Plant City Times &
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Helen Parke, of Parkesdale, is turning 90. PAGE 3
FREE • FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015
Celebrate the Fourth of July with our Plant City-inspired photo essay.
Reece Brown travels the country with big rodeo-ring dreams.
PAGE 9-10
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OUR TOWN horsing around by Amber Jurgensen | Managing Editor
Playground plans in early stages
The playground will take about 25 spaces in the parking lot next to the train depot downtown.
Community leaders and city officials are collaborating on plans for a playground next to the Robert Willaford Railroad Museum and train depot in Historic Downtown. According to preliminary layouts, the playground is to be built on the parking lot
+ UF student makes dean’s list
Plant City native Nikki Arnold made the spring 2015 dean’s list at the University of Florida College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Arnold attended Strawberry Crest High School and was part of the first International Baccalaureate graduating class in 2013. She grew up playing sports in the Plant City Recreation & Parks Department and also officiated games in the department’s programs. She is in her third year as a nutritional sciences major at UF and is planning on attending pharmacy school after she graduate. Ever since she was 8 years old she has wanted to pursue a career in pharmacy because of her interests in medicine and helping others. She works part time as a pharmacy technician in Gainesville. She was born in Plant City to parents Brenda Williams and Jeffrey Arnold. She plans on moving back to Plant City after she graduates.
+ City clerk elected to board
Kerri Miller, city clerk for Plant City, has been elected as the central west director for the Florida Association of City Clerks. The announcement came last week, when the Florida Association of City Clerks elected new officers and board of directors at its annual conference and academy, held at the Caribe Royale in Orlando. Created in 1972, FACC
OUR TOWN / PAGE 4
, 3&
This week’s winner is
Kelly Greco
See the photo on PAGE 15.
north of the depot. It will take about 25 parking spaces, but will leave more than enough parking spaces for visitors and merchants to park at while shopping and working. Although nothing is set in stone, the playground is planned to be train themed
with multiple train cars for children to explore. “The whole idea is that we want a community park in Plant City,” Brian West said. West is involved in the playground’s planning. He would like to get area civic clubs involved to help offset the cost of
the park. Other fundraising efforts will target individuals and grants. West is excited about the prospect of having a central park in Plant City. He travels to Lakeland to bring his three children to Common Ground Park. He would like to have a
place in Plant City that is similar. In addition to providing a new recreational site, the park will also have a business impact. “The whole idea for it is to draw people to downtown,”
PLAYGROUND / PAGE 4
jewelry junkie
FIRE FRENZY by Emily Topper | Staff Writer
by Emily Topper | Staff Writer
Theft suspect released on bond
Michael Edward is accused of stealing $275,000 worth of jewelry from a Plant City home. A Plant City resident who allegedly stole $275,000 worth of jewelry has been released on bond, and much of the jewelry that he is thought to have pawned has not been found and returned to the victim. Michael Dwayne Edward, 45, was arrested Thursday, June 11, with charges that included grand theft, providing false
Members of the crew at Station 25 stand in front of one of their new engines.
Emily Topper
NEW FIREPLACE A new Hillsborough County Fire Rescue station opened on Trapnell Road and will replace a 41-year-old station on Coronet Road.
Ruth Bell, Charlie Bell, and their daughter, Frances Bell Monticello, started a volunteer fire service off Coronet Road, which has grown to become the new Station 25. hard work and determination for a volunteer station over four decades ago.
County Commissioner Stacy White said the station was a “beautiful facility” when he toured it June 25.
A FIERY HISTORY
Plant City resident Charlie Bell and his wife, Ruth Bell, were the owners of their own air conditioning company when they witnessed a fire near their place of business in
SEE STATION / PAGE 4
INDEX Calendar.......................2
UNITED
by Emily Topper | Staff Writer
Businesses seek support for main street program David Schwartz, owner of Plant City Mercantile, believes a four-step program can improve all aspects of downtown.
I
n 1968 in Plant City, a state-of-the-art, fully furnished fire station was beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. But as of June 25, that fire station exists: a modern facility that boasts room for two fire teams, a fully equipped kitchen and a safe room for disasters. The new fire station, Station 25, belongs to the Hillsborough County Fire Rescue department. It is located at 2606 E. Trapnell Road, and is approximately 9,000 square feet. The facility replaces one of the city’s oldest stations, a 41-year-old building near Coronet Road, across the street from Alan’s Air Conditioning. Even though the new station has all the bells and whistles, no one will forget it was built on the back of two residents’
SEE SUSPECT / PAGE 4
The non-profit Plant City Downtown Business and Merchants Association has tried before to make Plant City’s downtown district a thriving shopping center, with mixed results. But David Schwartz, the manager of the curated bou-
MAIN STREET / PAGE 4 TO GET INVOLVED AS A STAKEHOLDER Contact David Schultz at Plant City Mercantile, 208 South Collins St., (813) 659-1600, DavidS@ PlantCityMercantile.com
Vol.2,No.41 | Onesection Crossword...................15
Obituaries...................11
Sports.........................12
Weather......................15
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