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Little Road

An underpass for U.S. 41/State Road 54?

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Talk of solving traffic jams at U.S. 41 and State Road 54 often centers on building elevated lanes to ease massive numbers of vehicles through the intersection.

But now, Pasco County’s Metro Planning Organization wants to toss in a new solution – an underpass that would tunnel under the intersection.

Pasco County will consider an underpass as a solution to traffic gridlock at U.S. 41 and State Road 54. (File)

Consultants with Tindale-Oliver will complete a $15,000 study to determine if the underpass would work, and what the potential costs would be. The study, which will also consider an underpass at Little Road and State Road 54, is expected to take 60 days to 90 days.

“We should be able to see every possible option that is available,” said Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore.

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey agreed.

“I think we should see if it’s an option or not,” she said.

The study’s answers will determine whether to add the underpass to a list of recommendations already produced by a volunteer task force. The task force for “Vision 54/56” has spent about two years on the matter.

They whittled 18 recommendations to four recommendations. Their choices included a system of parallel frontage roads at-grade level and elevated express lanes at major intersections. No build also is an option, but underpasses weren’t in the mix.

Task force member Sandy Graves said digging underground raises concerns about sinkholes. “How would that work?” she asked.

The MPO board, which reviews transportation matters, is composed of Pasco County commissioners, and elected officials of the county’s cities. David Gwynn, secretary of District 7 for the Florida Department of Transportation, is a nonvoting advisor.

The board unanimously approved funds for the study at the Jan. 11 meeting in Dade City. Board members tabled a review and vote on the recommendations from the task force.

If the underpass is deemed feasible, the county could ask the task force to reconvene. The cost of the study initially was $35,000, which included the consultants facilitating a task force meeting with documentation and additional analysis.

MPO board members balked at the additional $20,000 of cost, choosing instead to explore holding a future task force meeting with county staff members.

Trinity resident and commercial real estate agent Charles Puccini spoke during public comment and urged the board to carefully consider their final recommendations. He said the roadwork on U.S. 19 has made area businesses less visible and accessible.

“Make sure the solutions do not effectively block and damage the economy of Pasco County,” he said.

Regarding the task force, Puccini said: “It’s a great idea what you’re doing here.”

Published January 24, 2018

Frontage roads in Pasco?

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A citizen’s task force looking for traffic remedies for congested intersections of State Road 54 and State Road 56 has put together a mix of options, including a bypass consisting of parallel frontage roads.

The recommendations are focused primarily on two intersections on State Road 54 at Little Road, and at U.S. 41.

A bypass with a network of parallel frontage roads is one option selected by a task force to improve traffic flow at State Road 54 and U.S. 41. (File)

However, the 17-member volunteer task force also looked more broadly at major intersections along the entire corridor from U.S. 19 on the west to Bruce B. Downs Boulevard on the east.

The parallel frontage roads are part of a proposal put forth by Jacksonville engineer Greg Parsons. It was a privately presented option at a task force meeting, and not part of the task force’s initial list of 11 highway and transit alternatives and a no-build option.

Task force members whittled down the list at a meeting on Nov. 30 in Land O’ Lakes. During the year, the task force had three public meetings, and a workshop.

The Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization will meet Jan. 11 to consider the recommendations.

“The MPO will have to look at these and give the final say,” said Ali Atefi, transportation engineer with the MPO.

Once the MPO’s board determines a course of action, additional study on a road design will move forward in 2018. The focus will be only on the U.S. 41 and State Road 54 intersection.

The Florida Department of Transportation has money for additional study on that intersection, but no funding is available for the Little Road intersection, Atefi said.

Other task force recommendations included:

  • Elevated express lanes at major intersections, with express lanes at-grade elsewhere, and bus service in the express lanes.
  • No-build

At the U.S. 41 intersection, the task force also recommended an elevated lane combined with dedicated lanes for bus or rail and a continuous flow intersection.

