Osprey Observer » newland communities

Mosaic Commits $100,000 to FishHawk Sports Complex

Carisa Biesecker — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 15:27:58 +0000

It’s not everyday that a company just gives away money, but that is exactly the concept behind world-wide corporation Mosaic’s recent $100,000 donation to the FishHawk Youth Sports Complex (FYSC) in Lithia.
Recently, the FYSC, located at 16120 FishHawk Blvd. in Lithia, held its season kickoff, giving recognition to local sponsors: Mosaic, Newland Communities, Trish and Randy Waller of Signature Realty, Bella Garden Boutique, Cardel Homes, CCC Group, Inc., Michael A. Hess, D.M.D., of Hess Orthodontics, Riverview’s Buffalo Wild Wings, Osprey Observer, Pepsico and Dick’s Sporting Goods. During the celebration, a check was presented to FYSC by Mosaic representatives for $100,000, to be dispersed over a number of years at the complex.
According to President of the FishHawk Youth Sports Association (FYSA) Scott Powers, the monies will go towards existing programs at the FYSC, improvements throughout the 65-acre complex and the development of the remaining 20 acres allocated for use by the FYSC.
“It’s great to have a company like Mosaic make that large of a commitment to the park and kids out here,” Powers stated. “We really appreciate them stepping up and helping us in our community.”
Having broken ground in early March in the vicinity of the planned 1,800-unit Circa FishHawk development on eight acres near crossroads Mosaic Dr. and FishHawk Blvd., Mosaic, a company that prides itself on giving back to the community in which it is situated, will anchor Newland Communities’ planned 113,589-sq.-ft. Circa FishHawk Village Center with its Mosaic Florida Headquarters office building. When completed in spring of 2010, the company, one of the foremost distributors of phosphate, potash and nitrogen, will hold 400 administrative positions in the Lithia area, adding to its already established 7,400-employee workforce.
“Mosaic really does support the community near which it operates, and FishHawk is right where we are going to be, right where people live, work and play,” mentioned Mosaic Public Affairs Manager Christine Smith. “There are many families involved in many different activities in that park, so really, it is a good community fit as there are so many people, not just from the immediate area, but from other surrounding areas as well who participate in this complex.” She cites that the youth in these communities, such as FishHawk, are not only communities’ futures but are also perceived as the company’s future workforce.
Having originated last year, FishHawk Youth Sports Complex offers a wide variety of sports to those ages 5-16 upon its eight baseball and softball fields and its two multi-purpose fields, comprising of soccer, football, lacrosse, softball, baseball and T-ball. Registration varies anywhere from $50 to $200, depending on the sport selected. With over 2,000 children being a part of the FYSC, Powers concluded, “It has become an identity for the community.”
For more information on FYSC, visit http://fishhawksports.org. To learn more about Mosaic, visit www.mosaicco.com.

Newland Communities Renames Lake Hutto To Circa FishHawk

Marie Gilmore — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 13:16:16 +0000

By Michelle Caceres
It’s not a part of FishHawk Ranch, but the 700-acre site formerly known as Lake Hutto has been renamed Circa FishHawk to reflect its close proximity to the master-planned behemoth.
FishHawk and Circa developer Newland Communities and its advertising agency worked closely to settle on the new name.
“We felt that it was important to position this community as its own special place while still acknowledging the strong FishHawk Ranch brand that has come to define the ‘FishHawk’ area,” said Newland Communities Regional Marketing Director Pam Parisi.
Located south of FishHawk Blvd., between Boyette Rd. and FishHawk Ranch, the steady pace of construction in Circa is currently underway. Roadways to two new schools, Stowers Elementary and Barrington Middle, are being laid with the schools slated to open in August. Attendance boundary lines for the schools are in the process of being drawn and approved. A public meeting to discuss boundaries has been scheduled for Wednesday, January 14, at 6:30 p.m. in the multi-media room at Randall Middle School.
Parisi expects the community to attract families for the same reasons they’re attracted to FishHawk Ranch. The community will feature onsite schools, a convenient town center and a variety of amenities all connected by a trail system.
In addition to families, Circa is also expected to attract singles, pre-family couples, empty nesters and retirees with its variety of housing options, including many maintenance-free options that appeal to these buyer groups.
While the land plan is still being designed, product offerings will include apartments as well as a variety of single-family and multi-family options.
Circa is the continuation and evolution of the FishHawk area, bringing a vibrant Village Center and fresh, new lifestyle choices-both residential and commercial-to the area, said Parisi.
Newland officials say the community is still in the envisioning process, as they are attempting to nail down the land plan and product offerings. Builders are showing interest in the community but specific discussions with builders have not occurred.
“It’s still way too soon,” said Parisi.
For more information about Circa FishHawk, visit www.newlandcommunities.com.

