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Building offers meeting space

The new Carrollwood Meadows building will give the homeowners association a place to gather.

By TIM GRANT
Published February 20, 2005

CARROLLWOOD - Anyone in Carrollwood Meadows who has ever attended a homeowner or tax board meeting has seen the back of the Winn-Dixie grocery store.

"We appreciate Winn-Dixie, but we had to go all the way in the back ...," said Anne Marie Taft, president of the homeowner association. "It was scary and a little unsettling for some people."

Now homeowners can meet and children can do arts and crafts in a new building in the Carrollwood Meadows park.

The center at 13918 Farmington Blvd., which opened on Feb. 7, is one of four recreation centers Hillsborough County government built recently that serves children after school.

"This is going to unify the community even more and make it easier for everyone to attend," Taft said. "They can even walk there."

The other centers are in Country Place, Westchase and Valrico. Bandes Construction won the $2.4-million contract to build all four centers, which share the same footprint, said John Brill, spokesman for the county's Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department.

The county-run Carrollwood Meadows center serves 40 children, ages 6 to 15, after school. Adults there hope the afternoon program will help curb vandalism that has occurred in past years in the park.

The community used to have a deputy living in a mobile home inside the park who worked security. But over time, the deputy became a detective and when he no longer drove a marked patrol car and did less patrolling in the park, the neighbors decided it didn't make sense for him to stay.

"He was not an effective deterrent," Taft said.

The recreation center also will be a bonus for property values in Carrollwood Meadows.

"It's attractive for people who want to purchase homes here, and hopefully the vandalism will decrease when kids have more activities, instead of walking around looking for trouble."

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

[Last modified February 19, 2005, 08:08:05]