The continuous flow intersection relies on turn lanes to keep traffic flowing.

Also, for major intersections along the entire corridor, the task force recommended elevated express lanes, with at-grade express lanes elsewhere, as well as dedicated bus or rail lanes and continuous flow.

These recommendations are intended to provide a permanent fix for traffic jams. But, in the interim, the state transportation department is preparing a temporary fix for U.S. 41 and State Road 54.

The intersection is one of the busiest in Pasco County, with about 100,000 vehicles passing through daily.

More than $752,000 is budgeted in 2018 for design work on a project to lengthen some turn lanes at the intersection for a better traffic flow. Construction is expected in 2019.

The state transportation department also has budgeted about $32 million to purchase right-of-way for whichever alternative project is selected for the major re-do of the intersection.

The task force could be asked to meet again in 2018 for additional discussions.

Published December 27, 2017

Interim steps planned to improve 54/41 traffic flow

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Construction on a project to improve traffic flow through the intersection of State Road 54 and U.S. 41 is expected to begin in 2018, according to Florida Department of Transportation officials.

The project, which will lengthen some turn lanes, currently is in design. The construction cost is about $752,000 and is included in the transportation department’s fiscal year 2019 budget, according to the department’s spokeswoman, Kris Carson.

State highway officials plan to lengthen some turn lanes to improve traffic flow for about 100,000 vehicles a day that move through State Road 54 and U.S. 41. (Kathy Steele)

Changes will focus on the west side of the intersection by lengthening the eastbound right- and left-turn lanes on State Road 54. To accomplish this, the median on State Road 54 at Hunt Road will be altered to allow only right turns from Hunt onto State Road 54.

Pasco County officials estimate design costs to be about $300,000.

The turn-lane changes are considered an interim solution to the traffic congestion at this intersection.

A permanent solution – and a major reconstruction – is the current focus of a study by a local task force that will make a recommendation to the county’s Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Those efforts began in 2015, and are expected to extend into 2018.

The entire study includes the State 54/56 corridor, from Bruce B. Downs Boulevard on the east to U.S. 19 on the west. Currently, the focus is on two intersections: Little Road and State Road 54 in New Port Richey, and U.S. 41 and State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes.

The Land O’ Lakes intersection is receiving most of the attention as one of the county’s busiest intersections. There also is available funding, which the New Port Richey intersection lacks.

Some options for State Road 54 and U.S. 41 include elevated lanes, as well as redesigns at ground level. Dedicated lanes for buses and express toll lanes also are being considered.

The 17-member task force is working with the MPO as well as Pasco County Planning and Development, FDOT and consultants.

Published November 22, 2017

FDOT budgeting future land purchases for 54/41 project

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A local task force is expected to make recommendations next year on a traffic fix for the intersection of State Road 54 and U.S. 41, but the Florida Department of Transportation already is budgeting about $32 million for land purchases connected to the project.

The funding is slated for fiscal year 2023, as part of the agency’s five-year work plan.

Florida Department of Transportation is budgeting about $32 million for rights of way purchases in fiscal year 2023 for an as-yet-undecided project to improve State Road 54 and U.S. 41 intersection. (File)

The funding for the rights of way for the State Road 54 and U.S. 41 intersection is a conservative amount programmed in advance to give Pasco County time to do outreach, and determine the community’s vision for this project, according to FDOT spokeswoman, Kris Carson, in an email response to The Laker/Lutz News.

“The amount may be reduced or increased or we can shift the funds elsewhere if the no-build is selected,” Carson wrote.

The department also is working on interim improvements for the intersection, she added.

One anticipated project would lengthen some of the turn lanes at the intersection to improve traffic flow.

In October, the 17-member Vision 54/56 Task Force scheduled a workshop to review in more detail traffic projects that are being proposed as solutions.

The group’s options include 11 major highway and transit alternatives, as well as a no-build alternative for the intersection. Some alternatives would be at-grade re-designs with express transit lanes; others would have flyovers, and toll lanes.

