The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Kevin Weiss

Zephyrhills to get $6 million City Hall

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The Zephyrhills City Council has approved an agreement with an architectural firm based on plans for a new $6 million city hall.

Council members voted unanimously on July 11 to approve a $590,900 contract with the architecture firm Harvard Jolly, to help design the two-story building.

The Zephyrhills City Council hired architecture firm Harvard Jolly to help design a new City Hall. The new building is expected to be 16,000 square feet and cost about $6 million. Shown here is the current City Hall building. (Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)
The Zephyrhills City Council hired architecture firm Harvard Jolly to help design a new City Hall. The new building is expected to be 16,000 square feet and cost about $6 million. Shown here is the current City Hall building.
(Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)

The city’s agreement with the St. Petersburg firm is based on a preliminary estimate of $6 million to construct the 16,000-square-foot building that would replace the existing City Hall at 5335 Eighth St. The new facility would be about 5,000 square feet larger than the current 11,000-square-foot building.

Under terms of the agreement, Harvard Jolly will oversee the design phase of the project, and also will be involved throughout the construction process — even after the city hires a construction manager.

The new facility is expected to take about two years to complete, which incorporates about nine months of design and 12 months of construction.

Over the next few months, the firm will work closely with the city to gather input on schematic designs and renderings for the facility.

“It’s an interactive process,” said Ward Friszoloeski, Harvard Jolly’s executive vice president.

The Zephyrhills Public Library, 5347 Eighth St., was designed by Harvard Jolly in 2013. (Courtesy of Pasco County Libraries)
The Zephyrhills Public Library, 5347 Eighth St., was designed by Harvard Jolly in 2013.
(Courtesy of Pasco County Libraries)

Construction of the new structure likely will take place in the parking lot of the existing City Hall, following the approach used in the construction of the new Zephyrhills Public Library, 5347 Eighth St.

“If we do (build) it in the parking lot, then we won’t have to move or relocate, and we can just go from one building to the next,” said City Manager Steve Spina.

Councilman Charles Proctor also noted: “We could save a lot of money if we don’t have to move (operations) into another project.”

City officials previously identified several locations throughout the city to house a new City Hall, one of which is the soon-closing 20,000-square-foot SunTrust Bank branch on Gall Boulevard.

“Generally speaking, we think it could cost as much as a new building, plus the purchase of the property,” Spina said. “There is interest in it, but from a general purpose point, we would have to spend more time and money to look into it, and coordinate a decision. There’s a lot of unknowns in when it would be available, how much it’s for sale, and the actual condition of the building.”

The new City Hall is expected to have a modernized brick and stone exterior. The building’s interior is likely to feature more open workspaces and multifunctional meeting rooms, which can flexibly be used to accommodate public events.

One idea also pondered by council members was the housing of a retail coffee shop, such as a Starbucks, within the new City Hall.

“I like the idea of…making this building big enough for a coffee shop; just because other (city governments) aren’t doing it, what’s wrong with building a coffee shop?” Proctor said. “That could be the wave of the future and (create) some small revenue to cover some costs of City Hall.”

A new City Hall building will mark the second major project Harvard Jolly has designed for the city in recent years.

In 2013, Harvard Jolly was hired to help design the public library. The firm later faced scrutiny over the project’s escalating costs.

At the time, the firm presented the council with an 8,500-square-foot facility for $1.7 million, but overall costs ended up totaling $2.26 million, a 33 percent increase from what the council originally agreed upon.

To prevent a similar instance from occurring, the City Hall design agreement includes a clause that requires the firm to provide a maximum price for the project.

“I think we’re all in agreement that we do need a new City Hall,” said council vice president Alan Knight. “We just want to make sure we get our i’s dotted and our t’s crossed, and make sure this one is done extremely right.”

On April 1, Harvard Jolly was chosen as the top-rated firm to design the new City Hall building, based on responses to the city’s request for proposals.

“We felt like we set the tempo with the library…and with the proximity, you can start creating a good complex here,” Friszoloeski said, addressing the council.

Cost breakdown Harvard Jolly Architecture services
Total: $590,900
$451,500 for basic architectural/engineering services
$5,000 for program verification
$72,500 for civil engineering and permitting
$21,500 for landscape and irrigation design
$22,400 for interior design
$18,000 for furniture selection

Published July 20, 2016

 

He aims to make Gaither basketball ‘relevant’ again

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The Gaither High School’s varsity boys basketball team hasn’t had a winning season since 2006, but new head coach Jose Jordan wants to change that losing trend.

