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County Pipes Up To Help Subdivision

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By TOM BRENNAN

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 5, 2008

BLOOMINGDALE - BLOOMINGDALE - It's a marriage made in plumbing heaven.

Officials with the Bloomingdale Oaks Dependant Tax District wanted a way to water landscaping in front of their subdivision.
Hillsborough County had an unused irrigation system along Bloomingdale Avenue fronting their homes.

A few telephone calls and discussions later, the county is in the process of turning over its pipes, heads and valves to the taxing district. County commissioners approved the transfer June 4.

The county can't afford to maintain the irrigation system any more.

"So we thought it was a win-win situation," said John Newton, a division manager for the county's Public Works Department.

It was also an attractive deal for the Bloomingdale Oaks taxing district officials.

"We were considering our options, and using existing infrastructure could save us some money," said William Grace, the district president.

Crews installed the irrigation system when the county widened Bloomingdale in 2000. It was to carry reclaimed water from pipes buried along Lithia-Pinecrest Road and keep sod, trees and shrubbery from wilting in the brutal summer heat.

But it never worked. There were leaks. Errant motorists constantly knocked out sprinkler heads when they swerved into the medians and onto roadsides.

"We decided not to use it anymore," Newton said. "We couldn't keep sinking money into it."

So the county abandoned it. Then the taxing district officials decided they wanted a watering system.

Grace said the grounds in front of the 185-home subdivision were getting shabby, and residents were looking for a way to spruce up the appearance.

"It got to the point where it was threadbare," he said.
District officials considered installing their own system but decided taking over and fixing the county's would be cheaper.

Grace said the district will hire a contractor to drill a well to connect to the irrigation pipes. He said officials explored tapping into reclaimed water lines to the east of the irrigation system.

"But then we would have to maintain lines under a whole lot of other people's property," he said.
District officials also decided against using county water.

"We thought as a group that having our own water source in the long run would be cheaper," he said.

The district isn't assuming responsibility for the entire system. Some pipes will be capped, and only about quarter-mile of lines in the median and on the south side of Bloomingdale in front of the subdivision will be used. Bloomingdale Oaks' main entrance is Cade Lane.

Grace said homeowners wanted to freshen up the entrance for financial reasons, as well as aesthetic.

"Eventually, it will add value to the homes and make the subdivision more appealing," he said.

He estimates it will take $20,000 to refurbish the system and sink the well.

He said the system was tested and appeared sound, but the district won't know for sure until the sprinklers run with regularity.

"Until then, we won't know if we have a functional system or a pig in a poke," Grace said.

Reporter Tom Brennan can be reached at (813) 657-4528 or tbrennan@tampatrib.com.

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