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Hernando Today

Revitalizing South Brooksville

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By MICHAEL D. BATES

Hernando Today

Published: February 9, 2009

Back in 1981, the city of Brooksville was poised to act on a revitalization plan for its neglected downtown area.

Prompted by a lawsuit apparently filed by the NAACP, the city had been ordered to fix up decaying water and sewer drains and ramp up sidewalks and lighting to improve the area.

For whatever reason, the revitalization plan never got off the ground.

That was then, this is now, said Cliff Manuel, president of Coastal Engineering Associates Inc.

"Obviously the ball got dropped back then," Manuel said. "But now the question is, 'how to pick it up and move forward with it?'"

To that end, Manuel said he is willing to do a conceptual design plan for South Brooksville. For free.

Manuel calls that area a disgrace - one that shames the entire county.

"A county is judged on its disadvantaged and how they are cared for," Manuel said.

Manuel said he would volunteer his engineering company's services and work with County Engineer Charles Mixson and city and county planners to determine the scope of improvements to the area.

The city and county would then have to vote to adopt the planned improvements in their respective capital improvement plans and draw up requests for proposals to determine the costs to do the job.

The next step would be to create a timeline to get it all done.

Manuel said the plan would take into account water and sewer conditions, street lighting, sidewalks and other aspects of revitalization.

"I really am interested in seeing the area brought up to current standards," Manuel said.

Manuel believes the entire community must get involved in these kinds of revitalization projects.

South Brooksville is generally described as an area encompassing U.S. 41 east to Jasmine Street and from Wiscon Road north to North Broad Street.

Another Offer

Manuel is not the only person offering to help South Brooksville.

Paul Douglas, managing member of the Burnhardt Group LLC, said he would be willing to create a limited liability company that would fund what he calls a "vitalization" plan for Brooksville.

Douglas said it would be wrong to call it revitalization because those efforts have not yet begun.

With the exception of Community Development Block Grants, the county or city has not spent any money on revitalization efforts in South Brooksville for the last 10 years, according to Douglas.

Help From The Feds?

Manuel and Douglas believe a South Brooksville revitalization project would qualify for President Barack Obama's federal economic stimulus funds.

Any improvements to the area would attract new jobs, which is the basis of the stimulus package, they said.

That was also the consensus of members of the county commission-appointed Community Initiative Team (CIT), which meets monthly to help create a strategic plan to address concerns in largely unincorporated neighborhoods of Hernando County, including South Brooksville.

"With Obama's plan, if we have a plan in place, we may have the opportunity to create jobs and revitalize an area and improve infrastructure," CIT Chairwoman Rose Rocco said.

The CIT has already made one big decision: to improve drainage conditions that have long plagued residents who live in the community.

Members decided that a surface level, open drainage ditch system is a health, safety and welfare problem that requires permanent and on-going maintenance by the county's Department of Public Works and the city.

So the plan is to obtain an accurate survey of the ditch system - at an estimated cost of $22,000 - and go from there.

To that end, the county has issued the purchase order and the professional agreement is being prepared.

Chairman Russell: Ready To Listen

Meanwhile, county commissioners have taken preliminary steps to start fixing the area.

This week, they voted 5-0 to approve a list of short- and long-term projects designed to improve the region - from improvements to Kennedy Park to sidewalks on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

But those projects remain unfunded.

That's why County Commission Chairman David Russell said he welcomes any and all offers of help to revitalize South Brooksville, an area that he believes needs improvement.

"It sounds like some generous and altruistic offers that we should investigate, and I'm very pleased to see this," Russell said.

He welcomes formal presentations during upcoming county commission meetings.

Reporter Michael D. Bates can be reached at 352-544-5290 or mbates@hernandotoday.com.

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