The task force is expected to schedule its next public meeting in November or December. Additional public meetings into 2018 also are expected in order to complete the second of three phases of the traffic study.

The entire study includes the State Road 54/56 corridor, from Bruce B. Downs Boulevard on the east to U.S. 19 on the west. However, for the current phase of the study the focus is on two intersections: Little Road and State Road 54 in New Port Richey, and U.S. 41 and State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes.

The Land O’ Lakes segment is getting intense scrutiny as it is among the busiest intersections, with nearly 100,000 vehicles per day.

Representatives from Pasco County Planning and Development, the county’s Metropolitan Planning Organization, FDOT and consultants are assisting in the study.

The FDOT also is expected to fund a detailed analysis and evaluation of the State Road 54 and U.S. 41 intersection, likely in 2018. MPO officials say it is the only segment included in the study that has funding.

The MPO established the task force in 2015, and started with two separate groups. One studied issues for west Pasco; the other for east Pasco.

In late 2016, a single task force, with some members from the first groups, began studying a list of potential options. They include 11 major highway and transit alternatives, as well as a no-build alternative for the intersection.

The task force initiative got underway after the FDOT proposed a flyover for the intersection, with room for express toll lanes. The project met with opposition from the community, and FDOT officials agreed to back off while a task force tried to reach consensus on what should be done.

The FDOT’s five-year work plan is updated annually.

Some projects to redesign, expand and resurface roadways are slated for 2018/19. They are:

  • Resurfacing U.S. 41 from north of Ehren Cutoff to north of Caliente Boulevard for about $2.3 million
  • Resurfacing U.S. 301 from Pond Avenue to north of Long Avenue/Pioneer Museum for about $2.3 million
  • Realignment, widening and new construction on State Road 52 from Uradco Place to west of Fort King Road for about $83.3 million
  • Widening State Road 52 from two lanes to six lanes, from west of Suncoast Parkway to east of U.S. 41 at cost of about $75 million. This also includes intersection improvements, sidewalks and 12-foot trail.
  • Right of way purchase for U.S. 41 from north of Connerton Boulevard to south of State Road 52 for about $739,000. Construction of that project, in 2020, would cost about $20.3 million.

For more information, visit FDOT.gov.

Published November 15, 2017

More details sought in State Road 54/56 design debate

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Task force members want more information before reaching conclusions on future road designs aimed at easing traffic congestion along the State Road 54 and State Road 56 corridor.

The task force met Aug. 24 in a public meeting to review 11 road alternatives, and a no build option.

Task force members are expected to whittle their road list to three or four plus the no build option.

A task force is studying solutions to traffic congestion on State Road 54 and State Road 56, including the busy intersection at U.S. 41.
(File)

Just one more meeting, in October, had been planned, but task force members asked for a workshop in addition to the final meeting to get more details on the road selections. That workshop will be an open session, but no public comment will be taken.

That workshop likely will be scheduled in October.

The entire study is being done in phases, with additional meetings planned for 2018.

The task force is studying the corridor from Bruce B. Downs Boulevard on the east to U.S. 19 on the west.

The current focus is on two intersections: Little Road and State Road 54 in New Port Richey, and U.S. 41 and State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes.

The Aug. 24 meeting laid out the complexity of the issue.

Task force members are studying five elevated toll lanes, five at-grade level road designs, and a no build option.

Opinions are divided.

“I have been an absolute no build,” said Christie Zimmer, who is a member of the citizens’ advisory board for the county’s Metropolitan Planning Organization. But, looking at the possibilities, she added, “Something needs to happen. We have to come up with an alternative.”

Chris Saenz said the task force lacked the diversity to reflect the larger Pasco County community. He suggested a referendum could help settle the matter.

Maintenance and operating costs also will drive up already burgeoning costs of construction and right-of-way purchases, Saenz said.

