Photos from Lutz 4th of July Parade 2012

Here are some of the 263 photos I took of the Lutz 4th of July 2012 festivities.

One of the several antique tractors

All comfortable,  waiting for the parade

Lutz Patriots

Lutz Land O' Lakes Womens Club food tent

The parade begins with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office motorcycle patrol .

HCSO Captain Rick Hernandez

Daddy, It's so loud!

The Original Lutz Fire Truck "Suzie"

One of our fine Lutz Fire Department members

Election Campaign for Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer

County Commissioner Victor Crist and the vehicle he needed to get to residents in recent flooded University area.

Ronda Storms and her campaign for Hillsborough County Property Appraiser

State Representative Shawn Harrison and his re-election campaign members

Our excellent parade announcer

His socks and shoes

Lutz Land O'Lakes Women's Club Heavenly float

Information  about Lutzian USMC Corporal Nathan Hodge

USMC Corporal Nathan Hodge in person

North Tampa - Lutz Cadet Squadron - Civil Air Patrol

Lutz Volunteer Fire Department

One of the many cool antique fire trucks

Someone who parks where ever he wants to

Dr. Linda Register, our vet from East West Animal Hospital

A girl with some big punches from #1 Martial Arts

American Belly Dancer studio

Clumsy the Clown

A Bug in a Flower Box

Scout from Troop 86 "Living it Up in Lutz"

Decorated Lutz Depot

New Lutz Guv'na Karen D'Amico

Celebrate Independence Day In Lutz

Join Lutz in an old time small town celebration of  Independence Day. On Wednesday, July 4, 2012 come to downtown Lutz (US 41 and Lutz Lake Fern).  There will be a 5K Race/Walk, Parade, Fire Dept BBQ, Cake Auction and announcement of the winner of the Guv'na Race.

This event is being put on on by the GWFC Lutz Land O' Lakes Women's Club,  Lutz Civic Association, and the Lutz Volunteer Fire Association, 

Lutz Lake Fern will be closed at US 41 during the events. The Dog Park will be closed.  The Library will be open.

Parking: If you are coming via US 41, you can park at the Old Lutz Schoolhouse, or in the Winn Dixie shopping center (Sunset and 41) parking lot.  If you are coming from Dale Mabry,  you can try parking in the Oscar Cooler sports complex and the neighboring soccer complex.

Lutz Civic Association Position on the Gates High School

On their website The Lutz Civic Association has posted their position regarding the Gates High School

Here are some excerpts:

The proposed “Gates” middle and high school development was first brought to our attention over two years ago by Patti Girard, the owner of Learning Gate Community School. The LCA has a ten year history with the school, and know them to be good community members. Their current elementary school, located off Hanna Road went through a similar review process when it was initially approved. They have been good custodians of the property and honored their environmental and other plan conditions as they have built out their facility. They have done what they have said they would do, and have constantly strived to minimize impacts to surrounding neighbors.


After working with Ms Girard and through numerous changes to their original middle school/high school plan, we believe The Gates will be an asset to the community. Through this planning process we have been successful in moving the primary entrance to the U.S. 41 driveway. (Note that the requirements of high schools being located on 4 lane roadways are an outcome of prior initiatives of the LCA from over a decade ago). However, development and site plan approvals need to be structured to insure that U.S. 41 remains the primary entrance and that traffic is sufficiently limited on Sunset Lane so as not to substantially degrade its operation. Additionally, environmental issues continue to need attention as planning proceeds. . . . .

 . . . . 1. The level of service numbers (LOS) are created during “peak” traffic hours, ie. 6-8:30 am and 4:30-6:30 pm. The school has agreed to stagger their start and finish times with the kids so they do NOT combine with the local peak hour traffic. Therefore, there will be no deterioration in LOS. However, there are no conditions specifically mandating start and end times to the school. There must be a condition that specifically addresses the start and end time of the school.
2. There needs to be a maximum allowed cars to enter the school off of Sunset Lane. There should be a definite number of “parking passes” allowed the high schoolers, ie. 100. With the 60-70 administrative staff there would total less than 200 trips on Sunset staggered from say 9 – 10 am. It will not interfere with the Lutz Learning Center or with the elementary school traffic on 41. There must be a condition limiting this number.
3. Parking passes or some electronic gate must be placed on Sunset or there is no controlling the traffic. There must be a condition requiring this electronic gate, or there is no way to control this traffic. . . . .


 . . . . Therefore, we offer “conditional support” for this project provided the above concerns are properly addressed. We would hope the LCA would continue to be part of the permitting process to ensure the safeguards are in place for the community.

