Doo-Wop Disco Night
Spring Hill
Starts: Friday, June 29
Ends: Friday, June 29
Palace Grand, Dinner & Dancing, RSVP, 6P, $25
For more info call 727-863-7949

Not all gardens will have you bending down to plant. You can enjoy the beauty of blooms by looking up.

In this Extra On Gardening, Tom MacCubbin reveals how to create a stunning backyard hanging garden.

If you’re interested in creating your own hanging garden try a blooming variety of plants like Torenia, also known as the Wishbone Flower. Verbena is also great and will cascade over the sides of the basket.

If your basket will be in a shady area, considering using Impatiens. These will cascade and come in a variety of color.

Bacopa - this plant does a lot better in warm weather rather than the hot weather of mid summer.

Directions
To put together your basket, first get a pot with holes in the side where you can hang it or support it in some way. Then just add your plants. Keep plants that cascade towards the outside and plants that grow taller in the middle.

Keep the soil moist, and put in a small amount of slow release fertilizer.

Traffic along Deltona Boulevard in Hernando County is getting heavier and heavier.

Olga Selinsky tries to avoid it as much as possible.

“Frustrating, nerve-racking, and I’m always thinking that I’m going to get hit from behind,” Selinsky said.

The county had plans to widen Deltona from Forest Oaks Boulevard to Spring Hill Drive. Plans were also in the works to ease traffic on Barclay Avenue from Powell Road to State Road 50 and widen Elgin Boulevard from Mariner to Village Van Gogh. But those projects are on hold.

The county was planning on using impact fee money to pay for the road improvements, but since new-home construction is down, all of that money has dried up.

In 2005 Hernando County collected about $32 million in impact fees. In 2006 the total dropped to about $24 million and so far this year only about $4 million has been collected.

Impact fees are collected from new construction to help pay for the county’s growth needs.

County commissioner Dave Russell said even though growth is slow, that money still needs to be collected because there is so much catching up to do.

“It’s important we stay ahead of the growth curve, and that’s been the pattern in the past,” Russell said. “We’ve been playing catch up, catch up, catch up.”

But until the building comes back, and impact fee revenue rebounds, drivers in Hernando have no choice but to be patient.

Russell said there is a study in progress to see if the county should raise impact fees. In the meantime, Hernando County Public Works officials are going to revise the county’s five-year road plan to see if plans can continue with at least a few of the road projects.

Information gathered from Baynews9.com

A Citrus County man’s wish is close to coming true.

But the completion of his Wishing Well Center has caught a snag.

After nearly two decades of working with saws, Bob Krokker still has both hands and all his fingers. He just asks that you don’t talk to him while he’s working. He has to concentrate to make up for the fact that he can’t see.

Krokker is blind, and he founded Blind Americans Incorporated, an organization to teach the blind independence through woodworking. Building from the ground up, Krokker paid as he went, through donations and selling his woodwork. After five years, the Wishing Well Center is almost ready to open.

The biggest obstacle with completing the building has nothing to do with the bricks and mortar. It has to to do with the impact fees. The center owes about $11,000 to the county.

“Thank God we had the impact fee back in 2002 when we applied for our permit because now it’s more than doubled,” Krokker said.

Krokker also wonders what possible impact his blind students would have. They already live in the county and they obviously can’t drive to the center.

“The impact is nothing, it really isn’t,” Krokker said. “I don’t know how they can consider it an impact fee that’s going to help the county because nothing’s going to change.”

Krokker asked the county to waive the impact fee. But the county’s turned a deaf ear.

Krokker had hoped classes for the blind could begin in the new building by September. However, nothing will start until the impact fees are paid.

To donate to the Wishing Well Center or buy hand made wood products, call (352) 637-1739.

Ref: Baynews9.com

Question: Why should I maintain my home’s curb appeal?

Answer: Maintaining your home helps boost its value.

As a new homeowner, your mind may be filled with ideas on how to improve your new abode - exotic colors on the walls, attractive landscaping in front, and power washing the back deck. While all of these will help improve the look of your home, it is also crucial to think about those less visible, but important, upgrades that need to be made regularly.

By maintaining the operating systems in your house, you not only ensure a properly functioning home, but also help sustain its value over time. Here is a look at some of the less exciting projects that will help keep your home in tip-top shape.

