The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Michael Hinman

Local projects spared from Scott’s veto pen

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Gov. Rick Scott left nearly $69 million of this year’s state budget on the cutting room floor, but various projects throughout Pasco and Hillsborough counties were given a reprieve.

In signing the budget Monday, Scott and the state Legislature has earmarked a little more than $234 million for local projects, primarily road construction projects that affect the Veterans Expressway, State Road 54 and Interstate 75. However, it also puts in place $37.8 million for Pasco-Hernando State College, including $10 million needed for a performing arts center.

“This budget includes historic funding levels for K-12, state colleges and universities in Florida,” Scott said in a letter to Secretary of State Ken Detzner. ” We have remained focused on equipping Florida’s education system with the resources necessary to provide every student a world-class education.”

The biggest allocation to this region is $60.9 million planned for the widening of Veterans Expressway between Sugarwood Mainline Plaza to Van Dyke Road. It’s part of an overall widening and reconstruction project of the Veterans, which includes eliminating cash tolls along the route that connects the Tampa Bay region with counties to the north like Pasco, Hernando and Citrus.

The area’s other sizable road project is State Road 54 from Curley to Morris Bridge roads, which will cost just under $27 million. That joins a separate State Road 54 project from east of the Suncoast Parkway to Land O’ Lakes Boulevard that will come in just shy of $18 million.

Pasco County administrator Michele Baker said the 2014 Legislative session was a good one for the county.

“Pasco County sis a growing county, and we will continue to have additional needs as we grow and provide valuable services to our residents in the coming years,” she said, in a release. “We still have needs for additional roads and improvements to existing roads, and cultural needs so our citizens can enhance the quality of life as more people are expected to move here in the coming years.”

Local projects earning funding in this year’s budget include:

• Veterans Expressway widening project between Sugarwood Mainline Plaza to Van Dyke Road — $60.9 million
• Workforce Development — $30.5 million
• Pasco-Hernando State College — $27.8 million
• State Road 54 construction project from Curley Road to Morris Bridge Road — $26.8 million
• State Road 54 construction project from east of Suncoast Parkway to west of U.S. 41 — $17.9 million
• U.S. 301 construction project from State Road 39 to south of County Road 54 — $16.6 million
• Pasco-Hernando State College performing arts education center — $10 million
• Interstate 75 construction project north of State Road 54 to north of State Road 52 — $8 million
• State Road 56 resurfacing project west of Interstate 75 to Bruce B. Downs Boulevard — $5.6 million
• Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Surface Transportation Program — $5 million
• Bruce B. Downs Boulevard construction project from Pebble Creek Drive to County Line Road — $4.6 million
• Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Public Transit Block Grant Program — $4.3 million
• U.S. 301 resurfacing project from north of Geiger Road to north of Kossik Road — $3.1 million
• State Road 52 construction project from Bellamy Brothers Boulevard to East of Old Pasco Road — $2.7 million
• Water projects — $2.7 million
• State Road 52 resurfacing project east of Smith Road to west of Center Avenue — $2.4 million
• State Road 54 resurfacing project east of Lake Crystal Boulevard to West of Flint Street — $2.1 million
• State Road 52 resurfacing project from east of U.S. 41 to west of Bellamy Brothers Boulevard — $1.2 million
• County Road 54 construction project from U.S. 301 to Wire Road — $1 million
• Metropolitan Ministries Pasco Housing Initiative — $1 million

Other funding includes $50,000 for Lighthouse for the Blind, $250,000 for Memory Mobile, $874,500 for Nurse-Family Partnerships, $60 million for Florida NCI Cancer Centers, $2.8 million for community-based care, $5 million for Family Intensive Treatment teams, $300,000 for substance abuse, $150,000 for veterans crisis intervention, and $250,000 for Ready4Work Reentry Program.

The performing arts center at PHSC was one of nearly $120 million in budget “turkeys” recently identified by Florida TaxWatch. It was the only Pasco County project to make the list.

-Updated 6/3/14 to include statement from Pasco County administrator Michele Baker.

Wesley Chapel hockey rink plans unveiled, hotel close behind

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Dignitaries, reporters and champion athletes like retired Tampa Bay Lightning winger Dave Andreychuk had come to hear about the new ice hockey complex planned for Cypress Ridge Boulevard in Wesley Chapel. But they also learned about something else as well — another large hotel is coming, and it will be located right next to the new hockey facility.