The Great Lutz Guv'na Debate

From the Lutz Civic Association's newsletter the Lutz Civic Review:
****************************************************************************
We now have four ambitious souls who will vie for the honor of becoming the next Guv’na of Lutz. The Great Debate will be held on Saturday, May 19 from 2:00 until 4:00 p.m. at the Old Lutz School on Highway 41. The debate will include the Lutz Lie Detector test, candidate contests, food, and the presentation of prizes to the winners.

Connie Dorton, domestic diva and crown princess of her humble abode in Lutz, has achieved all of her childhood dreams except that of becoming Guv’na. She is eminently qualified to be Guv’na, due to the fact that she supports local businesses by shopping as often as possible, which is why she has a collection of nearly everything there is to own, including her prized Rolling Stones pinball machine. She also has a stylish regal parade wave, much like that of Queen Elizabeth.

But, candidate Karin D’Amico may be able to introduce Connie to a whole new world of collectibles because, as a member of the Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Women’s Club and the Little Women, she spends much of her free time helping host their flea markets and sales. It’s easy to fill your trunk with great Flea Market Junque! In fact, Karin may host her own flea market for a Guv’na campaign fund fun-raiser.

And Connie could also spend money at Philly Cream of Tampa, owned by candidate Brian Vindick. By the way, he could also use a care package consisting of a Lutz t-shirt because, as a world traveler who now lives in Lutz, he sometimes sleepwalks at night and tries to make his way to the Liberty Bell. At other times, thinking he’s in Tampa, he wanders into the kitchen looking for the famed Ybor City chicken.

Candidate Robin LeBlanc also has things to sell besides behavior training for your pet dog, ‘gator, chicken, ex-husband, etc. She has a walking stick which looks at you, rolling its eyes much like teens do. At least it doesn’t stay out late at parties or talk back. She also grows her own onions, complete with built-in little breath mints, which are available for sale. Brian may add them to his menu, because they would lend some Lutz pizzaz to those Philly hot dogs.

And Robin is the only candidate who has genuine Lutz cow patties for sale. These are great for Frisbee tossing, not to mention fertilizing. They are produced by her gentle bull, Hershey.

And, speaking of bull, mark your calendars for the Great Guv’na Debate on the 19th. Y’all be there!

For more information contact the LCA at info@TheLutzCivicAssociation.org

Lutz Civic Association Updated Information

I received an email today from Ardyth Bahr Treasurer of Lutz Civic Association. It included a copy of the LCA newsletter "Lutz Civic Review."

The LCA has a new website URL that is in the process of being updated. The new address is http://www.thelutzcivicassociation.org.  Note the "the" in front of the LCA name.  The old address does not have "the".   The new site is better than the old one.

The new email address to reach LCA is  info@TheLutzCivicAssociation.org

To join LCA click here.

More details from the email:
*********************************************************************
LCA General Membership Meeting
Splash! Restaurant, Thursday, May 17, 2012 at 7:00 p.m.
*Great Guv’na Debate
*Addressing community issues
*Officer and Board selection
*Coffee and conversation

The public is invited to attend our next general membership meeting. Bring your neighbors.

We thought it would be fun to hold some general membership meetings at area restaurants where the atmosphere would be relaxed. The first such meeting was held on April 19 at Hot Rod’s BBQ at Livingston and Sunset Roads in Lutz. There was a perfect spot on the patio where a tasty buffet had been prepared for our members and guests. Those who arrived hungry could purchase a meal of pulled pork, wings and sides for only $5. We thank Rod and his staff for keeping us comfortable and well fed.

The next general membership meeting will be held at Splash! at Dale Mabry and Van Dyke, on the patio if weather permits. Coffee and soft drinks will be furnished by the LCA. If you choose to have a bite to eat, they have a great steak special for only $10 on Thursday. The meeting begins at 7:00 p.m., with a brief board meeting to be held beforehand at 6:15 p.m.

**
The proposed rezoning for a new high school and middle school to be located near Sunset and Highway 41 is under consideration and a hearing will take place on 5/14/12 at 6:00 p.m. at the County Center. Any neighbors who have information about the results of the hearing may bring up the subject at the general membership meeting or contact members listed below.

