This is the latest rendering for the NTRC expansion. The new additions are the lower rooms in yellow. (Image: Tampa Parks & Recreation)
The New Tampa Recreation Center (NTRC) expansion is, officially, a go.
Despite a number of obstacles over the years, including being dropped from the budget on more than one occasion, the Tampa City Council approved an additional $660,000 in funding on March 7 and voted 7-0 to award the contract to Valrico-based Phinazee and Granger Construction, Inc.
A groundbreaking is scheduled for Friday, April 12, at 10 a.m.
âThere is no going back now,â said District 7 City Council member Luis Viera. âIt 100 percent has been set off on its course.â
The NTRCâs 7,825-sq.-ft. expansion is expected to make the facilityâs immensely popular gymnastics and dance programs more accessible to those currently on a waiting list that numbers in the thousands of names.
The expansion is expected to be completed around the end of 2019.
Paul Dial, the director of the City of Tampaâs Parks & Recreation Department, says a number of improvements will be made, but noted that three will make the most impact.
First, Dial says, one of the new rooms being designed will be for participants ages 6 years old and younger.
âThat will allow us to really focus on our efforts with them in a smaller setting, versus the large gymnasium, or gymnastics room, they learn in now,â he said. Not only will it create less distractions for the younger athletes, according to Dial, but it will free up more room for the older competitors in the existing areas.
Secondly, one of the additional rooms will double the area for the NTRCâs popular dance program.
And thirdly, says Dial, another room is being developed that will be called the Training Box, which will have an emphasis on strength and conditioning and also feature a youth and adult component, the latter of which does not currently exist at the facility. âWe think all three of these will really enhance the center,â Dial says. âWeâre pretty excited about them.â
Although $1.9 million was approved in the Fiscal Year 2018 budget for the expansion, following a vocal effort by supporters from New Tampa and some contentious debate on the City Council, the cost estimates at the time proved to be too low compared to the bids the city received for the project.
Dial said rising costs for materials, such as steel, as well as higher prices due to a better economy, were to blame. âYou never truly know the cost of a project until the bids come in,â he said.
Phinazee and Granger Construction, Inc.âs bid of $2,390,000 required additional funds â $660,000, or 27 percent of the original estimate â to be reallocated to cover the costs. Although two lower bids were rejected for errors, the Phinazee and Granger bid was the lowest of the seven others submitted.
Viera says the $660,000 came from a pool of funds set aside for projects that go over budget. âThereâs red flags for something like that, when it requires additional money,â Viera said. âI was prepared for that. Letâs put it this way â was I worried? Yes. But was I actively worried something would happen and the project would be sunk? No.â
(Photo Cred: Earth Immersion Facebook) One of 40+ vendors who will be present at Summer Camp Expo 2019, on Saturday, March 30th.
Finding something to keep your kids busy during the summer may be one of parentingâs most difficult challenges, and finding a camp before they fill up can be a grind.
Miriam Cook, the founder of Family-Friendly Tampa Bay, is trying to make those tasks a little simpler.
For the third straight year, Family-Friendly Tampa Bay will hold a big Summer Camp Expo for parents in the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel areas.
Scheduled for Saturday, March 30, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., at the Plantation Palms Golf Club (23253 Plantation Palms Blvd.) in Land OâLakes, the expo is free for anyone to attend.
âThis is our third year connecting summer camp experts with campers in Tampa Bay,â says Cook. âWith over 3,500 event participants over the past two years, they have told us that our expos help create stress-free summers for parents, provide a variety of affordable summer program options and a fun and interactive experience for their children.â
Providers from more than 40 camp and programs â ranging from sports and adventure camps to tech and coding camps â are expected to be on hand to demonstrate camp activities and offer exclusive discounts to attendees.
The Summer Camp Expo also will be something of a camp itself â there will be bounce houses, an all-ages dodgeball area, free crafts and a petting zoo.
Expo-goers also can take advantage of a BOGO round of mini-golf on the Plantation Palms mini-golf course.
Although the Expo is free to attend, those who plan to take part in the festivities are asked to go to Eventbrite.com and search for âFamily-friendlyâto register. General admission is free, and VIP tickets are available for $20, which include a large beach bag, $75 in coupons for local attractions and other goodies. For additional information, visit FamilyFriendlyTampaBay.com/tampa-summer-camp-expo/.
