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Sinkhole Issues Mostly Remedied

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 25, 2009

Updated: 03/25/2009 12:22 am

PLANT CITY - Work crews have plugged most of the sinkholes that closed six area roads.

A recent cold snap had farmers pumping groundwater to spray their crops, triggering underground voids and a rash of sinkholes. Affected were Whitelaw, Moore Lake, Gallagher, Sydney, Lone Oak and Drawdy roads.

Patrick Murray, a spokesman for Hillsborough County's Public Works Department, said most of the roads have reopened although work remains on Sydney and Whitelaw.

Sydney is closed between North Dover and Sydney-Dover roads but is expected to reopen next week.
Whitelaw is closed between U.S. 92 and C.P. Keen Road, with no date set for reopening.

Gallagher opened Friday and the other roads opened during the past month.

Some repairs, such as on Moore Lake, were simple patch jobs. In others, workers needed to pump concrete 20 to 30 feet underground to plug the holes.

Rich Shopes

Meeting To Feature Board Members

NEW TAMPA - The New Tampa Coalition for Change has invited Hillsborough County School Board members April Griffin, Carol Kurdell and Candy Olson to discuss school issues at its meeting today at the New Tampa Regional Library.

Sharon Samek, spokeswoman for the organization, said everyone is welcome to attend the 7 p.m. meeting at the library, 10001 Cross Creek Blvd., and address their concerns to the school board members.

Although the New Tampa organization is associated with the Hillsborough County Democratic Party, the meeting is not a political event, she said.

To contact Samek, call (813) 334-7572.

Kenneth Knight

Water Main Work To Close S.R. 60
YBOR CITY - For nearly the next two weeks, 19th Street will be closed to traffic between Adamo Drive and Second Avenue to allow workers to install a water main.

Access to local businesses will be maintained, but through-traffic will not be permitted.

Look for message boards for detour information.

Rich Shopes

New Drug Abuse Facility Opened

TAMPA - As of 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, Hillsborough County's jails housed 3,479 inmates, up to 70 percent of them arrested for drug or drug-related crimes, said sheriff's Col. Gary Terry.

"We used to think we could build more jails," said Terry, who has served 15 years on the board of directors of DACCO, a drug treatment facility. "We can't build our way out of the problem. We have to stop drug abuse."

Terry was among more than 200 guests, including Mayor Pam Iorio and Tampa City Council Chairman Tom Scott, at the opening of an $18 million facility for the nonprofit Drug Abuse Comprehensive Coordinating Office at 4422 E. Columbus Drive.

Construction money came from a $16 million city bond and matching funds from Hillsborough County, the Homeless Coalition of Hillsborough County, the Florida Department of Children & Families, Wachovia Bank, the Junior League of Tampa and private donations.

DACCO started in 1973.

Kathy Steele

Event Is A Whodunit

CARROLLWOOD - Mayhem and murder will be the theme of the New Tampa Player's latest production heading to Carrollwood.

The Carrollwood Cultural Center will host the group's performance of "The Butler Did It" starting Friday. March 27. The comedy finds Miss Maple awaiting a group of detective writers invited to Ravenswood Manor where they are to assume the personalities of their fictional characters. Then a real murder takes place and the guests realize they're all marked for death.

Tickets are $10 for members and $15 for nonmembers. For dates and times, call (813) 269-1310.

Michele Sager

Dinner Benefits Horse Facility

TOWN 'N COUNTRY Equestrian Club Country plans on raising some much needed funds through a spaghetti dinner.

In efforts to meet a tight deadline and pay taxes to save the horse rescue facility, Glenda Smith is hosting a spaghetti dinner from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday at 4902 Timberlan St.

Dinner is $7 per person or $12 for two. The dinner includes salad and bread.

Smith hopes that through fundraisers such as the spaghetti dinner she can raise the remaining $7,000 needed to keep the facility running. She is hosting other events in April including spring break camp and barbecue.

For information, call (813) 407-6805

Jessica Balanza

Yankees Lunch Draws Big Crowd

TAMPA - Carrying baseball jerseys, pictures, posters and boxes of balls, more than 700 fans sought autographs from current and former players and coaches at the annual New York Yankees Luncheon on Tuesday.

The event, which brought fans from across the country to the Tampa Convention Center, raised more than $250,000 for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay. Local elected officials and dignitaries were among the guests.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi spoke about the upcoming season.

Adele Smithers of the Christopher D. Smithers Foundation said the Bay area's 22 clubs help save lives by encouraging healthy lifestyles for the more than 3,000 youngsters.

Lenora Lake

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