Roofing - During your home inspection, the inspector should have reviewed the condition of your roof. Follow any recommendation on repairs or replacement. When it comes time to sell this home, a deficient roof could deter potential buyers.

Heating and Cooling - Similarly, the inspection report should include an evaluation of the furnace, water heater, and, if applicable, air-conditioning unit. If the report recommends the water heater be replaced in three years, be sure to include this upgrade in your home budget.

Appliances - If your stove, refrigerator, washer, or dryer were included with the home, review all conferred warranty information and follow the recommended maintenance timelines. This may help you recoup costs if repairs are needed and may even extend the life of the machinery.

Outside - In addition to indoor systems, evaluate and maintain the outside of the home as well. This includes gutters, siding, exterior paint, walkways and landscaping. If these areas are neglected, it can lessen the home’s curb appeal.

While many homeowners would rather spend their money on more appealing purchases, like carpeting or furniture, electing to maintain and improve crucial home systems can have a great impact on the value and longevity of your home.

Here is something to consider: 40% of all households will be headed by someone 55 or older by the year 2012, according to a National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) 50+ Housing Council Report.
The 55-plus population is expected to reach 85 million by 2014, while the number of households in the 65-74 age bracket will grow by 4.5 million between 2005 and 2014, an increase of more than 38% in only a decade.
Some of the report’s highlights:
* In 2005, the 55-plus households accounted for 36.8% of all U.S. Houshholds.
* More than 45% of 55-plus households are married couples without children.
* More than 25% consist of one-person female households.
* Currently- and this is changing- most 55-plus households (80%) are non-hispanic whites.
For more information visit www.nahb.org/news_details.

A three day celebration is scheduled for July 27-29 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Weeki Wachee Springs, the City of Mermaids. The three day event will include a mermaid reunion, with mermaids representing six decades of mermaid magic. Also scheduled that weekend is the opening of the Weeki Wachee Springs Historical Museum. For more information, call 352-596-2062, or visit www.weekiwachee.com.

AARP will conduct its Driver Safety Program classes at the following locations:
*June 13 from 12:30 to 4:30pm at the Spring Hill Enrichment Center located behind Oak Hill Hospital, 11375 Cortez Blvd; folloe signs To register call 352-684-9302.
* June 15, from 9am till 1pm at Holy Cross Luthern Church 6193 Spring Hill Dr Spring Hill. To register call 352-686-7179.
* June 19 & 21, from noon to 4pm at Forest Oaks Luthern Church, 8555 Forest Oaks Blvd, Spring Hill. To register, call 352-232-5609.
* June 20 & 27, from 9am till 1pm, at the Spring Hill Enrichment center( See June 13)
The course is open to anyone 50 years of age and older, at a cost of $10 per person. The eight hour course is presented in two four hour sessions. Upon completion, participants will receive a cretificate to submit to their insurance company for a possible rate reduction. Since class size is limited, registration is required.

Two manufacturers moves to the county’s Corporate Airpark in less than three weeks will add about 100 new jobs to our area. And that is only the start. Both Tissco LLC and Seating Constructors USA Inc. are expected to expand operations over the next few years, adding more jobs and investing more money in our Hernando County economy.

Watering restrictions currently in place are being vigorously enforced. Revised Irrigation Schedule:
Addresses ending in: May only irrigate on:
0 or 1 Monday
2 or 3 Tuesday
4 or 5 Wednesday
6 or 7 Thursday
8 or 9 Friday

Watering is allowed only before 8:00 a.m. or after 6:00 p.m. No watering is allowed on Saturdays or Sundays. Hand-watering and micro-irrigation (drip irrigation) of non-lawn landscape (such as flower beds, vegetable gardens, etc.) may be done any day and time, as necessary. New plant material including sod may be watered daily for up to 60 days after the new plants are installed.

Please follow the watering restrictions. Water only on the day you are allowed and only within the times that are allowed. Hernando County Code Enforcement is issuing citations for watering violations which may result in a fine. Citations and fines for violating the watering restrictions do not require notice.

If you are interested in more water conservation tips please contact the Water Conservation Coordinator at the Hernando County Utilities Department at 540-4368, Ext. 35139, or call the Hernando County Cooperative Extension Service at 754-4433.

For more information contact: Southwest Florida Water Management District at 1-800-848-0499 or 1-800-423-1476, Ext. 4498. Or visit their website at www.WaterMatters.org