Pumpkins Lead FH Fundraising Fest

Jennifer Silverstein — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 22:46:58 +0000

“Come join friends and neighbors at Park Square on Saturday, October 25, as we host the third annual Life is good Pumpkin Festival,” said Newland Communities Marketing Manager Dawn Turner.
FishHawk Pumpkin Festival is a family-friendly event to be held all day October 25 from 9 a.m. beginning with a pumpkin carving contest all the way to 10 p.m. ending with a concert from local band “Blast!” In between will be pet and children’s costume contests, the World’s Greatest Back Yard Athlete competition and much more. This event is free to the public, with donations for event as low as $5.
One hundred percent of festival funds raised are donated to the Life is good Kids Foundation to be directed to HomeAid, www.homeaid.org, and Project Joy, www.projectjoy.com. Turner is hoping to raise at least $20,000. “Last year, we were able to raise over $25,000,” she said. “We hope to do that again this year.”
Turner said this year, Life is good and FishHawk Ranch partnered together to present a new twist on the event: The World’s Greatest Backyard Athlete competition.
In this competition, participants demonstrate backyard skills, competing in quirky, backyard games such as disc toss, pumpkin seed spitting, washer toss, pumpkin chuckin’ and a wacky obstacle course.

Participants will have to raise a minimum of $250 in order to be eligible for this competition. The top fundraiser of this event will receive the grand prize. In addition, the top athletes in the men’s and women’s divisions will also receive prizes. Local communities are encouraged to pick a representative to compete. Register now by visiting www.FishHawkConnect.com
Pumpkin carving begins at 9 a.m. for a $5 donation per pumpkin. At 7:30, you can display your pumpkin where it will be illuminated along with other pumpkins in Park Square. Afterwards, you can take your pumpkin home. Only pumpkins carved onsite will be permitted for judging and display. Be sure to arrive early for the best selection of pumpkins.
A Pet Costume Pawty will be held from 2-2:45 p.m. Prizes will be awarded for the most creative, wacky and well-presented pet costume. Entry fee is $5 per pet. Visit Resident Services to enter. Prizes will be awarded to the top three winners in each category. Continue with the festivities at the World’s Greatest Backyard Athlete Competition immediately following the Pet Pawty from 3-4:15 p.m.
After naming the World’s Greatest Backyard Athletes, the fall festivities will open up at 4:30 p.m. with a 30-minute pirate show presentation. In addition, festival goers will find great food, a pie eating contest, face painting, cookie dangling eating contest, pumpkin seed spitting, hay rides, and more. Tickets are required to participate in activities.
Plan ahead and make your donation in advance by check or cash at the Resident Services office located at the Osprey Club. Or, donate by credit card online at http://www.firstgiving.com/fishhawkranch. Simply bring your e-mailed confirmation from Firstgiving.com to the Osprey Club.
For a $10 donation, you get 10 tickets, a $20 donation will get you 25 tickets, a $30 donation equals 40 tickets, a $40 donation is 55 tickets and a $50 donation gets you 75 tickets. Activities range from one to five tickets. Also, food and beverage tickets will be available for purchase the day of the event.
Children won’t want to miss the costume parade and contest. This year, the participation fee will be $2 per participant. Pay in advance at the Osprey Club by cash or check or at Park Square the day of the festival. Costumes will be judged based on creativity and originality. Prizes will be awarded to the first and second place winners in each age category. Ages will be broken down as follows: newborns -4-year-olds, 5-7-year-olds, 8-10-year-olds and 11-year-olds and up.
Back by popular demand, the rock trio, “Blast!” will countdown to the pumpkin illumination. The concert will continue until 10 p.m. “Blast!” is a local group who played at Park Square for the first concert of the 2008 Summer Concert Series, according to Turner.
There are many ways for residents, neighboring communities and businesses to get involved with this event. If you are a business and are interested in sponsoring activities at the event or would like to make a monetary contribution, please e-mail Lynda McMorrow at lmcmorrow@newlandcommunities.com. Interested in volunteering? Contact Erin Olson at eolson@fhrhoa.com.

