The New Tampa Sensory & Autism Friendly Park, which originally was earmarked to be built on five acres of land behind the BJβs Wholesale Club on Commerce Palms Dr. in Tampa Palms., is headed to a new site.
Now, the park will be constructed in the nearby New Tampa Community Park (NTCP).
After concerns were raised by members of the Stafford Place community about parking and noise, Tampa City Council member Luis Viera, who represents New Tampa as part of District 7, began the search for a new site.
The sensory-friendly park has been one of Vieraβs pet projects since he was elected to the council in 2015.
Viera, whose older brother Juan has autism, successfully fought to get $90,000 included in former Mayor Bob Buckhornβs 2018 Tampa city budget for Phase 1 of the project, which was allocated for a study and design of the park.
Now, that design will be used at the NTCP.
Viera said he will make a budget request to finally have the park constructed.
He estimates the cost at $1-1.4 million, less than he had originally anticipated.
βThere are sites located in the New Tampa Community Park that not only get the job done, but due to the presently available parking and other infrastructure, reduce the cost of this effort substantially,β Viera says. β JCC
From left to right: Sam Becker, a USF graduate student in the School of Urban and Regional Planning, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor and City Councilmember Luis Viera.
A standing-room-only crowd packed Compton Park in Tampa Palms on Feb. 3 for the unveiling of the initial results of a New Tampa business study, and while the presentation did seem to assuage some of the concerns of those in attendance, the results of that survey are far from conclusive.
In fact, because many of the area businesses along Bruce B. Downs Blvd. south of I-75 β meaning Tampa Palms β have not reported data, like earnings and number of employees, to the City of Tampa, the study was only based on businesses along BBD from the I-75 interchange north to County Line Rd.
University of South Florida School of Public Affairs director Ron Sanders said the data the study did find south of I-75 βlooked funny.β
That meant that the closings of Staples, HH Gregg, Bed Bath & Beyond and Casa Ramos, which played a central role in triggering the study, were not included in any conclusions by the USF study, which included input from New Tampa (morning) Rotary Club and North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce members, as well as other local business leaders.
βYou have to take some of the quantitative analysis (from the study) with a grain of salt,β Sanders told the crowd, which included Tampa Mayor Jane Castor and Tampa City Council member Luis Viera. βItβs limited by the data, and it is what it is. It had to be balanced by some of the real-life observations and anecdotal (evidence).β
While the study was spurred by community concerns about business closings in Tampa Palms that were pointed out to Viera (as well as to Mayor Castor while she was running for office), at least north of I-75, seems to paint a rosier picture.
According to Sam Becker, a USF graduate student in the School of Urban and Regional Planning, a total of 57 businesses closed in New Tampa north of I-75 between 2015-18, losing an annual sales volume of roughly $122 million.
However, in that same period, 94 new businesses opened, generating nearly $181 million in sales.
That produced a net gain of 37 new businesses, $59 million total sales volume and 1,651 employees.
But without data from south of I-75, Sanders says βit is hard to draw any conclusionsβ about the New Tampa area as a whole.
And, since the study began, the once-vacant HH Gregg and Staples spaces in the Market Square at Tampa Palms plaza have new tenants, and a handful of new restaurants have opened or will be open by the summer, including more than a dozen new businesses in the Village at Hunterβs Lake development.
The study made a host of recommendations, including creating a chamber of commerce-esque Business Retention & Expansion committee, attracting non-chains and marketing and branding New Tampa.
A community slogan β βSomething For Everyoneβ was floated as an example β as well as signage would let people passing through know they are in New Tampa.
βI still think it comes down to having a community identity that is amenable to everybody here in New Tampa,β Viera said. βItβs something we should work on, as the study pointed to.β
The studyβs results, while inconclusive, seemed to be met with enthusiasm by most of the 100 or more people in the crowd at Compton Park.
βI still miss my Bed Bath & Beyond, but I do feel better about the business climate,β said longtime Arbor Greene resident Noreen Luetteke. βI think itβs improving. I just hope it stays that way.β
Here are the area’s top teachers as selected by their peers. Congratulations!
