Special to The Laker/Lutz News

 

 

By Kyle LoJacono

 

The long-awaited bridge connecting New Tampa and Commerce Park boulevards will open to the public Feb. 27 at 10:30 a.m.

Construction began in May 2011, but the concept dates back to the 1980s, according to city of Tampa transportation manager Jean Duncan. She added that the roadway was part of the long-range plan for the New Tampa developments.

“The bridge is to give proper access to the area for the people to get across I-75 without having to go out to Bruce B. Downs (Boulevard),” Duncan said. “For those local trips where people want to go from Tampa Palms to the Publix in New Tampa, or from West Meadows to the Olive Garden on Tampa Palms (Boulevard), all those local trips can be served much safer on the boulevard rather than Bruce B. Downs through the I-75 interchange and all that construction. Driving through New Tampa, now it’s all about Bruce B. Downs and I-75, so this is one of the few projects that gives an alternative to using those roads.”

The bridge will also allow families in West Meadows quicker access to Freedom High and Liberty Middle, which the neighborhood is zoned for. A traffic signal was installed near the entrance of the student parking lot for the high school to allow vehicles an easier left turn onto the campus.

That signal will stay primarily green for through traffic during and after the school day and on weekends.

“Then when there’s traffic coming and going to and from the school at the start and end of the school day it will fluctuate to let more people go in and out of the campus,” Duncan said.

Duncan said there are no immediate plans to add a traffic signal on the West Meadows side of the bridge.

Construction and design comes with a $14.1 million price tag. The project includes the widening of Commerce from two to four lanes near Liberty and Freedom.

“The length is not long, but there was a lot that went into it with the structures that were involved and the construction technique,” Duncan said. “Any time you have a bridge, that’s much more expensive than a regular roadway.

“We feel like we did pretty well with the bid,” Duncan continued. “We were getting close to bidding it a few years ago when construction costs were really going through the roof. There was a concrete shortage and the asphalt costs were really high. If we had done it sooner it would have been a lot more. At one point our estimate was $24 million.”

Duncan said the bridge was paid for by impact fees collected from Tampa’s University North District.

“So, in a sense, the development has paid for it,” Duncan said.

The 0.7-mile bridge will open as a two-lane roadway that can be easily expanded.

“The structure built is wide enough for four lanes, but we’re stripping it as two lanes,” Duncan said. “We only want to do this one time, and sometime in the future, and that’s not on our radar now; we know at some point more than likely there might need to be a four-lane accommodation.”

Duncan said the new roadway also has sidewalks and bike lanes across its entire length.

The project had faced community opposition, including a law suit from Tampa Palms attorney Warren Dixon.

The main concern from residents was the connected roadway might encourage people to use the boulevards as a through traffic alternative to I-75 and Bruce B. Downs and lead to speeding. Duncan said every precaution has been taken to ensure that doesn’t happen.

“The bike lanes and the landscape medians are very effective traffic calming measures,” Duncan said. “The signage, the bike lanes and the narrow lanes are really the most effective traffic calming rather than speed bumps. That was part of our conversations with the neighborhoods that it was going to blend in with the areas and won’t be a bypass.”

Dixon has said he no longer opposes the project and dropped his suit after getting assurances safety measures have been taken.

“I do believe the communities up there are going to be pleased as soon as they see what the bridge can offer them as an alternative travel route,” Duncan said. “I think they’re going to be very pleased to see that this is really going to be an asset, something that’s going to benefit and improve emergency access to the area. Right now when there’s an ambulance or fire truck on Bruce B. Downs, they’re struggling through. It’s another opportunity to get quickly to the neighborhoods if there’s a need.”

Ali Glisson, city of Tampa public affairs director, said there will be a ribbon cutting Feb. 27 at 10:30 a.m. on the West Meadows side of the bridge near the intersection of New Tampa Boulevard and Meadow Pine Drive.

—Follow Kyle LoJacono on Twitter: @Kyle_Laker

 

 

By B.C. Manion

 

Picture, if you will, a place in Land O’ Lakes where young boys play football, families watch entertainment and children study outdoors.

Those are just a few of the scenes that Pasco County and Pasco County Schools officials envision as a result of an agreement to share their facilities.

The county is planning $1.5 million of improvements at the Land O’ Lakes Community Park, 5401 US 41. The upgrades are projected to be finished by the middle of 2014.

The school board expects to spend $15 million to redevelop Sanders Memorial Elementary, located behind the community center and park at 5126 School Road.

Both parties want to make the best use of their facilities and have inked a deal that spells out an arrangement.

The deal calls for the county to build a football practice field on school board property, said John Petrashek, director of construction services for Pasco County Schools. A youth athletic league will use the field on weekends and evenings when school is out.

The county has agreed to install Bermuda grass and an irrigation system. It will also mow the field, provide lighting and pay the utility costs.

