Arbor Greene Tennis Player Hopes To Spread One Love

PallaresWEBMichael-Ray Pallares knows his days as a professional tennis player are winding down. He can’t help, however, but marvel at what the game has given him.

He won prominent United State Tennis Association (USTA) championships as a junior, capturing titles at the same events also won by Jim Courier, John McEnroe and Arthur Ashe in the past. He earned a college scholarship to the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, where the Crimson Tide was one of the top 10 teams in the country. He played Davis Cup tennis for the Dominican Republic, and has had a long career playing American Tennis Professional (ATP) and International Tennis Federation (ITF) events around the world.

Tennis also has given him a mission.

Pallares, an Arbor Greene resident the past 10 years, is hoping to bring tennis locally to those in Tampa’s inner city who can’t normally afford to play it or have no access to the game. He is currently working on an event in Tampa to do just that.

Pallares founded One Love Tennis Inc., a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization designed to reach underprivileged and low-income youth through affordable tennis, education and fitness, in 2011.

One Love Visits Africa

He has organized a few events for his One Love Tennis, but he says one he brought last month to Africa has inspired him to do even more.

While playing in a ITF tournament in Zimbabwe, he was asked by fellow tour player Patrick Mufumbila to join him afterwards in Zambia for a charity event. Pallares agreed, and the two players traveled two hours by plane to Livingstone, in the Southern Province of Zambia.

Mufumbila, a 21-year-old lefty who is one of Zambia’s Davis Cup hopefuls, and Pallares, the 35-year-old New Tampa resident, played an exhibition match for 20 orphans at the Livingstone Royal Tennis Club in the Mukuni Village, roughly four miles from Victoria Falls, one of the “Seven Wonders of the World.”

“To be able to coordinate this event with Patrick was amazing because not only were the kids able to see what a professional match looks like, they were also able to watch a local (African) player as well, so they can think, ‘Hey, that could be me one day,’” Pallares says.

Afterward, Pallares organized a daylong tennis clinic for the children, including games and prizes. “It was basically a whole day to give the kids a chance to get out of their normal routine,’’ he says. “They were really interested. All of the kids picked it up very quickly, and they all really enjoyed it.”

The Nomad Sports Academy for orphans helped organize the event. The academy currently takes care of 200 orphans (Zambia has more than one million orphans countrywide) and works, “to give our children a chance to train their bodies and minds in order to become leaders of tomorrow and to break the chains of poverty and shame and tell their story to the world.”

Created in 2010 by a Canadian couple, the Nomad Academy works closely with the Butterfly Tree Charity, which supports children in rural villages, by helping to provide improved health and education facilities, safe water and sanitation, feeding programs, and health centers contributing to the fight against diseases such as malaria and HIV/AIDS throughout Zambia.

Pallares, who is currently in southeast Asia playing ITF tournaments in Vietnam and Indonesia, says that when he returns to Tampa he will begin organizing something similar to what he did in Zambia for local areas in need. 

“I would love to do something (similar) in Tampa to help with inner city kids, and hope to get it organized by December,’’ Pallares says. “Just a day for those kids to come out and play tennis, to introduce them to the sport. There are a lot of kids who could be really good at it and enjoy it, but other sports are a lot easier to play — you can just go up to the playground with a ball. But, with the right opportunity, who knows?”

To help with the One Love Tennis inner city tennis event or participate as a sponsor, email Michael-Ray Pallares at mrpallares3@gmail.com.

Señor T’s Shuts Down!

16-16 Classified Ads CelesteNew Tampa’s Señor T’s Mexican will not make it to its one-year anniversary.

The restaurant is shutting down immediately, according to new manager Bill Jaber.

Jaber, who has only been with the restaurant for approximately two weeks, called the Neighborhood News Tuesday afternoon to cancel advertising and say that Señor T’s was closing, effective immediately.

Dwayne Bracy, the restaurant’s original operations partner, left in July for another job.

Calls to Señor T’s are now directed to a voicemail that does not identify the restaurant, just the phone number.

Señor T’s opened on “Black Friday 2015” (Nov. 27), in the long-vacant former New Tampa Macaroni Grill, located at 17641 Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in front of the also-vacant former Sweetbay Supermarket. The Macaroni Grill was unoccupied for more than a year before Señor T’s confirmed it was moving in last September.

The Mexican eatery was going to be the first link in a planned start-up chain of roughly seven Tampa Bay locations.

The New Tampa restaurant received lukewarm, and sometimes blistering reviews online. It was excoriated on Yelp! and by many in New Tampa for failing to offer complimentary chips and salsa, which is customary in most Mexican restaurants. The food was panned as lacking authenticity, and the service received mixed reviews.

The restaurant was in the midst of trying to recover, with changes in the kitchen and possibly an interior renovation. But, the decision was made to cancel any re-boot and shut down immediately.

