The intersection of State Road 54 and Land O’ Lakes Boulevard already is a busy one. But it’s going to get even more crowded.
Work started last week on the new Lowe’s home improvement store between Winter Quarters RV Park and the Pasco County fire station, bringing more than 100,000 square feet of shopping space and some 125 jobs. And just across the street, Marshalls is getting set to open its doors at Village Lakes Shopping Center, helping a strip mall thrive just a few years after losing Walmart as an anchor.
Having Lowe’s finally start work is going to be a boon to the local economy, said Dennis Esber, president of the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce, and owner of Point to Point Printing.
“We’re excited as all get-up,” Esber told reporter Michael Hinman. “What’s happening is that people are starting to recognize that the Lutz and Land O’ Lakes area is a great area to be in.”
Getting Lowe’s to Land O’ Lakes was not an easy process. Find out why in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News.
Bringing people and businesses to the area requires a lot of hard work from people who care about the community. And that includes Phyllis Hoedt.
It’s amazing how much time Hoedt spends with various projects in Lutz, helping with everything from the annual Christmas House to the annual Lutz Arts & Crafts Festival. But if you didn’t know Hoedt was so involved, then it’s probably exactly the way she wanted it.
“She has no expectation other than hoping that the people who come out enjoy themselves,” Lutz Guv’na Suzin Carr told reporter B.C. Manion.
“She doesn’t want any recognitions,” added longtime friend Shirley Simmons. “She doesn’t want any buttons.”
Despite those protestations, she is featured in this week’s Lutz News, so check it out.
And finally, speaking of Lutz, you’ve driven by it hundreds of times, and you may even know a lot about the Old Lutz School. But did you know that it almost became history in the 1970s after a new school was built right behind it?
Reporter Michael Murillo explores the history of the Old Lutz School in his latest installment of “Presenting the Past.”
“So why go to the trouble of saving an old school, anyway?” Murillo asks. “Schools pop up all the time. What’s one more or less?
“Well, it has to do with the school, but also the people who live here. Lutz is proud of its heritage. Its history means something, and it’s important to protect it. So with some effort and community support, that’s what they did.”
All of these complete stories and more can be found in this week’s The Laker/Lutz News, available in newsstands throughout east and central Pasco County as well as northern Hillsborough County. Find out what has your community talking this week by getting your local news straight from the only source you need.
If The Laker/Lutz News is not coming to your door, call us to see where you can get your copy at (813) 909-2800, or read our free e-edition by clicking here.