In exchange, the county will use some of the facilities at the school, including a basketball court, parking and a covered play area.

Children from Sanders will be using the practice football field for their physical education classes. They will also have access to the rest of the park, which includes parkland, a picnic shelter and a walking trail.

The school principal and park-site manager will work out the arrangements for sharing the uses, in order to avoid any conflicts, said Rick Buckman, director of parks and recreation for county.

In addition to the walking trail, which will feature markers detailing facts about the area’s history, the park will also have an outdoor stage. The Heritage Park Foundation has advocated for such an amenity for years to provide a focal point for community gatherings.

Buckman said the county and school board have been interested in working together to share these facilities for years, but the timing was never quite right.

At one point, it appeared that Sanders would reopen long before the park improvements would be funded, Buckman said.

The school district had funded the design of Sanders in 2008, but the project was put on hold because the housing market crashed.

Now, the district is looking to open Sanders for the 2015-16 school year, said Chris Williams, director of planning services for the school district. Sanders will relieve overcrowding at Oakstead and Connerton elementary schools, which are both operating above their planned capacity.

The school will be almost entirely new, Petrashek said. Just three buildings were saved on the site. The rest have been demolished.

“Some of those buildings were built back in the ’40s, ’50s, ’60s,” Petrashek said.

Before offering greater access for recreation, the arrangement between the school district and county will give taxpayers a bigger bang for their buck, Buckman said.

In addition to the arrangement at the Land O’ Lakes facility, the county and school district are pursuing the same idea in the developments of Connerton, Starkey Ranch and the Villages of Pasedena Hills.

 

 

 

By B.C. Manion

 

The Environmental Protection Commission (EPC) is having a community meeting Feb. 28 to discuss the potential environmental impacts from a middle and high school planned near the intersection of US 41 and Sunset Lane in Lutz.

The meeting is scheduled from 6:15 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. in the cafeteria at Lutz Elementary School, 205 Fifth Ave. S.E.

Rick Garrity, the executive director of the EPC, called the meeting in response to considerable community input about a pending application to disrupt wetlands on the site.

Patti Girard, founder of Learning Gate Community School, wants to offer the charter school’s brand of environmental education to students through grade 12 and to accommodate a larger enrollment.

To make that happen, Girard wants to build a new campus on a heavily forested 62-acre site that features freshwater marshes, open lakes and uplands.

During public hearings for the school’s special-use permit, Girard said the site is uniquely suited for their educational mission because the new Gates School will emphasize global awareness, arts and innovative thinking, technology and environmental sustainability.

While Girard was touting the site for its ideal conditions, opponents were objecting to the potential negative impacts a school could have on its surroundings.

They raised concerns about increased traffic and destruction of wetlands. They voiced worries about potential flooding and negative impacts on nearby wells. They also questioned how such a large project could be built without public water and sewer services.

Opponents of the site have also challenged the issue in court.

The community meeting will be informal, Garrity said. Representatives from Gates School will have an opportunity to explain their plans, EPC representatives will discuss the potential environmental impacts, and members of the public will have a chance to ask questions and weigh in on the permit request.

The EPC has already given the project conceptual approval, said Mike Thompson, general manager of the EPC’s wetlands division.

That occurred after the county advised applicants for the school site that they would need to check with EPC before proceeding with the special-use permit, Thompson said.

The school’s request for the EPC permit relates to its plans to disrupt about 0.8 of an acre of wetlands in order to construct a road to create access to US 41, Thompson said.

An actual EPC permit has not been issued. That approval would be contingent on the applicant submitting a plan to mitigate its impacts on wetlands, Thompson said.

The process for approving the permit is administrative, Thompson said. If a permit is issued, it can be challenged by someone who has legal standing to determine whether it was properly issued.

 

Land O’ Lakes junior Steven Barnabei’s battle with brain cancer

 

By Kyle LoJacono

 

Steven Barnabei was having his best cross country season during the fall of 2012.

The Land O’ Lakes junior was close to lowering his personal record in a 5-kilometer race below 17 minutes for the first time. He was unable to put up the kind of times he wanted during his sophomore season, his first year on the squad, because he was recovering from a torn abductor muscle in his leg suffered after the track season as a freshman.

Barnabei was also named a team captain during the fall, rose into the Gators’ top five and helped the squad win its first Sunshine Athletic Conference championship in three years with a 14th-place finish on Oct. 20.

The conference meet was followed by two weeks of preparation by Land O’ Lakes for the district meet, which was set for Nov. 2, but Barnabei was far from his teammates during the race.

“On the day of districts I was prepping for brain surgery,” Barnabei said. He added, “A couple days before my doctor said I should get a scan, and the day I went in for my MRI they rushed me to surgery.”

