Traffic and trash dumping lead the list of complaints to county commissioners.
By JACKIE RIPLEY
Published April 25, 2004
TOWN 'N COUNTRY - There was a time when you could count on one hand the number of planned communities in northwest Hillsborough County.
No more. And all of the Carrollwoods, Westchases and Chevals are leaving some in Town 'N Country with a squeezed-out feeling.
Silt is clogging the waterways, traffic has doubled the commute time from Town 'N Country and trash is littering the roads.
"They're filling up our canals and jamming up our roads," said Steve Eggert, who has lived in Baycrest for 18 years.
Eggert was addressing Hillsborough County commissioners at their "town hall" meeting Thursday night at Westgate Baptist Church. Roughly 200 turned out to speak to their commissioners, asking for assistance on everything from speed humps and potholes to poorly coordinated traffic lights.
But the community with the most woes, by far, was Timberlane, a neighborhood west of Sheldon Road and north of Hillsborough Avenue. Residents said their neighborhood has become a shortcut and a dumping ground for motorists traveling between Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.
"There's illegal dumping going on at Westgate and Timberlane," said Carlton Lewis, who lives in Timberlane and also is president of the Town 'N Country Alliance. Lewis was referring to both the vehicles and what comes out of them.
Several of his neighbors agreed, one complaining that it is a nightmare to back out of his driveway due to heavy traffic. Another told of watching as an 18-wheeler drove through the heart of Timberlane with its valve open, dumping its contents along the way. And another told of the need for sandbags just to keep stormwater from flowing into his home.
"We really need to meet with you and take a look," said Hillsborough County Commissioner Kathy Castor, whose district includes Timberlane. The commission said it will hold another town hall meeting in Timberlane, at a time to be scheduled in the future.