Clark Elementary fourth grader Harrison Shirey (left) and Chiles Elementary third grader Rohan Apte both earned Best of Fair at the February Hillsborough County Regional STEM Fair.
New Tampaâs elementary and middle schools once again had a strong showing at the 38th Annual Hillsborough County Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematic (STEM) Fair on March 6.
In fact, more than 50 students in New Tampa were recognized for their projects, including a pair of Best of Fair awards.
All students in Hillsborough County were allowed to submit a qualifying project in 13 major STEM subject areas. The top 27 winners advanced to the State STEM Fair, and the two best projects from Hillsborough County also will go on to compete in the International STEM Fair.
The Best of Fair winners were Chiles Elementary third-grader Rohan Apte and Clark Elementary fourth-grader Harrison Shirey.
Rohan won for his project entitled âCrash! Did it Break?: Do Seat Belts Matter?â His project involved crashing a LEGO car with eggs inside wearing (and some not wearing) rubber band seat belts.
Itâs not the first Best of Fair aware for the Apte household â Rohanâs sister Ria also won the award, in 2016, also when she was in the third grade.
Harrison won his Best of Fair award for his project âWhat Material Does Wi-Fi Travel Through?â
Heritage Elementary (l.-r.) third grader Logan Jones, fourth grader Isabella Pappalardo and third graders Emily Lara, Isabella Santiago and Dylan Farner all earned medals.
Local elementary schools earned 15 Superior scores, including four each by Clark and Turner/Bartels K-8 and three by Chiles and Tampa Palms.
In the older division, Liberty Middle Schoolâs Uma Panchal (âThe Vitamin C Integrity Projectâ), Ellie and Olivia Pliska (âThe Algae is Blooming: Does Synthetic or Organic Fertilizer Contribute more to Algae Growth?â) won first-place awards, while Wharton High took home seven top-3 finishes, including a first-place by Kylie Orihuela and Mackenzie Schaecher for âCopper Heals.â
The complete list of local winners are:
ELEMENTARY DIVISION GROUP PROJECTS 3rd GRADE Superior Magnetic Magic — Joel Madadha, Miles Shi, and Lucas Aguerreberry, Clark Elementary
ELEMENTARY DIVISION âą GROUP PROJECTS âą THIRD GRADE PHYSICAL SCIENCE/MATTER Excellent Time for Dissolving Fun — Jeshwitha Avula and Pranjal Kot, Pride Elementary
Excellent Which bubble gum blows the biggest bubble: Super Bubble or Double Bubble? — Emily Lara and Isabella Santiago, Heritage Elementary
Superior How Does the Brand of Nail Polish affect How Long it Lasts? Isabella Baez and Sophia Sauer, Turner/Bartels K-8
Superior How Does Brain Dominance Affect Hand-Eye — Gal Lawrental Schori and Linney Kim, Chiles Elementary
ELEMENTARY DIVISION âą GROUP PROJECTS âą FOURTH GRADE PHYSICAL SCIENCE/ENERGY Excellent Lightning Magnets — Archith Gaddam and Saisharat Yenka, Pride Elementary
Superior Energy From Garbage: How Much Methane Do Different Types of Food Scraps Produce? — Aayush Mehta and Anjali Mehta, Tampa Palms Elementary
ELEMENTARY DIVISION âą GROUP PROJECTS âą FOURTH GRADE PHYSICAL SCIENCE/MATTER Excellent Dissolve the Bomb! — Ana Clara DeJesus, Zeina Mughrabi, and Madison Long, Pride Elementary
ELEMENTARY DIVISION âą GROUP PROJECTS âą FIFTH GRADE EARTH/SPACE SCIENCE Superior Feeling Salty — Ethan Bahs and Morgan Aulet, Clark Elementary
ELEMENTARY DIVISION âą GROUP PROJECTS âą FIFTH GRADE LIFE SCIENCE Outstanding Fantastic Fertilizer — Logan Andress and Chase Andress, Chiles Elementary
ELEMENTARY DIVISION âą GROUP PROJECTS âą FIFTH GRADE PHYSICAL SCIENCE/ENERGY Superior Harnessing The Heat — Aditya Shukla and Aditi Shukla, Tampa Palms Elementary
Superior Flying Trains — Dev Parikh and Evan Stepanek, Turner/Bartels K-8