A new hockey facility will bring a 120-room hotel with it, continuing to make Wesley Chapel near State Road 56 and Interstate 75 a hot spot in the region. (Photo by Michael Hinman)
A new hockey facility will bring a 120-room hotel with it, continuing to make Wesley Chapel near State Road 56 and Interstate 75 a hot spot in the region. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

Developer Gordie Zimmermann was mum on who might be looking to build not far from where Hampton Inn & Suites already is, but it’s looking like it’s nearly a done deal.

“We are speaking of the development of the hotel with the owner that (has the land) under contract,” Zimmermann told reporters after a press conference Thursday.

He added that the company wanting to come in has “three or four brands” they could use to name the hotel. But it will be five stories tall, and feature 120 rooms.

The hockey facility itself will be twice the size of a similar complex Zimmermann developed in Brandon, where many local hockey athletes travel to practice and play games. It will cost about $17.4 million to construct it, with the 13 acres of land it will sit on closing Thursday morning for about $2.6 million.

Once construction of the facility gets started, it will take up to nine months to build, Zimmermann said, but it’s expected to open by Fall 2015. It will feature four rinks — one a size that could accommodate the National Hockey League, and two others considered Olympic-sized. A fourth smaller one can also double as a basketball court, according to plans.

What the hockey complex will be called is still anyone’s guess. Renderings of the facility used Cypress Creek in the name, but Zimmermann said he’s open to finding a corporate naming sponsor who would pay to put their name on the facility.

For more about the facility, check out the June 4 print edition of The Laker/Lutz News.

Another building project, another $250,000 cost overrun

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Cost overruns have added some $250,000 to the construction of the new library. Now, just a block away, Zephyrhills city officials are looking to spend at least that much more on Fire Rescue Station No. 2 where a renovation project has gone awry.

And Zephyrhills City Council members aren’t happy.

Construction has slowed significantly after contractors found the 54-year-old Fire Rescue Station No. 2 next to Zephyrhills City Hall was not built to code, and did not have the proper wall reinforcements. Renovations could cost an additional $250,000. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
Construction has slowed significantly after contractors found the 54-year-old Fire Rescue Station No. 2 next to Zephyrhills City Hall was not built to code, and did not have the proper wall reinforcements. Renovations could cost an additional $250,000.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

Renovations for the 54-year-old building were expected to cost just over $1 million, but could now reach as high as $1.3 million. All because when workers started demolishing parts of the original fire station, they found a structure much different than they had anticipated. In fact, it was one that seemed never to be built to code, held up mostly by weak walls and a lot of luck.

“To make it more complex, there are three buildings there,” said Leo Arroyo, a principal at Canerday Belfsky Arroyo Architects, who is working on the project. “Those buildings were designed independently, and they lean against each other. We found that most of the exterior walls — north, west and south — did not have any reinforcement. There wasn’t any rebar. Just masonry style on top.”

Much of that construction dates back to when volunteers were recruited to help build and expand the fire station over the decades, city officials said. According to history, the structure on Sixth Avenue and Seventh Street was Fire Rescue Station No. 1, but was renamed in 2000 when the city built a new fire station on Dairy Road.

City council president Charlie Proctor, worried about more backlash from yet another product going well over budget, wanted to know at a recent meeting why the project didn’t stop earlier to address these new issues.

“The first I heard about this was last week,” Proctor said during a May 12 meeting. “I figured something was up. It didn’t look like we were moving too fast on that project.”

However, a lot of the issues didn’t start appearing until major demolition work started, Arroyo said. The first hint of a problem came when the roofing system was dismantled. Still, workers thought walls would at the very least be properly reinforced.

Interim city manager Steve Spina said some 20 change orders to the project had been processed since January, with additional expenses of more than $32,000 already approved, and another $46,000 pending. Those change orders involved replacing the roof on the west side of the building, electrical upgrades and additional demolition.

If the city hadn’t approved those orders quickly, there was a chance the contractor would have walked off the job, incurring extra costs because of the construction delays.

Additional money is sought for redesign costs and structural improvements, costing an estimated $167,000.

The total, $245,000, would put the fire station remodel 23 percent over budget.

“I just gotten some people coming to me today complaining about the library, which I’ve heard about for a year and a half,” Proctor said, citing those cost overruns. “And now they are wanting to know why this is going to cost this much extra. The citizens I’m talking to about this are not happy about this.”

Proctor was more concerned, however, on whether or not the contractor and architect would come back with more cost overruns in the future. Spina said he would need more time to figure out hard costs, and was expected to present that information during a special meeting May 27, after The Laker went to press.