“We need to raise the expectations,” said Jordan, who is stepping into the new role after spending the past four seasons as the program’s junior varsity (JV) coach.

Jose Jordan is Gaither High School’s new varsity basketball coach. He replaces Dwayne Olinger, who was the team’s head coach for 16 years. Jordan’s appointment was effective on June 20. (Courtesy of Jose Jordan)
Jose Jordan is Gaither High School’s new varsity basketball coach. He replaces Dwayne Olinger, who was the team’s head coach for 16 years. Jordan’s appointment was effective on June 20.
(Courtesy of Jose Jordan)

Jordan replaces Dwayne Olinger, who resigned after 16 seasons — the last 10 being consecutive losing seasons. Jordan’s promotion took effect on June 20.

“It’s a rebuilding program,” said Jordan, a former Gaither High point guard who graduated in 1988. “There’s no way around that.”

Jordan’s last head varsity boys basketball coaching job was at Seminole Presbyterian School (now Cambridge Christian) in the late 1990s. In total, Jordan has 22 years of basketball coaching experience.

Despite the program’s ongoing struggles, Jordan relishes the opportunity to become the head coach at his high school alma mater, especially since he already understands the inner workings of the school’s administration and athletics department.

“I’m very grateful for the job,” Jordan said, adding that he doesn’t think there’s another job in the county that he would have preferred.

But, the coach acknowledged it will take some time to turn around the basketball program and raise its level of expectations.

“My goals are to make Gaither basketball relevant again and to compete for championships,” he said. “We’ve got a tough district…but I think that we can definitely compete.”

While the varsity squad is likely to “take some hits” in Jordan’s first season, he hopes the group can make significant improvements in his second and third seasons.

The rebuilding process will begin with players buying into Jordan’s coaching philosophy and core values.

“I want my players to play together, play for each other and play the game the right way,” he said.

“One of the expectations that I have is that you have to practice hard. A lot of young people think they can rise to the occasion — if you don’t rise to the occasion, you’re going to fall to the level of your preparation,” he said.

In the 2015-2016 season, Gaither finished 9-15, losing seven games by 20 points or more. As the program’s JV coach, Jordan witnessed many of those listless performances.

“We got our butts kicked some nights,” he said. “You could always say it’s a lack of talent, but I don’t like to use that excuse. I don’t think our guys played to their potential, but in all fairness, this is a very tough district. Freedom (High) has an excellent basketball team. So does Sickles (High) and Wharton (High). Those teams have been good for a while.”

He continued: “If we set expectations, we focus on the right thing and our preparation is better, we can turn it around sooner rather than later.”

To quickly steer the program in the right direction, Jordan said he plans to focus more on player development, and extensive strength and conditioning.

Advancing players’ overall skillsets — ball handling, passing, shooting and rebounding — also will be key, he said.

“I think our focus will not be so much on the Xs and Os — at least not initially; the focus will be on…improving our skills,” Jordan said.

Jordan said the team’s personnel will ultimately dictate the offensive and defensive playbook, but acknowledged Gaither will run an up-tempo style of offense with a pressing defense.

“We do like to get out and run every chance we get,” he said. “The more three-on twos, two-on-ones we can create, the better. Obviously, you want to be effective in your half-court offense…but if you’re playing five-on-five, your shooting percentage is going to go down.”

“I do like to play to press as much as we can, whether it’s full-court or half-court traps,” Jordan added.

The recently hired coach expects to have “six or seven” players returning from last year’s varsity team; he’s currently in the process of filling out the rest of the roster.

“The first place that we need to (look for players) is Gaither High School’s hallways,” he said.

Jordan is also actively seeking assistant coaches, which he referred to as an ongoing process.

“I’ve got some former players that I’m looking at joining the staff,” he said.

The school hasn’t hired a JV coach or varsity assistant, but Jordan said he has a list.

“Those are key positions, and I’ve got to make sure that we get those right,” Jordan said.