Stacy Hoffman Hunterβs Green Elementary Math & Science, 3rd grade STEM lead βTeaching is my passion!Β My students become family and together we build a class community.Β We donβt see differences, we encourage others, and we understand that we learn from our mistakes.Β Through this, I become their biggest cheerleader, encouraging them to be the best they can be.β
Simon Meshbesher Liberty Middle Social Studies/History, 8th Grade Β βTeaching is the most exciting and rewarding profession!Β The extent of enjoying student achievement, watching students learn, offers unlimited possibilities to influence generations of students, imparting to them the excitement of learning, the passion of discovery, and the magic of an inquisitive mind.β
Michelle Payton Clark Elementary Math & Science 4th grade Β βMy favorite thing about teaching is making positive connections with my students and showing them that learning can be fun…each time I see one of my students have an βA-Haβ moment, it means success (for both of us).β
Rachael TrentΒ Freedom High ESE Β βThe students in my classroom run their own business, have jobs on campus and volunteer at an assisted living facility in our community. I love that I am able to facilitate all of this for them in order to enrich their lives and help them become more independent adults.β
Daniel Sturlaugson Turner Bartels K-8 School 4th Grade Β βMy favorite thing about teaching is empowering students to lead.Β Student leadership isnβt something that we are mandated to teach, but itβs crucial in preparing students to be college- and career-ready.Β Itβs a true opportunity to see students grow and change right before your eyes.β
Shane Moody Benito Middle School Subject Area Leader for the Language Arts Department, ELA-3 (8th grade) Honors/Advanced classes. Β βThe best thing about teaching is that I get to invest my time in developing young students on a path to success relating to their life goals…I am so proud to say I am a member of the Jaguar Family.β
Kendall Arnold Heritage Elementary 2nd grade Β βMy favorite thing about teaching is making connections with students that last beyond the year they are in my class. I have students who come to visit me years after they leave my second grade class. This is the most meaningful part of my job.β
Carol Lynch Tampa Palms Elementary 1st gradeΒ Β βTampa Palms Elementary has an incredibly talented staff of teachers and support personnel, so it really is an honor to be chosen by my peers for this award.β
Dawn Harris Pride Elementary Kindergarten Β βMy favorite thing about teaching is the growth I see ALL my students achieve. They always make me proud.β
Lisa Keigher Chiles Elementary English Language Arts 3rd grade Β βMy own children, who are now adults, went to Chiles. Their teachers, some who are still at Chiles…inspired me to go into education. To be chosen from my colleagues is the greatest honor I could have ever gotten.β
Elizabeth GloverΒ Wharton High Social Studies, AP Human Geography (9th grade) and Student Government Advisor. Β β(My favorite thing about teaching?) Working with the students!Β Watching them have the βa-haβ moments while explaining difficult concepts to them.Β Teaching them tools to perform tasks, then observing them while they self-start and do (them) on their own.β
The official numbers hadnβt been tallied at our press time, but according to event co-chair Chris Stennett, there is no mistaking that, once again, the Rotary Club of New Tampa Noonβs second annual New Tampa Brew Fest was a hit.
Hundreds of revelers strolled from table to table in the Venetian Center at St. Mark The Evangelist Catholic Church on Cross Creek Blvd., sampling nearly 100 offerings from more than 30 breweries, both big and small, sometimes to wash down the food being served by three outstanding food trucks outside.
The breweries represented included everything from large companies like Cigar City, Florida Avenue, Coppertail and Goose Island to smaller craftsmen who brew out of their garages, like Krazy Eddieβs Garage (KEG) Brewing, Ignorant Ales and Wiregrass Brewing Co.
βWe were really, really happy with the event,β said Stennett afterward. βI feel good about what we did, and we are thankful for the community for coming out to support us.β
The event is the primary fundraiser for the New Tampa Noon Rotary (which meets Wednesdays at noon at Bayscape Bistro inside Heritage Isles Golf Club) and helped the club contribute thousands of dollars to causes like the Fisher House at the James Haley VA Hospital last year.
Few came further for this yearβs event than Wisconsinβs Dennis Zweber (above, left), who took his brother Greg (right), who lives in Lutz, up on an offer to fly down for the Brew Fest and enjoy some better weather.
