News Archives — Page 54 of 322

Grove Mini Golf Sets A Date For Grand Opening

The long-awaited and often-teased miniature golf course at The Grove is, dare we say, just about ready to open.

Ryan Mortti, the owner of the putt-putt course, says that after a number of supply chain issues, permitting obstacles and other delays — not to mention a few premature announcements of an impending opening on Facebook — the course is now expected to open on Saturday, April 15.

*Owner Ryan Mortti is excited to finally be opening Grove Mini Golf near the B&B Theatres Wesley Chapel at The Grove.*

“We definitely stressed ourselves to get here,” Mortti says, “but, you know, we’re making it to the finish line. Obviously, we always wish it could have been a little faster. Nobody wishes it would have been faster more than we do.”

The 18-hole mini golf course is located near the B&B Theatres Wesley Chapel, which at one point was called The Grove Theater, and in tandem with the golf course was going to be the centerpiece of The Grove reclamation project.

Back when Mortti first came up with the concept, the mini golf course project had no competition. It was going to fill a hole in Wesley Chapel.

But then, the Covid pandemic created a host of issues, and two years later, PopStroke, the new Tiger Woods-owned miniature golf course, announced it was coming to town.

PopStroke, which is corporate-owned, opened last month to rave reviews and large crowds. But, Grove Mini Golf is a family owned, more family-friendly venture.

“We’ve definitely changed a lot of things once we knew we were competing with Tiger Woods,” Mortti says. “That’s not your typical competitor.”

But, while PopStroke promises two 18-hole courses that are intended to simulate putting on a real golf course, Grove Mini Golf is a much more traditional putt-putt course, and has gone through a number of design changes since Mortti first heard the Woods-designed PopStroke was coming.

*Not only do the waterfalls at Grove Mini Golf look cool, Mortti says they will keep the temperature on the putt-putt course nice and cool.*

*On the hole above, you can putt your ball into the rushing river, which will carry your ball towards the hole.*

Some of those changes including adding larger visual features, including volcanoes and large waterfalls and plenty of water features throughout the course. Mortti says the planned waterfall became more prominent in the design, and more water in general was added. The course, which Mortti says is designed to have a “tropical feel,” even has a few rivers running around and through some of the holes. On one hole, you can putt your ball into one of the running rivers, which actually will carry the ball towards the hole.

And, Mortti says, nine of the 18 holes are required to be Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant, but he went ahead and designed all 18 holes to be ADA compliant.

Like PopStroke, which is free of all the trappings of your traditional miniature golf course, Grove Mini Golf also offers no windmills, although there are plenty of bridges and many more family-friendly design elements. There are few moving parts — large boulders and wooden posts are the only obstacles keeping your ball from the hole. The large fire-shooting volcano and waterfalls are all there only to add to the atmosphere.

There are plenty of tiki-hut-style places to grab some shade, there are numerous mister fans and the course will likely have drink and snack stations set up at certain holes as well. “All of the moving water also helps keep the course a lot cooler,” Mortti says. “We want you to stay comfortable.”

Mortti is especially excited about the lighting, which he says had to have special ordered. Each hole is outlined by LED strips which can be programmed for a number of different effects, like colors chasing each other or fading in and out.

“The typical LED lighting is like 60, 80 or 100 LED lights per three feet,” Mortti says. “The lights we have 720 (lights) per three feet….And you can do a lot of cool features with that lighting at nighttime. The playability is going to be pretty cool.”

While PopStroke was designed by TGR, Woods’ golf course design firm, Mortti says that Grove Mini Golf may appeal more to families and younger players.

“I worked with a mini-golf guy that’s built courses for 30 years,” Mortti said. “I had him send me a list of like 100 courses he built. And I just picked some of the best holes from each of those courses and then made ours kind of off of the history of all his courses. And obviously, we changed and tweaked it all a little bit.”

When it comes to food, Grove Mini Golf is definitely simpler and more old school. PopStroke offers an actual restaurant and sports bar with full liquor, while Mortti chose more scaled-down gastronomic options like burgers, chicken sandwiches, personal pizzas and nachos, plus ice cream and snow cones, to name a few, that can be eaten on benches outside or taken on the course.

