Going the extra mile to get the job done at Tara Community Development District meeting

Tara CDD chair John Schmidt, center, was flanked by district manager Matthew Huber on the left and district counsel John Vericker on the right. Herald photo by James A. Jones Jr.

John Schmidt, chairman of  Tara Community Development District 1, was  hands-on during the district meeting Tuesday, July 29.

Not only did he offer audience members coffee before the meeting, he also sat down at a computer and opened the Skype connection to allow supervisor Michael Dyer to participate long-distance.

Also participating long-distance was supervisor Beth Bond, on a conference call, while watching the proceedings through a security camera in the community center.

During the meeting, two residents complained about the quality of lawn maintenance near their home. Schmidt promised that after the meeting he would stop by to check out the mowing for himself.

You had to admire the way Schmidt juggled having two long-distance supervisors taking part in the meeting, along with vice chair Joe Mojica, and supervisor  Dan Powers who were sitting around the dais.

By the way, those in the audience were sitting in chairs just as plush and comfortable as the supervisors. That's a rarity for audiences who at some meetings have a hard bench or folding chair for a seat.

For the business of the Tara CDD, see the Wednesday, July 30, Bradenton Herald/Lakewood Ranch Herald.

Tara CDD audience members watched the meeting from the comfort of executive chairs.  Herald photo by James A. Jones Jr.

Michael Dyer participated  in the Tara Community Development District meeting via Skype. His image was shown on a flat-screen TV at right. Herald photo by James A. Jones Jr.

SWAT Networking Lakewood Ranch chapter honors new, returning members

Honorees at the July meeting of the SWAT Networking Lakewood Ranch Chapter. PHOTO PROVIDED

Six women were recognized as new and returning members at the July meeting of the SWAT Networking Lakewood Ranch Chapter.

Recognized were Shelly Gutowsky, of Boutique Out East; Debbie Lee, of Debbie’s Loving Pet Care; Laurel Rund, of Essence of Laurel; Kathleen Feeney, of Skin NV; Beth Prichard, of Planet Stone Marble and Granite; and Adrian Griffin, of Longboat Title.

SWAT, which stands for Successful Women Aligning Together, meets at four different locations around Manatee and Sarasota - Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton, Manasota and Nokomis. All women in business are welcome to attend.

Each month, a woman from each of the four chapters is honored for dedication and hard work, positive spirit and willingness to enhance themselves and their career. This month's Woman of the Month from the Lakewood Ranch Chapter is Tonya Merrill of Jennette Properties.

For more information, visit swatnetworking.com or contact Dr. Robyn Spirtas at 941-962-0884 or director@swatnetworking.com.

Nolan Middle School FFA students make summer trips

Nolan Middle School FFA students recently returned from two summer trips.

The first was to the Florida Outdoor Adventures camp in Haines City, a four-day exploration into nature, sporting events wildlife management, firearm safety and hunter safety certification, challenge courses and leadership development.

The second was to the 86th Florida FFA State Convention & Expo, held in Orlando. FFA members and guests experienced motivational speakers, award presentations, exciting exhibits, challenging career development events, and plenty of entertaining activities. Many Nolan FFA students participated in state final career development events, which they qualified for throughout the school year. Kate Cranos, Shelby Parks, Jalyn Thompson, J. T. Girman, Hunter Martin and Savannah Freitag took part in the parliamentary procedure. Luke Cornwall also participated in extemporaneous speaking, and J.T. Girman was awarded fifth place in the state for his ornamental horticulture career development event.

Students also attended “A Day of Service” and visited a food bank in the Orlando area, where they sorted, boxed, weighed and labeled over 1,000 pounds of food. Along with attending general session meetings, students attended leadership workshops, working with state FFA officers from many states.

Here are some more photos of the students' trips, provided by Stefani Heidenthal, agriculture teacher at Nolan Middle School:

Junior members of Manatee County Cattlemen Association attend state convention

 

Members of the Junior Manatee County Cattlemen Association attending the state convention include, front, left, Genaveve Henson, Annabell Henson, back, left, Ben Hoffner, Chloe Bunyak, Casey Wingate, Anna Bunyak, Jennifer Green, and Darrylin Cannon. Provided photo

This year’s 2014 Florida Cattlemen Convention was held at the Marriott Marco Island Resort.

Attending for the Manatee Junior Team:

Marketing: Jennifer Green of Lakewood Ranch High School, Casey Wingate, who is home schooled, and Darrylin Cannon of Braden River High School.

Quiz Bowl: Genaveve Henson of Braden River High School, Chloe Bunyak,who is home schooled, Ben Hoffner of Palmetto High School, and Anna Bunyak, who is home schooled.

Public Speaking contest: Annabell Henson of King Middle School,  first place.

"We are very proud of our Sweetheart Jessie Embach.  She was a great representative for Manatee County, Cully Rowell said.

"All who attended had a great time watching the contestants, attending the meetings, and enjoying the great expo. Manatee County had approximately 86 members in attendance," he said.

Old ruin in Parrish remains a true mystery

Parrish ruin remains a mystery. Herald file photo

We were certain that the Bradenton Herald story about a mysterious ruin in Parrish that was published on July 4th would smoke out the truth.

It's mysterious masonry walls are scorched in places, and overgrown with semitropical vegetation.

No one seems to know much about it. Was it an old post office building? Was it an outpost during the Seminole Indian Wars?

Folks are asking, "What is it?" "When was it constructed?"

We want to know, too.

It could be one of the oldest buildings in Parrish, ironically situated among a row of modern neighborhoods between Old Tampa Road and the Manatee River.

Many of those who commented on the story wanted to know exactly where it was so that they could go out there with a metal detector. That's the reason we didn't give the exact location because it is private property and the neighbors would be unhappy with people tramping through the area.

Norma Kennedy, president of the Parrish Arts Council, said she is confident the truth will come out, especially after long-time Parrish residents see the photos of the ruin.

"There has been a lot of chatter on social media," Kennedy said July 9.

But we suspect that the folks who are old enough to know the story of the ruin probably are not  big users of social media.

So in case you missed it, here is a link to our story:

http://www.bradenton.com/2014/07/04/5239744/mysterious-ruin-has-them-wondering.html

If you know what it is, give us a call at 941-745-7053.