East County Observer 11.27.14

Page 1

bserver Happy Thanksgiving!

EAST COUNTY

YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

NEWS

Keep your Ranch home safe this holiday season. PAGE 2A

OUR TOWN

DIVERSIONS

SHOPPING

An early Guy Peterson house is as stylish now as when it was built. INSIDE

Find the hottest local deals with our Gift Guide. INSIDE

action!

FREE • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

WATER MANAGEMENT

by Pam Eubanks | Senior Editor

Ranch student dances her way to Macy’s parade Districts Lakewood Ranch Silver Stars co-captain Danielle Calabrese partner performs in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Thursday. for water solution by Pam Eubanks | Senior Editor

WHAT’S

INSIDE

+ Puppy paradise Com has found a home! About two weeks after Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue brought Dot and Com, two blind and deaf American bulldog-mix puppies, to its Ranch location, one has found a home. Com has been adopted by an East County family and is in good spirits. Her new owners, who wish to remain anonymous, have renamed her Kelly, said Karen Slomba, associate director of the rescue. Dot, pictured above, has some vision in one eye and remains in need of a family. For information, contact Honor at 747-4900.

+ Money man Lakewood Ranch Town Hall’s Finance Director Steve Zielinski is the community’s money man, and he’s got the cufflinks to prove it. At the Nov. 20 Lakewood Ranch community development district meetings, Zielinski wore dollar-sign cufflinks. “I’ve worn them before,” says Zielinski, who received them from his wife, Helen, as a Christmas gift one year.

ART OF GIFT GIVING. Finding the perfect present for Secret Santa is simple. SANTA SIGHTINGS. See PAGE 8 inside for a complete list of St. Nick’s area appearanc SEASON SNAPSHOTS. Learn es. PAGE 16 how to set up your own photo booths for parties. SOUTHERN CHARM. For PAGE 30 a little DIY fun, use Mason jars for crafty

gift ideas. PAGE 38

LAKEWOOD RANCH — Every year since Danielle Calabrese can remember, she’s marveled at celebrities, performances and floats in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade from her living room. But this year, Calabrese will have a new perspective — as a participant in the parade with the Universal Dance Association. Calabrese, 17, will join more than 600 dancers and cheerleaders from across the nation to perform in the parade. “My family and I have always wanted just to go watch it; I never thought I’d perform in it,” Calabrese said, grinning. She and her family — mother, Jeanne and father, Roger — already have their River Club home adorned with Christmas decorations. Although they normally have the holiday decor up before Thanksgiving, this year, they completed the task a little early to better accommodate the parade schedule. Calabrese, a senior captain for Lakewood Ranch High’s

Lakewood Ranch CDDs 2 and 6 will collaborate for a utilities turnover.

SEE PARADE / PAGE 8A Right: Danielle Calabrese, 17, currently dances ballet at the Diane Partington Studio of Classical Ballet, in Parrish, and with the Silver Stars Dance Team.

DANIELLE CALABRESE • Age: 17 • School: Lakewood Ranch High • Grade: Senior • Neighborhood: River Club • Extracurricular activities: Silver Stars Dance Team, FCCLA (Family Career and Community Leaders of America) and National Honor Society • Favorite Thanksgiving food: Dessert Favorite movie: “Elf”

+ Observer on the hunt for displays We’re making our list of the best holiday lights displays in East County and checking it twice. Do your neighbors go all-out with thousands of lights for their holiday decorations? Is your house the talk of the neighborhood? Send us your recommendations for best holiday displays (including addresses) by Dec. 8. The top displays will be featured in our Dec. 18 edition. Send your recommendations to Senior Editor Pam Eubanks at peubanks@yourobserver.com.

nch Silver Stars, with the Lakewood Ra , ter cen e, res lab Ca Danielle she was 3 years old. has been dancing since

LAKEWOOD RANCH — Supervisors on the Lakewood Ranch Community Development District 2 and 6 boards will work together to see if turning over their potable water systems is cost feasible. At CDD meetings held Nov. 20 at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall, supervisors agreed CDD 2’s Jerry Twiggs and CDD 6’s Henry Hofeler will join Town Hall Operations Director Ryan Heise and the district’s soon-to-be-appointed engineer on a committee to vet the idea. “It has to all be evaluated financially, but the team is forming to move the whole matter forward,” said CDD 6 Supervisor James Hill, who suggested the partnership. Heise said the group will meet to discuss the situation and look through turnover documents from District 5. “Really, the next step will be to request for the county to do an inspection of the system,” Heise said, adding it will note deficiencies. “They’ll create a punch list. Then, we can begin discussions on what needs to be fixed, how much it costs and where the county may be flexible in working with the districts and overcoming some of the standards that would be cost prohibitive for the districts to meet.” For example, a county requirement to attach tracer wires to underground pipes may be circumvented by allowing the districts to dig in sections to prove the pipes’ location, Heise

SEE MANAGEMENT / PAGE 7A

INDEX Building Permits...25A Classifieds......... 29A

Cops Corner....... 13A Crossword.......... 28A

Neighborhood.... 21A Real Estate........ 24A

Sports................ 15A Weather............. 28A

Vol. 17, No. 3 | Three sections YourObserver.com


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