New Highland Recreation Complex Receives Award Before Its Built

Largo's newest recreation center has an award even before its walls are built or its doors are open to the public.

Although the new proposed Highland Recreation Complex is not scheduled to open until June 2013, its architects have already earned an award, according to Recreation Parks and Art Director Joan Byrne. The building design by Gould Evans Architects has been selected for the "Unbuilt Merit Design Award" by the American Institute of Architects- Florida. The architects will receive the award on July 21 in West Palm Beach.

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Jared Leone

9:48 am on Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Looks cool!   more ›

Foundation Laid for New Highland Recreation Center

The concrete block walls will start to go up this week for Largo's newest recreation complex.

Have you climbed up one of the slides at the Highland Family Aquatics Center and looked down?  Just over the blue wall, big yellow backhoes and other construction equipment rest next to the outline of the proposed new Highland Recreation Complex building. Construction crews brought in dirt and dug the foundation recently for the new 40,000 square-foot building. The $17 million facility will replace the original 1972 building. The land had to be prepared for the new recreation center by adding dirt to raise the elevation of the building site. The area is now ready for the slab and steel work. This week, the concrete block walls will begin to go up, said Facilities Manager Glenn Harwood. The construction project remains on schedule. The new …

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The Groundbreaking Ceremony for the New Highland Recreation Complex is May 15

The groundbreaking ceremony offers the opportunity to see design plans and ask questions about the proposed new recreation complex.

On Tuesday, May 15 at 5 p.m. the City of Largo and Largo Recreation, Parks & Arts Department welcomes the community to the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Highland Recreation Complex. Join us in celebrating the start of this much anticipated, state-of-the-art recreation facility. Design plans will be on display and staff will be on site to answer any questions on the new building and its many features. Light refreshments will be served. The 40,000-square-foot facility will feature an indoor running track, 3-story indoor playground, ExerPlay! Room (digital/interactive fitness games), and more.  Tampa architects, Gould Evans designed the building  and Creative Contractors of Clearwater is constructing the building.. The current Highland …

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New Lake Avenue Entrance for Highland Recreation Opens May 1

The Highland Recreation Center's Highland Avenue entrance will be closed for construction of the new recreation complex.

As of May 1, Highland Recreation Center customers will need to enter the complex on Lake Avenue. The Highland Avenue entrance will be closed temporarily due to the construction of the proposed new recreation complex. Once the new center is complete, the complex will have two entrances. The new 40,000 square-foot building will have an indoor walking track, double gymnasium, indoor play zone, exergaming fitness room, and more. Workers built the new roadway entrance and made stormwater improvements as a part of the first phase of the project, which started in February. The construction of the actual new recreation building will begin on May 1, according to a city report. The new recreation complex is set to be complete by May 8, 2013. The …

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Drinking Water Service Will Be Disrupted on Ridge Road Sunday Night

There will be no drinking water in parts of Largo Sunday night, according to the Pinellas County Facebook page.

Pinellas County will interrupt drinking water service on Ridge Road from Sunday, April 29 at 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. on Monday, April 30, according to its Facebook page. The drinking water service disruption is necessary as a part of the Ulmerton Road widening project, according to the county. Affected areas include: Call Customer Service at (727) 464-4000 for more information.

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Largo City Commission

City Commission Approves New Highland Recreation Building Construction

The city commission okayed the funding for the construction and demolition phases of the proposed new recreation complex.

The Largo City Commission gave the go ahead April 17th  for the building of the proposed new 40,000 square-foot Highland Recreation Complex. The building construction will begin on May 2. The new building should be complete by May 8, 2013, according to the city. The new building will be built to the west of the current aquatics complex. The new complex will have entrances off of Highland and Lake Avenues. The current complex will remain open during construction. The commission also approved the funding for demolishing the old recreation buildings once the new center is complete. The whole project has an estimated completion date of August 30, 2013. The $17 million project has had some design changes to keep the project within budget. Major…

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Merchants Decry Ulmerton Road Construction

Nine months into the three-year widening project, many business owners have complaints.

With most major road projects, merchants in the immediate area can be greatly affected by the work being done, losing business due to inaccessibility or the desire of patrons to steer clear of the construction zone.  But nine months into a major road-widening project on Ulmerton Road, some Largo business owners are more upset by the massive scale of the project, the attitude of construction workers, and the perception that there is no end in sight than they are with the loss of revenue.  “I was threatened by Pinellas County Utilities for obstructing my (water) meter; they said they couldn’t read it,” said Santo Sardo, who has owned Sardo's Pizza at Ulmerton Road and Seminole Boulevard for the past seven years. “There were two construction …

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Jeffrey Rosenfield

9:32 pm on Thursday, April 19, 2012

That seems to be the consensus among all the business owners I spoke to, Frank.   more ›

Construction Continues At Highland Recreation Complex

Design plans and construction work move forward on the new Highland Recreation Complex.

The current  Highland Recreation Complex remains open during Phase 1 of construction on the new facility. Follow the yellow pedestrian access signs to reach the baseball field and basketball courts. The contractor is currently working on installing the stormwater retention area behind the existing baseball field. The stormwater work will continue for the next few weeks, according to a city report. The first phase of the recreation project includes adding an entrance to the recreation complex from Lake Avenue. When the construction project is complete the complex will have two entrances. The new entrance on Lake Avenue as well as access from Highland Avenue, said City Parks Superintendent Greg Brown. According to a city report, Phase 2 work…

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East Bay Drive McDonald's Remodel Nearly Complete

A grand reopening is tentatively scheduled for early January.

The remodeling of the McDonald's at East Bay Drive and Keene Road is in its final stages, with the exterior work set to be finished next week and the interior completed before Christmas. According to owner Scott Brown, after the project is finished and the holidays are over, he plans to have a grand reopening during the first or second week of January. "It's coming along, and we're almost at the final stage now," Brown said by phone. After the finishing touches are put on the roof and exterior, Brown says the tile floor inside will be ripped out and a new one installed. He hopes all the construction will be complete in time for the Christmas holiday. "Business has been OK because interest is high and people want to see what's going on ... …

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Starkey Road Open to Traffic, Railroad Repairs Complete

Railroad repairs on Starkey Road between Ulmerton and Bryan Diary Road are complete and all lanes are open.

Construction on Starkey Road between Bryan Dairy Road and Ulmerton Road is complete. All lanes opened to traffic Thursday night. Starkey Road was reduced to one lane in both directions from July 27 through July 28, for railroad crossing repairs. Officials estimated that the railroad crossing repairs would be complete on July 30. They finished a day ahead of schedule. Officials don’t anticipate any further lane closures on Starkey Road between those intersections. The county and CSX Transportation Inc. performed emergency repairs on a damaged concrete transition panel between the railroad tracks and the roadway.

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