The question now becomes if it would have been cheaper to simply tear down the fire station and build a new one, then refurbish the existing structure. That could have been possible, Zephyrhills planning director Todd Vande Berg said, but then a good chunk of the money used to pay for the project would not have been available.

The city received $750,000 from the federal Community Development Block Grant program, but that money was restricted to existing building renovations, not a new build.

Councilman Ken Burgess felt the city could save some money by delaying some of the aesthetic work until later, and just getting the interior finished.

“We can divert some of the costs that are more cosmetic in nature and get the fire station where it is operational,” he said. “What we need to do is get the building back up to code as best as we can.”

Even with the cost overrun, the city would be able to pay for the changes, Spina said. A lot of the money could come from the Penny for Pasco tax, which has collected $200,000 more than the city had anticipated. He also suggested sharing some of the costs with the city’s sanitation fund, since that department also will be housed in the new building.

Get the latest on what the city council decided from the May 27 meeting from our daily news section at LakerLutzNews.com.

Published May 28, 2014

Pet care takes a village, and new app can help

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Laura Vinogradov stumbled upon Lutz six years ago during a statewide search for her dog care business, The Barking Lot.

She wanted a place with a country feel, but still close enough to civilization. But more importantly, Vinogradov wanted somewhere she could call home.

Laura Vinogradov has expanded her pet care service, The Barking Lot, to the cyberverse with a new app she says will simplify the lives of even the most complicated pets. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
Laura Vinogradov has expanded her pet care service, The Barking Lot, to the cyberverse with a new app she says will simplify the lives of even the most complicated pets.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

Lutz has fit all those requirements perfectly, and Vinogradov is happy with the success of her business, which employs six people literally in her backyard. She’s proud of the fact that she’ll take any breed of dog, thanks to an innovative system that keeps unfamiliar animals separate from each other. And even more, she’s happy that she’s finally focusing on a career doing something she truly loves.

Yet, Vinogradov knew there was much more she could do for animal lovers, since not many can afford the luxury of professionals to care for their pets. And that’s when TaskIt-Pets was born.

“A couple years ago, I was approached to build an app for the pet care industry, and I knew nothing about apps,” Vinogradov said. “It was a very steep learning curve.”

The idea was to build an app that would help a pet owner schedule tasks needed for their dog, cat, or any animal living at the house. It would range from walks to baths to feeding times to giving necessary medication.

And it hit close to home for Vinogradov. One of her dogs suffers from hyperthyroidism, and requires meds twice a day. But even the most dedicated pet lovers are human, and it can be easy to forget a dose from time to time.

“Over time, especially with a very busy life, I and everyone else might have to stop and think, ‘Did I give her medication?’” Vinogradov said. “It got to be one more thing on a very busy plate.”

TaskIt-Pets takes the question out of the equation, she said. While it might not be the first app that offers such help, it is one of the first to do something a step beyond that — network everyone together who might care for a particular pet.

The app links people together, providing real-time scheduling and updates to not only make sure tasks involving pets are done, but that everyone is held accountable. That could be a professional pet caregiver, a family member, or even the neighbor.

“Say you’re a professional pet care giver, and you have dog walkers working for you,” Vinogradov said. “You don’t know who showed up on time and who didn’t, but the app will tell you that. And the app will remind them when it’s time for them to go do it.”

The app launched earlier this month in Apple’s iTunes Store for iPhone and other Apple-based portable devices. It’s expected to be launched for Android and Windows platforms in the coming weeks.

The starting price is $1.99 annually, part of which will go back to Apple, Google and Microsoft for distributing the app in the first place.

Vinogradov feels she has a new product on the market that will prove quite popular. However, she also knows that it competes with about 1 million other apps — and that’s just what Apple offers. There have been a lot of success stories when it comes to apps, however, turning some developers into instant millionaires.

Vinogradov doesn’t know if she’ll ever get that kind of success, but she’ll be happy if something she helped create can improve the lives of animals and their caregivers — something she has been passionate about since she was a young girl.

“My first love is working with the dogs, and working with families with dogs,” Vinogradov said. “I can talk dog all day long. But having that said, this has been a phenomenal experience, and very exciting. I’ve loved this whole process from Day One.”

Developing apps isn’t for everyone, Vinogradov said, and it takes the right approach and a little bit of luck to find success.

The first step for someone wanting to step into those waters, however, is to first make sure there is a need for it.

“You have to do your homework,” she said. “Is there an app out there already? Of course, if there is, that doesn’t mean that you can’t develop one. But you have to look at other ways that you can improve on it.”