“We’re perfect for kids’ birthday parties,” Mortti says.

Grove Mini Golf also will offer beer and wine for adults.

Mortti and his crew are hustling to put the final touches on Grove Mini Golf. The greens are already playable, but the lights are being carefully placed along the holes and some electrical fine-tuning remains.

“I’m excited,” he says. “We’re definitely more geared towards that family experience, and I think everybody will have fun coming here.”

Grove Mini Golf is located at 6201 Wesley Grove Blvd. For more information, call (813) 815-7888 or visit GroveMiniGolf.com.

The Market Elaine Continues To Expand At The Grove!

Straight from the “How to Grow Something Special Out of Nearly Nothing” handbook, our congratulations go out to CEO Blair Valentine of The Market Culture, who organized and put on her first “Market Elaine” First Friday event at The Village at The Grove in October 2021 with little more than 20 crafters and vendors and an idea.

Less than a year and a half later, The Market Elaine, named for Blair’s paternal grandmother Dolaura Elaine, features more than 150 vendors, plus entertainment for kids and adults. The event held the First Friday of each month now attracts thousands of visitors to well beyond The Village area of The Grove. In fact, the vendors now reach south from The Village to The KRATE container park.

“This is so much fun,” a visitor walking her golden doodle named Janice told me. “I’ve found delicious baked goods for me, dog treats and toys for her and some great gifts for my family.”

And, even the existing brick-and-mortar businesses at The Grove say they now get a nice bounce from the Market Elaine.

Steve Falabella, who owns both the Falabella Family Bistro and 900º New York Pizza in The VIllage, says “We’re already packed every weekend at the Bistro,” Falabella says. “But, the Market Elaine has definitely attracted a lot of new faces and kept the pizza place hopping, too.”

The next Market Elaine will be held Friday, April 7, 5 p.m.-9 p.m.. For more info, visit TheMarketCulture.com.

Market Elaine Nibbles & Bytes The Grove The KRATE Wesley Chapel

PHSC’s Timothy Beard To Retire

After 17 years at Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC), which includes leading the Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, president Timothy L. Beard, Ph.D., will retire effective January 31, 2024, the school announced on Mar. 1.

By the time he retires, Beard will have served nearly nine years as the state college’s president and CEO. Prior to that, he served more than eight years as PHSC’s Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management.

The school announced that it is conducting a nationwide search for Beard’s successor. Myers McRae Executive Search and Consulting firm will lead the search for PHSC’s fifth president, teaming up with a presidential search committee comprised of community stakeholders and PHSC faculty, staff and students.

During Beard’s presidency, PHSC constructed the $18-million Instructional Performing Arts Center (IPAC), located on Old Pasco Rd. in front of Cypress Creek middle and high school. The facility opened in 2021, and provides instruction in music, dance, theater and multi-media design.

“Serving as PHSC’s president has been the crowning achievement of my career,” Beard said in a release. “The College has made exceptional progress, thanks to the guidance of our trustees and the dedication of our administrators, faculty and staff. I remain in awe of the transformative power of education.”

Beard also has been at the helm for a number of other major projects, like adding a $5 million Burn Center and Fire Academy training center at PHSC’s East Campus in Dade City, which will also be home to a future STEM Student Success and Community Engagement Center with a projected $25-million budget.

Dr. Beard earned his Bachelor’s degree from Florida A&M (FAMU) in 1984, and received his Master’s and Ph.D. degrees from Florida State University. He worked on the staff, faculty and in the administrations at FAMU, FSU and the University of South Alabama in Mobile before accepting the vice president’s position at PHSC.

He succeeded former PHSC presidents Katherine M. Johnson, Ed.D., in 2015. Johnson was preceded by the late Robert W. Judson, Jr, Ed.D., and Milton O. Jones, Ph.D., the college’s founding president.

PHSC, which has six locations in Pasco and Hernando counties serving nearly 10,000 students annually, saw its operating budget increase by nearly 40 percent under Beard, and the PHSC Foundation’s assets increased by more than 60 percent. Beard personally raised several hundred thousand dollars to establish and fund scholarships.

PHSC’s nine-member District Board of Trustees is hoping to find and introduce Beard’s replacement in September.