One at-grade level option, with express bus lanes, could potentially cost nearly $1 billion to build.

“The cost of ownership is going to take ya’ll to the poor house,” he said. “Let’s not lose sight of that,” Saenz said.

Saenz represents Pasco Fiasco, a grassroots group that fought against a 2014 proposal to build a privately funded 33-mile express toll road over the top of State Road 56 and State Road 54. That project was scrapped.

Residents also have strongly opposed a more recent proposal from Florida Department of Transportation to build a fly-over, with toll lanes —  to ease traffic at the intersection of State Road 54 and U.S. 41.

That proposal is among the alternatives on task force members’ list, but state transportation officials put the project on hold.

That decision is part of the reason why two task forces were formed in 2015 to come up with a future transportation vision for the corridor.

The current task force, with some members from the previous two groups, began meeting in early 2016.

Bill Ball, a principal at Tindale Oliver, acknowledged that there is some suspicion in the community that an elevated toll road is being pushed.

But, he noted that every type of design, including elevated toll lanes, at ground level and no build, is represented in the list of options.

The task force’s purpose is to gather public input, and consider the range of choices, said David Goldstein, Pasco’s chief assistant county attorney.

“If it’s not going to be elevated toll road, what do ya’ll want?” he said.

As an aid in the decision-making, task force members received individual estimates on construction costs, right–of-way purchases and maintenance costs. They also received guidance on other issues, including environmental impacts, wait times at traffic signals, and numbers of businesses that could be relocated.

Still, members wanted more.

For instance, questions were raised about who would collect tolls, and for how long, if an elevated option was selected.

“That can be part of the recommendations,” Zimmer said.

Concerns also were raised about whether any alternatives would improve the level of service along the corridor.

The answer appeared to be that not much would change, based on the growth anticipated in Pasco. Roads and intersections that are ranked now at F, for failed, could still have failing grades.

“F does not solve the problem,” said Rich Dutter, who is one of three at-large citizens on the task force.

For information on the task force and its work, visit Vision54-56.com.

Published September 6, 2017

Roads, beautification among legislative priorities

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Funds for the Interstate 75/Overpass Road project and the Land O’ Lakes Boulevard Beautification Plan are among priority requests for the 2018 legislative session.

Pasco County commissioners agreed to a wish list for the upcoming session at their Aug. 29 meeting in Dade City.

The $15 million sought for I-75 and a new interchange at Overpass Road made it into the state’s 2017 budget. But, Gov. Rick Scott vetoed the money.

County commissioners are hoping for a better outcome the second time around.

The approximately 9-mile project would widen, extend and re-align Overpass Road, and build a new I-75 interchange. It is a high-priority transportation project for the county in an area of northeast Pasco County that is rapidly developing, residentially and commercially.

“Obviously, we want to keep moving forward with that,” said Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore.

The $1.5 million that will be sought to beautify Land O’ Lakes Boulevard would pay for “targeted landscaping and place-making projects,” according to the draft version of the county’s state legislative agenda.

The boulevard is the main corridor running through the Land O’ Lakes community. The beautification plan would begin at the county line on North Dale Mabry Highway, cross State Road 54, and then head north to State Road 52 toward Brooksville and Hernando County.

It will be similar to a project along U.S. 19 in west Pasco, with a focus on medians and intersections.

“It’s a great opportunity to work to help revitalize this area and give a real, positive change to residents and businesses there,” Moore said. “It’s needed, and it’s well-deserved for the area.”

Another $2 million will be sought to complete the Gateway Beautification Plan for landscaping and monument signs at the north and south county lines on U.S. 19. Additional beautification also is planned for secondary gateways at major road intersections, including State Road 54, Moog Road, Gunn Highway and Little Road.

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey is pushing to add a funding request to aid the county in buying land for the proposed Orange Belt trail, that would run through Land O’ Lakes.

She is asking that the county seek matching funds for this project, with the county pledging an amount to be determined before the legislative session begins.