Dennis, who lives in Soldierβs Grove, WI, just east of Madison, found a plane ticket for $67 out of Minneapolis β about four hours away β and said that going to beer festivals was one of his familyβs favorite pastimes.
βI figured, βWhat the heck,ββ said Dennis. βWe always have a great time when we go to these things.β
Dennis said he was impressed by the New Tampa Brew Fest, considering it was only the second year the event has been held.
βI was really impressed with the quality of the beers,β he said. βThey had a lot of breweries, a lot of variety. I drank a lot of really good beer.β
Dennis, who tends to enjoy darker beers, said his favorite was the organic Peppermint Porter served by Randy Gailit, who brews his Wiregrass Brewing Co. (page 40) out of his garage in the Meadow Pointe community. βThat was a really beautiful beer,β Dennis said.
Wiregrass Brewing Co. wasnβt the only local to draw rave reviews. Double Branch Artisanal Ales (DBAA), which is opening a place in The Grove in Wesley Chapel in January, drew a lot of attention for its offerings, particularly the Orange Suede, a passion fruit, orange peel, pineapple and marshmallow sour.
For DBAA co-owner Ryan Clarke, his first New Tampa Brew Fest was a success. He said the Orange Suede was so popular he had to crack open a second keg of it.βI thought it was a great event, and a great chance to introduce ourselves to the beer-loving community,β Clarke said.
When it comes to grabbing breakfast off busy Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in New Tampa, there is no shortage of places to grab a pastry, donut, breakfast sandwich or a cup of coffee.
But, if you want a couple of eggs over easy, a strip of fresh bacon, a slice of warm toast and coffee in a ceramic mug, youβre pretty much out of luck.
However, the good news is that your luck is about to change.
The Brunchery, a popular Valrico restaurant locally owned for 30 years by Kevyn Farley and known for its stuffed French toast, grilled muffins and six kinds of eggs Benedict, is planning to open in the old Boston Market space on BBD the first week in December, if not sooner.
New owner Stanley Athan is enthusiastic about his latest venture. He grew up in Washington state, in a family that has spent more than 50 years in the restaurant business.
Stanley Athan
Athanβs first job was washing the dishes in one of his fatherβs restaurants at age 14, so he could earn enough money to buy a car when he turned 16. He is the youngest of three brothers, all of whom now own restaurants β Stanley owns Voulaβs Good Eats, named after his mother, in Mountlake Terrace, WA.
When he started looking for new a new business to buy, however, a number of factors pointed him towards Florida. He spent eight months searching for a pizza place or a diner β anything but a chain eatery.
βFloridians are sick of chains,β he says. βThey go because they donβt have other choices.β
When one of his old high school friends mentioned that the restaurant he lived down the street from, The Brunchery, was for sale, Athan quickly hopped on a plane.
βWhen I first walked in, it was exactly what I was looking for,β Athan says.
On his second visit, they got his order wrong. He ordered stuffed waffles, and instead was brought stuffed strawberry French toast. He said it was so good, however, he left a $10 tip.
The Brunchery wasnβt βbroke,β so Athan didnβt have much to fix. The restaurant uses the same recipes that Farley used, continues to buy their products βbread, fruit, etc. β from the same vendors, and perhaps most important, serves the same coffee.
Athan merely added some social media muscle to the operation, and sales have been up since he took over in December of 2018.
Now, he is looking to duplicate the rooster-themed, country feel of his prized mom nβ pop at his 2,300-sq.-ft. space in Valrico to his new 3,100-sq.-ft. space in New Tampa, which will have seating for 100.
He is fully aware that a place to have breakfast in New Tampa is high on the wish list of many area residents.
The Brunchery is best known for its breakfast items β made-from-scratch Belgian waffles and French toast (for the special this week, they were stuffed with blackberries), homemade homefries, steak and eggs and breakfast scrambles β but it also has a lunch selection that includes burgers and sandwiches.
Athan said one of the best compliments he has gotten since taking over the restaurant came from one of his customers who is from New York, and said The Bruncheryβs Reuben sandwich was the best heβs had since moving to Florida.
With chef and general manager Al Marku, Athan hopes to build the same loyal customer base in New Tampa that he has built in Valrico.
βWe know what customers want and like,β Athan says. βWe will be bringing that to New Tampa.β
