Lithia Pinecrest Road Widening Public Meeting Draws Crowds

Tamas Mondovics — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 01:17:29 +0000

Hundreds attended a recent public meeting concerning the proposed widening of approximately an 11 mile section of Lithia Pinecrest Rd. from its current two travel lane roadway to a six travel lane roadway, affecting the Brandon, Bloomingdale and Lithia communities from S.R. 60 in Brandon to C.R. 39. Local residents who showed up at the Palmetto Club at FishHawk Ranch to hear more extensively about the project had the opportunity to view maps, elevations, a video presentation of the proposed change, as well as talk to county officials on-hand to address questions and concerns. Hillsborough County, in cooperation with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), has been working on preparing a Project Development and Environment (PDE) Study to consider the proposed widening of Lithia Pinecrest Rd., which according to county officials and many local residents, at this point, is simply not sufficient to handle the traffic. “Portions of this roadway currently operate below the county’s adopted minimum acceptable level-of-service standard,” said Hillsborough County Engineering Division Public Works Center Project Manager William Alford. Alford explained that the meeting was strictly about gathering information and that the improvements are intended to accommodate both existing and future traffic volumes as well as enhance motorist safety and reduce emergency response times. But while area residents in general agree that something needs to be done, just as many were unsatisfied due to the lack of information offered by the county. For starters, county officials were faced with complaints that the video presentation of the project seemed to be short on facts. The hot topic that seemed to concern most included the lack of traffic lights planned for the Valrico portion of the project. “I don’t see how they can talk about safety. It is difficult to turn onto Lithia Pinecrest going north now. How is that going to be better trying to cross three lanes and then merge in to three lanes of traffic without a traffic light,” said Gene Will of Valrico, who has lived on Hummingbird Ln. for the past 40 years and is very concerned about being able to turn northbound onto Lithia Pinecrest once the six lane road project is completed. For many residents the small but problematic as well as infamous, Bell Shoals Road and Lithia Pinecrest intersection just a few yards south of Lumsden was the worry of the day-although not on the agenda for the meeting-the proposed road widening plan will include the turning Bell Shoals Road, into a cul-de-sac, cutting traffic flow from it to merge onto Lithia Pinecrest. That is a big problem for Sue Curd with Curd and Associates who feels that the change would choke or at least alter the volume that her business generates. “I will lose business,” she said. Jim Barfield, also a Valrico resident for the past four decades whose wife Jean became Honorary Mayor of Brandon in1996, was disturbed by the fact that the County took this long to decide on thinking about the roads. “The County has been passing out building permits to developers for years. Now they have a problem on their hands and rightly; nobody is happy,” Barfield said. Good, bad or ugly, the meeting seemed to have accomplished its purpose and as expected could and would not please everyone while provided an opportunity to hear or to be heard. One thing is sure. This project will be done and Lithia Pinecrest Road will be a six lane major artery for commuters even if its success remains to be seen. For ore information about the project or for project updates, public comments and concerns please visit www.lpcstudy.com.

E.R. Continues To Improve Its Service

Tamas Mondovics — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 19:57:38 +0000

For most people going to the ER is a two fold problem. One is the medical emergency itself, the other is actually being there. Many who visit their local hospital emergency room likely think about the lengthy visit they will have to endure while wondering what kind of care they are actually going to receive, all before they even walk through the ER doors.
“That mental image is what we are here to change,” said Brandon Regional Hospital’s new director of emergency services Randy Spivey.
Spivey, who took over the department in June of 2007 and who has over two decades of hospital emergency room experience under his belt proudly mentioned that the Brandon ER is his fifth emergency department he has run since 1990.
But Spivey understands that local residents and patients are not interested in numbers or an impressive resume. “They want results and good care provided as quickly as possible,” he said.
This director has his work cut out for him. According to ER statistics, BRH sees close to 200 patients per day which amounts to almost 70,000 a year. More than a dozen of the ER staff is on duty at any given time.
For this reason Spivey agreed and explained that his main challenge is the sheer volume of patients. While pleased with the recent progress at his department which has been renamed from “emergency room” to “emergency center,” with the purpose of removing the negative idea of a “waiting room” and replacing it with a “reception” area, he said that his job has only started and he is determined in providing the highest level of care to all, as fast as possible.
“We are on the right track but, I am not satisfied with where we are just yet,” Spivey said. “It is a work in progress.”
According to Spivey the recipe for a well run emergency center has three main ingredients that comes under the department’s mission of providing the highest patient care possible accomplished only through speed and communication.
“It is good people in the right place, good cooperation between hospital departments and working closely with the ambulance services,” Spivey said.
Repeatedly emphasizing the fact that without his staff, which he said was doing a fantastic job, improvements could not be made. Spivey said, “We have some absolutely great people working here, and I am pleased with their hard work.”
Interestingly, and possibly the reason for this director’s success, is that he is not concerned about other hospitals and reports or statistics from similar facilities.
“I focus on what needs to be done here while making sure that the Brandon community is cared for and that our patients receive the best, the fastest and the highest level of treatment possible,” he said.
Spivey is also a member of Atlanta’s Disaster Medical Assistance team. He was born in Hartsville Tennessee and moved to Brandon in June of last year with his wife Lisa Flueallen, an RN who currently works at Tampa General Hospital’s pediatric emergency room.
For more information about BRH emergency services, please visit www.myBRH.com.

Osprey Observer » cooperation

Lithia Pinecrest Road Widening Public Meeting Draws Crowds

E.R. Continues To Improve Its Service