More fields to open in April
By Sheila Tramontana
Lutz News Correspondent
LUTZ — Bulldozers plucked pines planted long ago on a 32-acre tract along Lutz-Lake Fern Road and Crooked Lane, the heavy equipment paving the way to expand the Oscar Cooler Sports Complex.
The open fields will soon be busy with a flurry of Lutz boys and girls, who will be able to play soccer there in the spring.
Hillsborough County parks and recreation spokesman John Brill said the $3.7 million expansion is targeted for an April 2010 opening. It will include several game and practice fields for soccer and football.
A playground, concessions, restrooms and storage areas also are part of the expansion. Large groups of trees will remain on the south side of the complex to create a buffer from lights and activity for residents along Lutz-Lake Fern Road.
“We want to be good neighbors,” Brill said.
According to Brill, large areas of conservation and wetlands will remain intact to comply with building regulations. Gopher Tortoises that were making their homes on the property as construction began were safely relocated. The park will also be pet friendly.
A ceremony will take place sometime after the completion of the project. County officials will work with the various leagues to schedule a suitable date for that event.
Once the expansion project is complete, a $300,000 renovation of the existing sports complex will begin. The existing football field for the Lutz Chiefs, of the Pasco Police Athletic League, will be transformed into baseball fields.
Football and soccer will be played at the expanded site while baseball and softball remain at the original location.
Additional parking will be added with entrances on the east end of Lutz-Lake Fern Road as well as Crooked Land, which divides the old and new sports complex. Overall, 130 parking spots will be added to accommodate baseball and softball families.
Brill said there are no expansion plans in the works for Nye Park off Sunset Lane in Lutz or the Lake Park complex, which is located off Dale Mabry Highway and owned by the City of St. Petersburg.
As the Oscar Cooler project nears completion, a new Lutz soccer league will form. In the past, local boys and girls have had to play in neighboring soccer leagues in Land O’ Lakes and northern Hillsborough.
“This will be a first for Lutz, and we are very excited about this possibility,” said Auralee Buckingham, a longtime Lutz resident, member of the Lutz-Land O Lakes Women’s Club and Lutz Civic Association.
A park for youth sports sprang up out of a former orange grove off Lutz-Lake Fern Road in 1974. The Lutz Little League, Lutz Leaguerettes softball progam and PPAL Chiefs have called the park home.
The facility is named after Oscar Cooler, an 80-year-old community leader and former businessman who worked with county officials and local volunteers to get the initial project completed.
— Sports Editor Steve Lee contributed to this story.