Vinogradov looked at a number of popular existing apps, researching the developers behind it, before settling on a Florida-based company to design hers.

“You need to find a developer you can work with, and they have to be reputable,” she said.

The idea of scheduling tasks for other people in a real-time environment has become the foundation for two new apps Vinogradov hopes to release in the future. One is focused on family life itself, while another would help address home health care needs of a loved one.

“There’s no telling where this could go,” she said.

To learn more about TaskIt-Pets and other apps, visit TaskItApps.com.

Published May 28, 2014

PCPT grows up, but privatization remains on the table

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After 42 years of service, Pasco County Public Transportation has finally graduated to its own department.

Pasco County commissioners last week voted to move PCPT from its division status with the county’s Community Services Department to its own department. Transportation manager Michael Carroll will stay in charge, albeit with a new title.

The public transit department in Pasco County is finally becoming its own department, but could privatization be on its way? (File Photo)
The public transit department in Pasco County is finally becoming its own department, but could privatization be on its way?
(File Photo)

The move was warranted now that PCPT is now a $6.4 million department that employs 72 people, according to county administrator Michele Baker. The transition will not cost the county any money since Carroll’s salary will remain the same.

“I strongly support this,” Commissioner Pat Mulieri said at a meeting last week. “I think Mike has a vision.”

Creating a new department for PCPT could allow the transit service to get out of the shadow of being a service for just the economically disadvantaged and the underserved, Baker said. Carroll’s goals have been focused on increasing ridership, especially among young people who could be convinced to use mass transit instead of adding another car to already congested roads.

The service currently has 16 fixed-route transit buses traversing the county, including two that take passengers to and from Pinellas County, according to PCPT’s website.

Even if ridership increases, public transportation remains a service subsidized by taxpayers, and one commissioner feels it’s time to talk about that.

“This seems like one of the perfect times to talk about moving to privatize,” Commissioner Kathryn Starkey said. “I don’t know if anyone else has ever thought about it, and I’m not suggesting it now. But I am saying this is an opportunity for us to discuss if we ever want to have a discussion on privatization.”

Commissioner Henry Wilson said he would be interested in that discussion as well, although commissioners didn’t set a timetable on when such a conversation would take place.

Privatizing public transportation has become a controversial issue in some parts of the country. Those for it say it helps streamline the service so that costs can be cut without sacrificing quality. Opponents, however, say there are minimal if any cost savings, and a lot of that is lost by problems that arise from lack of government oversight, including higher accident rates and poor vehicle maintenance.

Public transportation privatization has not really reached too much into the Tampa Bay area as of yet, but some school districts like the one in Hillsborough County have explored privatizing school buses in an effort to manage a $60 million transportation budget, according to published reports.

Published May 28, 2014

Four Gaither athletes officially sign on with future colleges

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College signings are always bittersweet — parents and coaches proud to watch their athletes move on to the next level, but still sad to see them go.

Randy Oliva, from left, Veronica Garcia, Bryan Hartman and Brad Smith take a big step toward life after Gaither High School sports. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
Randy Oliva, from left, Veronica Garcia, Bryan Hartman and Brad Smith take a big step toward life after Gaither High School sports.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

And Gaither High School has a strong contingent of athletes heading on to college with scholarships, including four who officially signed with their respective schools last week.

Brad Smith and Bryan Hartman, part of a Cowboys football team that went 5-6 this season, will find themselves playing together next fall as well. Smith, a defensive end and inside linebacker, and Hartman — an inside linebacker — will head to Methodist University in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

“Football isn’t easy nowadays, especially all year round,” head coach Jason Stokes said. “The thing that I know that these young men are going to be successful is just because of their attitude. They do whatever it takes for their teams. They lay it on the line, they play multiple positions, and they don’t come off the field.”

Also heading to college is Veronica Garcia, one of the leaders of Gaither’s volleyball team, who will spend next season at Ave Maria University, located on the northwest side of Alligator Alley in South Florida.

“The best thing I can say about Veronica is that she loves to play volleyball,” coach Tim Boylan said. “I’m so happy for her that she’ll be able to continue playing at the next level. It’s not work for her. She just loves being on a volleyball court.”

Randy Oliva won’t stray too far from home, either. He’s heading to Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, where he’ll play baseball for the Owls.

“He’s a hardworking guy,” Gaither baseball coach Frank Permuy said. “He’s the first guy on the field, and the last guy to leave every day. He’s one of the guys that always makes me late for dinner.”

