Open letter to City Council member Joseph Caetano

Dear Joseph Caetano,

As a New Tampa resident, with children attending school in District 7, I write regarding your "no" vote at the City Council Meeting of Thursday August 27 to amend the ordinance regarding the citing of cell phone towers in the proximity of schools. The ill effects of radiation emitted from cell towers have been well documented in the USA and in several European and Asian countries; and I would be glad to present you with such documentation.

I would also like to meet with you to discuss this issue and to explain why the ordinance should be amended.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Sasenarine Persaud

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Letter to the editor about Kinnan Street

Here's a response from a reader about our recent article about Kinnan Street:

I appreciate your bringing this problem to the attention of the public as I believe that it is long overdue to open the road. It also brings to light an even larger problem, which is the traffic congestion through all of New Tampa, and the lack of thoroughfares to ease that congestion.
Steve Ross
New Tampa Resident

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Say no to soda and candy...and drugs, too!

My kindergartener came home yesterday and asked me why he had to write "Just Say No" on one of his worksheets. It's Red Ribbon Week at school, and all week long, teachers have been hammering home the anti-drug message, complete with a rubber "Just Say No" bracelet that was sent home in his folder.

I totally dig the program, but does my kindergartener really need to hear it at his age? He's five. And I'd like to keep him that way. You know: laughing, playing, thinking the world is a fun place and life is carefree. He'll discover it's not soon enough, but this is too soon.

Why do I need to explain drugs to him right now? He's amazingly persistent and he'll want to know what drugs are. What kind of drugs there are. Where do you get drugs? What do drugs do? Why do people do drugs if they're not supposed to? Does he need to know all that? Will I need to explain what cocaine is? Marijuana? Heroin? Roofies? How will I explain trips to the DRUGstore? Why do I feel like I have stumbled into a bad episode of The Wire?

I'm still trying to teach him that candy and soda are unhealthy foods. Can I please work up to the drugs?
An anti-obesity campaign sounds like a better option to me --- at least for now.

--- Phuong Nguyen

Editor's note: Dong-Phuong Nguyen might be the Hillsborough County School District's worst nightmare. She is a perfectionist at everything she does, above all else, being a mom. The milk must be organic, the peanut butter too. They toys are lead-free. "Hate" is a four-letter word. Nguyen lives in New Tampa, where the schools are excellent. At least that's what people tell her. As her son enters kindergarten, she'll be the judge.

Letter from Gene Thomason

This letter was e-mailed to the St. Petersburg Times:

The article on my community (“Seething politics tear at Cory Lake,” Tampa Bay, Oct. 19) correctly captured the essence of the current political landscape -- it’s ultracompetitive this year. But it’s also important to know that the political posturing of both sides has resulted in a great deal of misinformation both in the press and otherwise.

Without a doubt, this is a critically important election for residents of Cory Lake Isles, as we complete the transition from a developer-influenced to a resident-controlled community. This process is common in Community Development Districts: as the number of residents increases over time, so should their control of local government.

Our transition started in 2006 and will end when my successor is sworn into office (I am retiring after a professionally and personally rewarding 17-year career). The reality is that the current board -- indeed, a relatively “thankless” job -- has diligently paved a path for Cory Lakes Isles to maintain its distinct island-like atmosphere.

I can only hope that those who are elected in the November election will uphold the quality of life of an upscale community like ours.

This community has been a labor of love for the last 37 years, and I’m proud of what Cory Lake Isles has become -- our tropical landscaping, beautiful lakes and brick roads truly set us apart as one of the most desired communities in Hillsborough County.

Gene Thomason
Developer, board supervisor and resident
Cory Lake Isles

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What in God's name is that smell?

No, seriously.

What...is...that...smell?

The playground at Pride Elementary is practically inhabitable these days. As one of the parents who hangs out there for 15 minutes many afternoons waiting for his child to emerge from school, I'm disgusted intrigued by an odor that is becoming more and more suffocating every day.

