Special to The Laker/Lutz News

 

 

By B.C. Manion

 

More than 300 people turned out to a meeting called by the Environmental Protection Commission (EPC) to weigh in on whether the agency should grant a wetlands impact permit for the proposed Gates School.

Patti Girard, founder of Learning Gate Community School, wants to offer the charter school’s brand of environmental education to students from sixth through 12th grade, at the proposed campus off Sunset Lane and US 41 in Lutz.

But the use of the 62-acre heavily forested site for a school has drawn a storm of controversy from residents living nearby. The site features freshwater marshes, open lakes and uplands.

While Girard has described the site as ideal for the brand of environmental education her charter school delivers, residents have raised objections to potential negative impacts it will have on the area.

Rick Garrity, executive director of the EPC, granted the school a conceptual approval of its plan to affect about 0.8 of an acre of wetlands to provide access to the school from US 41.

However, when the agency became aware of the intense community interest in the project, it declared the school a project of “heightened concern” and called a public meeting to gather input.

Matt Campo, of Campo Engineering, represented Gates at the meeting. He told the crowd the school is looking at pursuing a wood bridge to provide access. It is also considering creating wetlands on the site or purchasing wetlands from a wetlands bank to mitigate the wetlands it would disrupt.

The school has also talked to Hillsborough County about hooking into the water line on US 41 to provide public water to the site, Campo said. It is also considering the possibility of using a septic system or an on-site sewage treatment plant to treat the school’s waste, he said.

Scott Emery, director of the wetlands division for the EPC, told the audience “the application is still open. We are wanting information from you.”

Emery invited people to line up and express their views on if the agency should grant the wetlands permit. Twenty-five speakers weighed in, with just two offering support for the Gates application.

Those objecting to the proposed school site raised concerns about the destruction of wetlands it would cause and its potential negative effects on area wells. They also said they’re worried about an increased threat of flooding because of the site’s development.

Opponents also said traffic from the school would jam area roads and increase the potential for accidents. And, they expressed concerns about the ability of emergency vehicles to quickly access the site.

Pamela Jo Hatley, an attorney representing the Lutz Citizens Coalition, told EPC staffers that Gates has not demonstrated that the school is a reasonable use for the site.

“This is a classic case of a use that’s not suitable here,” Hatley said. “There are many ways this property could be used in a reasonable way.”

Mike White, president of the Lutz Citizens Coalition, said “alternative options have been and still are available to the school.”

Gil and Betty McGee, who live behind the proposed school site, voiced objections.

“Why this land?” Betty asked. Building the school there will create noise pollution and traffic, she said.

The site has an abundance of wildlife, Betty added. “We don’t want it destroyed.”

While just two speakers spoke on behalf of the Gates application, others in the crowd showed support to the school through their reactions to speaker remarks.

In one case, when a woman objected to the noise that would result from an outdoor amphitheater at the school, a woman in the crowd called out, “Singing kids — how terrible.”

Other speakers noted that the land is zoned for 60 single-family homes, which they would prefer.

James Duckworth, one of two speakers who supported the school’s application, observed that those 60 homes, like the school, would have impacts. He also noted that the people who live in the area already have had impacts on it.

Duckworth said he understands there are concerns, but he suggested the school and residents might be able to address them together.

“Maybe there is some common middle ground,” Duckworth said.

After the meeting, Duckworth said that other Gates supporters who were there might have felt uncomfortable speaking: “I think a lot of people didn’t stand up because they were intimidated.”

Emery told the audience the EPC will answer the questions raised at the meeting and will send out information to those who signed in at the meeting. It will also post information on the agency’s website.

The process for approving the permit is administrative. If the agency issues a permit, it can be challenged.

The Lutz Citizens Coalition already is in court about Hillsborough’s approval of the school’s conditional use permit.

 

 

By B.C. Manion

 

The new chairman of the Florida Senate’s education committee said it’s not enough to get a degree any more — that degree has to be relevant for today’s workplace.

State Sen. John Legg told members of the Land O’ Lakes Rotary Club the education committee will be looking at Florida’s education system from prekindergarten through work force education.

In the past, the state has had separate committees for kindergarten through 12th grade, higher education and work force education, Legg said at the Feb. 25 noon meeting.

But Florida Sen. president Don Gaetz, who appointed Legg to lead the committee, thought it would make sense to combine all three to foster a greater degree of connection between them, Legg said.

Legg, who is serving his first term in the state Senate, agreed with Gates’ assessment: “They really should be working together. A lot of times there’s no cross-pollinization.”

Even though he’s a freshman senator, Legg has experience in both education and state politics. He is a certified teacher and founder of Dayspring Academy, a charter school in Pasco County. He has also served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2004 until joining the state Senate.

Legg was elected to the Senate in 2012 to fill the District 17 seat formerly occupied by Jim Norman. The district represents portions of northern Hillsborough and much of Pasco counties.