ELEMENTARY DIVISION âą GROUP PROJECTS âą FIFTH GRADE PHYICAL SCIENCE/MATTER Excellent Fear of Water: How Do Materials Stay Dry And Clean? — Eesha Venkatesh and Harini Iyer, Tampa Palms Elementary
Superior An Apple a Day…Keeps the Spoils Away — Danai Bernard, Anu Badiger, Jayone Heo, and Kanishka Mittal, Chiles Elementary
****INDIVIDUALS****
ELEMENTARY DIVISION âą INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS âą THIRD GRADE EARTH/SPACE SCIENCE Superior Looking to Kill an Oil Spill? — Ani Marsland-Pettit, Clark Elementary
ELEMENTARY DIVISION âą INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS âą THIRD GRADE Superior Which Truss to Trust? — Nathaniel Bostic Jr., Turner/Bartels K-8
Excellent The Race To The Fizz Line: How Does The Temperature Of Water Affect How Fast A Bathbomb Dissolves? — Maanini Kuruganti, Tampa Palms Elementary
Excellent Stain, Stain, Go Away! — Dylan Farner, Heritage Elementary
Superior Absorbing Socks — Advay Joshi, Pride Elementary
ELEMENTARY DIVISION âą INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS âą FOURTH GRADE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE Superior Right Vs Left — Rhea Varma, Tampa Palms Elementary
ELEMENTARY DIVISION âą INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS âą FOURTH GRADE EARTH/SPACE SCIENCE Excellent Which is Better: Tap Vs Fountain Water? — Madison Fang, Chiles Elementary
Outstanding Alka-Seltzer Action — Frances McKoen, Hunters Green Elementary
Excellent Nail Nonsense! How Does the Brand of Nail Polish Affect How Long the Paint Takes to Dry? — Kacy Hauck, Turner/Bartels K-8
Superior Don’t Underestimate the Insulate — Andrew Feaster, Clark Elementary
3rd Grade Best of Fair Crash! Did it Break? : Do Seatbelts Matter? — Rohan Apte, Chiles Elementary
4th Grade Best of Fair What Material Does Wi-Fi Travel Through? Harrison Shirey, Clark Elementary
SECONDARY AWARDS
Elaine Feaster, Liberty Middle Title: Naturally Cool Memorial Award: Helen Johnson’s Award
Sarrah Abdulai & Olivia Giraldo, Wharton High Title: How Effectively Oysters Filter Different Types of Water Award(s): Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration
Alisha Bhatia, Freedom High Title: Similarities Between Humans and Animals in The Huntingtin (HTT) Gene Award(s): Big Cat Rescue
Elaine Feaster Liberty Title: Naturally Cool Award(s): Cardinal Roofing Broadcom
Zion Flavien, Wharton Title: Global Warming: The relation between chlorophyll production and a healthy Earth Award(s): American Meteorological Society
Uma Patel, Liberty Title: The Vitamin C Integrity Project. Award(s): Broadcom
Ellie & Olivia Pliska, Liberty Title: The Algae is Blooming: Does Synthetic or Organic Fertilizer Contribute more to Award(s): Broadcom
Junior Animal Sciences Awards 3rd: Lisa Maeda, Benito: Which Length of Electromagnetic Waves Repels Mosquitoes the Most?
Junior Biomedical and Health Sciences Awards 1st: Uma Panchal, Liberty: The Vitamin C Integrity Project
Junior Earth and Environmental Sciences Awards 1st: Ellie and Olivia Pliska, Liberty: The Algae is Blooming: Does Synthetic or Organic Fertilizer Contribute more to Algae Growth?
Junior Mathematics and Computational Sciences Awards 3rd: Osman Eksioglu, Liberty: Machine Learning and how it adapts
Senior Behavioral and Social Sciences Awards 2nd: Nicole Carlin, Genesis Dalcourt, & Maria Pinilla-Baquero, Freedom: How Does Music Impact Test Taking?
Senior Chemistry Awards 3rd: Yash Patel, Wharton: Using Banana Peels as Eco-friendly Supplements to Livestock feed
Senior Earth and Environmental Sciences Awards 2nd: Sarrah Abdulai & Olivia Giraldo, Wharton: How Effectively Oysters Filter Different Types of Water 3rd: Meghna Desai & Neelam Patel, Wharton: Is it Worth Paying for Water Bottles?
