On Saturday May 30, 2015 the second annual Kass Circle cleanup was held. Volunteers met at the new building of People Helping People located in the heart of Kass Circle to sign in, grab items for clean up, get safety tips, and headed out to clean up trash in the Kass Circle area which ran from Springhill Drive to Deltona Blvd and Pinehurst Dr. According to People Helping People President Doug Brainard the dumpster on site was a donation by the local trash collection company, and all cleanup supplies and refreshments were donations as well.
The cleanup project is part of Phase I of the county project of establishing a Community Redevelopment Area. I spoke with Patsy, the owner of Patsy’s Barber shop located next to PHP and she stated that,”Kass Circle is a landmark.” It is home to Spring Hill Plaza, the area’s first shopping center which opened in 1967. Patsy has participated for the last two years in the cleanup project and brings along family to get involved. Her shop which opened in 1978 has been located in the Kass Circle area, moving from the Plaza to its current location since opening. A grant from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, was recently received to revitalize the area which includes bringing business to the struggling plaza and an improved neighborhood to the residents who call the area home.
About 30 people had shown up within the first half an hour and a few more trickled in, among those volunteers were a few students from Weeki Wachee High School. As you drove along Kass Circle you could see trash bags neatly tied and sitting road side, and many people scattered everywhere in bright colored shirts happily doing their part. The changes that are in the works for this original part of Spring Hill are exciting and you can clearly see the local community is excited too. With the support of the county, the grant, and the loyal members of this community the area will flourish in the future.
