In an effort to prevent further erosion and flooding, last year Gus successfully secured funding for the City of Tarpon Springs to improve the conditions of the City's bayou banks.

Boys dive for cross during 2005 Epiphany celebration at Spring Bayou in Tarpon Springs [St. Pete Times]

This project got a nod in today's St. Pete Times.

The city is poised to begin stabilizing portions of the shorelines of Whitcomb, Spring and Kreamer bayous, thanks to $1.06-million in funding from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. City officials learned of the appropriation in January."

Gus secured funding for this project in the Fiscal Year 2008 Consolidation Appropriations Act (H.R. 2764), which passed in the House on December 17, 2007 and was signed into law (P.L. 110-161) on December 26, 2007.

Contained in H.R. 2764 was language funding $1,057,800 for the City of Tarpon Springs, Fla. to improve the condition of the bayous.

In his request to the Appropriations Committee, Gus wrote...

"Erosion of the bayou banks is threatening the city and county maintained roadways. Portions of the roadways are subject to frequent flooding, having been constructed on low elevation land. The roads provide the only emergency evacuation route for some residents."

The Times story highlights the immediate need for improvements for the bayous...

Of particular concern was Riverside Drive, which skirts Kreamer Bayou.

The road serves as a major evacuation route for residents on the west side of the city. Without intervention, the shoreline will continue to erode, and will likely pull part of the roadway into the water, said development services director Joseph DiPasqua.

"It's happening at a fairly rapid rate," he said.

Concrete riprap will be used to buttress the shorelines in most areas, but some seawall construction may also be necessary, DiPasqua said. He said he was unsure when construction would begin.

Gus believes the improvements to the bayous will greatly benefit the community.