Senior Physics and Astronomy Awards 2nd: Laura Deloso, Wharton: Proving Acceleration Due to Gravity
Senior Plant Sciences Awards 2nd: Crystal Castro & Isabella Kim, Wharton: The Effects of Different Concentrations of IAA on Root Initiation 3rd: Sarah McInvale, Wharton: Radiation on Germination
Tampa City Council member Luis Viera (center) celebrates his win on March 5 with Heritage Islesâ retired Colonel Mike Escudie (left) and Jon Fletcher, president of Vietnam Veterans of America of Tampa.
While no winner for Tampa mayor could be declared following the March 5 elections â Jane Castor and David Straz are headed to a run-off election on Tuesday, April 23 â it was abundantly clear who New Tampa wanted to represent our area on Tampa City Council in District 7.
Luis Viera, running for his first full term after finishing the remaining two years of Lisa Montelieone’s term following a 2016 special election, trounced opponent Quinton Robinson 76.2 percent to 23.8 percent at the Tampa Municipal Election on March 5.
Viera won 26 of the 29 precincts in Dist. 7 (which includes the Busch Gardens and Copeland Park areas, Forest Hills, USF and the city-based areas of New Tampa), compared to when he won just one precinct on his way to defeating fellow Hunter’s Green resident Jim Davison by only 65 votes in the 2016 run-off.
âWhen I ran in 2016, I ran against an individual in the run-off who a lot of people knew out here,â said Viera, referring to Davison, a long-time local activist on transportation issues and a twice-failed candidate for the Hillsborough County Commission (in 2002 and â04). âI was a first time candidate. Things went my way. But, I stayed humble and knew I had to prove myself to people.â
Viera received the largest percentage of the vote among the other 23 candidates running for any of the seats in races for City Council Districts 1-6.
Buoyed by his record of founding the New Tampa Council and North Tampa Veterans Association and creating the Warrior Games Promotion Committee to promote attendance at the Warrior Games (which are coming to Tampa in June), as well as hosting a number of local town halls, with guests like Hillsborough County Dist. 2 County Commissioner Ken Hagan, Hillsborough Dist. 3 School Board member Cindy Stuart and outgoing Mayor Bob Buckhornâs chief of staff, Dennis Rogero, Viera established himself as someone intent on raising the civic profile of New Tampa.
He also spearheaded support for the city’s Fiscal Year 2018 budget, which included nearly $2 million for the expansion of the New Tampa Recreation Center, and the design of a new sensory-friendly park in Tampa Palms.
âThere were a lot of people who didnât know me in New Tampa,â Viera says, âand I wanted to prove to them I was the right person for the job. I held their interests close to my heart, like the results showed.â
Robinsonâs main argument was that Viera was too focused on New Tampa, but in precincts not located in New Tampa, Viera still won 66 percent of the vote, or 1,744 votes cast, to 901 for Robinson.
In New Tampaâs precincts, Viera received 82 percent of the vote, with a ballot advantage of 4,062-910. In Hunterâs Green precinct No. 361, where Viera lives and a precinct he had lost handily to Davison, he had his biggest margin of victory, with 687 votes (or 88 percent) cast for him, compared to only 95 for Robinson.
Another local candidate, Pebble Creekâs Vibha Shevade, ran for the citywide District 3 City Council seat, but finished fourth with 11 percent of the vote. Top vote-getters John Dingfelder (with 48.96 percent; see ad below) and Stephen Lytle (20.26%) finished first and second, respectively, to advance to the April 23 run-off election.
Castor, the former Tampa Police Chief, won 52 percent of the vote and every precinct in New Tampa, but couldn’t pass the 50-percent threshhold citywide (48%) and will take on Straz, who was second with 15 percent of the citywide vote
In New Tampa, Straz garnered 16 percent of the vote, while Harry Cohen had 12.5 percent. The other four candidates all finished in single digits.
Congratulations to the Rotary Club of New Tampa, which will host the annual Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel for the third year in a row, again at what is now being called AdventHealth Center Ice (AHCI) on Sunday, March 24, 2019, noon-4 p.m.
The club (which meets Fridays at 7 a.m at Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club) did an excellent job of rounding up not only many of your returning favorite eateries from the last two years, but also some outstanding newcomers among the 29 restaurants and eleven beverage purveyors that had signed up to participate in the Taste by our press time on March 15.
We caught up with Taste co-chairs Karen Frashier and Jennifer Cofini and asked them about what new and old favorites attendees will be enjoying at this yearâs Taste:
NN: How excited is everyone about this yearâs Taste of New Tampa event?