Starkey said it could be easier to win approval if the county also puts up its money. “We need to get started (on this) before the land is bought up and compromised,” she added.

Pasco County’s legislative delegation will have a public meeting on Sept. 18 from 9 a.m. to noon, at Sunlake High School, 3023 Sunlake Blvd. The annual meeting gives the public a chance to discuss projects and bills that they would like to see approved.

Other funding requests from the county in 2018 will include:

  • $1 million for a planning and development study for the U.S. 301/U.S. 98/Clinton Avenue intersection realignment
  • $5 million for an Advanced Traffic Management System for State Road 54 and State Road 56 to adjust traffic signal times and improve traffic flow
  • $500,000 for a navigation center that will aid the homeless population

Navigation center gets funds; location upsets residents

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Pasco County commissioners agreed to disperse federal funds for a navigation center that will work with the homeless population to find permanent housing, health care and jobs.

About $250,000 will be used to remodel the former Boys & Girls Club buildings on Youth Lane in Port Richey. Approximately $70,000 will be used to hire a staff member, possibly a program specialist, for the homeless program for adult men and women only.

Commissioners approved the funds at their Aug. 15 meeting in Dade City.

Pasco County officials want to remodel the Boys & Girls Club on Youth Lane in Port Richey for a navigation center to help the homeless population. (File)

Their vote came after a nearly two-hour public comment period where county commissioners heard from supporters and opponents.

It is the location, more than the concept, which is at the heart of the dispute. The county proposes to reopen the two-building campus at the end of Youth Lane, off Little Road. The site is adjacent to Ridge Plaza, which is anchored by Hobby Lobby and a Walmart Neighborhood Supermarket.

Crane’s Roost, a subdivision of about 90 homes, is on the opposite side of Little Road.

Residents say the navigation center will hurt property values, increase crime, and make them less safe.

“Our fears are not unfounded. We do have the right to feel safe in our communities,” said Valerie Schaefer, who has lived in Crane’s Roost about 20 years.

Advocates for the center say Pasco has been too slow in responding to the needs of more than 3,000 homeless people who live on the streets, in vehicles and within about 100 encampments across the county.

The Youth Lane site is located by bus stops, government offices and agencies that can provide needed services.

“A lot of them need help with jobs and help with moving on, on their own,” said Raine Johns, chief executive officer of the Homeless Coalition of Pasco County. “It has to be somewhere in the county. This is the perfect location for it.”

The coalition is slated to operate the center. County commissioners will be asked at a later day to transfer the site’s property deed to the coalition.

The goal is to relocate homeless people, one camp at a time. Adult men and women would temporarily live at a “low-barrier” shelter while case managers work to assess their needs, and find permanent housing.

Families wouldn’t be eligible.

Johns estimates average stays of 90 days or less.

The navigation center is expected to open by mid-2018.

Published August 30, 2017

Task Force meets on vision for State Road 54/56

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A discussion on transportation solutions on the State Road 54/56 corridor will begin anew on Aug. 24, with the second in a series of meetings by the Vision 54/56 Task Force.

The 17-member, volunteer task force had an organizational meeting in April.

The study by the task force members will consider practical solutions to easing congestion, and promoting greater safety and mobility on a corridor that is bursting with new residential and commercial development.

About 100,000 vehicles a day travel through State Road 54 and U.S. 41 intersection. A task force is reviewing potential road projects to ease congestion. (File)

This is the second phase of a three-part initiative that began in 2016 with a task force that recommended 11 major highway and transit alternatives, as well as a no-build alternative.

Those recommendations will get greater scrutiny in this second phase, with more focus on design and details of potential road projects.

Some options under review include designs for elevated lanes, and redesigns at ground level. Some options include dedicated lanes for buses, and others don’t.

The entire study includes the corridor, from Bruce B. Downs Boulevard on the east to U.S. 19 on the west. However, the focus currently is on two intersections: Little Road and State Road 54 in New Port Richey, and U.S. 41 and State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes.

