{"id":17089,"date":"2022-05-13T18:12:14","date_gmt":"2022-05-13T18:12:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test.nahtnow.com\/?p=17089"},"modified":"2022-05-13T18:18:02","modified_gmt":"2022-05-13T18:18:02","slug":"stop-the-turnpike-inverness-residents-call-for-city-council-to-pass-no-build-resolution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.nahtnow.com\/en\/stop-the-turnpike-inverness-residents-call-for-city-council-to-pass-no-build-resolution\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Stop the turnpike\u2019: Inverness residents call for city council to pass no build resolution"},"content":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Heather Bushman<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Buttons, bumper stickers, shirts and signs \u2014 all adorned with calls to \u201csave it, don\u2019t pave it\u201d and \u201cstop the turnpike\u201d \u2014 were the accessories of choice for several Inverness residents on Tuesday evening.<\/p>\n

About 70 of these decorated locals gathered at the bi-monthly Inverness City Council meeting, where they voiced concerns regarding potential construction to the Florida Turnpike. The meeting included a lengthy public comment portion and concluded with the council\u2019s decision to review a \u201cno build\u201d resolution, which several attendees requested.<\/p>\n

Residents raised concerns in response to the proposed\u00a0Northern Turnpike Extension (NTE)<\/a>, which offers four potential routes expanding the turnpike northwest through combinations of Citrus, Marion, Levy and Sumter Counties. It was conceived as part of the now-repealed\u00a0Multi-use Corridors of Regional Economic Significance (M-CORES) bill<\/a>\u00a0to improve traffic congestion and capitalize on economic development across the state.<\/p>\n

Florida\u2019s Turnpike Enterprise, a division of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), introduced the extension as a standalone project last year. Since then, residents in the affected counties have\u00a0expressed fears of land loss and environmental damage<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Inverness residents like Kevin McAdams, 67, worry that the construction of the southernmost corridor option, which reaches as close as two miles from downtown, will destroy the local nature and wildlife. During the public comment portion of the meeting, McAdams said he pictures a \u201clandscape devoid of all the attributes and memories of the Nature Coast\u201d if the project proceeds.<\/p>\n

Environmental uncertainty was a major topic of discussion. In addition to resident comments, Michael McGrath, a representative from the Florida chapter of the Sierra Club and the\u00a0No Roads to Ruin<\/a>\u00a0coalition, detailed the potential detriments to Florida\u2019s natural resources in a presentation.<\/p>\n

McGrath said the construction threatens vital natural areas like the Kings Bay springshed and the Withlacoochee River: two important waterways to Florida\u2019s overall aquatic health. He said a no build option, which nullifies all construction plans, is non-negotiable.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe no build is the only option to protect our state,\u201d McGrath said.<\/p>\n

FDOT representatives Jeffrey Arms and Jennifer Stults, who presented project updates and addressed questions from the council, said the department is working to minimize any environmental impacts.<\/p>\n

The project\u2019s schedule, Stults said, has \u201cslid to the right about a year\u201d to allow for more adjustments. Stults said\u00a0 will look to narrow the potential routes where possible, which will limit the areas affected by construction.<\/p>\n

As Floridians, Stults said FDOT employees are conscious of the project\u2019s consequences.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also want to do the right thing,\u201d she said. \u201cWe live in Florida, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

The extension is in its Alternative Corridor Evaluation stage, which aims to designate one of the potential routes as the official option. FDOT will evaluate the final route against a no build option in the following Project Development and Environment study, set to conclude in 2024.<\/p>\n

But residents want the no build now. Instead of breaking new ground, they suggested a Transportation Systems Management approach, which looks to improve existing roadways. They pointed to the expansion of Highway 44 and possible construction to Interstate 75 as alternatives to the extension.<\/p>\n

Though not legally binding, local governments can pass no build resolutions to communicate that they are not in favor of the construction. Arms said FDOT will take these into consideration as it decides on a potential route.<\/p>\n

More than a dozen residents participated in public comment regarding the potential construction, and all called for the council to pass a resolution immediately. Commenters like McAdams feel the move can slow the pace of the project.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy this council endorsing a no build option, you\u2019re sending a signal to pump the brakes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The council ultimately sided with its constituents, unanimously agreeing to consider passing a no-build resolution. However, Cabot McBride, the council president, said the resolution will include a key revision.<\/p>\n

McBride said the council will remain open to potential construction plans if further studies from FDOT deem them necessary. Though he and the council support taking the alternative management approach and exploring other alternatives, McBride said an extension to the turnpike through Inverness is a lingering possibility.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to have the honesty, the integrity and the ability to say to all of these people sitting here that we may need to look into this again,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The council will meet May 17 to review a draft of the resolution. Council members will then vote to officially support a no build option.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Heather Bushman Buttons, bumper stickers, shirts and signs \u2014 all adorned with calls to \u201csave it, don\u2019t pave it\u201d and \u201cstop the turnpike\u201d \u2014 were the accessories of choice for several Inverness residents on Tuesday evening. About 70 of these decorated locals gathered at the bi-monthly Inverness City Council meeting, where they voiced concerns regarding Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17090,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[38,1203,52,5,51,1],"tags":[1423,1418,1419,1417,1420,25,1421,1422,1424,1416],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.nahtnow.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17089"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.nahtnow.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.nahtnow.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.nahtnow.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.nahtnow.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17089"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/test.nahtnow.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17089\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17091,"href":"https:\/\/test.nahtnow.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17089\/revisions\/17091"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.nahtnow.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.nahtnow.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.nahtnow.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.nahtnow.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}