What's a kid to do in Spring Hill/Brooksville ? (Hernando: house, movie theater)

[sange77]

Sorry about that Songbird I was reading too fast.....

I grew up in LI, NY and was a teen not that long ago.., and I was bored all the time too. We did things like the movies, Friendly's (which here they have DQ), drink in empty parking lots,. Hang out at each others houses or at the mall, drive around looking for boys, lol. Anyway, looking back on it, it was fun but at the time, I was bored. I think I wasnt really bored I just couldnt wait to grow up, be independant.

Grngost1, I live in Sterling Hill as well....

[Songbird42]

From what I've heard, Sterling Hills is very nice, some big homes there, must be a killer on the electric bill.......anyway, have friends that do alot of business in the developement and they say there are alot of empty homes there, mostly investor I would guess, doesn't that bother you? What I mean is with so many empty ones sitting there waiting to be sold, property values aren't going to go up too fast, and I know that there are people in other communities that are taking a beating on homes they bought at high prices
and now they want to sell and their selling below what they paid, some are breaking even.

[Songbird42]

debidibiy.........There is a recreational center in Brooksville, The Jerome Brown Center, named after football great Jerome Brown, killed in an auto accident in Brooksville, but kids from SH don't want to travel the distance.
There's the boy and girls club off of applegate but you have to pay there
and I believe there's age limits. Of course the YMCA.
There's a brand new water/recreational place in New Port Richey, but I don't know if its available to the public.

As far as I know, in Hernando Cty there is NO under 21 bars. Pasco I can't swear to either, I know alot of kids go to Tampa and get served and some are definitely under 21.

[debidibly]

Originally Posted by Songbird42

debidibiy.........There is a recreational center in Brooksville, The Jerome Brown Center, named after football great Jerome Brown, ........

Yes I'm familiar with this place, and Jerome Brown as I'm from the Philly area. It seems that no matter how much is available kids will always be bored, hang out and can get into trouble.

Maybe a little more involvement and encouragement from the parents would help to get the kids involved in an activity they like. It's difficult when they reach high school age. The hubby and I were very active in high school and raised our son the same way, fortunately he liked it.

I personally don't think all the complaining I read and hear about the kids having "nothing to do" is warranted or that the area offers nothing. I think a little encouragement and involvement from parents might help. JMO

[sange77]

Is Sterling Hill the dream community that was sold to me in early 2005? Not really. In time however, I think it will be. You're right it does have a lot of investors. By me the homes arent really vacant, they are rented. Am I frustrated, yes, but in the long run I think it will all even out. I dont feel bad for the investors one bit. Not all but a lot of the people they are renting too are people of low-class or trashy who I do not want to pay $7k a year in taxes to live next to. I'm not worried about the home values right now, I bought 4 months into the selling of Sterling Hill so we did pretty good with our price plus I dont plan on selling anytime soon. I'm most frusterated with the taxes and insurance in this state. I really hope it gets better. Plus, Sterling Hill is not alone....many of the new communities that were introduced during the '05-'06 boom have the same problem.

[grngost1]

"Maybe a little more involvement and encouragement from the parents would help to get the kids involved in an activity they like."

I agree with you deb. I always try to have a positive outlook and truly believe that ANY situation is what you make of it. I also agree with Songbird that the communities do not do enough. That is where we, as the parents, should step in and help direct the community. We can steer the bus, or just sit there and see where it goes.

As far as the property issue....I too just bought in Haverhill two months ago, so I got a GREAT deal. I am in it for the long haul so the short term effects of the housing market do not concern me. I have faith it will turn around in time, just like the stock market. UPS AND DOWNS!

"Grngost1, I live in Sterling Hill as well...."

Hello Sange, the renting issue disturbs me also. I have heard there is a move a foot to address this issue. Sterling Hill is having its issue right now, just like most places. I am a firm believer it will be corrected in time. I have great neighboors and enjoy what I have and what the future holds.

