Category: Government
-
Oldsmar City Council member Gabby McGee swims with bull sharks
Every summer, millions of Americans huddle around their flat screens and devour every morsel of Shark Week, a cable TV marathon of shark related documentaries, mockumentaries and harrowing accounts of close encounters with the toothy predators of the sea. And every year around this time, many viewers sit back and say, “that’s no big deal—I…
-
Oldsmar subdivision hit by rash of car burglaries last weekend
At least 15 cars in Oldsmar’s Country Club Estates subdivision were burglarized over the weekend, leading police to caution residents to remove valuables and lock their vehicles. The rash of burglaries was just the latest in an ongoing string of such crimes in Pinellas County. Last September, the East Lake corridor and parts of downtown…
-
52-unit town home development could be built next to Oldsmar Public Library
The Oldsmar City Council last week authorized City Manager Bruce Haddock to negotiate a development agreement for a 52-unit town home community to be built adjacent to the Oldsmar Public Library. The parameters of the agreement call for the sale of 3.79 acres of the City-owned, 7-acre parcel to the Eastern Meridian Group for $877,182,…
-
Oldsmar officials choose in-house candidate as Bruce Haddock’s successor
In a move considered by some to be surprising due to the timing, City of Oldsmar officials named current Director of Administrative Services Al Braithwaite successor to outgoing City Manager Bruce Haddock on Friday. The decision came during a work session where the City Council was expected to whittle the candidate list from 10 to…
-
Oldsmar’s new Volunteer Program a “win-win” for everyone involved
Oldsmar’s new Volunteer Program is saving money and improving the City while providing opportunities for individuals, businesses and organizations to give back to the community. The program has already proven to be a success ever since Leisure Services Director Felicia Donnelly implemented it a couple of months ago. In May, employees from Nielsen Media painted…
-
Oldsmar Council approves $50K transportation study
The Oldsmar City Council recently agreed to spend $50,000 to have a consulting firm develop a multi-modal transportation plan, although the decision was not unanimous. On Tuesday, January 20, the council voted 4-1 in favor of entering a contract with Kimley Horne and Associates that calls for the consultant to “identify high priority projects that…
-
City Council agrees to expedite water line replacement project in downtown Oldsmar
The Oldsmar City Council recently approved a budget revision designed to help expedite the Downtown Water Line Improvement Project. The Capital Improvement Project was originally scheduled to begin in FY 17/18, which starts in October, but officials said the system is “in urgent need of replacement” and recommended the project begin in the current fiscal year.…
-
City of Oldsmar wins City Spirit Award from Florida League of Cities
The City of Oldsmar was awarded the City Spirit Award from the Florida League of Cities during the organization’s ninth annual Florida Municipal Achievement Awards last week. Oldsmar was chosen from 400+ municipalities in the state for the award, which “recognizes a single, specific citywide effort to successfully address a local need,” for its yearlong…
-
Oldsmar Cares receives public blowback over planned expansion project
For more than five years Oldsmar Cares has called a tiny cottage on State Road 580 home. But following the recent news that the organization is constructing a new, 3,000-square-foot headquarters adjacent to its current location near downtown Oldsmar, a number of neighbors suddenly turned on the 20-year-old nonprofit. Just days after the groundbreaking ceremony for…
-
Oldsmar Cares breaks ground on new 3,000-sq.ft. headquarters
Oldsmar Cares officials held a groundbreaking ceremony last week for the nonprofit’s new headquarters on State Road 580. The 3,000-sq.ft. facility, which will be constructed adjacent to the charity’s current home, is expected to be completed later this year at an estimated cost of $300,000. In a testament to the importance of the 20-year-old organization…