Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan talks to the media (WFLA)
UPDATE: The vehicle involved in the hit and run earlier today near New Tampa Blvd. and Wood Sage Dr. has been located. Hillsborough County deputies located the vehicle in the Pebble Creek area in New Tampa. The investigation is still ongoing.
Tampa Police are currently investigating a hit and run that took place on New Tampa Blvd. near Wood Sage Dr. in West Meadows, and are asking for the public’s help in locating the suspected vehicle, a red- or maroon-colored Dodge Caliber with front-end damage and a broken windshield.
According to police, just before noon today, the vehicle struck a family of three — a 42-year-old father and his 3- and 8-year-old sons — who were riding their bikes on a marked bike path, and then fled the scene.
The victims were transported to a local hospital. The 3-year-old was airlifted and has serious injuries. The 8-year-old is going to be fine.
This is not the car involved, but is a Dodge Caliber for those unfamiliar what one may look like.
“The 42-yr-old father has life-threatening injuries…it’s not a good prognosis for him,” Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan told the media. “This is a family that’s in a very tough situation. Their lives changed instantly today.”
The vehicle was last seen heading south on Bruce B. Downs Blvd.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Tampa Police Department immediately at 813-231-6130.
The site of failed Mexican restaurant Vuelo’s — which was previously Señor T’s, which was previously Romano’s Macaroni Grill — and which has been vacant since May 8 of last year, may soon be showing some signs of life.
According to Curtis Rorebeck, the managing broker at Hybridge, the site, located right on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. just north of the Home Depot, has drawn the interest of a handful of suitors since going dark.
While stopping short of calling a deal imminent to sell to a group that would open a new restaurant at the location, Rorebeck did say there is an offer under review. “We are going through the process,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of interest on that property.”
Rorebeck even said that on more than one occasion since Vuelo’s closed, the property was under contract, but those deals fell through. The current negotiations, however, are “promising,” he says.
While the location has been blamed in years past as not being ideal, it will be across the street from (and a little south of) the new Villages at Hunter’s Lake planned for 2019-20, which will feature the New Tampa Cultural Center, 241 apartments, a “green” grocer and other retail stores.
MORE FOOD, MON: A few steps south Chili’s (next to Oakley’s Grille), the space formerly occupied by Dairy Queen is being renovated and expected to open as a Jamaican restaurant.
NEW TAMPA PIANO & PEDAGOGY’S NEW HOME?: New Tampa Piano & Pedagogy Academy (NTPPA), which is currently operating adjacent to the New Tampa Dance Theatre on Cross Creek Blvd., is expecting to break ground on its own building near the end of the summer.
Just a few steps west of its current location, developer Abhishek Jain has filed for a permit to build a 4,000-sq.-ft. building, 2,810 sq. ft. of which will be the NTPPA’s new home.
Considering the new location is next to a dance studio, music academy and Creative World School, Jain would like to lease the remaining 1,200 sq. ft. to a youth-oriented business, or perhaps a pediatrician.
Jain’s wife Judith is the founder and executive director of the NTPPA.
S.R. 56 BUSY AGAIN: On the north side of S.R. 56 (across from the Tampa Premium Outlets) in the Cypress Creek Town Center Development of Regional Impact (DRI) in Wesley Chapel, things are going to start heating up again, as a flurry of building permits are working their way through Pasco County.
Just this month, permitting requests have been made for the beginnings of a 20,000-sq.-ft. Home Goods store, a 40,565-sq.ft. Burlington Coat Factory, and a 24,254-sq.-ft. Earth Fare, the first green grocer to land in Wesley Chapel (as we reported last issue).
Permits for four shell buildings, ranging between 1,919-sq.-ft. and 3,000-sq.ft., are being processed as well, although no tenants had been publicly named at our press time.
Those buildings could be homes for some businesses that Dilip Kanji, the Impact Properties president and developer of the Hyatt Place Hotel & Convention Center, said previously were on their way. As previously reported by the Neighborhood News, those include Chipotle Mexican Grill, Total Wine & More, Walk-On Bistreaux and Golf Galaxy.
