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Features
City’s Drainage System Showing Its Age
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
Like the rest of the nation, Tampa is playing catch-up with its antiquated infrastructure system, especially stormwater services.
The deluge of rain the city experienced two weeks ago ex- posed just how old and over- whelmed the current drainage system is, and because most of the area is flat, it complicates the process and causes tons of water to gather in one spot.
City of Tampa Transporta- tion and Stormwater Services Director Jean Duncan said fixing and repairing the current system is a work in progress.
“We are taking an active ap- proach to deal with the flooding we’ve experienced. We’ve made sure our pumping satins are op- erational and protected from flooding. We also want to adopt safety measures for our road- ways so drivers will know what areas to avoid.
“The overall system is not able to handle the volume of rain we’ve experienced. The city’s stormwater system is very old, and although we’re repair- ing/replacing a lot of it, it takes time and money.”
Duncan said the city’s pri- orities are also based on the complaints they’ve received from citizens, and they’re hop- ing to get funds to do more to the current system.
“The current funds are not adequate, and that’s something we’ll have to deal with until we can get more funds.
“We’re looking at creating more retention ponds in areas where there’s land that can ac- commodate a water collection point. We also must perform better maintenance on our ex- isting retention ponds to make them work better.”
Duncan said whatever they do, it has to make fiscal sense.
“Retention ponds are prac- tical, but they come with a big maintenance cost. It can get quite expensive, especially with the bigger ponds.
“We have a maintenance schedule for the ponds, but it can be years before any mainte- nance is done. That’s why a lot of them get overgrown and just don’t function as well as they
should. We definitely need a ro- bust maintenance schedule.”
Duncan said the City Council will have to find the funds to change the current maintenance schedule for the retention ponds.
“What a lot of people don’t know is we have to be permitted by the Environmental Protec- tion Agency (EPA) to operate a retention pond. They have their own guidelines, and they must be followed to the letter.
“It is also required that all new construction projects must figure into a draining system, whether it be a pond, or another collection system.”
Duncan said in the city, in- frastructure repairs are an on- going process, and they’re behind on their infrastructure repairs like the rest of the coun- try.
“Because of the funding nec- essary, we’ll never catch up. We’re going to have to be smarter about our spending.
“We’re hoping to get fund- ing from the state and we also want the Florida Department of Transportation to work with us on their state road flooding problems.
The message to residents is to concentrate more on preven- tion, and do what they have to in order to protect their homes and property.
City Council Chair Meets With West Tampa Development Manager To Discuss CRA Advisory Board
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
After reviewing the pro- posed composition of the West Tampa Citizens Advi- sory Committee (CAC), City Council Chair Frank Red- dick immediately had con- cerns, and requested a meeting with Drew Park/West Tampa Develop- ment Manager, Jeanette LaRussa Fenton.
“I think the meeting went just fine and I addressed the concerns of Mr. Reddick. First, I let him know that it was not necessary for the neighborhood groups to be registered with the city, and he understood.
“We also talked about how the process was developed, and how I reached the con- clusion that there would be only 3 at-large seats.”
Council Chair Red- dick, who also represents District 5 that includes West Tampa, said he still has con- cerns, but nothing that will prevent the process from moving forward.
“I think our meeting went
CITY COUNCIL CHAIR FRANK REDDICK
pretty good. I wanted to know how the makeup of the board was developed. I was disap- pointed there were only 3 at- large seats available. I’d also like to see the total number go up to 15 seats.
“With only 11 seats, a lot of very qualified people may not get the chance to be a part of the Committee. There has to be structured leadership, and I do plan to address these is- sues at the next CRA meet- ing.”
Council Chair Reddick
said this will not delay the ap- plication process, and the
DREW PARK/WEST TAMPA DEVELOPMENT MANAGER JEANETTE LARUSSA FENTON
deadline is still August 18th. “I’m still concerned that some of the groups men- tioned may not be qualified. In the past, representatives from neighborhood associa- tions registered with the city
comprised the CAC.
“In my opinion, a lot of
the groups that comprise the 8 seats should be at-large seats. I would have liked to see more at-large seats. I want to make sure the West Tampa community is repre- sented properly on the CAC.”
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