Spring Hill Town Hall Will Take Place Sept. 25

More than a year ago, hundreds of supporters of the Spring Hill Fire Rescue District packed St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church for a town hall meeting.

They were steamed about an ordinance that proposed dissolving the fire board and giving more authority to the county commissioners.

The public outcry worked. The ordinance was voted down a week later.

Those supporters are hoping for a repeat performance Sept. 25, when the public is invited to the same church to rally for an independent fire district - one that would keep them safe from any future county ordinance.

The chairman - Charles Raborn - prefers to see those opposed to independence pack the parish hall.

"They're the people we have to (convince)," he said. "I don't need another pep rally. We need an information session ... If I can sway 50 percent of their vote, then that's half the battle."

Spring Hill residents will decide Nov. 4 whether to have an independent fire district. If they vote against the referendum, the fire board will dissolve and the county will take charge of their fire services.

The Sept. 25 town hall meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m.

More meetings will be scheduled in October.

In the meantime, Chief Mike Rampino and Assistant Chief Bill Davies have been invited to speak at the Pristine Place Homeowners' Association meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11. It is not known whether the meeting will be open to the public.

In other district news:

• County Commissioner Rose Rocco said she does not think a library expansion is more important than a new fire station.

She only thinks it is premature to promise residents a new station before it is approved.

Rocco told Hernando Today last week the district was wrong to publish plans for an upcoming station at the corner of Melville Street and Spring Hill Drive because the county had not approved it.

She said the commission seemed more likely to approve a library expansion at that location.

That led to an angry reaction from most of the Spring Hill fire board, namely Raborn, who accused Rocco of putting library books ahead of public safety.

"We would like to look at it at a later time," Rocco said Thursday. "It's not that we don't want it or that we won't have it. I was saying it was just premature ... to put it out on the Web site."

The board asked Rampino to broach the subject of a new fire station with the county once again.

County Administrator David Hamilton said he would meet with the chief either next week or the week after to "discuss the concerns of his board."