Information on PHSC’s Presidential Search, including details about the application and nomination process, can be found at MyersMcrae.com or PHSC.edu/about/leadership/presidential-search.

pasco-hernando state college phsc Timothy Beard Wesley Chapel

Wesley Chapel Blvd. Moving Towards Expansion

Pasco County finally has the land it needs to widen Wesley Chapel Blvd. from a two-lane to a six-lane road. Now all the county needs is a final plan.

The county completed the needed right-of-way acquisition for the long-planned project in January, and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is working on the final reviews of the design plans, according to county spokeswoman Tambrey Laine.

“As soon as those reviews are complete (likely by the end of March), we’ll be able to move forward with the bidding process,” Laine told the Neighborhood News.

Construction could begin as soon as this fall, and will take approximately three years to complete.

When the widening project has been completed, Wesley Chapel Blvd. (also known as C.R. 54) will be a six-lane roadway from north of S.R. 56 (near the Cypress Creek Town Center) to I-75, near The Grove.

The widening of Wesley Chapel Blvd. (the roadway portion in red, north of S.R. 56) should begin soon. Many of the major projects along the roadway are either under construction or already open. Please note that the locations of these projects are approximate & not to scale

Of course, the name Wesley Chapel Blvd. — which has been known as much more of a country road connecting Land O’Lakes to the fledgling Wesley Chapel and ultimately, to Zephyrhills prior to the opening of S.R. 56 — is something of a misnomer, as most of the developments on both sides of the road that actually travels north and south, even though it is labeled as an east-west road, are actually located within either Lutz or Land O’Lakes zip codes.

Also located off of Wesley Chapel Blvd. is the North Tampa Aero Park, the small (one-runway) private airport that used to host a popular annual air show. The more popular the air show became, the worse the traffic snarled throughout the Lutz/Wesley Chapel area. The last year the air show was held, people were stranded on Wesley Chapel Blvd. for several hours.

At a Pasco County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) meeting on May 23, 2017, meeting, the commissioners approved a County Incentive Grant Program Agreement with FDOT for the right-of-way acquisition for the project. The estimated right of way costs were $11,718,400, with FDOT contributing half, or $5,859,200.

The construction phase of the Wesley Chapel Blvd. project is estimated to cost $36,392,250, with FDOT agreeing to fund $5,733,308 of that. Including the design costs and right-of-way acquisitions, the total estimated cost of the project is $50.8 million.

The widening will include a six-lane “urban typical section,” with a sidewalk, bicycle lanes, a multi-use path, lighting, and new signals at the intersections at Stagecoach Village Blvd. (the entrance to the Stagecoach Village subdivision, which become an active traffic signal a few months ago), at Compark Dr. and Grand Oaks Blvd. (the latter of which has been in existence for several years).

The project will be constructed in two parts. One part will widen Wesley Chapel Blvd. from north of S.R. 56 to Magnolia Blvd., which is just south of Amici’s Pizza (see map above).

The second phase will widen from just north of Magnolia Blvd. to north of Old Pasco Rd. That portion will include the addition of two new lanes in a 48” median to tie into the existing six lanes to the east and proposed six lanes to the south.

A Look Back…

The idea of widening Wesley Chapel Blvd. was considered as far back as 2003, when there was an initial study to widen it to four lanes. But, later studies showed that would not be enough to accommodate the growth in the area on both side of the road.

*There are three major multi-family projects already under construction on WC Blvd., including the Maeva apartments, located just north of PopStroke*.

Business on both ends of Wesley Chapel Blvd. has exploded in recent years, with the development of the Cypress Creek Town Center to the south and The Grove to the north. But, in between, new businesses and apartment and townhome communities continue to sprout.

There continues to be additional expansion at the Cypress Creek Town Center development north of S.R. 56. PopStroke opened last month, Academy Sports + Outdoors is being built next to PopStroke and a 260-unit luxury apartment complex, Maeva, is under construction just north of those two large businesses, as well as Total Wine & More. Maeva is expected to open around September.

On the west side of Wesley Chapel Blvd. north of S.R. 56, a 42,000-sq.-ft. Harley-Davidson dealership is nearing completion,and there also are plans for a 5,000-sq.-ft. restaurant on the same site.

