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DECEMBER 9, 2015
Lake Park closed until further notice By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
Lake Park, a popular park in Lutz, has been closed until further notice because of a sinkhole. At this time, the sinkhole is 6 feet across and approximately 90 feet deep, according to Michelle Van Dyke, a spokeswoman for Hillsborough County. The county has closed the park, at 17302 N. Dale Mabry Highway, in an abundance of caution to protect public safety, Van Dyke said. The county hired a geotechnical firm to conduct soil borings after floodwaters receded about four weeks ago, revealing a depression on one of the main roads in the park, according to Van Dyke.
813-868-1887
See PARK, page 13A
COURTESY OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY
Lake Park, a popular regional park in Lutz, is closed until further notice. Hillsborough County, which operates the park, has confirmed the presence of a sinkhole and has closed the park as a matter of public safety.
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Volunteer Sue Castellano and teacher Amarilys Barbosa pose with some old instruments in front of Pine View Middle School’s marching band uniforms. On the plus side, the school is experiencing a surge of enrollment in its music program. On the down side, it needs more instruments and will soon need additional marching band uniforms.
WANTED: Instruments to help strike up the band By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
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When Pine View Middle School puts on a concert, there’s a good chance that some of the instruments it’s using are on loan from other schools. And, when students want to practice at home, they often have to take turns checking out the instruments. In one way, it’s a good problem: More students are enrolling in the school’s music program. In another, it’s not so good. Students don’t always have access to instruments, losing time they could use to improve their skills. Amarilys Barbosa, who teaches band and chorus, and Sue Castellano, a devoted grand-
parent volunteer, are on a quest to drum up community support for the band. There are different ways the community can help, they said. One way would be for people who have instruments they are no longer using to donate them to the school’s band program. People who took band or music lessons years ago may have instruments they no longer use, Barbosa said. There are professional musicians, too, who may be able to part with some of the instruments they used when they were just starting out, she said. Instruments of all types are welcome, the band director said.“They’ll certainly go to a good home.” While happy to accept any donated instrument, the band’s greatest needs are for tubas and French horns. During a recent concert at The Center for the Arts at Wesley Chapel, the school had to borrow a tuba from Wesley Chapel High School, she said.“There are eight tuba players, but only seven tubas.” There’s a shortage of French horns, too. “My other shortage is French horns.We had to borrow three from other schools,” Barbosa said. In some cases, the school has an instru-
Want to help? If you have instruments you would like to donate or want to help Pine View Middle School’s band in other ways, contact Amarilys Barbosa at the school, (813) 794-4800.
ment, but no case, so students can’t borrow those instruments. Enrollment gains triggered the increased need for instruments. The enrollment increases are a result of Pine View Middle’s effort to be designated as an IB Middle Years Programme. “The very, very cool thing about this program is that now all of the so-called elective classes, they are now becoming core classes,” Barbosa said.“The idea is to expose them to a world-class education.” Last year, her largest band was 45 students. “This year, I’m double that,” she said. There are 240 students enrolled in the music department, including beginning, intermediate and advanced band, and chorus. And, the program will continue to grow. “Within the next couple of years, they’re See WANTED, page 13A
Enjoying the holidays – without the stress
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By B.C. Manion
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INSIDE, PAGE 6A
bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
The idealized version of the holidays involves festive gatherings, enjoyable meals and touching exchanges of special gifts. In reality, though, many people are completely stressed out by calendars that have too many events and activities to attend, too much food everywhere and too much pressure to choose the perfect gift. And because of those expectations, selfimposed or otherwise, instead of being a special time, the holidays can become very stressful. There are strategies, though, to help control holiday stress by simplifying holiday traditions, controlling overindulgence and learning some emotional freedom techniques. A trio of women recently gave a talk on those topics at the Jimmie B Keel Regional
Library, 2902 W. Bearss Ave. The talk was presented by Senior Information Resources, an organization that is aimed at “Helping baby boomers and beyond live well in our community.” Barb M. Mahlmeister, a registered dietitian and nutritionist from Carrollwood, offered strategies for navigating through the holidays, without the weight gain that often accompanies the season. Brenda Cassato, executive director of Senior Information Resources, offered practical suggestions for reducing the stress that often comes with trying to find the perfect holiday presents. And, Sandra Miniere, a personal life coach based in Wesley Chapel, demonstrated emotional freedom techniques – which involve tapping specific energy points in the body to gain rapid relief from emotional and physical disturbances. Senior Information Resources is an or-
ganization with about three dozen members, coming from Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. Mahlmeister gave the audience numerous practical suggestions for enjoying holiday foods, but reducing impacts that last well beyond the season. Many people view the holidays as being the time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, Mahlmeister said. In reality, though, “the holidays start when kids get dressed up for Halloween.” And, she said, they don’t end until the second week of January. During that time, she said, people are busier and tend to exercise less.At the same time, they tend to indulge at all sorts of gatherings. So, she offered pointers to help reduce the impacts. See STRESS, page 13A