted to do so.

A South Florida developer, Woodfield Properties, Inc., has applied for a permit to mine 650,000 cubic yards of fill dirt from their residential development site of 78 acres and a variance to greatly reduce the perimeter border setbacks for planned home construction. The acreage in question is located in Pasco County on the south side of County Line Road, about half-way between Mariner Blvd. and the Veterans’ Expressway. The County Line Road entrance to Preston Hollow is nearby. Many months ago, Pasco County authorized the rezoning of this property from Agricultural to Residential for the proposed 75 one-acre home sites. The developer has a number of years to build out the development with homes. The proposed development plan calls for the creation of three retention areas, one of which is located on the north border with County Line Road. The retention areas only require the excavation and removal of approximately 146,000 cubic yards of fill dirt to make the areas viable for water control. However, the developer intends to haul out and sell all 650,000 cubic yards of fill material from the site in the meantime which is their right to do. All the fill dirt is projected to be removed over the course of a one-year period using County Line Road as the entrance and exit points to the mining area. Depending on the size of the earth-moving vehicle, this would require the use of 25,000 to 36,000 truckloads of additional large truck traffic added to existing County Line Road traffic, moving in an out of the mining area over that period of time. Left and right-hand turn lanes are to be installed during the excavation & removal period. Hours of operation are projected to be from 7am to 5 pm six days a week if the permit and variance are granted. Sundays and Pasco holidays are non-hauling days.

Preston Hollow attendees who spoke asked the Pasco County DRC the following:

  • designate an alternate traffic method for the trucks in lieu of using County Line Road.
  • expand the developers liability for damaged wells due to mining from the proposed 500 feet to a 1,000 ft radius.
  • require the developer to install and maintain ground cover such as grass or other means to control dust once the fill dirt is removed.

As a result of the DRC’s traffic study issues and other questions left unanswered by the Pasco County support staff members who were also in attendance, the DRC scheduled a second public hearing for September 23, 2010 @ 1:30 to continue the public discussions. The hearing location is the West Pasco Government Center Board Room, First Floor, 7530 Little Road, New Port Richey, Fl. The more members that attend the hearing the better in terms of having our voices heard. The Preston Hollow Board has also asked the support and involvement of our local County commission and State representatives.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Attention all Preston Hollow Homeowners'

Attention all Preston Hollow Homeowners'

Woodfield Properties LLC. which owns a large parcel of property just west of Preston Hollow on the Pasco side of County Line Road has applied for a zoning change. The property is currently zoned Agricultural with the developers applying for a Class 3 Development Permit along with a Mining Permit. The Preston Hollow Board is asking for your help by attending this meeting to voice your concerns. If you have any questions please contact any Board Member and we hope to see many of you there. The meeting information is posted below.

Thanks,

Preston Hollow Homeowners' Association Board Members

Event Name - DRC/Zoning Variance Meeting
Event Date and Time - August 26, 2010 starting at 1:30 PM
Event Location - West Pasco Government Center
Room - Board Room located on the First Floor
Street Address - 7530 Little Road
City - New Port Richey, Florida

Monday, August 9, 2010

Mosquito Advisory

Mosquito Advisory

Contact:
Al Gray, MPH
Environmental Health Manager
Hernando County Health Dept.
352-540-6802
or
Guangye Hu, Ph.D.
Hernando County Mosquito Control
352-754-4060

Local Health Experts Caution Residents About
Mosquito-Borne Illness

Brooksville- State surveillance data has indicated a continued rise in mosquito-borne illness cases, such as West Nile virus (WNV), Eastern Equine Encephalitis(EEE)and Highlands J virus (HJV). Recently a number of horses, birds and now, two people have died from such illnesses in nearby counties.

Hernando County Mosquito Control and the Hernando County Health Department want to remind area residents and visitors to be vigilant about mosquito bite prevention.

According to Dr. Guangye Hu, Hernando Mosquito Control Director, “residents can reduce the risk of being bitten by mosquitoes by following the 5 D’s for prevention. These prevention steps include:

¨ Dawn and Dusk- Avoid being outdoors when mosquitoes are seeking blood. For many species, this is during the dusk and dawn hours.
¨ Dress- Wear clothing that covers most of your skin.
¨ DEET- When the potential exists for exposure to mosquitoes, repellents containing DEET (N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide, or N, N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide) are recommended. Picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus are other repellent options.
¨ Drain- Check around your home to rid the area of all standing water. Mosquitoes can lay their eggs in as little as 1/4" of water. Make sure that pools and spas have continuous circulation and appropriate chlorination to prevent mosquitoes from laying eggs.

For additional mosquito control information, visit http://www.hernandocounty.us/mosquito/

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Community Meetings Scheduled to Review FY 2010-2011 Budget

Community Meetings Scheduled to Review FY 2010-2011 Budget

During the month of August, Hernando County residents will have the opportunity to meet with the County Administrator and review the proposed FY 2010-2011 budget for Hernando County government.

During a series of three public meetings scheduled at various locations, County Administrator David Hamilton and Director of Budget and Administrative Services George Zoettlein will present the tentative budget and address comments and questions from those in attendance.

The budget is scheduled for formal review and approval at two public hearings – September 14th and September 28th. Prior to that, the Board will be discussing the budget on July 13th, July 27 and August 17th during their regular County Commission meetings held in the Hernando County Government Center, 20 N. Main Street, Brooksville, Florida. To see the entire Budget Calendar, visit: http://www.hernandocounty.us/bocc/budget/

For additional information about the community meetings, please contact the Community Relations Office at 540-6780.

Tuesday, August 24
6:30 p.m.
East Hernando Branch Library Meeting Room
6457 Windmere Rd.
Brooksville, FL

Wednesday, August 25
1:30 p.m.
VFW Post 10209
Edward R. Knoll Drive
Brooksville, FL

Thursday, August 26
1:30 p.m.
Hernando Beach VFW Post 9236
3435 Shoal Line Blvd.
Hernando Beach, FL

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Hernando County Maintains One-Day-Per-Week Watering Rule

Hernando County Maintains One-Day-Per-Week Watering Rule

MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
July 28, 2010

The Hernando County Board of County Commissioners adopted an ordinance at a public hearing on Tuesday, July 27, 2010, setting the year-round watering restrictions for one-day-per-week. The Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWD) enacted a twice-per-week watering rule effective July 1st; however, each county within the district may enact their own restrictions which may be more restrictive but not less. The Board voted 3-2 in favor of the new ordinance.

Although lawn watering has been allowed two days per week since July 1st when SWFWMD enacted its new rule, Hernando County Code Enforcement will now return to enforcement of the one-day-per-week rule. "We want to make sure that our residents fully understand that we are staying with the one-day-per-week rule which has been in effect for the past 3 1/2 years," said Jean Rags, Health & Human Services Director.

If your address ends with: You may water only on:
0 or 1 Monday
2 or 3 Tuesday
4 or 5 Wednesday
6 or 7 Thursday
8 or 9 Friday

You may water only before 8:00 AM or after 6:00 PM.

For more information about Hernando County's watering restrictions, call (352) 754-4037.