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New FishHawk Area Schools' Boundaries Are Meeting Topic

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By D'ANN LAWRENCE WHITE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 2, 2009

LITHIA - Parents can review and comment on proposed attendance boundaries for new elementary and middle schools in the FishHawk area at a public meeting Jan. 14.

The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. in Randall Middle School's multipurpose room, 16510 FishHawk Blvd., Lithia.

Steve Ayers, director of student services for Hillsborough County schools, says parents can view maps of proposed boundaries for Stowers Elementary and Barrington Middle, schools under construction on the south side of FishHawk Boulevard in what is to be called the Circa FishHawk community.

The 1,229-acre community is approved for 3,200 new homes. The two new schools, on a 26-acre campus, will be ready to use in August, although the developer of Circa FishHawk, Newland Communities, which developed the abutting FishHawk Ranch community, is being more circumspect with its construction schedule until the economy turns around.

Commercial construction at Circa FishHawk is expected to begin early this year, with fertilizer giant Mosaic Co.'s proposed 100,000-square-foot office building on 7.4 acres in the development's village center business district, which fronts the south side of FishHawk Boulevard east of Bell Shoals Road. About 400 employees are expected to occupy the building, scheduled for completion in 2010.

Newland Communities is moving cautiously with its residential development, said Rick Harcrow, senior vice president of operations for the Tampa division. He said the developer is watching the market, focusing on building multifamily units to fill the continued demand from retirees and empty-nesters.

Newland will begin Circa FishHawk construction with Starling, a 407-acre, 735-home community on the north side of FishHawk Boulevard that will include town homes, villas, cottage homes and conventional single-family homes.

Hillsborough County School District officials say they do not expect to have any trouble filling the new schools.

Ayers said that while some students will come from the yet-to-be-constructed neighborhoods of Circa FishHawk, more than 200 students at Stowers Elementary will be transferred from Boyette Springs Elementary School. In addition, the new school will pull students from a portion of the Bevis Elementary attendance area that is undeveloped and four students living on the north side of FishHawk Boulevard in the Lithia Springs Elementary attendance area.

Barrington Middle School will pull an equal number, about 200 each, from Randall, Rogers and Eisenhower middle schools, Ayers said.

"We don't expect the boundary changes to be controversial, but there are always some people who don't like change," he said.

The Hillsborough County School Board has not assigned principals to either school.

The schools will share utilities, parking and recreation areas.

After the community meeting, Ayers will present a report to the school board, which will host a public meeting before making a final decision on the attendance boundaries.

Reporter D'Ann Lawrence White can be reached at (813) 657-4524 or dlwhite@tampatrib.com.

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