Published July 20, 2016

Signings and commitments

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Pasco High School's Sherwin Emmanuel (Courtesy of Pasco High Football)
Pasco High School’s Sherwin Emmanuel
(Courtesy of Pasco High Football)

Former Pasco High School dual-sport athlete Sherwin Emmanuel has signed to play football at Dodge City (Kansas) Community College. The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Emmanuel played defensive end and tight end for the Pirates in 2015. On defense, Emmanuel racked up 21 tackles and two sacks. Emmanuel also was a power forward on Pasco High’s varsity basketball team. Also, former Pasco High running back and defensive back Brandon Lee has signed to play football at Tucson (Arizona) Tech College.

 

 

 

 

Gaither High School's Jose Cadenas (Courtesy of Gaither High Baseball)
Gaither High School’s Jose Cadenas
(Courtesy of Gaither High Baseball)

Gaither High School baseball standout Jose Cadenas has committed to play at Polk State College in Lakeland. The rising senior was a key contributor to the Cowboys 7A state baseball title in May. The outfielder led the Cowboys in batting average (.398), hits (33), runs (32) and stolen bases (32) in 2016.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steinbrenner High School's Pat Morris (Courtesy of Pat Morris)
Steinbrenner High School’s Pat Morris
(Courtesy of Pat Morris)

Steinbrenner High School’s Pat Morris has committed to play baseball at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. The rising senior made an impact with his arm and bat this past season when the Warriors captured the Class 8A state baseball title. At the plate, Morris paced the Warriors in batting average (.376), home runs (4), doubles (11) and RBIs (24). On the mound, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound lefthander went 7-1 with a 2.09 ERA in 47 innings pitched.

Freedom High names new baseball coach

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Brett Baudendistel, right, has been named Freedom High School’s new varsity baseball coach. (Courtesy of Brett Baudendistel)
Brett Baudendistel, right, has been named Freedom High School’s new varsity baseball coach.
(Courtesy of Brett Baudendistel)

Freedom High School has named Brett Baudendistel as its new varsity baseball coach. Baudendistel most recently was the junior varsity baseball coach at Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School in Spring Hill. He replaces Mason Woodside, who went 26-66 in four seasons at Freedom. The Patriots return three of their top four hitters in David Trujeque (.362), Khalil Almutasim (.344) and Hunter Kniskern (.321). Almutasim is also the team’s top returning pitcher with a 2.53 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 38.2 innings pitched. The Patriots went 11-11 last season.

Shannon Saile named All-American

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(File Photo)
(File Photo)

Former Land O’ Lakes High School pitcher Shannon Saile was named a third-team High School All-American by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. She was one of two players from Florida selected as an All-American. In her senior season, Saile (18-3, 0.78 ERA) threw four no-hitters and 12 complete games. She also struck out 269 batters in 134.2 innings pitched. During her four-year Gators career, Saile compiled 517 strikeouts. Saile has signed to play softball with Florida International University.

Schedule announced for Saint Leo men’s soccer

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Eight home matches — including the Saint Leo Invitational in the first weekend of September — highlight the Saint Leo University’s men’s soccer team’s schedule for the 2016 season.

Saint Leo opens the year with an exhibition game against Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) on Aug. 20. The regular season begins with the four-team Saint Leo Invitational from Sept. 2 through Sept. 4.

Following the Saint Leo Invitational, the Lions host the U.S. U17 men’s national team for an exhibition game on Sept. 10.

Saint Leo then opens the conference portion of their schedule on Sept. 14, when the team faces Eckerd College in St. Petersburg.

“As our summer winds down, our coaching staff is beginning to finalize our roster, which contains new and returning young, hardworking players from Florida, Japan, South America, and Europe,” head coach Keith Fulk said, in a release.

“We believe that this season will be filled with great effort, enthusiasm and enjoyment. We are looking forward to taking our program to next level,” Fulk adds.

Saint Leo returns 11 players from last year’s squad, which finished with a 10-7-1 record (5-2-1 in the Sunshine State Conference) and reached the NCAA Regional Second Round.

The 2016 Sunshine State Conference tournament will begin on Nov. 1.

 

Schedule unveiled for Saint Leo volleyball

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The Saint Leo University’s women’s volleyball team’s upcoming schedule features matches against seven teams that qualified for the 2015 NCAA Division II Tournament.