Adam Smyk (above) owns the Bricks & Minifigs store at the Shops of Wiregrass, where patrons can buy, sell and trade Lego blocks and kits.
To the uninitiated, a business called Bricks & Minifigs might suggest a shop where you can buy fine masonry and, perhaps, Ficus carica saplings, but to those in the know, the national chain’s Shops at Wiregrass lifestyle center location (across from Buckle on Paseo Dr.) is the go-to destination for serious devotees of all-things Lego.
It’s a place to buy hard-to-find, gently used Lego model building kits (many of them from collectible retired lines) and original creations ready for display, as well as loose pieces such as interlocking bricks, character figures and a variety of accessories.
According to the Lego company’s Wikipedia entry, about 600 billion of the bricks and related pieces have been manufactured by the Billund, Denmark-based company since 1949, and franchise owner Adam Smyk says there’s no reason any of the blocks should ever end up n a landfill.
“You never want to throw Legos away,” says Smyk, who specializes in buying, selling and trading those random blocks.
Over the more than six decades that Legos have been on store shelves, their cross-generational popularity has remained strong enough that Smyk embarked upon a second career as a Bricks & Minifigs franchisee after serving 20 years in the U.S. Navy. He says he learned firsthand that the value of these toys lies in the experiences created by diving into a pile of the primary-color plastic blocks and creating something.
“When the kids were young and I’d come home from deployment, I’d use Legos as a way to re-connect with them,” he says.
Smyk, who retired from the Navy as a Senior Chief Electrician’s Mate, says he became acquainted with Bricks & Minifigs by shopping at a store in Hawaii while he was stationed at Pearl Harbor. “There was a store there I loved taking my kids to,” he says.
Bricks & Minifigs stores are something of a rarity, with only 38 located throughout the U.S. Smyk has the only such store in Florida.
(Note-Bricks & Minifigs has no formal licensing relationship with The Lego Group.)
Merchandise sold at Bricks & Minifigs includes a mix of assembled and unassembled verified-to-be-complete kits representing a cross-section of licensed themes, such as the “Star Wars” series.
Smyk says that some of the merchandise in his store can cost hundreds of dollars, but there’s plenty to attract customers who are on much stricter budgets, such as display cases full of assembled kits, many of them priced well under $50 (with a large selection under $20), and an extensive line of minifigures (including the popular “Ninjago” series) selling for less than $10.
For fans with big projects on their agendas and who are interested in volume purchases, there are tables full of blocks and parts to scoop up, as well as a design-your-own minifigure (minifig) station for customizing Lego characters.
Smyk is building the business partly on the premise that his personal experience with Legos is shared by other families, a point that he says is often validated in the course of conducting daily commerce.
“We had a family from Memphis, Tennessee, on vacation in Orlando that came all the way over to our store because what they like to do as a family is spread the bricks out and build something together,” Smyk says.
Whether it’s rebuilding a retired Lego Bionicle or Castle set, or manipulating bricks into a personal creation, Legos can supply plenty of indoor recreation during the hot summer days ahead, as well as during power outages that are sometimes part of the season as well. They also can be part of life’s special moments, like birthday parties.
For those who want to celebrate the Lego way, Bricks & Minifigs offers a party space and plenty of Lego pieces to do so. The cost is $175 for a 90-minute party. The venue does not serve food, but does provide plastic utensils for customers who bring their own and — most important, according to Smyk — “we take care of the cleanup.” He says that one of the biggest party attractions is when guests build their own Lego cars and race them on the store’s Lego Derby track.
Smyk’s enterprise involves his family, with adult son Daniel and his girlfriend Jenny Fraley working there, as well as his two younger, elementary-school-age sons, who occasionally help out when they aren’t in school.
For Fraley, providing a good customer experience for everyone who visits is paramount.
“It’s a personal joy of mine, trying to find a piece they’re looking for,” she says.
Fraley and Smyk say Legos have a wide appeal, and attract customers of all ages to the store.