The restaurant featured indoor and outdoor seating, a full premium liquor bar that featured 75 different brands of tequila, and mid-priced Mexican fare.

HCSO Seeking Assistance In Identifying Bank Robbery Suspect

robbery2Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office deputies are asking for the public’s help in identifying a suspect who robbed the MidFlorida Credit Union at 20401 Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. on Aug, 5.

According to the HCSO, the suspect — a white male approximately 40 years of age and 5-foot-9 inches tall with a medium build — entered the credit union at approximately 9 a.m. and approached the bank teller. He passed a note to the teller demanding money and implying that was was armed. The suspect then placed an undisclosed amount of money in a maroon-colored draw-string style bag, retrieved his note from teh teller and feld the credit union heading eastbound on foot.

The suspect, who was wearing baggy jogging-style pants, a Nike jacket, blue visor with white letting on it and gray Nike sneakers, was last seen running behind neighboring businesses. The HCSO says he possibly fled in a silver 2000’s model Toyota sedan with tinted windows. The suspect fled towards Bruce B. Downs.

RobberyAnyone with any information reference the suspect is asked to call the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office at 247-8200, or anyone with any information regarding the identity and whereabouts of this suspect and who
wants to be eligible for a cash reward is asked to call Crime Stoppers at
1-800-873-TIPS (8477), report anonymously online at www.crimestopperstb.com or
send a mobile tip using the HCSO’s P3 Tips Mobile application, which is a free
download for iPhones, iPads and Droids.

You must call Crime Stoppers first to be eligible for a reward.

Cross Creek Blvd. & Kinnan St. Getting Better Turn Lanes

cross creek
These left-hand turn lanes onto Kinnan St. on Cross Creek Blvd. will be extended by 400 or so feet to prevent traffic from backing up at the busy intersection (as you can see in the picture, a common sight for evening commuters). Kinnan (below) also is getting a right turn lane onto Cross Creek.

A $5-million, 2-mile long widening project on Cross Creek Blvd. was completed last year, but that’s not the end of the improvements planned for the busy road, as the familiar site of bulldozers and orange barrels are back as you’re reading this issue.

Construction, which is expected to be completed by Oct. 31, is ongoing at one of the busier intersections of Cross Creek, which runs east from Bruce B. Downs Blvd. to Morris Bridge Rd., as revamped turn lanes and signage are now being updated at the corners of Cross Creek Blvd. and Kinnan St., between Louis Benito Middle School and the New Tampa Regional Library.

The intersection improvement is being done by K-Bar developer M/I Homes, as part of the approved K-Bar rezoning last August. The balance of the required transportation improvements for the K-Bar project are related to road construction of the K- Bar Pkwy., including connections at Kinnan and Morris Bridge and the southern collector roadway.

Meanwhile, on eastbound Cross Creek Blvd., two short left turn lanes onto Kinnan St. are being lengthened by approximately 400 feet. Previously, the left turn lanes were roughly half that distance, and often filled by cars, many that spilled back out onto the two eastbound lanes, tangling traffic during high-volume times during the evening rush hour.

Many of those commuters are returning to their homes in the K-Bar Ranch development, as Kinnan is the only road in and out without driving two more miles down Cross Creek to turn left onto Morris Bridge.   

Now that the turn lanes are extended from the corner all the way to the library, the flow of traffic is expected to be smoother.

A right turn lane also is being built on southbound Kinnan, to accommodate morning traffic out of K-Bar Ranch, at the corner of the Cross Creek Center shopping plaza.

The construction will move the existing walkways that cross over Cross Creek Blvd. from the Cross Creek Center to the library side of the road 15 feet or so to the west, or towards the library.

The existing mast arm traffic signal will be replaced at the southwest  corner of the intersection, due to the addition of an additional signal head for the new right turn lane on Kinnan.

On the south side of Cross Creek Blvd., at the entrance to Benito, a Type F Curb (we suggest Googling it to understand what that looks like) will be placed from the inside shoulder to the existing sidewalk on both sides of the entrance.

In addition, new signage will replace the existing signs at the intersection of Cross Creek and Kinnan.

Budget Proposal Brings New Fire Station & Playground Equipment To New Tampa

FireStationWEBTampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn’s proposed Fiscal Year 2017 city budget includes an emphasis on improving parks and continuing business development, as well as a few nuggets for New Tampa— including a new fire station, updated playground equipment at the New Tampa Recreation Center in Tampa Palms and an intelligent transportation systems program for part of Cross Creek Blvd.

While warning that “we are not out of the woods yet” regarding the recent recession, Buckhorn painted a bright future while proposing his $905.9 million city budget to the Tampa City Council on July 21. The Council will hold public hearings on the proposed budget in September before voting on it.