“When putting this schedule together, I knew I wanted to challenge our team to fight for a chance to win the Sunshine State Conference (SSC) and go to the elite eight in the NCAA Tournament,” Samuel Cibrone said, in a release. “I knew in order to do this we had to play two tough tournaments at the beginning of the season to accomplish our goals.”

Saint Leo, coming off a 21-11 season, will open with a trip to Fort Lauderdale for the 2016 Shark Classic hosted by Nova Southeastern University. They open the season with the University of Arkansas at Monticello on Sept. 2, and have a follow-up with NCAA quarterfinalist Rockhurst (Kansas) University. In Day 2 of the tournament, the Lions face Bentley (Massachusetts) University and Southern Nazarene (Oklahoma) University in the tournament.

In the second weekend of play, the Lions travel to Denver, Colorado, to participate in the Colorado Premier Challenge, where they will face Concordia-St. Paul (Minnesota) University, an NCAA Third Round team, and Lewis (Illinois) University, an NCAA Second Round team.

Saint Leo will host Rollins College for its home opener on Sept. 23; it is one of the team’s 10 conference games at the Bowman Center.

“All 10 home conference games will be tough, and we hope to entertain our fans with a high-powered offense. Considering we only lost one pin player and one middle offensively, we should be able to get kills,” Cibrone said. “In addition, we did not graduate anyone from our back row, so our serve receive and defense should be tough.”

The team returns starting libero Jamee Townsend, a Second-Team All-SSC selection, and outside hitter Hope Lemon, an SSC Honorable Mention. The Lions will be without middle Jillian Stolzenburg, setter Ashlee Hodgskin and opposite Anna Siruckova.

Saint Leo players shine

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The summer collegiate baseball season is in full swing, and several Saint Leo University players are making an impact throughout leagues across the east coast.

Here’s an update on individual player performance:

  • Brett Coffel, playing for the Knights in the St. Louis (Missouri) Metro Collegiate Summer League, was selected to play in the league’s All-Star game on July 11. He is batting .256 with seven doubles, two triples, and one home run. His 14 RBIs are second most on the team.
  • Derek Gibree is playing shortstop with the Winchester (Virginia) Royals of the Shenandoah Valley Baseball League. He is second on the team in hitting (.325 average), with seven doubles, seven RBIs and 14 runs scored. In 26 games, Gibree has a .959 fielding percentage with five errors in 121 chances.
  • Shane Haight is playing for the Winter Garden Squeeze of the Florida Collegiate League (FCL), where he’s charted a 2.84 ERA in 19.0 innings. He currently leads the team in strikeouts (23) and was selected to play in the FCL All-Star Game.
  • Dylan Collett is playing for the New Bedford (Massachusetts) Bay Sox of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. He has logged a 2.70 ERA over 16.2 innings pitched.
  • Chad Miller is batting .279 for the Worcester (Massachusetts) Bravehearts of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League. Miller has racked up four doubles, three triples, and two home runs for the Bravehearts; he also has 11 RBIs and 20 runs scored.
  • Zack Sabo and Chase Turner are playing with the Lenoir (North Carolina) Oilers of the Carolina Virginia Collegiate League. Turner is third on the team in batting with a .333 average, 17 runs scored and 17 RBIs. Conversely, Sabo has batted .256 this summer with seven doubles, 12 RBIs and 15 runs scored.
  • Dan Twitty is playing with the Leesburg Lightning of the Florida Collegiate League, where he’s posted a 3-0 record and a 1.01 ERA in 17.2 innings; he’s struck out 17 batters and has only allowed two earned runs.

Lutz robotics team already gearing up for next season

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It’s been less than three months since the Lutz-based Trinity Dragons had a strong showing at the 2016 Vex World Robotics Championships in Louisville, Kentucky, yet the club’s high school team is already strategizing for next year’s robotics season. While other robotics clubs may take some time off to regroup and recharge their batteries, that isn’t the case for Team 6430.

The team —Braeden Adams, 15; Sean Carr, 17; Maddie Jones, 16; and, RJ Walters, 17 has been working diligently in hopes of building off last year’s achievements and again reaching the world championships.

