One big 'Lego project' [Times photo: Skip O'Rourke] Concrete segments for the Brandon Parkway are cast at the Port of Tampa, and will be joined later to form the elevated road.

Work to start soon on new group home
A Hillsborough agency plans to break ground this summer on a facility for the developmentally disabled.

Lunch with Ernest: A tell-tale sign of the times
B. Lee Elam is a longtime fixture in Brandon.

I Live Here
A nice place to grow up is now a nice place to settle down. Especially when neighbors are also family.

People: Someone to look up to
The 6-foot-11 Ricky Gallon spent time playing professional basketball, then came home to work at steering kids toward productive lives.

Daytripper: Long ago in Florida
Travel through some of Florida's early 20th century history at the Pioneer Florida Museum.

Here & Gone
Here's a look at some new businesses setting up shop in the area:

Farmer's Market: The avant gardener
A backyard hobby now fills six greenhouses in Wimauma for the community's only orchid business that's an addiction for its owner.

Zoning: Section of Lithia-Pinecrest may become office district
A plan for rezoning a stretch of Lithia-Pinecrest Road is on its way to becoming part of the county Land Development Code.

Commissioners balk on age limits
County commissioners expressed reservations Wednesday about enforcing a proposed age restriction that would affect about 50 homes in Sun City Center.

Married to the military: Constant moving can make kids adaptable
My husband and I have two sons who are brats -- military brats.

Community Report:
Lithia: Builder wins award for saving trees during construction
LITHIA -- Development doesn't have to be deadly to trees.

Gibsonton: First on the list: a place to get groceries
Shoppers have been without a local grocery since U-Save closed its store last year.

Sun City Center: Pelican Players put on the hits -- of the '30s
SUN CITY CENTER -- Abbott and Costello, Burns and Allen and The Shadow will come alive again May 2 through 7 during the Pelican Players production of Radio Theater 2003.

Brandon: Troubled park scores better fields
Heather Lakes Park has new lights and is getting a pedestrian walkway and additional parking. The upgrades may stem the trouble with teens there.

Brandon: Decision on fate of historic Galvin house is postponed
The church that owns it wants it razed or moved, but some residents say its historic value lies in the location.

Sports & Recreation
Snapshots
Anna Lisa Drummond, Brandon

Prep notebook: Bloomingdale tops Durant in softball
BRANDON -- The area's best two softball teams lived up to their state-ranked billings Monday when Durant visited Bloomingdale. Runs were scarce and Bloomingdale (ranked 10th in Class 6A) made the most of its chances, topping Durant (No. 2 in Class 5A) 1-0.

Letters
Landmark house must be protected
To: The Editor and the families of Brandon.

Homes
Front Porch: Pond tour will stop at oasis
Lorraine Genovar likes to think of her home, studio and garden as her sanctuary. It's a soulful place she has created over 14 years where she can move seamlessly between her art, home and the outdoors.

Yard whets appetite for leisure
A tour sure to inspire pond envy includes a once-neglected yard turned into a tranquil outdoor living area.