“A lot of our adult customers enjoy them for the relaxation,” Smyk says. “People come in and say, ‘This is my childhood.’”
Thomas Annitto, 18, says he has found some merit in Smyk’s assessment of Legos as more than just a kids’ toy.
“I’ve always played with Legos since I was a little kid,” Annitto says. “This store is the coolest place ever. It’s perfect for little kids and big kids.”
Running his shop, however, is more than just playing around with toys for Smyk. It’s a business in a competitive market and for Smyk, that entrepreneurial lesson sank in when he was searching for a storefront for his shop.
A Pinellas County mall tenancy abruptly ended, and a Brandon location fell through. He says his family business has found a good home among the merchants at The Shops at Wiregrass.
Smyk and his family moved to the Tampa Bay area after he retired from the Navy two years ago. When they researched where on the mainland to move to from Hawaii, the answer was clear to them.
“All the magazines like Forbes and Money listed Tampa among their best places to live,” says Smyk. So, he and his family moved to the area without having previously set foot here. They recently moved to Tampa Palms from a community in southern Hillsborough County.
Smyk opened his Shops at Wiregrass location in March, and it has proven to be a regional customer magnet as a shopping destination. In addition to the aforementioned family from Memphis, the five-star Facebook testimonial by Lakeland resident Harold Joe Strickland Jr. speaks to the business’ regional appeal.
“It was over on hour drive from Lakeland,” Strickland Jr. wrote, “but well worth the drive.”
While a lot of his customers appreciate the distinctive products Bricks & Minifigs offers, Smyk says his used inventory offers great value.
“It’s all good as new,” he says, “but a cheaper cost because it’s used.”
Whether someone is buying, selling or trading a rare, limited edition set or looking for a deal on a bulk order of Lego bricks, the store’s objective is the same, according to Fraley.
“I like to see a smile on someone’s face when they walk out the door,” he says.
Bricks & Minifigs is located at 28210 Paseo Dr., Suite 150. You can learn more, including up-to-date information about new arrivals and special deals, by searching for “Bricks and Minifigs, Tampa” on Facebook, or by visiting BricksandMinifigs.com/store/tampa-florida. You also can call (813) 994-7171 or see the ad on pg. 28 of this issue.
Kelly and Glen Hatchell, owners of My Pet Sitter and My Dog Trainer, play with new client Tristan.
For pet owners who are going out of town or working long days, it can be nerve-wracking to ensure that your dog, cat or other animal is cared for while you are unable to do so. My Pet Sitter is a local company that helps people ensure their four-legged family members get the attention they need when their people aren’t at home.
Glen Hatchell and his wife Kelly are co-owners of My Pet Sitter, as well as My Dog Trainer.
“We’ve been in the pet-sitting business in New Tampa since 2009,” says Glen. “We used to do pet sitting and dog training as part of a franchise, but now we do the same thing as an independent small business. We changed the name of the company, but —from a client perspective — nothing else has changed.”
The Hatchells made the transition one year ago and will celebrate My Pet Sitter’s first anniversary on July 1.
Glen says the business can be summed up in one succinct phrase: “We do what our pet owners want us to do.”
Whether that’s stopping by every day while a pet’s Mom and Dad are at work, or visiting three or four times a day while the family is on vacation, My Pet Sitter is flexible to meet your needs.
For dogs, a typical visit starts with a walk. “With some dogs, we may be out on a walk for the entire visit,” Glen says. “In other cases, the dog can’t handle a 30-minute walk, so we hang out in the backyard, or they walk for 15 minutes and then we play with their toys (with them).”
While families are on vacation, some dogs get a long walk every day, while others get walked at every visit, multiple times a day. Glen says that depends upon the age and temperament of the dog, and what the owner feels is best for the animal.
Glen says the company does a lot of cat sitting as well, because cats often don’t do well in boarding situations. My Pet Sitter will come in to feed your cat, change the water and scoop the litter.
He says many client cats are very playful, so they play with them. “Other cats hide under the bed,” he says.