Oliva started as a catcher for the Cowboys, but was playing third base by the time his freshman year ended. He moved to second base in his junior year because of an injury, and ended his time at Gaither at shortstop.

“He’s going to have a wonderful career, and not only that, he is a great student,” Permuy said. “He isn’t going to have any problems in college because his work ethic is going to carry him a long way.”

Published May 28, 2014

 

Business Digest 05-28-14

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PHHCC looking for casino sponsors
The Pasco Hernando Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is looking for sponsors and guests for its Havana Casino Night fundraiser June 13 beginning at 6 p.m., at the Heritage Harbor Golf & Country Club in Lutz.

The event, at 19502 Heritage Harbor Parkway, will raise money for the PHHCC scholarship fund.

Sponsorship opportunities range from $100 to $500, and all include tickets to the event.

For information on how to sponsor, call John Jay at (813) 298-3232, or call (813) 404-9128.

Wesley Chapel Walmart hiring 300 people
A new Walmart planning to open this summer on State Road 54 in Wesley Chapel is now in the process of hiring up to 300 people to work in the store.

In anticipation of that opening, Walmart has set up a temporary hiring center at 28211 Paseo Drive, Suite 190, in Wesley Chapel. It will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and weekends from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Those who don’t want to go out physically also can apply online at Careers.Walmart.com.

Walmart says it will give extra attention to military veterans who have been honorably discharged over the last 12 months through its Veterans Welcome Home Commitment. Details of that program can be found at WalmartCareersWithAMission.com.

The new Walmart will be managed by Stephanie White, and will look for both full- and part-time associates.

The majority of the new employees are set to being work in July to help prepare for the store’s grand opening, Walmart officials said in a release.

RN Cancer Guides joins SmartStart
Susan Scherer, founder of the medical consulting company RN Cancer Guides, is the newest associate member of the SmartStart Dade City Incubator, we well as a microloan recipient from the Pasco Economic Development Council Inc.

Scherer’s medical career spans more than 24 years working in everything from trauma, diagnostic coding, neurological and surgical intensive care units to specialize in fields like neurological-oncology and endocrine cancer.

Scherer recently relocated the company to an office in Wesley Chapel.

For information on the SmartStart program, visit SmartStartPasco.com.

Townview Apartments sold
Townview Apartments, located in the heart of the Zephyrhills business district, are now under new ownership.

Kraus Townview Apartments LP finalized its purchase of the 46-unit complex at 38124 Townview Ave., in Zephyrhills, on May 12 for $2.1 million, or $45,650 per unit.

It was sold by Regal Properties Capital, which had purchased the nearly 30-year-old complex in 2008 for $2.4 million.

Kraus Townview purchased the complex using a $1.5 million mortgage from TD Bank, according to Pasco County property records. The Waterloo, Ontario-based company includes among its managers Michael Weber and Nelson Kraus, according to state corporation records.

The complex is located on nearly 3 acres of land, off Gall Boulevard just south of Pretty Pond Road.

The sale is the largest real estate transaction so far this year in Zephyrhills, topping the $1.5 million sale of the All Craft Marine location on County Road 54 by its tenants last February.

Florida adding jobs
Florida’s private sector added 33,700 jobs in April, bringing its total to 600,400 since December 2010.

Gov. Rick Scott’s office released the news, adding that Florida’s unemployment rate also dropped slightly to 6.2 percent last month. That makes it the ninth consecutive month the state’s unemployment rate has been below the national rate.

Florida’s labor force in April was 9.6 million, which consists of people with jobs, and those who are collecting unemployment benefits.

The state’s over-the-year job growth rate in April of 3.3 percent is the fastest annual job growth rate since March 2006, before the housing market crash.

Florida’s 24 regional workforce boards reported more than 42,500 Floridians were placed in jobs in April. That includes anyone who received unemployment and training assistance through a CareerSource Center, and finds a job within 180 days. Of those people, more than 8,800 of them were receiving unemployment benefits.

Political Agenda 05-28-14

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Moore gets public safety endorsement
Mike Moore, who is seeking to replace Pat Mulieri on the Pasco County Commission, has received the “Pasco County public safety endorsement” from groups that include the West Central Florida Police Benevolent Association, the Fraternal Order of Police, Pasco County Sheriff’s Lodge No. 29, and the Pasco County Professional Firefighters Local 4420.

