After years of asking the City of Oldsmar to install speed humps on their street, the residents of Peppertree Drive were finally rewarded for their efforts, as the council approved the request by a vote of 4-1 on Tuesday.
For years, the residents of Peppertree Dive in Oldsmar have been petitioning the City Council to install speed humps on their curved, narrow and, at times, dangerous side street.
On Tuesday night, they were finally rewarded for their efforts.
After being told the results of a study did not support the traffic calming measures and seeing their proposal struck down by a 2-2 deadlock that resulted in the item’s failure in late September, City Council member Dan Saracki put the item back on the agenda so the whole council could vote on the item this time around.
And, following another impassioned discussion that saw a parade of Peppertree residents speak in favor of the proposal, the request ultimately passed by a 4-1 vote, with Mayor Doug Bevis registering the lone ‘nay’ vote.
“We feel elated,” longtime Peppertree resident Carolyn Albertson said immediately after the meeting. “We are very, very pleased the City Council allowed us to revisit this issue, and we appreciate them hearing our side before making an informed decision.”
“The community really came out and supported this. It showed how strong and united we were about this issue, and I think the council recognized that.”
Indeed, the council members admitted the repeated and impassioned pleas of the Peppertree residents played a major role in their decision.
Vice-Mayor Eric Seidel, whose unforeseen absence at the September 21 meeting led to the deadlock, came to what he said was a simple conclusion after witnessing the conviction of the residents.
“I think when a bunch of citizens come to us and express their concern about the safety on their street, it’s a no brainer,” Seidel said during the discussion on the October 17 agenda item. “It’s what we’re here for.”
“In my time on the council…people have come asking for speed bumps, and I’ve always told them the same thing,” he continued. “Sell your neighbors on it, make sure the majority agree on it, and if that is validated when you bring it to council you’re gonna get a speed bump on your street. And I think that’s important.”
Council member Gabby McGee, who along with Jerry Beverland voted in favor of the proposal the first time around, echoed Seidel’s sentiments.
“Personally I feel like the residents, most of them, have been for the speed humps, and if I were a resident on that street and came before the council…I would expect the city to honor that request,” McGee said.
“Because I can’t live with it, if something happens to a child tomorrow, tonight, a year from now, and we never did anything about it.”
While Mayor Bevis stuck to his original anti-speed hump stance, saying, “I’m not sure it’s the answer,” Saracki did change his original vote on second consideration, and after the meeting, he explained why.
“First, I did not feel the original vote was fair because 1 – the people did not get a chance to speak, and 2 – we did not have a full council to make the correct vote,” Saracki said via email.
“Tuesday night, I listened to the words of the people. That is why I changed my vote to yes,” he added. “I gave all the neighbors a chance to speak, and not one came to say no we don’t want speed humps.”
Following the meeting Shannon Karczewski, who along with her husband, Brad, has been one of the biggest champions for the speed humps for the last year, said she was shocked and thrilled with the outcome.
“I didn’t believe it would happen after everything we’ve seen,” she said. “But they saw that we live there and live with this issue day in and day out, and they decided to do something about it for us. And right now I’m really, really happy about that.”
When asked what the neighbors would do on the day the long-awaited speed humps are finally installed, Karczewski didn’t hesitate.
“I think we need to have a neighborhood party!” she said. “I think we deserve it!”
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