Gates High School - Revive the Lutz Civic Association

**6/12/12** Update.  The Lutz Civic Association has a new URL and website.  Add the word "The" in front of the old one.  http://www.thelutzcivicassociation.org/  It is still meeting and I will add to the blog the date and time of the next meeting as I get it.**

The issues surrounding Gates High School is something the Lutz Civic Association would have been involved in the past.  I am not saying LCA would oppose or support the school, simply it is the type of activity it had great expertise with.  Currently LCA seems to be close to death.  The website has not been updated since 2010.  The email address kicks back returns emails, there is no news about it in Lutz Community News.  There are no listing for the meetings anywhere.  This is not surprising, considering the state of the economy, older members retiring, lack of new members joining, the Parks Dept charging fees / increasing fees for meetings/activities,  for the lack of a big thing to fight against or for.

Applicants for zoning changes only have to notifiy adjacent property owners or designated representatives of registered neighborhoods within one mile of the site. (Many neighborhoods are not registered)  How many people who did not in those categories but who would be affected by Gates high School paid attention the big yellow signs placed regarding the rezoning?  It took me months before I finally got around to writing down the application number and looking it up.  How many people know how to look up the information? How many people have ever been to a zoning / County Commission hearing?  How many people have organized campaigns in support / opposition to a re-zoning request?

One of the expertises LCA had is about Land Use issues. There is an inactive page for Land Use News.  A re-activated LCA could be the place to again get information about zoning issues in Lutz. They have fought the big fights before and organized residents.

With people galvanized over the Gates High School now is the time to attend meetings / join LCA to ensure it remains a vital part of Lutz and will help with future re-zonings.

According to the State of Florida Business Registration site (Sunbiz.org) site the officers are: Gary Williams, Marion Smith,  Bahr Ardyth, Paul Vahue,  Auralee Buckingham, and Steve Polzin.  If you know them personally contact them for more information.  Paul Vahue is an Assistant Pastor at First Baptist Church in Lutz and can be reached at (813) 949-7495 or email.

**Update** Found a Facebook site for LCA https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lutz-Civic-Association/277432722313227

Websites, Blogs, Facebook and Community Organizations - Part One

These days if a business or organization does not have a web presence, it does not exist.  That’s not really true, but without that presence an organization loses a great opportunity to engage the public, get its message out, increase membership and funding / donations.

There is a cemetery in Lutz, on US Hwy 41, a few blocks north of the Old Lutz Schoolhouse.  What is its history?  How do you get interred there? Who is buried there already?  Where could you donate to keep it maintained?  An internet search provides almost zero information, except that there was an inactive organization called Lutz Cemetery Association.

There is an organization called Lutz Volunteer Fire Association Inc.   If you wanted to learn more about the organization or become a member you would have to wait for the yearly mailing, because the only information available on the internet is the address and the corporation registration documents.

Many organizations choose not to have a web presence because they don't have the expertise to create website or can't afford to pay someone to develop and maintain one.

Some organizations get a grant to have a website created.  However they don't have the operating funds to update the website as needed. Or a volunteer with web site design skills creates a site and later leaves the organization.  Case in point is the Lutz Civic Association lutzcivicassociation.org. The last updates were photos from 2010 Guv'na race.  Much of the site is "Coming Soon".  Any emails kick back because the mailbox is full.

There are many different free websites that organizations can use.  However sometimes the results have not been very attractive.  Some are not easy to use. Some place ads on the site over which you have no control.    Some are tied in with your internet provider and if you change providers you lose the site.

I have created sites using a variety of these including Yahoo's Geocities, Google Sites, Blogger, and Wordpress.  The best free website site I have found is Weebly.com.

Weebly is easy to use, looks good, can be customized if you have the skills, has an integrated blog  is easy to maintain and update, and can be integrated with your own domain name.

My wife's site SusanBanghart.com, my personal site DavidBanghart.com and the Lutz Dog Park site http://lutzdogpark.weebly.com/ are all weebly sites.  The only thing that tells you it is a free site is a small notice at the bottom.  "Create a free website with Weebly"  If you go with the paid version that notice is not there. I consider that small notice an acceptable trade off for a free site.

The first step to creating a site for your organization is to create a Google email in the name of your organization.  This way you can easily pass off to the email address and website to others in the organization if you leave. For example I created Lutz Dog Park1@ gmail.com for the Dog Park site.  I forward that email address to my personal address to get all emails that come in without having to login separately to Google.

I like using Google for the email because of the many affiliated features such as Google Documents / Google Drive, Google Voice, YouTube, Google Calendar, Google Plus, Google Photos / Picasa Web Albums and more. These all can help make it easier to run your organization better or to better publicize it.  Later I will go over each of these.

In further blog articles I will go over actually creating a Weebly site, marketing  the site, getting it listed on search engines and.improving that listing.  My hope is that at the end of these articles Lutz groups that don't have websites will feel comfortable enough to start and maintain a site.