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County To Discuss Sports Complex

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By D'ANN LAWRENCE WHITE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 23, 2008

PALM RIVER - Greater Palm River area residents say it's long overdue, so they will be eager to see the county's plans for a sports complex when county staff meets with the community Monday.

The county has scheduled a public meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the Progress Village Recreation Center, 8701 Progress Blvd., to discuss plans for the complex.

Residents say they have been asking for the complex for years.

"There just aren't enough fields for all the kids who want to play ball," said Hilrie Kemp Jr., president of the Progress Village Civic Association. He said youth teams often are at the Progress Village recreation center until 11 p.m. trying to squeeze in practices.

He said the 10-year-old Progress Village Panthers youth football and cheerleading league for children ages 4 to 14 has become popular at the 40-acre park originally built to serve just the 840-home community of Progress Village.

"At one time, it was just a community park," said Kemp, who has lived in the community since 1960. "The only entrance was through the neighborhood on Allamanda Avenue. Then the county made it a county park and changed the entrance to Progress Boulevard."

The park also is home to the Progress Village Little League baseball, softball and slow-pitch teams, flag football teams, the Senior Citizens of Progress Village, after-school and summer programs, arts and crafts groups and soul and line dance classes.

Tony Harris, recreation specialist at the rec center for 22 years, said it operates at capacity year-round, and the area's two other recreation centers are maxed out as well.

The Winston Park Recreation Center, at 7605 Destin Drive off Palm River Road and 78th Street in Palm River, is home to the Winston Park Warriors youth football and cheerleading league, the Palm River Boys & Girls Club, the Palm River Senior Cafe, the Teen Club and Tiny Tots. The center also has a weight room, computer lab, two tennis courts, two basketball courts and playground equipment and hosts special-interest classes.

Rubin Padgett Park, next to the Palm River Recreation Center at 725 S. 58th St. in Palm River, serves the Southeast Tampa Little League baseball, softball and slow-pitch teams.

The Palm River Recreation Center also hosts a Boys & Girls Club, teen and middle school clubs, after-school and summer camps, senior activities, arts and crafts and dance classes.

"What we need are competition fields," Kemp said. "They've been promising us for years, but we've watched while other communities got sports complexes, and we've been left out."

After the residents expressed their need for more playing fields, the county purchased from the Hillsborough County Water Resources Department 120 acres of vacant land west of 78th Street across from Endive Avenue.

John Brill, a spokesman for the Hillsborough County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation, said county staff has drawn preliminary design plans for residents to review that include separate baseball/softball and football/soccer facilities with parking, restrooms and concessions.

"The number of fields is up for debate," Brill said. "The plans are set in Jell-O rather than stone."

Plans also call for a running track and shelters.

Brill said the estimated cost of the complex is $6 million. The completion date is estimated at summer 2009.

Kemp said he hopes the county does not use a cookie-cutter design.

"We might not want to duplicate what the county has somewhere else," he said. "We have our own needs."

Liz Gutierrez, executive director of the Palm River Point Community Development Corp., a community advocacy group, said the county should make sure residents have an active role in the process.

"It shouldn't just be professionals designing it," she said. "The county should engage us. We should all sit around the table. It's important that everyone contributes to this."

SPEAK OUT

WHAT: County public meeting on a sports complex for the Palm River area

WHEN: 6:30 p.m.

WHERE: Progress Village Recreation Center, 8701 Progress Blvd.

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

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