North of Harley-Davidson, the Cypress Bend Professional Park also is under construction. While none of the tenants have been named, the complex is being built on nine acres and will include 23 buildings ranging in size from 2,612 sq. ft. to 5,868 sq. ft. The entire Cypress Bend Prof. Park project will be 74,172 sq. ft.

Other projects — including a storage unit, Valvoline oil change facility, small businesses in the plazas that dot the boulevard on the drive from I-75 to S.R. 56 – continue to pop up.

And, if Wesley Chapel has proven anything over the last few years, development along Wesley Chapel Blvd. isn’t likely to slow down.

Harley-Davidson Maeva Apartments Wesley Chapel Wesley Chapel Blvd

NTPAC To Debut This Month; B&B Theatres Unveils Improvements

The New Tampa Performing Arts Center (NTPAC) will hold its first event for the community on Saturday, March 25, with a performance by the New Tampa Players (NTP), following a dedication to the theatre troupe’s founder, the late Doug Wall.

The doors to the new 20,000-sq.-ft. Hillsborough County-owned facility — located across from the entrance to the Hunter’s Green community — will open at 6:30 p.m.. Doors to the theater open at 7, with the ceremony and a performance scheduled for 7:30.

While the grand opening for the NTPAC itself actually will come at a later date, organizers are using the dedication and NTP performance as a soft grand opening and an opportunity to honor Wall, a major driver of the arts in the New Tampa area prior to his death in 2017.

Wall founded NTP, which held its first production “They’re Playing Our Song” at both Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club and at Hunter’s Green Country Club, in 2002. NTP has survived as a gypsy-like troupe, putting on performances at a number of different locations while Wall and others fought for a permanent New Tampa home for the organization, which NTPAC will be.

After the dedication, NTP will put on a cabaret-style show that will give attendees an idea of how a performance is put on by the group, as well as how the troupe plans its seasons.

Shows already scheduled for this season include:

• “Beauty & the Beast Jr.: A Penguin Project Production” (Apr. 14-16)

• “Grease” (July 21-30)

• “Shrek” (Oct. 20-29) and

• “Dreamgirls” (Feb. 2-11, 2024).

For tickets to and more information about NTP and these upcoming performances, visit NewTampaPlayers.org.

MOVIE UPGRADES: Speaking of places to watch shows, the B&B Theatres Wesley Chapel (formerly the Cobb Theater) held a North Tampa Bay Chamber ribbon-cutting event on Feb. 15 to show off some of B&B’s remodeling efforts since taking over management of the theater in 2022. Among the new options at B&B Wesley Chapel are:

• Premium Large Format (PLF) Grand Screen, which provides a true wall-to-wall experience.

• ScreenX, which, according to B&B Theatres’ director of communications Paul Farnsworth, is the world’s first multi-projection platform, allowing viewers to experience select films in an expansive, 270-degree presentation, as the two sidewalls of the theater are utilized to give a more immersive experience.

• The Lyric, a smaller (32-seat) theater designed for a more intimate and upscale theatrical experience. The Lyric will be used for showing independent and art films — such as the poignant comedy “80 for Brady” — and offers other high- end touches, including seat-mounted tray tables and elegant waterfall curtains

• Max Relax — Located in another smaller (only 50+ seats) theater, Max Relax offers commercial-grade, electric, heated, fully reclining leather chaise lounge chairs that are great for movie watching….and, if the movie isn’t great, a nice little nap.

*Among the new features unveiled at B&B Theatres Wesley Chapel’s ribbon-cutting event on Feb. 15 included (left) the Cycle Cinema*.

• Cycle Cinema, which is being leased to owner Pascal Collard of the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness center in Zephyrhills and three partners (Nick Walton, Andy Sorrentino and SVB co-owner Andy Green), which brings a Peloton-type shared workout experience to the big screen, with classes for everyone from total beginner to expert.

• SideSplitters at The Grove, the comedy club which already has been operational for more than a year before the Grand Reopening event.

For more information, visit bbtheatres.com or Facebook.com/bbtheatres. For more info about Cycle Cinema, visit TheCycleCinema.com.

B&B Theatres NTPAC Wesley Chapel

Category: News