Imagine a dead animal...no, better yet, a dead human a yucky pile of dirty dishes being covered in rotting fruit a gallon of expired milk and wrapped in a big giant soiled diaper tortilla and then dipped in standing gutter water dark chocolate. If I had such a thing, I'd use it to cover my face to protect me from the actual smell I'm trying to describe.

It really is no laughing matter. It's incredibly repugnant stinky, and something the school --- or the county, whichever is responsible --- should take care of. Some of the parents have tried to figure out the source, and failed.

Tuesday, one woman brought a spray bottle of disinfectant and doused all the garbage cans, to no avail. Today, another woman lamented the fact she had forgotten to bring a bottle of bleach (I'm assuming to clean with, though drinking it to put herself out of misery is not farfetched).

Today, I saw parents covering their faces, wincing showing discomfort in their faces and fleeing walking away to find safer air. Problem is, that safer air is getting harder and harder to find.

I nearly hurled got ill today. I thought for a split second I was going to blow chunks all over one of the picnic tables expose my breakfast in an unkindly fashion after the wind blew something rancid icky my way. The potential embarrassment was all that kept the Shredded Wheat I had for breakfast in its rightful place digesting in my stomach and providing my body with important nurtients.

Come on, Pride. This stench blight on freshness is no secret. Teachers are out there every day with kids. They can smell it, too.

Please. Help. Us.

Otherwise, I'm going to have to start skipping breakfast just to be safe.

-- Times staff writer JOHN C. COTEY (johncotey@gmail.com)

"Just care,'' says Coach Greg

By Marlene Sokol, Times Columnist

If you’re a youth coach in Hillsborough County, sooner or later your league sends you to “certification class.” It’s kind of like driving school. You hope your instructor will be funny or inspiring or at least give you some payoff for the four-hour investment of time.

Greg Aghoian gives you all that and a Nickelback soundtrack.

The former president of New Tampa Little League [then the Northeast Little League] is not ha-ha funny. But he’s sincere, he speaks from experience and he spices up his presentation with those funny Canadian video spots about overbearing parents.

In a recent session at the All People’s Life Center, he summed up his views in two words: just care. Care enough to respond correctly when a child is injured. Care enough to leave the field any time you feel unsafe because of lightning, ant hills or turf holes.

Care enough to look out for the child who’s not a born athlete. “We’re not here because we’re going to promote the NFL,’’ he said.

Care enough to keep them all engaged. “Make sure you speak to your players about something other than the sport you’re involved with,’’ he said.

Care enough to have a mission statement. Communicate it to players, assistants and parents.

Is your mission statement “just to win?” That’s your choice. But understand that, in the end, only one team will win.

Is your mission statement to “just have fun” or to “learn”? Then don’t blow a gasket when the referee robs you of a victory in a game where you still learned and you still had fun.

“Your mission statement must be reflected in every decision you make during your season.’’

It's a long way from Meadow Pointe to Live Oak Preserve

There was nobody in the sales office when I stopped by to ask about the Wellington townhomes in Meadow Pointe, and nobody answered the phone number on the billboard.

Then again, how easy can it be to sell townhomes, even at the bargain price of “in the 100,000’s,” when you’re sitting on top of the road to nowhere?

We’ve written about this quirk of New Tampa a number of times. Pasco’s Mansfield Boulevard dead-ends a stone’s throw south of the cute blond townhomes, blocked by big red barricade signs. You can walk around them, as one jogger did while I was there, and scoot through the grass to a nicely paved road inside Live Oak Preserve, the next subdivision south.

One segment is in Pasco and the other in Hillsborough, and for reasons that defy logic even in Florida, the two counties could never hook them up. Complicating matters, Live Oak purchased, or “privatized,” their streets — like people have nothing better to spend their money on when so many of us can ill afford the roofs over our heads.

So even though I can chuck a beer can from the Meadow Pointe townhomes to that Live Oak road, I can’t drive there unless I go 3 miles to Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, hang a left at the Walgreen’s and get invited past the Live Oak entrance gate.

Makes so little sense, it hurts your head.

Kindergarten mom: Is it time to let go?