The MRI found a tumor in Barnabei’s left parietal lobe, the part of the brain that deals with writing, speech and perception. He said he’d been experiencing headaches, numbness on the right side of his face and difficulty speaking but didn’t think much of the issues.

“At first my teammate Dillon (Oergel) said it sounded like something was wrong,” Barnabei said. “I’m very skeptical about things being a problem. I just thought it was a normal thing with growing up, like every teenager goes through it.”

He couldn’t believe when he heard how wrong he was.

“It was a moment of, why?” Barnabei said. “What did I do in the last year to wind up here, but then I said, ‘You know, this could happen to any kid.’ I’m starting to cool down about it.”

After the hour-long surgery, Barnabei started speech, occupational and physical therapies while adjusting back to his surroundings.

“For me, the most difficult thing was I was sick all the time after surgery,” Barnabei said. “The week I got back I wasn’t used to the scent in my room. I don’t know how that happened, but I got really sick because of it. I was nauseous all the time.”

He was well enough to go out for the track and field team less than three months after surgery. Kris Keppel, who has coached the Gators cross country team for 19 years and trains the track distance athletes, said seeing Barnabei at practice is special.

“It’s great that he’s out here, because I didn’t think he’d be out here this fast,” Keppel said. “He didn’t really start running again until after Jan. 1. In four weeks of training he’s gotten his millage back up to 34 miles per week. He’s run a 12:06 two mile (3,200 meters), he’s run a 5:47 one mile (1,600) and 2:25 800, which isn’t fast, but it’s showing that he’s progressing. … He’s very focused.”

Land O’ Lakes junior distance runner Travis Nichols said having Barnabei back at practice is an inspiration.

“He went through a lot, so to see him back out here is a big boost,” Nichols said. “He’s also a really good leader, so he’s going to help us a lot.”

Barnabei said he plans to run the 1,600 and 3,200 this year.

“I’m getting back into my normal routine,” Barnabei said. “I did an 8-mile run the other day by myself, which was a big thing for me. The first day I got back and ran a slow 6-mile run, and it was a relief to get back, but I was tired. I was dead.

“This year, I want to get back under 11 minutes in the two mile, and in the one mile get near under five minutes,” Barnabei continued. “If I can do that, then I’ll feel accomplished and ready for my senior year.”

Barnabei went through his last round of cancer treatment on Jan. 30. He will get an MRI every three months for the first year, followed by additional testing for several years to monitor his progress.

Barnabei said he knows he still has a long fight ahead of him to get back to normal, but said he is very encouraged by the progress he’s already made.

“I never thought I’d be back out here doing what I love, especially not after only three months,” Barnabei said. “It strikes me after all that I’ve been through physically that I’m mentally able to be out here.”

The Gators host a quad meet Feb. 26 at 3 p.m.

—Follow Kyle LoJacono on Twitter: @Kyle_Laker

 

 

 

 

By Jeff Odom

 

The St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital Kids are Heroes program has recognized more than 1,400 children for their deeds in the Tampa Bay area since 1996.

From being there for a friend to saving a life, these students have made a big impact, and the program is putting the spotlight on their good deeds.

The hospital, with help from the Tampa Bay Lightning, will honor the winners and nominees at a later date with a special recognition ceremony.

 

Gracie Langton, New Tampa

Deanne Langton knows her life would be very different without her daughter Gracie.

In late August, Deanne and her 10-year-old daughter were getting ready for their usual bike ride from their neighborhood to Tampa Palms Elementary, where Gracie attends school.

As they were heading out, Gracie asked her mother a random question.

“Why don’t you wear your helmet, Mom?”

“I usually see other moms around the neighborhood riding with helmets on their head and some of them and some kids ride to school without their helmet,” Gracie said. “(When I asked her) it just was out of the blue, and it just came to me.”

Deanne said she didn’t think much of the question, and the two kept riding.

“Luckily on that ride nothing happened, and I was safe,” Deanne said.

Gracie’s question turned into a reality the next day.

Before the two left home on their bicycles, Deanne heard her daughter’s voice ringing in her ears asking about the helmet. She thought it would be a good idea to wear it — just to be safe.

To this day she’s not sure what prompted her to make that decision, but it is one that likely saved her life.

Halfway through their trip, a car was backing out of its driveway. Gracie swerved to avoid it, but Deanne was going too fast to stop.

“I was going about 14 mph,” Deanne said. “I saw Gracie up ahead and I saw the car coming out, and it pulled right out in front of us. I hit my brakes, and when I did I went head first over the handlebars of my bike and my head was the first thing to hit the ground.”

Deanne laid on the sidewalk, motionless and unable to speak. Gracie screamed for three passersby, who called 911.

Deanne’s brother quickly rushed over to pick them up.