[Songbird42]

Seeing as you folks are fairly new here, parents for years have fought and fought and nothing has changed. Spring Hill has a huge amount of single parents, while their kids are in school, these parents are out working one/two jobs to keep roofs over their heads. They don't have the time or energy to march into the commissioners and say they want this or that. Its been tried sooo many times and all that is said, we don't have the buget for this, one excuse after another.

The only time anything got done and I applaude Diane Rowden, was went Stewey A. got killed riding his skateboard and the kids, parents and Diane did whatever it took to get a skateboard park done for the kids to have somewhere to go and skateboard safely.........it took time and effort, car washes, bake sales, the skateboard company donated the equipment. But it got done. Today, all kids have a safe place on Pinehurst to call their own.

I hold little hope that SH will get much better.........I think there are major problems that will continue to plague the area, don't mean to be so negative
but this is my own opinion.

[fireeyedboy]

I am an 18 year old regular at dunkin donuts, and will finally be moving in a couple months to go to college in st pete.

I do feel like i have too much time on my hands, and sometimes that time does end up being spent making bad choices. As one of my friends said the other day, "smoking pot makes this place seem less boring."

I try to spend as much time as i can at the library or the lovely botanical garden off of spring hill drive reading, but as an extrovert, i really do have to force myself to break away from my social ties and go to less popular areas. I want to be a part of the world around me during these "most important" years of my life.

Someone brought up the socio-economic aspects of this discussion, which i find is extremely relevant. Almost without fail, the kids who are always "hanging out" and have nothing to do come from small, broken up poor families. The kids who have more complex, productive schedules have successful, interesting family members and family friends who make plans with them and give them a solid core for their social endeavors. This happens most often through church. But the problem is, not everyone is a Christian. It is the twenty first century and some can see past pointless youth group activities and superstitions.

I sat in on a youth group meeting with my friend who's father is a preacher. The youth group leader was an absolute moron, incapable of relating to anyone who doesn't, say despise homosexuals? Many kids are uninterested in praying to god to give president bush the power to defeat the terrorists.

I think if your going to look for something for kids to do, you should look at the things kids are interested in. We like music, we would love to be able to go see musicians that aren't 50 years old and play do-op tunes. Kids our age are ready for college, and the college atmosphere. In Tampa, at the USF campus there is a Hookah Lounge my friends and I go to sometimes, but we never know anyone there, one around here would be great. Also, what could be more common sense than a bookstore? The only bookstore close enough to go to sells corny romance novels.

Kids want to be able to go out with their friends and meet new people and feel like they are part of the community, nobody wants to feel lonely and left out. There really does need to be more common ground for kids. More community events, more culture jamming.

If you aren't hungry or thirsty or have a particular affinity for old people, then your only choice is home. If your parents don't have anything going on except the Yankees game, that will become your last resort.

I started a group at my school before i left called the Free Radicals, we did community service and started a petition for a man named William Thornton who was wrongly convicted to thirty years in jail. We only had a small impact last year, but we did give kids who are uninterested in nihilistic sports and youth groups an opportunity to be part of something they could agree with.

I think there should be a fund for non-Puritan youth activities. There are far too many old people with money for the private sector to benefit the kids in Spring Hill.

[Songbird42]

Very nice post.......hmmm, sounds like a Nature Coast Tech graduate?
I bet you know my 18 yr old, who hangs at Dunkin Donuts, then goes to Taco Bell, then back to Dunkin Donuts with the rest of the ballers/football players........good luck in college, I'm glad to see that many of the kids are going off to either 4 yr schools or CC's.

[ntfeldman]

We need a Dave and Busters!!!! anyone heard of them?

I would love to put one up in Spring Hill and heck, Odessa or New Port Richey could use one too. Unfortunately there's not one in the entire Tampa area... they had them in Dallas and they were wonderful date places and after the movies places and family dinner night place

Check them out... Dave & Busters :: Home Page

It's like a Chuck E. Cheese for adults/teeens. They serve liquor there and have shuffle board tables and skee ball and golf games and bowling lanes all kinds of arcade games, pool tables etc...

If enough people thought they'd go,I might be able to convence them to come to the area...