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Catholic Diocese Maps Out Plan For Trinity Parish

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By ERIC HORCHY, The Suncoast News

Published: September 5, 2007

TRINITY - The Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg's new 62-acre parish development project in this rapidly growing section of southwest Pasco County is years from completion but advancing.

Most recently, the diocese hired the Tampa-based architecture firm Holmes Hepner and Associates to produce a master plan for the project, said Rick Kolhoff, executive director of construction for the diocese.

Steve Zientek, diocese manager for real estate and planning, said the work by Holmes Hepner consists of site preparation, making sure all permits are in hand and determining all other construction specifics.

Another key recent advance is locating a residence and office space for the Rev. Dennis Hughes, who will be in charge of parish.

After a brief hiccup in the diocese's efforts to purchase a home in a different neighborhood, Hughes said, officials are close to closing on a residence for the priest elsewhere.

Hughes initially will operate the fledgling parish's office work out of his residence.

Mass Scheduled For January

Next in line for Hughes and the diocese, while finishing site plan revisions with the architectural firm, is to begin celebrating Mass in January. The parish will worship in the chapel at Trinity Memorial Gardens, which is adjacent to the church site on Community Drive.

'They have been very gracious,' Zientek said of the staff at the cemetery on State Road 54. 'It can seat about 200 and will be used for worship services and to hold community gatherings.'

The preliminary work will continue on the parish site, Hughes said, with the goal of winning Pasco County's approval on plans for the church complex.

Soon after, diocese officials will tap a design-and-build company to erect an inexpensive steel building on the site as a temporary place of worship.

Though unable to predict when the temporary place of worship will be completed, Hughes was optimistic.

'Once we complete the sale of the house, I hope to hit the ground running soon after,' he said.

Hughes hopes construction on the permanent church will begin within five years of completion of the temporary building.

Given the growth potential of the Trinity area, the diocese is planning on thousands more parishioners entering local neighborhoods and joining the church.

If the current pace of development in the area holds, Hughes said, the congregation could grow to 'maybe a couple thousand families.'

When asked for an overall project completion date, Zientek said a safe estimate would be 2025. The development timeline for the parish, however, is not set in stone, he said.

The diocese has owned the land since 1999.

Lots Of Amenities

Other than the permanent church structure, Zientek said, initial plans for the parish include:

•A community multipurpose building.

•Adult and youth education classrooms.

•A hall for social events fitted with a kitchen area.

•An affordable senior housing development with from 60 to 80 units.

Another possibility for the site is a Catholic elementary school, Zientek said.

A demand for such a school, however, will have to be evident, Hughes said. A Catholic school in west Pasco, Bishop Larkin Interparochial Catholic School, in the Port Richey area, does not have full enrollment, he said. The diocese wouldn't consider creating a school in Trinity until Bishop Larkin, which offers kindergarten through eighth grade, is at capacity, he said.

Hughes and Zientek say they have received much positive feedback from the community regarding the diocese's plans for the Trinity area.

'As I've been going around, I've encountered a number of people who have expressed excitement about the possibility of a new parish in the area,' Hughes said. He will continue spreading information about the church to people in the area, he said.

'The county, Trinity neighborhoods and developers in general all have been very supportive of our efforts,' Zientek said. 'Otherwise they wouldn't have sold us the land in the first place.'

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