The members of the 2015-2016 Team 6430, from left, RJ Walters, Braeden Adams, Addie Adams, Sean Carr, Maddie Jones and Ross Edwards. (Courtesy of Ray Carr)
The members of the 2015-2016 Team 6430, from left, RJ Walters, Braeden Adams, Addie Adams, Sean Carr, Maddie Jones and Ross Edwards.
(Courtesy of Ray Carr)

“We try to tell them to take a couple months off, but it never works,” said Ray Carr, robotics coach for the Trinity Dragons. “They just start building again as soon as the (robotics) parts show up.

“It is nonstop,” the coach said.

The group often spends 30 hours a week building a Vex robot from scratch, and then methodically attempts to optimize it for a particular Vex robotic challenge. The process is arduous. It consists of designing a robotic prototype from a combination of intricate software, and mechanical equipment and sensors.

“Software makes a big difference, and how you run control systems and stuff like that,” said Ray Carr, the chief technical officer for OccamMD, a leading engineering services firm. “That’s where they’ve excelled — getting their controls working and their software working, and making it different than just a robot that can drive (itself).”

This past season, Team 6430 won the Florida Vex Robotics State Championship and finished ninth among 500 teams at the world championships, which consisted of more than 16,000 participants from 37 nations.

The 2016 competition, called “Nothing But Net” required teams to construct robots that could essentially score as many balls into goals during a two-minute span.

A replay of the 2016 Vex Robotics World Championships will be airing on ESPN2 on July 20.

Competing —and teaming up — with elite teams from other countries inside the 1.2 million square-foot Kentucky Exposition Center proved to be a fulfilling experience, team members said. They interacted with students from nations like Canada, New Zealand, China, Singapore and the United Kingdom.

“The human element is the most important part,” Ray Carr said, “because it gives them exposure to managing teams and managing people. They’re learning about real-world applications and real-world interfaces; it’s been really good for them.”

“I have a lot of friends that I actually met online through this stuff, and then we got to go to Worlds and I (was able) to meet them,” Walters said.

Team 6430 is already building their robot for next season’s Vex robotics challenge, ‘Starstruck.’ (Kevin Weiss/Staff Photo)
Team 6430 is already building their robot for next season’s Vex robotics challenge, ‘Starstruck.’
(Kevin Weiss/Staff Photo)

Admittedly, Team 6430 has come a long way since the club formed about four years ago. Then, they were only involved with “real simple stuff,” often not standing a chance against more polished robotics teams.

“We were getting ourselves killed,” Ray Carr candidly acknowledged. “They really struggled when they started; they’ve really kind of progressively learned.

“We’ve always stressed during their development to keep it simple,” he added. “The fact that (the robot) even turns on and runs each time is a big deal.”

For them, the process of putting together a high-functioning robot — including the countless batteries and motors they’ve burned through — is what ultimately creates a sense of accomplishment.

“It’s a very satisfying feeling when something actually works for once,” Jones said.

“It’s fun to put all this time into something and actually see it work in a competition,” Adams said.

While the Trinity Dragons’ Team 6430 ranks as the top robotics team in Florida, the coach insists the group’s merit isn’t based on the number of tournaments they win, or how many awards they rack up.

Instead, it’s more about following three interlocking pillars: faith, family and fun.

“We’re a Christian-based team; character is really most important,” Ray Carr said.

“We never started it to win. It’s just they’ve done well, but it’s never, ever been about that,” he added.

“Some teams will check MCAT scores, SAT scores or you have to try out, but we never did that. We just had families that got together and started,” the coach said.

This year’s Vex robotics challenge, named “Starstruck,” will be played on a 12-by-12 square field, in which two alliances consisting of two robotics teams each, compete in matches consisting of a 15-fifteen second autonomous period, followed by 1 minute and 45 seconds of driver-controlled play.

The object of the game is to attain a higher score than the opposing alliance by having each robot place “stars” and “cubes” in designated zones, and remotely hanging robots onto a hanging pole.

Team 6430 will constantly tweak their robot — which they’ve already assembled — to master the art of “Starstruck,” as they compete in monthly regional tournaments, beginning in September. The team’s goal is to again qualify for the VEX World Robotics Championships, and to have another strong performance.

“Throughout our season, we’ll try a lot of things,” said Sean Carr, the coach’s son.

“It’s like your little baby the whole season,” Walters said. “You’ve got to take care of it.”