Legg said he’s been telling his children for years that they must attend college. The message has changed, he said. Now, he tells them, “You have to go to college and you have to get a degree that’s relevant.”

Students have a right to know their chances of landing a job after they graduate, Legg said.

“We know right now if you get a psychology degree, only 20 percent get a job — less than that in their field, making less than $30,000 a year. And, you’re going to come out with a debt of around $50,000,” Legg said.

By comparison, Legg said, “If you get a health information degree, 80 percent of those students get a job, making $40,000 or more. … No one is telling our students that information.”

Legg said the push is on to link real-world economics with the education system, not just at the university level, but also at the high, middle and elementary school levels.

“I’m a strong, strong supporter of higher standards, but those higher standards have to relate to real-world jobs,” Legg said.

Universities will have an incentive to help prepare tomorrow’s high-skilled work force, he added.

“We’re telling our universities, ‘We’re going to give you more money if you’re going to produce degrees in high demand fields.’”

Legg wants to strengthen career academies, to provide students an avenue for industry certifications.

He thinks Pasco’s career academies have considerable room for improvement.

“I will tell you, our career academies are not beating the rest of the state’s. There are other career academies that are running circles around us.”

Just down the road in Hillsborough, there are middle school students who are obtaining certification in Microsoft Office and high school students who are being certified as pharmacy techs, Legg said.

He favors establishing a pilot program that would create an industry certification school, which would include business representatives on the school’s board. They would have a voice in setting admission standards, selecting teachers and making budget decisions.

“It’s never been done before in Florida,” Legg said.

The state needs to step up its efforts, Legg said.

“We need to be competitive.”

Florida also needs to begin identifying its most capable students when they are young and to provide incentives that will keep them in the state, Legg said. It needs to borrow a page from Duke University, which begins identifying talented students in sixth grade, he said.

 

 

 

By B.C. Manion

 

Plans are in the works to lay the foundation for the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport to become a key player in the city’s economic future.

Mike Handrahan, airport manager for the city of Zephyrhills, said projects slated to be done in the next couple of years will prepare the way for increased traffic, while also becoming more attractive to the corporate jet market in the region.

Within the next 10 years or so, Handrahan expects the airport’s traffic to increase from about 50,000 landings and takeoffs a year now up to 80,000 to 100,000.

Before that can happen, though, the airport needs to upgrade its infrastructure, Handrahan said.

It already has projects lined up, and it has been actively seeking grants from the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) and the aviation division of the Florida Department of Transportation, the airport manager said. He credits Nathan Coleman, deputy airport manager, for diligently pursuing funding opportunities and for creating closer relationships between the city and these agencies.

This year, the airport will complete a $350,000 project to provide additional fencing, with the costs of the project being covered through a grant, Handrahan said. He added that next year, the airport will get started on making $4 million in improvements.

The project calls for improving Runway 422, the airport’s primary runway.

“From that project, we immediately move into overhauling airfield lighting and taxiways to better serve the airport,” Handrahan said. “Our focus for the next couple of years will be on what we call the airfield. … The upgrades are sorely needed.

“We have some pavement and we have some infrastructure that’s 70 years old — leftover military,” Handrahan continued. He added, “We’ll be updating that with various projects, especially runway repairs, striping, lighting, adding airfield-type lighting.”

Zephyrhills Municipal Airport was originally built as a U.S. military airfield in the 1940s during World War II. It sits on about 818 acres at 39450 South Ave.

“The city is committed to the general aviation community,” Handrahan said. “Over the next 10 years, there will be significant local, state and federal money spent on the airport.”

Upgrading the airport will make it ready to handle increased traffic as other general aviation airports that are closer to Tampa become more congested, Handrahan said.

The city’s airport is in a good location, Handrahan noted. It’s convenient to Wesley Chapel, north Tampa and I-75.

“In May of 2012, the airport was designated by the FAA as one of 467 out of 2,800 airports in the country with a regional impact,” Handrahan said.

Its prices are attractive, too, he added.

“Our cost structure is lower. We can offer the same value at a lower price. Right now, we’re right-sized. We’re very competitive,” Handrahan said.

Airport personnel have also been in discussion with the Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce about using economic incentives to make the airport more attractive for businesses.

And, the city is also looking at a new terminal building to serve general aviation — not commercial airline — needs, Handrahan said.

“We’re looking at a new terminal building, with new ramp areas, refueling facilities,” Handrahan said.

“There’s an excellent future ahead for this airport, particularly with the regional impact,” Handrahan said. “We’re in the embryo stage, should we say. We’re trying to do all of the right things to help the airport grow.”

 

 

 

By B.C. Manion

 

Quail Hollow Elementary in Wesley Chapel will be closed for the next two school years to allow more than $9 million in renovations.

About 160 students assigned to Quail Hollow will attend Wesley Chapel Elementary and another 160 will be assigned to Watergrass Elementary.

