Sarasota News Leader

12/14/2012

Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/98836

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 39 of 95

Sarasota News Leader December 14, 2012 On Sept. 4, the School Board signed the agreement to work with the county for the Booker High hurricane shelter project, Tobias��� memo points out. Page 40 ���I know we have an interlocal or some kind of agreement with the schools for upgrades,��� Barbetta said. ���I think what troubled me the most is the perception that there are no funds available��� for the school district to seek. ���What we do is work with [the school district] cooperatively to What we do is work with [the He added that the get additional [shel- school district] cooperatively to get state collects taxes on gas sales and commuter] space,��� Sarasota additional [shelter] space. nication services, and County Emergency it receives fees from Management Chief Ed Ed McCrane power companies McCrane told Barbetta Chief to contribute to the Emergency Management on Dec. 11 during the PECO fund. Florida commission���s regular Tax Watch anticipates meeting in Sarasota. money being in that fund in 2013, he added. The Booker High agreement would make an extra 36,000 square feet of space available ���in Yet, Scott Lempe, the district���s chief operating a very critical area of the community,��� Mc- officer, had said the district had not applied for PECO money the past two years, Barbetta Crane added. continued. Anne M. Miller, the logistics chief in the county���s Emergency Management Office, pointed ���I would think they would at least apply beout the School Board constructs its facilities fore we gave them money,��� Barbetta said. ���If to the specifications of the Florida Building they get rejected, fine. Then, we work with Code. ���What we ask them to do is to go be- our legislative delegation, because the statute yond that 50 percent [mark] to near 100 per- clearly says that PECO funds are available ������ cent,��� Miller added. Miller reiterated that the district was not required to provide hurricane enhancements Repeating a comment he made Dec. 4, Barbetbeyond the 50 percent mark. ta said he wanted to be sure the county did not shoulder an expense that should be the ���If you���re going to assure me that our million responsibility of the School Board. dollars are for things that aren���t required by anybody but us ������ Barbetta said. A Florida statute that went into effect in January says funds should be available from the ���I can assure you of that, sir,��� Miller replied. Public Education Capital Outlay Fund to help districts meet hurricane-resistance standards In the future, the district should apply for any available funding for shelters before coming in school construction, he noted. to the county for money, Barbetta said. The Legislature had not provided money for the PECO fund in the past two years, Miller re- ���For future programs, we can work with them sponded. Moreover, she said, she had checked on that,��� Miller replied. with the Florida Division of Emergency Man- Barbetta then made the motion to approve agement about other funding options for the funding. Vice Chairwoman Carolyn Mason Booker High, and none was available. seconded the motion. %

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Sarasota News Leader - 12/14/2012