Students interested in joining the Trinity Dragons robotics team can reach Ray Carr at (813) 679-1795.

Published July 13, 2016

Hillsborough County seeks input for parks and recreation

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At locations around Hillsborough County, officials from the Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation department are meeting with residents to discuss future recreational plans for the county.

Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation director Doc Dougherty outlined the park-planning process at the Northdale Community Center on June 27. (Kevin Weiss/Staff Photo)
Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation director Doc Dougherty outlined the park-planning process at the Northdale Community Center on June 27.
(Kevin Weiss/Staff Photo)

On June 27, the public input session was held at the Northdale Community Center. That was one of seven meetings in June to gather suggestions as the county creates its comprehensive plan for its parks system.

The goal is to have a final master plan in time for the county’s budget discussions in January, said Doc Dougherty, the county’s parks and recreation director.

Once it has been completed, the plan essentially will be a “wish book” of requests, upgrades and programming for the park system.

Ideas from residents and department staff are both being considered.

“It’s the involvement of everybody — it’s not just one person’s plan,” Dougherty said. “In the end, we can have a much more productive department and better quality of life through our parks overall,” he said.

The county’s parks and recreation system is large. It includes: More than 180 neighborhood parks, 118 playgrounds, 270 athletic fields and 53 community centers.

The county also oversees five dog parks and three skateparks.

At the Northdale session, an addendum survey indicated a strong preference for more senior-oriented programs, disc golf fields, and hiking and walking trails. There were also requests for more open green spaces with picnic areas and additional recreation centers.

“A big part of our discussion of the master plan is: Do we build new parks or do renovate old parks? When you start looking at the number of parks we already have, how about we invest into the older parks,” Dougherty said.

Ideally, the department would like to receive at least 50,000 responses from county residents, Dougherty said. That would present the department with a realistic view of upgrades and improvements needed for each neighborhood park.

“Our total (budget request) will be a large number,” he said. “Individually, there might be one park where it’s $200,000 to upgrade and another park might be $700,000,” he said.

“A lot of people just think about the big parks that we have, but we’ve got such small individual parks that just a little (upkeep) will go a long way,” he added.

If the Hillsborough County Commission approves the master plan’s budget, Dougherty said the department is facing at least another 100 meetings with various focus groups and individual communities before any systematic changes are made.

“It won’t be something where a budget passes and we’re ready,” he said. “It will take a little bit of time, but at least the focus and priority of where the money is going will be there.”

One possible alteration to the park system is the creation of specialty parks, such as tennis and basketball centers.

Adding specialty parks would eliminate the need to repair damaged tennis and basketball courts in each neighborhood park, Dougherty said.

“Do we continue fixing everything that’s in every park, or do we create what we call specialty parks? That’s one of the drastic changes when you start looking at creating the master plan,” Dougherty said.

The department also is looking into several technological upgrades, such as the addition of electronic charging stations (powered by solar energy) and wireless Internet access in certain designated areas within each park.

“Technology — we know that’s the future,” Dougherty said.

Enhanced safety and security measures, including solar-powered security cameras and emergency security call boxes, will likely be a significant focal point within the master plan.

Recreation ID membership passes are another safety measure the department has researched.

“This will take a little more time to implement, but we should have some kind of understanding and regulation of who’s coming and going,” Dougherty said.

“On the short end, it helps us to know who’s interested in what kind of (recreation) classes. To me, it’s strictly a security issue — no bad people want to let us know that they’re coming into the parks,” he said.

The public meetings in June followed up similar sessions held earlier in the year by the Hillsborough County Conservation and Environmental Lands Management department, which oversees 10 regional nature parks, including Lake Park and the Upper Tampa Bay Trail.

Its master plan will include specific recommendations on policies, procedures and practices as it relates to natural resource management, regional park facility uses and upgrades, and outdoor recreation.

Upgrading the park system has a significant effect on quality of life and property values, Dougherty said.

“When it comes to budget times, people see parks and recreation as not a necessity,” he said. “But, when you think about…what people take part in — youths in little league programs, having a picnic in the park — most people’s only connection to the local government is through parks and recreation.”

Share your thoughts
Do you have an opinion about future recreational priorities in Hillsborough County? An online survey is available for citizens to weigh in. Visit PlanYourParks.metroquest.com.

Published July 13, 2016