“These brave men and women who wear a badge put their lives on the line each and every day to serve and protect us,” Moore said, in a release. “These are my heroes, and I am grateful for their service to our community, and I am deeply honored by their endorsement and support.”

Diaz reschedules fundraising eventMinnie Diaz, who is seeking to replace state Rep. Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, in House District 38, has rescheduled an upcoming fundraiser for May 31 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Fairhaven Farms, 15212 State Road 52 in Land O’ Lakes.

The event will include a shooting contest as well as local music from the Harold Jones Band.

To RSVP, call (727) 255-2022, or email .

Robertson first to qualify for commission race
Pasco County Commission candidate Bob Robertson said he was the first in his race to officially qualify for the election, reaching his goal of more than 3,100 voter signatures in his effort to replace Pat Mulieri in District 2.

“I think it’s important for voters to know that there are two ways to get your name on the ballot in Pasco County,” Robertson said, in a release. “You can go out (and) shake hands and talk to people, or you can pay a filing fee of nearly $5,000. I don’t think I’d be a financially responsible candidate if I was willing to throw away that kind of money instead of taking the time to meet the people of our county.”

Many candidates chose to qualify by petition, many times utilizing volunteers to help canvas events and collect signatures from registered voters.

Roberts raised $551 for his campaign in April, according to election records, bringing his total to $11,411. The Zephyrhills financial planner faces former state Rep. Ken Littlefield and local entrepreneur Mike Moore in the Republican primary in August.

Littlefield raised $2,200 in April to bring his campaign total to $4,400, while Moore outraised everyone with $22,300 in April, bringing his total to $72,861.

The lone Democrat in the race, Erika Remsberg, raised $105 in April, bringing her total to $553.

Developers, Andreychuk set to unveil new ice sports facility

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As the ink dries on sales documents conveying key land to its new owners near Interstate 75 and State Road 56, hockey great Dave Andreychuk and other dignitaries will gather Thursday to unveil plans for a new 150,000-square-foot, four-pad ice and multi-sport facility.

Andreychuk, who won a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004, is one of several special guests expected to attend the unveiling for media and members of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce. A public groundbreaking is expected to take place in August.

The facility will be located just off Cypress Ridge Boulevard in Wesley Chapel, and will be developed by Z Mitch LLC, a company run by Gordie Zimmermann.

Among the dignitaries joining Andreychuk and Zimmermann to launch the project will be retired NBA shooting guard Anthony Parker, as well as retired Tampa Bay Rowdies star Jack Shannon.

The event also will include county commissioners Jack Mariano, Kathryn Starkey, Pat Mulieri, Ted Schrader and Henry Wilson; state Sen. Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby; Wesley Chapel chamber president Jeff Novotny; and hockey team representatives from the University of South Florida, Mitchell High School and Wiregrass Ranch High School.

The facility, tentatively called Ice I-75, is expected to be a boon to the growing area just off Interstate 75, not far from where an outlet mall is scheduled to start construction.

Its development team includes Deborah Tamargo from ROI Commercial Property Brokerage Inc., Skinner Brothers Realty Co., Keith Appenzeller from King Engineering, Michael Slater from Triad Consultants, Mark Jonnatti from Jonnatti Architecture, Jeff Novotny from American Consulting, John Hagen and John Walsh from Pasco County Economic Development Council Inc., and the Pasco Tourism Council.

Zephyrhills cancels fire station meeting Tuesday

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A meeting set up to talk about potential cost overruns at Zephyrhills Fire Rescue Station No. 2 Tuesday night has been cancelled.

The city council will instead take up the nearly $250,000 in overruns in a massive renovation project at the fire station during its regular June 9 meeting, City Clerk Linda Boan said.

In a memo to the council, acting city manager Steve Spina said that he had hoped to have more information about those cost overruns at the May 27 meeting, but getting that information is taking a little longer than anticipated. Spina has proposed holding a workshop to go over some of the details of the changes ahead of that meeting, but it’s not clear when and if that would be scheduled.

Renovations for the 54-year-old building were expected to cost just over $1 million, but could now reach as high as $1.3 million. When workers there started demolishing parts of the original fire station, they found a structure much different than they had anticipated. Some of the building was not even constructed to existing code at the time, an architect involved with the project told the city council earlier this month, and his being help up mostly by weak walls.

Some of the issues being worked out include wall scans to find out what other problems might exist behind the drywall, Spina said, as well as some changes to how the electrical systems will be fixed.

The city council’s next meeting is slated for 6 p.m. on June 9 at Zephyrhills City Hall, 5335 Eighth St.