Buckhorn’s budget proposal includes $175.3 million in capital improvements, including $4.72 million for Fire Station No. 23, which will be located at 20770 Trout Creek Dr., behind the AutoZone and Christian Brothers Automotive off Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in the Trout Creek area.

“Something near and dear to council (member Lisa) Montelione’s heart, and this will be her last budget, so this is our gift to our friends and neighbors in the New Tampa area,’’ Buckhorn said.

Montelione, who has resigned her Council seat effective Nov. 8 to run against Republican incumbent Shawn Harrison for his Florida House District 63 seat, has championed the new fire house in her five years on the Council.

“Fire Station 23 is the one that even my predecessor had been pestering the administration about when Pam Iorio was the mayor, so that one has a long history,’’ Montelione said.

Buckhorn4_030816The fire station is part of the city’s $120.3-million Capital Improvement Program, which is addressing a significant amount of previously deferred infrastructure projects. The land had been acquired previously by the city, and Buckhorn said New Tampa is starting to grow again, so it’s time to finally deliver the fire house.

“Growth in New Tampa is starting to emerge again,’’ he said. “During the recession, it was virtually nothing. We recognize now that, with the anticipated entitlements and the demand for housing up in New Tampa, we needed to fulfill that obligation.”

Another fire station, No. 24, is planned for the K-Bar Ranch area off Morris Bridge Rd. in the future. It won’t be funded and built next year like No. 23, but it is on the city’s budget radar after Montelione brought light to the need for one in the K-Bar area — despite the location of Station No. 22 on Cross Creek Blvd., a mile or so west of Morris Bridge Rd.

“Included for in future years, there are planning dollars and construction dollars for Fire Station No. 24,’’ Buckhorn said. “We’ve got design dollars in there to be done as the growth continues to occur.”

Montelione said she worked with M/I Homes and the city’s Parks & Recreation Department to secure the land. She said there are long-range plans to build a 54-acre park in the K-Bar area, and she called the parks department and asked for two acres for the fire house.

“It’s all very preliminary,’’ Montelione said. “I would think it would be 2019 before it comes out of the ground, but it’s on the radar so that’s good.”

Montelione said she is still combing over the budget, and while pleased to see the fire station finally getting built, “I always want to have more for New Tampa. There are a couple of things I’ve worked on for a long, long, long time and they’re here, and there are things I wish I were in here (that) are not.”

The New Tampa Recreation Center (NTRC) will be getting updated playground equipment in the proposed budget. The Tampa City Council has voted twice in five years to bypass expansion of the NTRC that had previously been budgeted, including a Feb. 4 vote to spend the money budgeted for the Rec Center to fix the Cuscaden Park pool in Ybor City.

“Still no expansion, and I’m still upset about that,’’ Montelione said.

Also in the proposed budget, Cross Creek Blvd. from W. Cory Lake Blvd. to Morris Bridge Rd. will be outfitted with CCTV traffic monitoring cameras as part of Tampa’s intelligent transportation systems program, which monitors traffic patterns and is designed to improve transportation.

Buckhorn sounded an upbeat tone when talking about Tampa’s overall fiscal health. He cited various reports hailing the area as one of the best in the country. Money magazine listed Tampa as the “Best City In The Southeast,” Realtor.com recognized Tampa as a “Top Place To Move”, and Tampa was the only city to make Bloomberg Business Week’s “America’s Best Cities” list, to name just a few.

Buckhorn also says that the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) added 42,800 more jobs in March compared with last year, and has seen its unemployment rate drop from 9.9 percent in 2011 to its current 4.6 percent.

“If you think back to 2011, when a majority of us came to this Council, it was a very different place,’’ Buckhorn said. “It was a different country, a very different state and definitely a very different city.”

Buckhorn came into office facing a shortfall of more than $30 million. Thanks to increased property tax revenues and departmental reductions, the City was able to close its projected $9.2-million operating shortfall.

“We are not out of the woods yet,’’ Buckhorn admitted. “We are still struggling to find our footing. The resources that we have (now) are not even close to what we had in 2007.”

But, things are getting better, he added. And part of the reason for that is a streamlined permitting process that is bringing more development to the area. From Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 to FY2016, the city permitted nearly $10 billion worth of construction. In FY2016 alone, permitted projects were projected at $2.3 billion. And, for FY2017, $7.5 billion is projected.

“We said from day one that we can’t cut our way out of the recession,” Buckhorn said. “We have to grow our way out of the recession and that’s why we streamlined the permitting process. Heretofore, we were not competitive. People did not want to come do business with us because the regulatory process was so burdensome. That doesn’t exist today, and we’ve become a model of how to permit.”

To view Mayor Buckhorn’s entire proposed FY2017 budget, please visit TampaGov.net/Budget.