NPR Note: Post Election Thoughts

It has now been a month since I was elected mayor of New Port Richey.   As is our custom after work on Friday, we had dinner at Mezzalunas and then went to the Market Off Main’s Farmers Market.  Walking back to our cars from Friday night’s Farmers Market with the cookies we bought, I commented to Carolyn that I wasn’t quite sure why, but I’ve got a more positive view of the future of New Port Richey than I’ve had in years.

I had the honor of installing the new board for the West Pasco Historical Society Saturday and I was asked to give the group an update on the Hacienda and Sims Park.  I told them anything that I said was accurate for at least the next 15 minutes or so, but after that, all bets were off.  Things are changing for the better in New Port Richey and they are changing FAST.

Here is where things stand TODAY, subject to change tomorrow:

Last Tuesday, council approved a test for Orange Lake that will confirm its status as a sinkhole, spring, or pond.  This is in anticipation of cleaning up the lake and making it an attractive highlight of our city.

The city council has a work session this Tuesday where the Sims Park architect is supposed to present his latest concept for the park.  Hopefully, we’ll all see enough we like to be able to give staff some pretty solid direction on what upgrades for the park we should concentrate on first.  I’ll guess that the replacement playground and more docks will be at the top of the list, but there is potentially a LOT more that could happen in Sims Park over the next few years.

We were told a few weeks ago that the Hacienda needs somewhere between one and two million dollars in structural work before any of the renovations start to get it ready to re-open.  The legislature just passed a budget that includes a million dollar line item for that work.  If the money survives the governor’s pen, then we are well on our way to getting the Hacienda reopened as the focal point of the downtown.

The New Port Richey StartSmart business incubator is ready for businesses to move in and an official ribbon cutting will be scheduled within the next month or so.

We have a new theatre opening downtown on June 6th.   How many towns the size of New Port Richey can boast two theatres in the downtown offering live plays?

We’ve got folks taking a serious look at the city owned property on Orange Lake (the old Baptist Church site) and I”ve heard that folks are talking about things that could go into the parcel across Main Street from the Hacienda.  Potential redevelopment ideas for the Marine District area around the old Community Hospital are also being floated around.

There are serious discussions now about upgrading and expanding our already excellent Recreation and Aquatic Center and making it easier to get to the Grey Preserve.

NONE of this was the case two years ago, when we were simply trying to keep the city from financially imploding.

All four of my colleagues on city council and I care deeply about our city and we are bound and determined to make things happen.   We are out of the shadow of the Great Recession and now is the time for New Port Richey to become what all of us believe it can be.

We won’t accept the status quo and we aren’t going to accept folks telling us something can’t be done or that we just have to live with problems.   I’ll be part of the group that goes down to FDOT headquarters Wednesday to convince them that they need to re-think some of their median cut decisions on US 19.   This is a prime example of us taking a stand to protect our city’s businesses and the quality of life in our neighborhoods.

Look for us to continue to address blighted properties and insist that property owners keep their properties presentable.  It is not just council or city staff that is pushing to make New Port Richey a better place.  Just today, I had a New Port Richey resident send me links to the code enforcement / property use ordinances in place in some of the nearby communities we’d like to emulate.   The status quo is NOT acceptable.

We have a city cleanup day coming in June.  This will be an opportunity to clean up some of the mess in our neighborhoods.  I understand there will be another one in November.  We need city residents to pitch in to make these cleanup days a success.

We have a new city manager officially starting on June 2nd.  I’ve already got my first meeting scheduled with her for the week BEFORE she officially starts.  To say that she is planning to hit the ground running would appear to be an understatement.   She is walking in the door with a 30 day plan and I intend to help bring her quickly up to speed on some of the most pressing issues facing the city.

It most definitely IS an exciting time to live and work in New Port Richey.  I’m pumped.   Please join us and be a part of this process.  The city council meetings are on Tuesday nights at 7:00pm and they are open to the public.  You can let your voice be heard about anything on the agenda or you can use the VOX POP section to address council about ANYTHING you think is important for our city, even when it isn’t on the agenda.

 

Rob Marlowe, Mayor
City of New Port Richey