TONT: Weâve had the pleasure to give away Taste tickets at several North Tampa Bay Chamber and community events. We always ask the crowd if they know why weâre there and whatâs coming up. A large percentage of the crowd shouts back âTaste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel.â Hearing that crowd response makes our day!
The Rotary Club of New Tampa is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) hosting this event with the Chamber to support scholarships and our charities. Our committee has grown to 20 Rotarians and Chamber volunteers. Weâre invested.
NN: What do you have planned?
TONT: Weâve got 40 food and beverage vendors that will start tummies grumbling the minute guests enter Rink C at AdventHealth Center Ice.
The Freedom High Naval Junior ROTC flag corps will kick off the festivities, along with: Denyse Bales-Chubb, the CEO of AdventHealth Wesley Chapel; Dist. 7 Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera; and Mike Wells, the chairman of the Pasco County Board of Commissioners.
Then, the Freedom High School drum corps will get the party started by marching throughout the venue. Attendees have told us they want tables spread throughout the venue so they can hang out with friends and neighbors. Done!
NN: So, whatâs new at this yearâs Taste?
TONT: Weâve added cookie decorating to the photo booth and kids painting/art booth located in the family fun area. A Dash of Salt ân Pepper, DCA Media Consulting and Pinotâs Palette Wesley Chapel are sponsoring the fun for kids.
Our presenting sponsor is Advent Health Wesley Chapel. The Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel focuses on friends, family and food â three important building blocks to whole, healthy lives. Building blocks that inspire both the Rotary Club of New Tampa and AdventHealth Wesley Chapel to serve our North Tampa Bay neighbors.
NN: What restaurants are you particularly excited to see that you think the locals will be happy to see?
TONT: Taste attendees will be particularly interested to see how the chef showdown between past winners Ciccioâs Cali, Noble Crust and Nothing Bundt Cakes shakes out. Pincherâs, Vom Fass, Blondieâs Cookies, Fat Rabbit, Cinebistro, Chuyâs and Top Shelf Sports Lounge were crowd favorites, too.
Earth Fare, a green grocer which newly opened on S.R. 56 (across from Tampa Premium Outlets) and Bahama Breeze are bringing their chefsâ A games.
NN: What about any under the radar places? Maybe some eateries that arenât located nearby or are new to the area that many will be getting a first taste of?
TONT: Taste foodies will be especially interested in locally owned food and beverage purveyors such as Avaâs Low Country Cuisine, Pomodoro Pizza and the Ice Dreammm Shop. They can have their cake and eat it too from the newly opened community venue called Canterbury Hall at Grace Church Tampa Palms. And, Batter & Dough is offering yummy filled mini-pancakes.
NN: Other than food samples, what else can people look forward to at the Taste?
TONT: There will be big competition in the beverage category this year with Coppertail Brewing competing with 81 Bay, Zephyrhills, Time for Wine. The Brass Tap and PRP Wine International. New beverage options include Blue Chair Bay Rum and Buttermilk Provisions sangria. Chamber chair Karen Tillman-Gosselin with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services is sponsoring the water again this year and weâll have a booth for soft drinks.
NN: What do you expect or hope for in terms of attendees? Talk about the growth of the event over the past two years, and how Center Ice has proven to be an ideal facility.
TONT: The event has a 20-year history as one of North Tampa Bayâs premier events.
Last year we hosted 2,000 guests. Based on history and the growth weâve seen over three years, we expect 3,000 guests this year. AdventHealth Center Ice is a perfect location because the event is indoors â no worries about the weather. The parking is free and plentiful in front and behind the building. Weâll have volunteers in the lots helping guests locate parking and directing people to open parking. Plus, Taste-goers who present a Taste ticket the day of the event can get free ice skate rental to glide off the calories after snacking their way through the restaurants and beverage purveyors.
NN: What charitable organizations receive the proceeds that are raised?
TONT: Proceeds support high school scholarships through the North Tampa Bay Chamber and charities supported by the Rotary Club of New Tampa. In 2018, the Rotary Club of New Tampa donated more than $46,000 to local and Rotary International Foundation signature projects, including End Polio Now, Feeding Tampa Bay and the Fisher House at the Haley VA Hospital.
Signature youth programs such as Interact, Rotaract and Seminar for Tomorrowâs Leaders help young people develop leadership skills. Find the complete list on TasteOfNewTampa.org/nonprofitsbenefit.html.
