News :: Opinion
It's Time To Get Cracking On Shelter
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Published: June 11, 2008
Normally, government officials need to be very cautious when they plan to spend millions of dollars on a project. But in the case of a proposed hurricane shelter in Hudson, Pasco County officials would be very wise to expedite construction.
There's a simple reason why county officials need to act with a sense of urgency: In this time of government budget cuts and reduced tax revenues, the state and federal money appropriated for the project - more than $7 million - could eventually be yanked and used elsewhere.
"I have great concern that if there are more delays, we could lose the money," says state Sen. Mike Fasano, a New Port Richey Republican who has shepherded the proposal.
He's not grandstanding, either. In 2001, the county lost more than $7 million in state money appropriated toward the proposed Ridge Road extension because of numerous delays. The state Department of Transportation redirected the money for other needs. The extension still hasn't been permitted.
The Hudson shelter will serve vitally important functions in the county. Foremost, the project, regional in scope, will provide shelter to residents of Pasco and Hernando counties during hurricanes and tropical storms. But it also will double as a community health center for the uninsured and underinsured, easing the pressure on local emergency rooms.
Last week, Fasano and other officials received word that the Hudson project, plus a second planned shelter targeted for Wesley Chapel but put on the back burner, had cleared a huge hurdle - the red tape of FEMA.
The agency finally agreed to exempt the two facilities from excessive regulations that would have required them to withstand 200 mph winds. Costs would have gone up by millions. Now, a much more reasonable wind standard must be met.
With that obstacle out of the way, there's no reason the Hudson shelter can't be put on the fast-track so construction can begin soon. Enough time has been lost. The county shouldn't want to lose the money, too.
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