Sarasota News Leader

05/24/2013

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Sarasota News Leader May 24, 2013 Page 31 radius from the EOC site to select other potential locations for the Sheriff's Office campus. Among the considerations was proximity to Interstate 75. be the potential for flooding beneath I-75 at Palmer Boulevard: "We'd have to go out to Fruitville Road and around" to reach the EOC; it would not be the half-mile trip suggested by The Quads satisfy most of the needs, Gable the map. pointed out, and they are ready to be devel- Spitler added, though, "I can't swear to that oped. "Stormwater and utilities are ready to [flooding potential], but supposedly that [area] go," he said. However, staff would need to does flood. It has in the past." investigate potential problems with soil contamination, Gable added, and the sites are in After Robinson made her motion to opt for the Cattlemen Road property, Hines thanked staff Flood Zone A. for presenting the pros and cons on the sites. According to the county's Emergency ManWhile he agreed with Barbetta that governagement Department, Zone A has a 1 percent ment should not use prime highway frontage chance of flooding in any year and a 26 percent chance of flooding over a 30-year period. for its own buildings, he said, the advantages of having the Sheriff's Office facilities at CatTHE DEBATE tlemen outweighed that factor. After Gable completed his presentation, Barbetta pointed to the acreage available on the Quads sites and the fact they already have fill and utilities. He also reiterated a point he made during the August 2012 discussion and the March session with the sheriff: "No government building should be built on a major highway or prime piece of property that we own. It's just a waste." At Barbetta's suggestion, Robinson made two motions. The first called for development of a plan of action to relocate the Sheriff's Office facilities to 1301 Cattlemen Road. After that passed unanimously, she made the second motion to withdraw the authorization for rezoning of the county parcel on Cattlemen. Patterson voiced concern that if the board rezoned the property, it might have to end up Patterson, however, pointed to the "synergy" rezoning the site again if the county needed it of placing the Sheriff's Office facilities adjacent to the new EOC, which is scheduled for for part of the sheriff's campus. completion in late 2014 or early 2015. When Hines asked whether the matter could Gable also noted that the Cattlemen site has be tabled, County Attorney Stephen DeMarsh easier access to I-75. If Sheriff's Office per- advised the commissioners that tabling the sonnel needed to do so in an emergency, he matter would in effect be treating it as a withsaid, they could drive right off the property drawal of the authorization for rezoning. and onto the interstate. Chairwoman Carolyn Mason then joined RobSpitler told the board one concern about put- inson and Patterson in supporting the motion ting the facilities on the Quads property would to withdraw the petition. %

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