Page 7 - Florida Sentinel 1-24-17 Edition

Local
BY LATRICE SCOTT
On Friday, January 20, 2017 at 12 noon, President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama turned over the keys to the White House to President-Elect Donald and Melania Trump.
The 8 years the Obama family spent in the White House left an impression on many readers. Here is what some of them had to say.
TANGELA SAILS
“I felt President Obama did an excellent job providing health insurance for the less advantaged, increasing employment rates, lowering gas prices and unifying other
countries to be at peace with America. Thank you President Obama, for your wonderful contributions.”
LATOY MACK
“I am saddened and hurt that President Obama and his family have left the White House. I feel like we made a lot of progress while he was in of- fice. He created more jobs and stabilized the economy. He created an act for families to save their homes and made rules that brought about regu- lations to make housing more affordable.
“He passed and signed a Civil Rights History act and he selected the most diversified
cabinet in history; which is a reflection of America’s ability to be diverse. I don’t believe that there will ever be a better president for the people, than Mr. President Barack Obama. So being sad is an un- derstatement.
CAROLYN MOORE
“They were an awesome first family and a great exam- ple of Black professional lead- ership. Barack was a man of his word: health care, Bin Laden, out of a recession, stu- dent loans, home loans, jobs, and self-employment. A much appreciated man that Ameri- cans will miss.”
Coast Guardsman Honored For Assisting With Arrest Of Burglar
Lt. Michael Klakring, left, is shown at the award presentation with Tampa Police Chief Eric Ward.
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
At approximately 5:49 a.m., on the morning of December 16th, a Tampa resident wit- nessed someone breaking into his neighbor’s car. The incident took place during the first week that the witness and his family moved into the neighborhood.
The witness, identified as
Coast Guard Lt. Michael Klakring, immediately dialed 9-1-1 and remained on the tele- phone, following the suspect down the street until police ar- rived.
When police arrived, they apprehended the suspect, who was still holding the sledge hammer he had used to break the window of the vehicle. He also still had a printer he had removed from the car in his possession.
Lt. Klakring identified the man as the person he saw break into his neighbor’s car and remove items from it be- fore fleeing the scene.
As a result of Lt.
Klakring’s quick action, po- lice were able to arrest the sus- pect without incident. The car burglary was the fourth that had taken place in that neigh- borhood during the month of December, and it was the last.
Last Thursday, Tampa Po- lice Chief Eric Ward pre- sented Lt. Klakring with the department’s Citizen Apprecia- tion Award for his assistance in apprehending the suspect.
Lt. Klakring said, “I was very surprised and thankful for the award. Working in the law enforcement division has al- lowed me to see the full spec- trum of drug enforcement and the importance of partnerships in the law enforcement com- munity.”
An MH-60 Jayhawk heli- copter pilot, Lt. Klakring is assigned to the law enforce- ment intelligence division at Air Station Clearwater.
He further said that as a pilot, he is always situationally aware, and he attributes quick action to his work in the Coast Guard.
Reflecting On The Obama Family Leaving The White House
Municipal Drinking Water Headed To North Palm River Community
The Hillsborough County Board of County Commis- sioners will hold a public meeting on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017, at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will take place at the Bell Shoals Baptist Church, 5415 Palm River Road.
Residents of the Palm River community north of Causeway Boulevard are en- couraged to attend a public information meeting to learn more about the North Palm River Drinking Water Project.
Through an interlocal agreement between Hillsbor- ough County and the City of Tampa, the project will pro- vide municipal drinking water by extending more than 5 miles of pipelines in the area.
The meeting will have an open house format, and atten- dees can review and comment on the $14 million planned project, which is scheduled to begin in February 2017.
“This is exciting, welcome news for North Palm River. Not only is Hillsborough County providing access to municipal water, we are able to do it without charging resi- dents connection fees, thanks to grant funds. The only cost to residents during the con- nection period will be an ac- count set-up fee and their
monthly water bill. “That is a savings of more
than $3,000 per home. And with fire hydrants in the area, homeowners should see a sav- ings on their insurance,” Les Miller, Jr., Hillsborough County Commissioner said.
More than 5 miles of new pipelines and 90 fire hydrants will be installed north of Causeway Boulevard, east of 54th Street, south of 12th Av- enue, and west of 70th Street. In addition to providing resi- dents access to municipal drinking water, the project will improve fire protection and safety.
The project’s $14 million design and construction cost will be funded through the
County’s Capital Improve- ment Program. Fees to con- nect homes to the new pipelines are estimated to be $2.5 million and will be funded through state and fed- eral grants. The only cost to homeowners is the deposit to set up a new utility account and their monthly water bill.
Water main installation will take about 18 months. Connecting to the County’s water supply is optional, but funding support is only avail- able for one year from the time all water mains are in- stalled and fully operational. If a homeowner decides to connect after the first year of availability, the homeowner will be responsible for on-site connection fees and any other applicable fees, which could exceed $3,800.
Information presented at this meeting will be available on the North Palm River Drinking Water Project. Fact sheets are also available at the Palm River Point Community Development Corporation as well as the 78th Street Public Library.
Anyone wanting addi- tional information about the meeting may be directed to Citizen Engagement at (813) 272-5275.
LES MILLER, JR. County Commissioner
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