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Church, County Compromising On Road Work

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By TOM BRENNAN

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 7, 2008

RIVERVIEW - County officials and leaders of St. Stephen Catholic Church are hoping a little give and take can resolve their differences over the widening of Boyette Road.
Church officials want the county to install a traffic light and extra turn lanes when crews widen Boyette in front of St. Stephen Catholic School at 10428 St. Stephen Circle, across from Carr Road.

The county, in turn, wants to take some of the school property for the road widening.

Negotiations have stalled, but church leaders hope to jump-start talks during a mediation session June 20. Such mediations are a means of avoiding lawsuits.

Both sides remain positive.

"They have worked with the church," said Cary Gaylord, attorney for St. Stephen, referring to county officials. "We've all got a pretty good grip on the issues."

"This will be an opportunity to speak directly to the church leadership," said Tom Fass, a project manager supervisor for the county's Public Works Department. "Hopefully, it will all work out."

Fass said talking between the principals stopped once the lawyers got involved. That happened when St. Stephen officials turned the matter over to their attorneys after withdrawing an agreement to share a retention pond with the county. Gaylord declined to discuss details.

Father Bill Swengros, St. Stephen's pastor, said traffic safety already is a problem at the school and will only get worse when the parish builds a new 2,000-seat sanctuary on the school property and moves there from the existing facility on Bell Shoals Road.

Swengros said he expects construction of the new church building to be completed by 2012.

He said church officials want the county to install a westbound left turn lane, an eastbound right turn lane, eastbound deceleration and acceleration lanes and a traffic light.

"When they are widening the road is the perfect time to do it," Swengros said.

Reg Alford, project manager of the Boyette widening, said his department was willing to make road improvements in return for right-of-way concessions and permission to put a retention pond on school property.

Alford said church leaders withdrew their offer of allowing the retention pond, forcing the county to buy other property and dig the pond elsewhere.

Both sides acknowledge the church is obligated to donate land for the road widening because church leaders agreed to do so before the school was built. But Fass said the county needs more land than the church is required to give.

He said the church can't expect taxpayers to unilaterally pay for intersection improvements without getting something in return.

"They are like any other developer," he said. "The county will do what is necessary, fair and equitable."

If county officials can't negotiate a settlement with the church, they will be forced to take the land through eminent domain.

The county is spending $35 million to widen Boyette to four lanes and build a median between Bell Shoals Road and Donneymoor Drive. Work is expected to begin in November.

Crews started widening the stretch of Boyette between Donneymoor and Balm-Riverview Road in June 2007.

St. Stephen's Catholic School has 365 students in prekindergarten through eighth grade. It also offers religious classes for 1,300 students attending public schools and an active sports program.

Swengros said the church has 3,800 member families, a number expected to double by the time the new church opens.

"People need to enter and leave the property safely," Swengros said. "When the road goes to four lanes, traffic is going to move faster, and it will be a much more dangerous problem."

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

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