The Guv’na wants to see you in school on March 22.
(Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
Suzin Carr holds the honorary title this year. And the school she’s talking about is the Old Lutz School, located at 18819 N. U.S. 41, which is in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
And on Saturday from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m., Carr is looking for volunteers who will donate some time to the school’s upkeep.
There’s plenty of work to do.
“That’s our spring cleanup day,” Carr said. “It’s dusting, it’s moving desks, it’s weeding. Any kind of work is available. So if people have an hour, or if they can stay the whole five hours, that’s great. But it’s really something that we do to get the schoolhouse back in shape.”
The Old Lutz School isn’t open very often. In fact, it had been dormant since December until the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club had its annual flea market there earlier this month. But Carr would like to see more events there and give people more of an opportunity to experience an important piece of Lutz history.
The Old Lutz School is actually the third school built in Lutz, back around 1929. It featured what were considered “modern” conveniences like indoor plumbing, and a water tower replaced the hand pump found in previous schoolhouses.
It was used as a school for nearly 50 years, and was listed in the National Register in 1996.
Citizens For the Old Lutz School Building is the group officially in charge of its maintenance and upkeep, and relies on area organizations to help with the normal duties required to keep it looking nice. But Carr said she’d like to see residents take part in the cleaning event as well, and help maintain a community treasure. “Typically it’s been the same core group of people who have done it year after year,” she said. “We’re trying to get more people to come out and take an interest, because it’s smack there in the middle of downtown Lutz, and we’d like people to know it’s there.”
Carr had a yoga event there during her run for Guv’na (she’s nearing the end of her time in office) and the Guv’na debate between the new crop of candidates will be there in May.
The spring cleaning is a good way for people who might drive by it regularly or just recognize it as an interesting building to help maintain a symbol of the area’s history, Carr said.
“It represents so many generations of kids and area residents who have gone through that school at one time or another as students,” she said. “It’s the heart of Lutz.”
Cleaning supplies and tools will be provided. Volunteers need only bring something to drink, and any amount of volunteer time is appreciated.
For information, call Carr at (813) 453-5256.
Published March 19, 2014