Whatever your pet’s needs, My Pet Sitter’s staff of seven employees can accommodate them. Every employee is certified in animal first aid and pet CPR, background checked and fully trained.
Glen explains that many pets they care for have special needs, including needing medications. He says they have had animals who have needed insulin shots and have even administered IV fluids to cats that needed them. He says My Pet Sitter’s staff can handle these and other challenges because of the staff’s extensive experience with the service’s many clients.
“One time we had a dog going into diabetic shock, and Kelly had to rush it to the vet,” Glen says. “The vet said if not for her quick action, the dog might not have made it.”
He says they understand things like this can happen, and they are prepared for it.
“I like to say that it’s not brain surgery, but you have to pay the same attention to detail,” Glen explains. “You’re in someone’s house taking care of one of their most valuable possessions. (Some would say they’re more like members of their family.). It’s a lot of responsibility, and we love taking on that responsibility.”
Happy Pets, Happy Owners
“One thing that’s so cool about being a pet sitter is that there’s nothing more exciting than walking into a house and seeing a dog that’s the happiest thing in the world,” Glen says. “It really is a feeling that’s so amazingly wonderful!”
He says My Pet Sitter sends updates with pictures after each visit, so clients get to see their furry best friends during the day, as they’re working or traveling.
A client named Juliana, who lives in Pebble Creek, has been using Glen and Kelly’s pet-sitting services since 2010, when she had a serious illness in her family that required her to be away from home for several months.
Juliana says that, thanks to My Pet Sitter, she had absolute peace of mind.
“They completely rescued me and my dog at that time,” she says. “I don’t know what I would have done without them. It was such a difficult time, but I would come home to a perfect dog and a perfect house.”
She adds that, no matter what she needs and when she needs it, she doesn’t hesitate to ask. “The answer is always yes with them,” she says. “They always say ‘okay.’”
Sit! Sit! Please?
In addition to My Pet Sitter, Glen and Kelly also own My Dog Training, offering training and behavioral consulting for all breeds of dogs.
Glen says that starting out as a franchise owner provided him with a lot of training, so that he would be properly educated and equipped to help clients as both a pet sitter and a dog trainer.
Although Glen says it is not required, he is certified by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers as a Certified Professional Dog Trainer, Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA). He says he also is the only trainer in Hillsborough County to earn the CPDT-KSA (Knowledge & Skills Assessed) certification.
He says he has more than 4,000 hours of training experience and has worked with more than 3,000 dogs.
Glen also is the dog trainer (photo above) for the Humane Society of Tampa Bay on N. Armenia Ave. in south Tampa, and holds obedience classes at the shelter. He started there as a volunteer in 2010. Now, eight years later, he still volunteers, but he also is part of the paid staff, where his main responsibility is running a play group program.
“Every morning, I go through and get dogs out in the play yard so they can interact,” he says. “I get them excited about being at the shelter. We’ve had feral dogs come in and I’ve worked with them to get them socialized before they get adopted.”
He says the playgroup has had an impact on increased adoptions at the Humane Society. And, Glen’s time at the shelter has given him lots of experience to help his private clients, too, whether they are introducing new animals to each other or need help with basic obedience and behavioral issues.
In fact, he says, sometimes pet sitting can actually be a solution to some behavioral issues. “Sometimes it’s energy-related and the recommendation is that the dog needs more outlets for (his or her) energy,” he says, “so I suggest having a dog walker during the day.”
He also offers training and behavioral consulting for cats with issues in the home, such as litter box problems.
For more information about My Pet Sitter & My Dog Training, call (813) 935-7387, visit MyHomePetSitter.com, or see the ad on page 44 of this issue.
Long-Time New Tampa Resident Jim Davison debates roadway connections with Pasco County residents at an open house May 29. (Photo: John Cotey)
When the Tampa City Council met in early May to debate a rezoning that would allow M/I Homes to proceed with building 700 new homes in K-Bar Ranch, council members got stuck on one major point:
There aren’t enough roads in the area to allow residents to get in and out of their new neighborhood.
