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South County Road Plan To Get Review

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By Anthony McCartney | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 17, 2007

TAMPA - County commissioners agreed to review the development of the South County Transportation Plan after several residents complained Wednesday, saying a top transportation official misled the public about a bypass that would direct more traffic through parts of eastern Hillsborough.

George Niemann, a Dover activist, and seven others said despite repeated assurances the bypass was simply a proposal, the project is included as part of the South County Transportation Plan, a study aimed at relieving congestion.

"We were lied to and information was distributed as an intentional distraction," he said.

They asked the county to investigate comments made by Ned Baier, manager of the county's Transportation and Land Development Review Division. The group claimed Baier said during numerous public meetings the bypass wasn't in the county's transportation plans, but it later appeared as a two-mile swath on some county maps.

They provided e-mail and recordings of Baier's comments that they said contradicted Hillsborough's actions on the bypass.

County Administrator Pat Bean will look into the residents' complaints, although no timetable was set for her to return a report.

Baier said he didn't hear the remarks made about him and couldn't comment on the allegations.

"I don't think that Ned was purposefully misleading them or tricking them," said Peter Aluotto, director of Planning and Growth Management.

"I can understand that people are unhappy about what we're looking at," he said. "There was no malice there."

Officials said during a commission workshop this month that the bypass had been removed from the comprehensive plan, the county's blueprint for managing growth. The bypass, however, remains part of the South County Transportation Plan, a separate study aimed at relieving congestion.

Commissioner Rose Ferlita said she held a meeting with Baier and residents to try to clear up any misconceptions about the plan. She said she was disappointed with what she termed Baier's lack of candor.

"He pretty much said things that were not accurate," Ferlita said. "He deceives them by omission."

Commissioner Al Higginbotham agreed, saying, "I don't like hearing what I'm hearing."

County officials also scheduled another public meeting on the plan after some people complained that Lithia residents weren't included in the discussions, even though the proposed bypass would affect their area.

Meetings are scheduled for Tuesday in Ruskin, Wednesday in Riverview and Nov. 5 in Lithia. The Ruskin meeting will be at South Shore Regional Service Center, the Riverview meeting is at the Riverview High School cafeteria and the meeting in Lithia will be at Pinecrest Elementary School. All of the meetings begin at 6:30 p.m.

"We're going to take this show back on the road and cover any bases we may have missed," Aluotto said.

Reporter Anthony McCartney can be reached at (813) 259-7616 or amccartney@tampatrib.com.

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