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CALENDAR

PLAN AHEAD
 Christmas parade
 The annual Plant City
 Christmas Parade will be
 Dec. 3 at 6:30 p.m.
 The parade begins on
 SR 39 at Alsobrook
 Street, heads north and
 then east on Reynolds
 Street before disbanding
 at Michigan Avenue.

 Christmas bazaar
 The Lakes at Sam
 Allen Road at Highway
 39 will host a Christmas
 Bazaar Dec. 2 from 8:30
 to 11 a.m.
 Fine art show
 The East Hillsborough
 Art Guild will host its
 13th annual Christmas
 Showing of Fine Art on
 Dec. 2 from 5 to 7 p.m. in
 the private dining room
 of the Walden Lake Golf
 and Country Club. 2001
 Clubhouse Drive.
 The artists will be on
 hand. Wine and cheese
 will be served.
 Call: 752-9660.

 'Candy Cane Lane'
 The annual "Candy
 Cane Lane" Christmas
 bazaar will take place
 Dec. 3 and 4 from 9 a.m.
 to 3 p.m. at Grace United
 Methodist Church, 1801
 E. Cherry St. Christmas
 ornaments, hand-sewn
 items, food and more
 will be available. Call:
 759-1162 or 752-0685.
 Game and card party
 The Plant City Garden
 Club, 1112 N. Wheeler
 SL, will hold its annual
. Game and Card Party
Dec. 3.
 Luncheon begins at
 noon. Cost is $15. There
 will be door prizes and
 sales of baked good and
 crafts. :
 Call- Liz Miller, 754-
 6659. -

 See C^NDAR, Page 12


 A day of giving
 Volunteers Rosa Vigil, left, and Laura Castillo present a family with a turkey and the fixings during Unity in the Community's
 Turkey Giveaway Nov. 20 at the Kash n' Karry on Alexander Street. Unity, a local group dedicated to feeding Plant City's
 needy, gave away 176 turkeys with help from Kash n' Karry and a host of volunteers.



City Delays Improvement League Agreement


 RESTORATION FUNDING
 ON HOLD.
 By GEORGE H. NEWMAN
 gnewman@mediageneral.com
 The city commission'voted Monday
 night to delay making $150,000 available
 to the Plant City Improvement League for
 the purpose of restoring the aging Bing
 Rooming House at 205 S. Allen St.
 Mayor Mike Sparkman pulled the pro-
 posal from the agenda for discussion after
 voicirig concern that it might be too early
 to commit the funding without confirmed
 help from other sources .
 "I agree. with the use of this money,"
_Sparkmnan said. "But I don't feel comfort-


. able putting mn0ey into something when
I don't know if-it will succeed without
additional funds being received. Is there
another source of revenue that will be
used to finance the additional costs that
are expected?"
 Hillsborough County and the city,
 determined the two-story wood-framed
 house in Lincoln Park is eligible for funds
 from the federal Community Develop-
 ment Block Grant Program. The Plant
 City Improvement League was named the
 owner of record of the building last year
 and will be responsible for the restora-
 tion.
 The $150,000 from the block grantwas
 expected to pay for about half of the res-
 toration. !
 A discussionbetween the commission-


ers showed that no one had a solid grasp
on how much the project would cost. But
the contract between the two parties
spells out the way the money in the block
grant would change hands.
 According to the agreement, the city
would hold the $150,000 available
through the grant. Any expenses, includ-
ing the architectural study needed to
determine the cost of the project, will be
paid by the league. Then the city will
reimburse the league with the block grant
funds.
 Sparkman also wanted to know how
much money the league has on hand to
pay for the expenses up front as they
come in.


See CITY, Page 12


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