Without connections to Pasco County, particularly merging Kinnan St. in New Tampa with Mansfield Blvd. in Meadow Pointe, more homes would mean more residents who are essentially trapped with just one road, Kinnan St., out of their neighborhoods.
So the discussion was postponed until June 28 in the hopes that Pasco, with help from a yearlong Wesley Chapel Roadways Connection Study, which was near completion, would provide some answers.
The report is out. And no, it hasn’t.
At a May 29 open house at the Porter campus of Pasco-Hernando State Community College, an executive summary of the report was presented to roughly 75 locals — including politicians on both sides of the argument — but didn’t address actual connections in a way many who attended may have hoped.
How that ends up affecting future development in K-Bar Ranch remains to be seen. The Tampa City Council will take up the debate again June 28. But, any decision they make will have to be made without any promises of any connections between Hillsborough and Pasco counties. And, Pasco is in no rush to make a decision on the issue.
The public comment period about the Roadways Study ends today, and AECOM, the consulting firm that did the study, isn’t scheduled to present them to the Pasco MPO until August. A final study report will be finalized following that meeting, and then Pasco County will run a public opinion poll — basically an up or down vote on each of the connections, as well as combinations of connectors — in September or October.
The Pasco MPO will then meet in October to review the final study and decide what recommendations to make to Pasco’s Board of County Commissioners (BOC). The BOC will have the final say, with no date given for a final vote.
Connecting only Kinnan to Mansfield — the streets still separated by a 30-foot hop-skip-and-a-jump patch of dirt and bushes — without any other connections being made, was not studied.
District 2 commissioner Mike Moore, who represents the Meadow Pointe area, says connecting Meadow Point Blvd. to K-Bar Ranch Pkwy remains his favored option, and is opposed to connecting Kinnan-Mansfield.
“I think some people possibly thought the study would show maybe just a couple of hundred cars a day (added to Mansfield traffic with the connection),” Moore said, “but the study shows obviously that’s not the case. It’s anywhere from 500 to 4,000 (according to traffic projections). If anyone thinks Kinnan-Mansfield can handle 4,000 cars a day, it’s just not reality.”
When it was pointed out to Moore that the gap between 500 and 4,000 is significant, and that 500 cars could be only 250 making round trips, he said “That’s still a lot.”
At the original roadways meeting May 15, 2017, Pasco residents who filled out public comment cards were opposed to the connection, but only by a 37-36 margin.
“Now that we’ve done the study, and people can see the numbers, the true numbers, I have a sneaking suspicion that will change quite a bit,” Moore said.
While extensive, the study included no recommendations. It only went as far as listing positives — alternate routes during accidents, economic benefits, convenient travel to attractions in Hillsborough County, and relieving the traffic of up to 7,000 vehicles per day on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. and Cross Creek Blvd. — and negatives, like the increased traffic with minimal congestion relief for Pasco County roads and almost $2-million in additional improvements needed, with connections. The study looked at four alternatives, including a no-build alternative that would put up a gate for emergency vehicles and bicycle and pedestrian accommodations at Kinnan-Mansfield, but no connection for general public use.
Other alternatives studied included:
• Connecting Kinnan-Mansfield and K-Bar Ranch Blvd. to Meadow Pointe;
• Connecting only K-Bar Ranch Blvd to Meadow Pointe Blvd.; and
• Doing all three possible connections: Kinnan-Mansfield, K-Bar Ranch Pkwy.-Meadow Pointe Blvd., and Wyndfields Blvd. to K-Bar Ranch Pkwy.
Tampa’s District 7 councilman Luis Viera, who represents New Tampa, attended the meeting and was disappointed by the lack of specificity in the study. However, he was pleased by the prospect of at least an emergency gate at Kinnan-Mansfield.
Moore said Pasco County proposed one two years ago, and even offered to split the costs, but Tampa rejected it.
“I’m not looking at this from a political perspective,” Viera said. “If we can have a compromise for now, if a gate is built only for first responders, that’s a net positive. We obviously want to go further. That’s getting to first base, and we want a home run. But right now, that would be a net positive for both sides from a safety perspective.”
