Osprey Observer » Transportation

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.

Public Meeting To Discuss Lithia Pinecrest Road Project Development & Environmental (PD&E) Study

Marie Gilmore — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:27:51 +0000

Public Meeting To Discuss Lithia Pinecrest Road Project Development & Environmental (PD&E) Study

Hillsborough County, in cooperation with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), will hold a public meeting to discuss the Project Development and Environmental Study for Lithia Pinecrest Road in the Brandon area.

The Study evaluates the proposed widening of Lithia Pinecrest Road from SR 60 (Brandon Boulevard) to CR 39. The study length is approximately 10.95 miles.
The meeting is being held to obtain your input regarding the location, conceptual design and environmental effects of the alternatives for the proposed project’s needed improvements.

County Staff and representatives from FDOT will be at the meeting to discuss the details of the project and answer any questions residents may have. Please attend, we welcome your input.

Date: Tuesday, Nov. 18
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Place: Palmetto Club, 17004 Dorman Road
All meeting facilities are ADA compliant. For additional assistance, please call us.
For more information, please call Steve Valdez, Public Works Department, at 272-5275 (TTY: 301-7172).
Visit us on the Web at – www.hillsboroughcounty.org.

Interns Learn The Ropes While On Osprey Observer Summer Assignment

Marie Gilmore — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 18:54:50 +0000

Over the summer break, seven students, including college journalism majors, marketing and public relations majors and high school journalists, completed an Osprey Observer internship, a program open to all students interested in learning more about the field and jobs in journalism.
“We love to open our doors and teach students about the opportunities available to them in the field of journalism,” said Managing Editor Marie Gilmore. “And, each time we complete a program, we learn something new, too.”
Interns are asked to commit to 100 hours of in-office training on a flexible schedule. “Our interns leave our program with a letter of recommendation from us, 10 published articles and, hopefully, a new love and appreciation for the field,” mentioned Gilmore.
University of Florida journalism major and Riverview High School graduate Jennifer Smith enjoyed her time at the Osprey Observer and said, “From the internship, I learned that writing is truly my passion and that I would like to pursue a career in print journalism.”
The program, which runs spring break and summers throughout the year, requires a resume and a request, along with transportation and a love of writing. In addition, graphics interns are accepted and given the opportunity to design advertising and supplements for the Osprey Observer.
In addition to writing, photography and reporting, interns are invited to Brandon South Rotary meetings and to participate in community events.
For more information, call 657-2418 or email editor@ospreyobserver.com. Resumes and internships are being granted for summer, 2009.
2008 Summer Interns
Name: Jennifer Smith
School: Graduated Riverview High School, currently attends the University of Florida.
Major: Journalism

“The most memorable story I worked on was about the Pediatric Cancer Foundation’s Cure Kids Cancer Walk. It was an inspiring assignment because I got to work with a great organization and offer my support to a great cause.”

Name: Elizabeth Wilhelm
School: Marist College/University of South Florida
Major: Marketing
“I learned how to market myself as an individual and as a part of an organization and how to create contacts throughout a community. I also learned a lot of interesting things about my community.

Name: Nora Zaki
School: Newsome High School
Major: Journalism and MidEast Studies with a minor in Arabic
“I truly think interning at the Observer for nearly four weeks gave me a larger sense of independence. I learned how to listen intently to the person(s) I’d be interviewing to make sure I wrote down their responses accurately and wanted them to realize that I was truly interested in listening to them. I guess one can say, my perception of the community where I live has somewhat improved.”

Name: Lauren Ashley
School: Brigham Young University
Major: English
“I loved writing about the charm classes held at Center Place because of the interview I had with the teacher of the class. She was the perkiest and, yet, most sincere person I had ever met, and even though I was interviewing her about what she did, she took time to get to know me and really helped me to feel the importance of the classes she taught. I really wanted to be a better journalist and person!”

Name: Luz Ma
School: Savannah College of Art &
Design
Major: Graphic Design
“I was interested in using my time wisely over summer break, besides just working, and developing any skills with computers or design.”

Name: Kasie Anthony
School: University of Central Florida
Major: Marketing with a minor in Communications
“The internship helped me enhance those skills and apply them to real life situations. Just being in the office and experiencing how a business is run was a learning experience of itself.”

Name: Keria Martin
School: Bloomingdale High School
Major: n/a
“ During my internship, I learned the true meaning of the term “prioritize.” Between phone calls for quotes and deadlines for articles, it was really important to priortize the multiple assignments that were given. Sometimes that meant rescheduling an interview to make room for a more important story that had a much closer deadline. I think this will be a crucial skill in my career as a journalist. “

Intersections Get Upgrade Per Request

Carisa Biesecker — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 20:00:55 +0000

Hillsborough County plans to make the intersections of Kings Ave. and Victoria St. and Providence Lakes Blvd. and Kings Ave. a bit more pedestrian-friendly in the upcoming months.
Located near Brandon High School, the project concerning Kings Ave. and Victoria St. will feature the revamp of the existing traffic light, a pedestrian button, sidewalk ramps and crosswalks.
“This is part of our signalization program to increase the efficiency and safety of pedestrians in our area,” stated Hillsborough County spokesman Steve Valdez. “It is a heavy pedestrian area.” Which hits the nail on the head with a study having been done five years ago leading to the findings that 12,000 vehicles travel the roadway, a roadway originally slated for a capacity of 8,000. This peak of vehicle traffic is usually seen when the school’s session is beginning or ending. “This project will take care of these peak times,” added Valdez.
The intersection of Providence Lakes Blvd. and Kings Ave. will be fitted with a new traffic light, a pedestrian button, sidewalk ramps and crosswalks as well.
According to Valdez, the cost of both projects will be somewhere in the ballpark of $200,000 which is pulled from the Transportation Trust Fund – an account set aside specifically for transportation issues initialized from citizens’ taxes.
Both projects are expected to begin in the next few months, with no initial date having been given for its ending due to the steel mast arm poles to be used in the projects. Made site specific, these factory created poles are Florida mandated due to their ability to withstand hurricane winds and take some time to be fashioned with multiple orders coming into the factory. But no worries should come to motorists traveling these roadways as Valdez assures the public that no delays will be incurred.
“There are no geometric improvements. We may put down a little paint, but there should be no delays,” Valdez concluded. The next project the county will begin on will be the finishing of the third installment of Boyette Rd. in Riverview, but, for now, no other projects are scheduled for the Brandon area.
To learn more about any of the projects mentioned above, please visit www.hillsboroughcounty.com or call 272-5275.