Lutz NEWS
ee r F
SERVING LUTZ/ODESSA
LAKERLUTZNEWS.COM
Auto Accident? Slip and Fall? FREE CONSULTATION
County seeks input for parks and rec
By Kevin Weiss
kweiss@lakerlutznews.com
At locations around Hillsborough County, officials from the Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation department are meeting with residents to discuss future recreational plans for the county. On June 27, the public input session was held at the Northdale Community Center. That was one of seven meetings in June to gather suggestions as the county creates its comprehensive plan for its parks system. The goal is to have a final master plan in time for the county’s budget discussions in January, said Doc Dougherty, the county’s parks and recreation director. Once it has been completed, the plan essentially will be a “wish book” of requests,
No Fees Or Costs Unless You Win HOLLIDAY KARATINOS LAW FIRM, P.L. HelpingInjuredPeople.com Call Attorney
JIM HOLLIDAY
J U LY 1 3 , 2 0 1 6
KEVIN WEISS/STAFF PHOTOS
Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation director Doc Dougherty outlined the parkplanning process at the Northdale Community Center on June 27.
upgrades and programming for the park system. Ideas from residents and department staff are both being considered. “It’s the involvement of everybody — it’s not just one person’s plan,” Dougherty said. “In the end, we can have a much more productive department and better quality of life through our parks overall,” he said. The county’s parks and recreation system is large. It includes: More than 180 neighborhood parks, 118 playgrounds, 270 athletic fields and 53 community centers. The county also oversees five dog parks and three skateparks. At the Northdale session, an addendum survey indicated a strong preference for See PARKS, page 11A
813-868-1887 “I Will Aggressively Fight To Protect Your Legal Rights” 18920 N. Dale Mabry Hwy Ste 101 Lutz, FL (Corner of Sunlake & Dale Mabry)
Walk-Ins Welcome
COURTESY OF RAY CARR
The members of the 2015-2016 Team 6430, from left, RJ Walters, Braeden Adams, Addie Adams, Sean Carr, Maddie Jones and Ross Edwards.
Lutz robotics team already gearing up for next season By Kevin Weiss
kweiss@lakerlutznews.com
LK/LZ
Service the Way it Oughta Be!
$20 Off SERVICE REPAIR A/C, Plumbing or Electrical
LK/LZ
Must present coupon. LiMited tiMe offer.
$39.95
It’s been less than three months since the Lutz-based Trinity Dragons had a strong showing at the 2016 Vex World Robotics Championships in Louisville, Kentucky, yet the club’s high school team is already strategizing for next year’s robotics season.While other robotics clubs may take some time off to regroup and recharge their batteries, that isn’t the case for Team 6430. The team —Braeden Adams, 15; Sean Carr, 17; Maddie Jones, 16; and, RJ Walters, 17 has been working diligently in hopes of building off last year’s achievements and again reaching the world championships. “We try to tell them to take a couple months off, but it never works,” said Ray Carr, robotics coach for the Trinity Dragons. “They just start building again as soon as the (robotics) parts show up. “It is nonstop,” the coach said. The group often spends 30 hours a week building a Vex robot from scratch, and then methodically attempts to optimize it for a particular Vex robotic challenge. The process is arduous. It consists of designing a robotic prototype from a combination of in-
tricate software, and mechanical equipment and sensors. “Software makes a big difference, and how you run control systems and stuff like that,” said Ray Carr, the chief technical officer for OccamMD, a leading engineering services firm. “That’s where they’ve excelled — getKEVIN WEISS/STAFF PHOTO ting their controls working and their software working, Team 6430 is already building their robot for next season’s and making it different than Vex robotics challenge, ‘Starstruck.’ just a robot that can drive (itself).” elite teams from other countries inside the This past season, Team 6430 won the 1.2 million square-foot Kentucky Exposition Florida Vex Robotics State Championship Center proved to be a fulfilling experience, and finished ninth among 500 teams at the team members said. They interacted with world championships, which consisted of students from nations like Canada, New more than 16,000 participants from 37 na- Zealand, China, Singapore and the United tions. Kingdom. The 2016 competition, called “Nothing “The human element is the most imporBut Net” required teams to construct robots tant part,” Ray Carr said, “because it gives that could essentially score as many balls them exposure to managing teams and maninto goals during a two-minute span. aging people. They’re learning about A replay of the 2016 Vex Robotics World real-world applications and real-world interChampionships will be airing on ESPN2 on faces; it’s been really good for them.” July 20. Competing —and teaming up — with See ROBOTICS, page 11A
A/C OR PLUMBING CHECK-UP Must present coupon. LiMited tiMe offer. #CFC1428982
#CAC1816647
#EC0001103
Air Conditioning • Plumbing • Electrical
CORNERSTONEPROS.COM
813-949-4445
B PHOTOS COURTESY OF PAT SERIO
INSIDE, PAGE 1B
Those riding on the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club tossed candy to parade spectators. The float featured grandchildren of club members, who are also a part of a local dance group. Before the parade began, club members were selling donuts and coffee to the crowd, donning their familiar green shirts, which are seen at virtually every Lutz event. For information on the club, visit GFWClutzlandolakeswomansclub.org.
Club commemorates Fourth of July The GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club co-sponsored the Lutz Independence Day Parade, as it has for decades. Members of the club marched, carried the club’s banner and rode on the club’s float. Carrying the banner are Roseanne Lange, left, and Aniko Solomonson.