Representatives from Pasco County Planning and Development, the county’s Metropolitan Planning Organization, Florida Department of Transportation and consultants with AECOM are assisting in the study.

A third meeting is planned in 2017, probably in October. At least two additional meetings are planned in 2018, but no dates are scheduled.

For information, visit PascoCountyFl.net.

What: Vision 54/56 Phase 2 Task Force meeting
Where: Pasco County Utilities Administration Building, 19420 Central Blvd., Land O’ Lakes
When: Aug. 24 from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Cost: Free, open to the public

Published August 9, 2017

New center could help Pasco’s homeless

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Pasco County wants to open the county’s first homeless shelter as part of a comprehensive plan to help an estimated 3,300 homeless people.

There are about 100 camps across Pasco County where people live, according to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office.

The chosen location for what is proposed as a “one-stop navigation center” is in two county-owned buildings in west Pasco, formerly leased to the Boys & Girls Club.

Pasco County Emergency Services Director Kevin Guthrie spoke to a large crowd on June 14 in New Port Richey. The county had a public meeting to talk about a navigation center to help homeless individuals with housing, health care and jobs. (Kathy Steele)

The Pasco County Commission was set to vote on June 20 (after The Laker/Lutz News deadline) on two federal grants that would be used to rehabilitate buildings.

The goal is to open the navigation center in 2018.

Pasco County and the Homeless Coalition of Pasco had public meetings on June 7 and on June 14 in New Port Richey to explain the navigation center and get public input.

While most support the homeless shelter in concept, nearby neighbors in Crane’s Roost and representatives of a nearby mall object to the proposed location at 8239 Youth Lane, off Little Road in New Port Richey.

They worry about increased solicitation, crime and lowered property values.

Studies have shown the opposite, including decreases in crime, said Raine Johns, chief executive officer of the Homeless Coalition of Pasco.

“You’ll find this decreases dramatically,” she said.

However, a representative of Ridge Plaza, anchored by Hobby Lobby and a Walmart Neighborhood Market, said tenants have expressed concerns about impacts to their businesses. He also said no one had reached out to mall representatives to discuss the navigation center.

“It certainly merits that we get together,” he said.

Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano was the only commissioner to vote against the navigation center in November. He proposed putting the center in the Mike Fasano Regional Hurricane Shelter in Hudson.

He said the program could be operated cheaper, safer and quicker if the shelter were used.

Others said the hurricane shelter was in the “middle of nowhere,” with no bus service and few job opportunities.

“The last thing we want to do is institutionalize the homeless population,” said Johns.

The navigation center is modeled after one in San Francisco. It would be a one-stop shelter that would work to place people into housing. They also would receive help in finding jobs, job training and health care, and receive personalized case management.

The efforts would focus on one camp at a time, with as many as 75 single adult men and women housed an average of 90 days at the navigation center.

“Housing first. That’s the end goal,” said Cathy Pearson, assistant county administrator for public services. “A lot of partners are coming together. We believe in this.”

The count done by the sheriff’s office found homeless camps in all areas of the county, including west Pasco, Zephyrhills, Land O’ Lakes and Dade City.

“This is a serious topic. We know that,” said Pasco County Sheriff’s Capt. James Steffens. “We’re trying to do something other than put handcuffs on people and take them to jail.”

The sheriff’s office is one of the partners for the navigation center. Others include the United Way of Pasco, the Pasco County Housing Authority, and the Public Defender’s Office of the Sixth Judicial Circuit.

United Way will contribute about $100,000. About 50 housing vouchers will be dedicated to the navigation center. And, the public defender’s office plans to send its mobile medical unit to the center.

Pasco also plans to contribute about $50,000 for a program that would hire some of the homeless individuals for county labor. The goal is to help them learn skills and establish a work history.

The County Commission is expected to be asked in September to transfer the navigation center property to the homeless coalition.