My kindergartener's teacher told me that instead of walking my child to class, I should drop him off at the car line and have a fifth grade patrol officer walk him. She said it would be easier for his transition in the morning.

Of course that freaked me out because I need to know that his little bottom made it to class. I solicited thoughts from all of my mommy friends of course. And boy did they have opinions.

One told me not to hate her, but she agreed with the teacher. (Hate's a strong word, Stephanie.)

Another was appalled FOR ME. (Thanks for validating my feelings!)

One fellow kindergarten mom said she felt rushed in the car line and it was rough having to shove her baby out the car door.

I was torn because this was all so new for my son, but I didn't want the teacher mad at me. A week into the school year and I had a battle on my hands...or did I?

So I compromised this morning. With my son in tears I drove through the car line, parked in the front lot and walked him over to the patrols. We met the fifth grader and the three of us then walked to the building, stopping just inside the door. I kissed him (my son, not the patrol) and watched as they walked down the hall together. My son was clearly not happy, but he told the patrol that he was "going to play with his friends."

What a sweet boy, that patrol was! Tomorrow, maybe I'll say goodbye at the front of the school as I hand him off.

Of course I ran a background check on the fifth grader. His record came up clean, except for a timeout in 2007. Adjudication was withheld. Not a perfect record, but it'll do.

Phuong Nguyen, Kindergarten Mom

Editor's note: Dong-Phuong Nguyen might be the Hillsborough County School District's worst nightmare. She is a perfectionist at everything she does, above all else, being a mom. The milk must be organic, the peanut butter too. They toys are lead-free. "Hate" is a four-letter word. Nguyen lives in New Tampa, where the schools are excellent. At least that's what people tell her. As her son enters kindergarten, she'll be the judge.

Lunch for breakfast?

It's 10:06 a.m. Do you know where your kid is? I do.

The flipping lunchroom!!!!

I mean, my husband hasn't even rolled out of bed yet (cut him some slack -- he's a sportswriter) and my kindergartner is halfway through his lunch.

Can someone please tell me why he has to eat lunch at such a morningly hour?

People always say: breakfast! breakfast! breakfast!

So from the time he could eat solid foods, we made it the most important meal of the day...at 9 a.m.

Every day this week he has come home with a full lunch box. Granted, he has been too sad to eat. (Strangely, sadness never stopped me from eating when I was hungry!)

So now the parents are being asked to contribute snacks for all 18 kids throughout the year because they're hungry by the afternoon. I don't mind providing snacks one bit.

But kids his age are usually having a snack at 10:06 a.m...Not a full lunch of cheese ravioli, pudding, carrots and strawberries. Ok, now I'm hungry.

Phuong Nguyen, Kindergarten Mom

Editor's note: Dong-Phuong Nguyen might be the Hillsborough County School District's worst nightmare. She is a perfectionist at everything she does, above all else, being a mom. The milk must be organic, the peanut butter too. They toys are lead-free. "Hate" is a four-letter word. Nguyen lives in New Tampa, where the schools are excellent. At least that's what people tell her. As her son enters kindergarten, she'll be the judge.

Kindergarten mom

While most parents count the days until school starts, in our house, we've been counting the nights. Our kids spent all summer staying up so late, they wouldn't get up the next day until 9, sometimes 10. One day last week, they didn't open their eyes until 11:30!

Many times, family or friends will call on a Sunday morning, inviting us to lunch. Let's meet around noon, they say. Um, I know it's already 10:30, but the boys just ate breakfast.

We had a lot of afternoon playdates. Nothing in the morning. Busch Gardens early to beat the heat? Um, can't.

School starts tomorrow. We have to be there by 7:45.

I hope they don't give detention for tardies in kindergarten.

Dong-Phuong Nguyen, Times staff writer

Editor's note: Dong-Phuong Nguyen might be the Hillsborough County School District's worst nightmare. She is a perfectionist at everything she does, above all else, being a mom. The milk must be organic, the peanut butter too. They toys are lead-free. "Hate" is a four-letter word. Nguyen lives in New Tampa, where the schools are excellent. At least that's what people tell her. As her son enters kindergarten, she'll be the judge.