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Carrollwood

Village park could be in the pipeline

County officials are urged to turn 2 acres into a park with perks for skateboarders and other active youths.

By TIM GRANT
Published March 4, 2005

CARROLLWOOD - A grassy patch of vacant land on W Village Drive might soon become one of the county's most distinctive public parks.

Homeowners in Carrollwood Village have made a wish list of amenities they'd like to see there, which include a skateboarding track and other skateboarding equipment.

"That's not what would be in a typical park," said John Brill, spokesman for the county's Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department. "We haven't gotten into skateboarding that much, but it's a popular activity."

Other requests for the future park include a field that could be used for flag football, soccer and baseball.

For now, the county is making no promises. Brill said the county does not manage any public parks that have skateboarding facilities.

"We'll have to go over that list and meet with people and see what's possible," Brill said.

The 2-acre lot near W Village Drive and Ehrlich Road is the last piece of undeveloped property in Carrollwood Village.

The Hillsborough County School District owns the lot and had agreed to donate it to the county for a fire station. When neighbors opposed that plan, they lobbied the county to turn the plot into a public park.

Brill gave no estimate on how long it might take to find out if the land will be used for a park or how much of the homeowners' wish list will be doable.

Bill West, president of Carrollwood Village Phase III, wrote to county officials on Feb. 24 asking them to consider residents' ideas when planning the future of the parcel.

They want "landscaping along the front of the property bordering W Village consistent with the rest of W Village Drive," the letter says, adding that "right now, the field needs grass and possibly some leveling or filling in of ruts."

Their most uncommon request, however, was for a skating facility and special landscaping to complement the skating area.

They've asked for "a strip of skateboarding track with skateboarding stuff" along the north side of the property bordering the woods, West wrote.

"The only thing we request is that this is designed as a long strip bordering the woods. We would also like trees planted on the other side of this strip - opposite the woods - to serve as a shade and buffer."

Tim Grant can be reached at 813 269-5311 or at grant@sptimes.com

[Last modified March 3, 2005, 09:12:11]