As a nonprofit, the coalition has more access to additional grants.

Published June 21, 2017

Royal Lanes prepares to turn off the lights for good

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It’s a place where leagues have battled for cash prizes and bragging rights, and little kids have had birthday parties.

For some, it’s been a gathering spot with friends after work to bowl a few games and enjoy a few pitchers. For others, it was where they hung out when they were kids.

Andre Pamplona, general manager for Royal Lanes, said the closing of a bowling alley has an impact on the community.
(B.C. Manion)

Soon, however Royal Lanes bowling center, at 1927 Brinson Road in Lutz, will welcome its final bowlers and pack up its pins for good.

The last day of operation will be May 21, said Andre Pamplona, the bowling center’s general manager.

The bowling alley has been owned for a quarter-century by Sandy and Neville Woolf, of Canada, but they’ve decided to sell, Pamplona said.

“My group was trying to purchase it. That’s what we came up to do, to try to salvage it and keep it a bowling center, but we got outbid. And, that’s it,” Pamplona said.

“I knew of a potential sale to the other group. We were doing our best to try to finalize our deal. The numbers just wouldn’t work,” Pamplona said. “The land just got overvalued.”

He’s not sure what the future use of the site will be, but he has heard that the building will be renovated for another use that has something to do with the automotive industry.

He’s sorry to see Royal Lanes go, not just because he worked there, but because the community will miss it.

“One of the things that owners don’t calculate is the impact to the community,” Pamplona said.

Soon this sign will be replaced by a new business occupying the site on Brinson Road, just off North Dale Mabry Highway, in Lutz.

But, he said he understands that the owner is making a business decision

Still, Pamplona said, “Land O’ Lakes will suffer. Land O’ Lakes will hurt. People will have to drive out of their way to go to bowling centers.”

Plus, bowlers are losing a gathering spot where many have been coming for decades.

“There’s such a value … it’s intangible, you can’t put a dollar to it,” Pamplona said.

Royal Lanes had 437 bowlers in five full adult leagues and two youth leagues. One of the youth leagues was purely youths and the other was a youth-adult league, where kids bowled with their parents, he said.

“Most of the leagues are going to stay together,” he said, and most have already decided to go another bowling center,” he said.

The closest bowling alleys are at Old State Road 54 and Little Road; on Hillsborough Avenue, across from Tampa International Airport; on Armenia Avenue, south of Hillsborough Avenue; and on U.S.301 in Zephyrhills.

Ultimately, some bowlers may choose to join different leagues at bowling centers that are more convenient for them, he noted.

This is the exterior of Royal Lanes, in Lutz. Lots of memories have been made within this building, which opened during the 1970s.

Most of Royal Lanes’ 18 employees also have relocated to another alley, Pamplona said, although he’s not sure what he’s going to do.

“I’ve got some options in the industry. I’ve got some options out of the industry,” he said.

When Royal Lanes ceases operations, it will no longer be a place where the clatter of bowling pins competes with memories of days gone by.

“Our Wednesday morning league is called The Lakerettes,” Pamplona said. “They’ve been bowling here, since basically the beginning.”

Royal Lanes is also the place where the Betty Strickland, who has since passed on, developed a reputation for her bowling prowess and her kindly nature.

Chances were, if you were looking for Strickland on a weekday, she’d be over at Royal Lanes.

Some days, she was known to roll as many as 10 games, but typically, she threw four or five.

One of Strickland’s biggest moments at the bowling alley came on Jan. 9, 2006, when she bowled 300 — a perfect game.

At the time, Strickland was the nation’s third-oldest woman to bowl a perfect game, according to a report published by The Tampa Tribune.

It’s also a place that figures prominently into the memory of Rachel Thompson, who worked at the bowling alley when she was young and now works at The Laker/Lutz News.

Thompson threw her perfect game at Royal Lanes. Her big moment came on Nov. 9, 2012.

Published May 17, 2017