Mosaic Gives Development Boost

Marie Gilmore — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 22:01:52 +0000

A 7.4 acre purchase for a regional headquarters by Mosaic fertilizer on the fledgling Lake Hutto project being built by Newland Communities, near FishHawk Ranch, is a boost to the community and a spur for the development. Newland announced the purchase in July of a building that will house 400 jobs in a 100,000 sq. ft. proximity and will abut a planned town center commercial project with an additional 100,000 sq. ft. of neighborhood commercial businesses.

Newland Communities Vice President of Operations Tom Panaseny spoke to a room full of 70 residents and representatives to update residents on development plans for the community.

“We are proud to have partnered with Mosaic on this project,” said Panaseny. “Mosaic will break ground on its headquarters in 2009 and the building will be completed by 2010,” he described. The headquarters will have its own entrance off of FishHawk Blvd. and will face the boulevard. A national commercial leasing company is being brought in to lease the 100,000 sq. ft. of additional commercial space. “This is about three times the size of our current Park Square,” he described.

Rich Krakowski, vice president of Mosaic, said, “We conducted a study to determine a suitable geographic location that’s closest to the center of where our administrative and staff employees live. FishHawk Ranch area was the bull’s eye.”

Ryan Companies US, Inc. will be developer and contractor for the building, which is scheduled to break ground by early next year and open in the first quarter of 2010.

In addition to the Mosaic entrance, a four-lane divided boulevard with an entrance off of FishHawk Blvd. is scheduled to break ground to access the now-under construction, combined elementary/middle school which is also scheduled to open in the Fall of 2009.

“The school represents the district’s efforts to share some parts of the facility, including administration offices, across the two campuses,” he described, adding, “The district has not yet named the schools, and they will each have their own bus drop off points.”

In addition to Mosaic headquarters and the school, Panaseny said that specific plans for the residential portion of the community are not yet available other than a planned 200 rental apartment complex surrounding the town center.

For more information on Mosaic, visit www.mosaicco.com. For Newland, visit www.newlandcommunities.com.

Mosaic to Build Headquarters Near FishHawk Ranch

Marie Gilmore — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 20:33:35 +0000

The Mosaic Company and Newland Communities announced today that Mosaic has entered into an agreement to purchase a 7.4-acre tract of land from Newland and will build a new office building near FishHawk Ranch.

The approximately 100,000 sq. ft. building will serve as the headquarters for Mosaic’s phosphate business unit and supply chain group, and will bring together nearly 400 employees from various central Florida locations. Importantly, Mosaic will also anchor the office component of Newland’s planned village center in the area currently known as Lake Hutto. Transportation improvements will coincide with the construction schedule to minimize inconvenience.

“We conducted a study to determine a suitable geographic location that’s closest to the center of where our administrative and staff employees live,” said Rich Krakowski, vice president of Mosaic. “The FishHawk Ranch area was the bull’s eye.”

Krakowski noted that the company’s administrative and staff employees currently work at facilities throughout Polk and Hillsborough counties. “Our goal is to bring our management and administrative functions under one roof to foster more cohesive operations and communications as we continue to grow our business.”

The future headquarters site is located on the south side of FishHawk Boulevard, just east of Bell Shoals Road. Mosaic will be the sole tenant of the building.

Rick Harcrow, senior vice president-operations for Newland Communities, said the building will make a major contribution to establishing FishHawk Ranch as a complete community. “By placing this headquarters in our business and retail district, we move FishHawk Ranch even further along the continuum of that livable, sustainable community.”

Ryan Companies US, Inc. will be developer and contractor for the building, which is scheduled to break ground by early next year and open in the first quarter of 2010. Design elements are still underway but Mosaic executives say they will seek certification as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building. “As a mining and manufacturing company, we hold ourselves to high environmental standards, and this building will reflect that commitment,” said Krakowski.