The children that will be sent to Wesley Chapel live in Angus Valley in the southern portion of Quail Hollow’s boundaries. Those living in the northern part will go to Watergrass, according to Linda Cobbe, spokeswoman for Pasco County Schools.

School district officials decided to close Quail Hollow for the renovations, which are expected to take two years, because the school’s open design makes it impossible to do construction work without disrupting students.

When the renovation is done, Quail Hollow will have traditional classrooms instead of its open design, Cobbe said. The enrollment areas temporarily assigned to Wesley Chapel and Watergrass will revert to Quail Hollow, she added.

Students being sent to Wesley Chapel and Watergrass elementary schools will be incorporated into those schools. Some portable classrooms will be needed to accommodate the increased enrollment, Cobbe said. When the switch occurs, the principal at Quail Hollow will be reassigned.

The district is having a meeting to share information and answer questions at 7 p.m. March 6 in the Quail Hollow’s media center, 7050 Quail Hollow Blvd.

Pasco County Superintendent Kurt Browning, assistant superintendents and representatives from the district’s communications, school choice, constructions services, transportation departments and other staff will be on hand to answer questions.

 

 

By B.C. Manion

 

Raj Warman was paging through his calculus II textbook one day and ran across a blurb about fractals.

The Academy at the Lakes science fair was coming up, and the ninth-grader said to himself, “Maybe I can do something with this.”

He titled his inquiry How Does Changing the Real and Imaginary Perturbation Affect the Mandelbrot Fractal?

If it sounds complicated, well, it is.

The Mandelbrot fractal is named after mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot who discovered a new class of mathematical shapes that are often found in nature and art. The key property of a fractal is it is self-similar, repeating its own pattern on every scale.

Amy Jordan, who teaches Warman, explained it as like a set of Russian dolls. Each one, though smaller, appears to look the same.

With fractals, the pattern goes on to infinity, the science teacher said.

If the concept is hard for some to grasp, that would be understandable, Jordan said.

The judges who chose the winners at Academy at the Lakes’ science fair are people with doctorate degrees. They told Jordan that Warman’s project would go over well at the University of South Florida’s Research Fair.

“The work is pretty high-level,” said Jordan, who taught at Harvard University before coming to Academy at the Lakes. “I knew it was aggressive. I didn’t know it was that aggressive.”

It’s difficult to explain Warman’s project in simple terms because at some point, breaking it down too simply results in being inaccurate, Jordan said.

Advancing from his school’s science fair was just the first of Warman’s accomplishments. He also took first place in the mathematics division of the Pasco County Regional Science and Engineering Fair.

The young man from Lutz will be competing at the State Science & Engineering Fair of Florida and has been invited and plans to compete at two international conferences that are scheduled for May in Phoenix and Houston.

Warman said his project investigates the use of fractals to predict chaotic events, such as weather patterns.

“There’s a new theory in quantum mechanics which states that nature would occur in chaotic patterns,” Warman said. So, if one could find a chaotic fractal that matched a particular weather pattern, it would be possible to predict a future weather pattern, he explained.

Warman is humble about his accolades.

“I wasn’t expecting to get awards, but with a lot of hard work and my teachers’ guidance I got there,” he said.

Warman is quick to thank Jordan, his mathematics teacher Christine O’ Laughlin and Alex Stark, a senior at the academy who helped him understand some of the complex mathematical concepts.

Warman said he began to discover a fascination for mathematics when he was in kindergarten.

He recalls getting packets of problems and being able to quickly solve them.

“It was just a bit easier for me than the rest of the classmates,” Warman said. As time went on, he was able to delve into more complex concepts and to understand them, he added.

“I love mathematics and how it describes everything that occurs in our day-to-day life. If I am asked to, I can see everything in mathematical terms,” Warman said.

Even things like tables and chairs can be reduced to mathematical expressions, he said.

And the deeper he dives into mathematics, the more exciting it becomes, he added.

“Once you get to calculus, you can describe movements of particles,” he said. “That’s really interesting to me.”

Warman said his interest in science began slightly later — as a first- or second-grader.

His mom brought home books from the library, and they did science experiments. He recalls making a volcano with baking soda and vinegar, and also testing what happens when you combine water and oil.

“I guess that’s where my love for science started,” said Warman, whose parents, Dhiraj Warman and Gitanjali Vidyarthi, are both physicians, and whose younger siblings, Anmol and Roshan, both attend Academy at the Lakes.

While he’s not sure of his career path yet, he hopes to pursue one that combines mathematics and science. Some possibilities at this point include biological statistics and theoretical physics, Warman said.

At the moment, though, he’s simply looking forward to competing at more science fairs.

 

Raj Warman’s science awards

—United States of America Army Award

—The Office of Naval Research Naval Science Award

—Intel Excellence in Computer Science Award

—American Metrological Society Award