Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel, just north of Tampa, is among the top draws for people looking to combine a tennis-playing vacation with terrific fun and relaxation in the sun. […]
A public meeting to discuss the proposed construction of a 9,000-to-10,000-square-foot gymnasium for the Westchase Recreation Center will take place Tuesday, March 23, at 6:30 p.m. at Westchase Elementary School.John Brill of Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation says the location for the proposed multiple-use gym is based on the neighborhood's population and growing need. Brill says the current facility has waiting lists for leagues, and the new gym would help alleviate that."Their rec center itself could use expanding," Brill says. "You could do a number of different types of expansion, but the gym seemed to be the way to go to provide both the space and the usage."The $1.3 million project will be paid for by Community Investment Tax funds. Plans include the gym, a weight room, restrooms, storage areas, a mechanical room and an electrical room. The existing facility also would be renovated.Westchase Elementary is located at 9517 W. Linebaugh Ave. in Tampa. For information, call the Hillsborough County Public Works Department at 813-272-5275.Writer: Carter Gaddis Source: John Brill, Hillsborough County
Terry Hunt of TL Hunt Inc. wanted to sell office space to the former football-playing Gramatica brothers, who now own and operate a construction-based business in Tampa called Gramatica SIPS International. Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers place kicker Martin Gramatica and his brothers, former University of South Florida place kickers Bill and Santiago Gramatica, had another idea during a meeting at Hunt's office. "We were trying to sell him our product," says Bill, who also kicked in the National Football League. "He was trying to sell us an office." The Gramatica brothers convinced Hunt to use their product, structural insulated panels, in the ongoing construction of TL Hunt Inc.'s United Business Park, located on Hillsborough Avenue about a mile west of the Veterans Expressway. The structural insulated panels have "tremendous energy efficiency and strength," says Bill Gramatica. "It has a stacking strength five times stronger than concrete blocks." The panels consist of rigid foam plastic insulation sandwiched between engineered wood facings. They were invented more than 60 years ago and have gained wide-spread use by energy-conscious buildersUnited Business Park already is fronted by a NAPA auto parts store and George's Wholesale Tire. Plans call for 10 additional 10,000-square-foot office/warehouse buildings, to be partitioned into four units of 2,500 square feet, as well as a new corporate headquarters for TL Hunt Inc. and an additional 3,500-square-foot building toward the front of the 23-acre property. The business park also will include a dock for fishing, riding trails and a picnic area, says Sheryl Marks of TL Hunt Inc.Bill Gramatica says Gramatica SIPS International also has begun to explore avenues to build their prefabricated structures in Haiti. Martin Gramatica, who also kicked for the New Orleans Saints before retiring in 2008, has explored ways to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina by building strong, relatively inexpensive housing in stricken areas. Writer: Carter GaddisSource: Bill Gramatica, Gramatica SIPS International
Indiana-based Sun Development and Management Corp.'s newest hotel, a SpringHill Suites by Marriott, opened Monday, March 8, at the Tampa Palms Professional Center. The 127-suite hotel is located at 5396 Primrose Cir. and is scheduled to hold a grand opening event in April, says sales director Cindy Robinson. The hotel plans to market itself to extended-stay business travelers, as well as tourists visiting area attractions like Busch Gardens Tampa and visitors to the University of South Florida. There is 1,035 square feet of meeting space and room to accommodate meetings and functions for as many as 50 people. Sun Development and Management owns and operates 26 hotels nationwide and has eight others in development. This is Sun's fourth Florida property, with a fifth, a Holiday Inn in Titusville, scheduled to open in April. SpringHill Suites, which was begun by Marriott in 1998, underwent a recent redesign and has more than 250 sites nationwide. With more than 140 more in development, SpringHill Suites is among the fastest-growing brands in the Marriott chain. Writer: Carter GaddisSource: Cindy Robinson, SpringHill Suites
The first annual Pinellas County Transit Summit will take place Monday, March 22, at the Hilton St. Petersburg Carillon Park. The event begins at 7:30 a.m. with registration and a Continental breakfast and is scheduled to end at 10 a.m. Space is limited, and participants are asked to register by Friday, March 18, at the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce website. After introductory remarks by Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners Chairperson Karen Seel and Steven Raymund, chairman of the board for Tech Data Corp., the program will proceed with a wide-ranging discussion of potential benefits of public transit for Pinellas County. Among the presentations planned is an update on high-speed rail and separate discussions on transportation needs for local colleges and universities, transit's effect on tourism and economic growth and transit-oriented development. The keynote speaker is Donald Keuth, president of the Phoenix Community Alliance. Keuth was instrumental in getting a sales tax passed to help finance the Phoenix Light Rail project, which was projected to carry 22,000 passengers per day but carries an average of 50,000 on a given weekday. After a question and answer session, Seel will discuss plans for the Pinellas County Transportation Task Force. For information, contact Jessica Eilerman or call 727-388-0682. Writer: Carter GaddisSource: Jessica Eilerman, St. Petersburg Chamber
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