New Tampa road project could reshape fire rescue response
The long-awaited project is on track to open by mid-September, and the stated benefit is Tampa Fire Rescue response times. Plus the Architectural Review Commission meets Wednesday, Stormwater adds a second Spyder, and Hyde Park gets a foot-long torta.
A long-awaited New Tampa road project is on track to open by the middle of September. WTSP reported it on July 30. The stated benefit is emergency response. The project is expected to improve Tampa Fire Rescue's response times in New Tampa. That is the part worth holding onto. Road openings are usually sold on minutes saved driving to work. This one is being framed around the minutes an engine spends reaching a call. A single new connection can change which station gets to an address first. Mid-September is the target. Targets move, so watch the date rather than bank on it. (WTSP)
Architectural Review Commission meets Wednesday, August 5
The City of Tampa Architectural Review Commission holds a public hearing on Wednesday, August 5, at 5:30 p.m. It meets in City Council Chambers on the third floor of Old City Hall, 315 E. Kennedy Boulevard. Design decisions made one property at a time eventually shape whole blocks. The commission's public hearing is where proposed architectural changes receive review. Wednesday's session is the next scheduled chance to watch that work unfold. The date is August 5, and the meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. (City of Tampa events)
Tampa adds a second Spyder for ditch grading
The City of Tampa has purchased a second ditch-grading machine known as a Spyder. Stormwater crews already operate an older model. The new one joins it. The city announced the purchase on July 29 alongside a ditch grading update. Spyders are built for steep banks and deep ditches, the places ordinary equipment cannot work safely. Ditch maintenance is invisible until the water has nowhere to go. Then it is the only thing anyone wants to discuss. The city frames the purchase as flood protection. Two machines cover more ground than one before the next heavy rain arrives. (City of Tampa)
Co-ed referee training for young adults has two dates left
The city's Co-Ed Referee Training for Young Adults meets Thursdays from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Two Thursdays remain, August 6 and August 13. The series runs through August 14. Officiating teaches something a classroom rarely does. You make a call, adults disagree loudly, and you hold it anyway. Youth leagues are chronically short of officials, and training programs are the supply line. A parent meeting flyer is posted with the schedule. Families considering it have two Thursdays left to decide. (City of Tampa events)
Hyde Park's Mita's Cocina Moderna is serving a foot-long torta
Mita's Cocina Moderna has opened in Hyde Park. Creative Loafing Tampa Bay wrote it up on July 30. The draw is a foot-long torta called the La Titan. The kitchen is a family-owned modern Mexican concept, and it debuted quietly. Quiet openings are the norm now. A neighborhood often finds out through a photo before it finds out through a sign. Hyde Park does not lack for restaurants. What it gets less often is a family operation with one dish worth arguing about. A sandwich a foot long is a fine place to start that argument. (Creative Loafing Tampa Bay)
Tyla brings the A*POP World Tour to the Yuengling Center
Tyla is coming to Tampa. The Grammy-winning singer brings the A*POP World Tour to the Yuengling Center on Saturday, December 5. The tour takes its name from her latest album. December is far out, which is why this belongs on a watchlist rather than a calendar. Arena announcements arrive months ahead of the night itself. A December date on an August calendar is a planning item, not a plan. Anyone building a weekend around that Saturday can mark it now and sort out the rest later. (WTSP)