“I thought I was fine, but then when I got into (the car), I realized I couldn’t move,” Deanne said. “We went to the Urgent Care (walk-in clinic) and I couldn’t get out of the car. I inched around enough to get out of the car, but I was kind of all crumpled up. I went inside and they said I needed to go to a trauma center.”

She was taken to the hospital where they found two cracked ribs and a punctured lung, which had collapsed and needed to be treated with a chest tube. Deanne was forced to remain there for seven days, but Gracie was right by her side telling stories to keep her in good spirits.

“I honestly believe that Gracie is my hero, because without her asking me that question, I probably wouldn’t have worn the helmet,” Deanne said. “I believe my life would be totally different if she never did.”

Deanne is now at full health. She has scars on her hands and back, but she said she will take them if it means keeping her life. She also keeps the scratched and cracked helmet as a reminder of just how precious life really is.

“Even if it’s two doors down, I’m still going to wear my bike helmet,” Gracie said. “You just never know what is going to happen. One second you’re on your bike, and two seconds later you could be falling on the ground and it’s scary to think about.”

Deanne wants to speak to Gracie’s classmates about her accident and the importance of wearing a helmet, hoping her story will inspire others to do the same. She said her helmet is now part of the family routine before they venture out.

“No one is invincible,” Deanne said. “If I wasn’t wearing it on September 1, my life would be very different today. I can tell you, my daughter and I will never bike without our helmets on. They save lives.”

 

Katherine Sportman, Lutz

Fifth-grader Katherine Sportman wants to make a difference for others.

When her teacher had to go on medical leave to receive treatment for ovarian cancer, the 10-year-old decided she could help by raising money with her mother, Nikki Sportman, who nominated her.

Then, when Super Storm Sandy ravished the East Coast, Katherine took her giving to a whole new level.

She didn’t just want to help the victims, but pets too by preparing homemade treats to sell at a local children’s market.

“Hurricane Sandy was coming, and she was really struck by the need and what was happening there,” Nikki said. “She took it upon herself and decided that she wanted to help out there and raise money for the urgent situation.”

Katherine combined her love for dogs and desire to assist others to came up with a batch of special treats for the pets.

“She wanted to do something that was healthy and she loved dogs, so she thought that homemade organic ingredient dog treats would be a good way to go,” Nikki said. “She picked three different varieties and researched the different recipes, and I helped her in the kitchen.”

The idea worked as Katherine and Nikki raised more than $150, which they donated to the American Red Cross.

“She’s always been a very giving person, and I was really happy that she has found an outlet to really feel like she’s doing something really big,” Nikki said. “We elected to donate to the American Red Cross through the Weather Channel, because they were matching donations, so in her mind she kind of doubled that money raised by doing that.”

There are other ideas Katherine is exploring for future projects, including raising more money for cancer victims. Nikki said she plans on returning to the market in Hyde Park sometime in the next few months to sell more goods and give any donations to the American Cancer Society.

 

Sean Kirkwood, Odessa

When Sean Kirkwood’s best friend Jake became ill with cancer, he didn’t fret.

“My son is a typical 11-year-old, but when Jake DePagter became ill with cancer, he was right there for him,” said Sean’s mother Ellie Kirkwood.

Sean took it upon himself to be there for his friend by sending cards, making videos to keep his spirits up and keeping his fellow classmates in the loop of what was going on at the hospital.

He also made numerous visits to see his friend, spending time talking about Xbox games, among other things.

“Even when Jake wasn’t in school, Sean would come back to class and tell them stories and make sure they knew how he was doing since he wasn’t there,” Ellie said. “My son’s definitely a normal boy, but I’m just so proud of what he did to dedicate himself to Jake and spend the time to be with him.”

When DePagter was able to come home, Sean wanted to be with him as much as possible. The two often played air hockey, swam or watched television.

Ellie said Sean was thrilled to find out he had been nominated for the award by his guidance counselor.

“He’s quite a humble person, and he said to me, ‘Mom, in all honesty, I don’t feel like I did anything special,’ because he’s not the one who’s going through cancer,” Ellie said. “I told him how proud of him I was, and I told him that he was nominated because he stood by Jake, which I think was very important to him, because he had a friend and had someone who was there for him and no one else would do this.”

 

 

Ashlynn Diaz, Wesley Chapel

Wesley Chapel resident Ashlynn Diaz is being recognized for her commitment to helping others around the community.

Diaz has served on her school’s student council and received first place in a state speech competition.

Outside of the classroom, Diaz has participated in Relay For Life and has also been involved in numerous autism awareness walks. She also currently has the title of Ms. Sunshine State from the Florida Miss America Coed Pageants.

 

–For more information about the Kids Are Heroes program, contact Amy Gall at (813) 870-4731.

 

 

By Meaghan O’Neal

The Laker/Lutz News Correspondent

 

More than 500 athletes representing public schools in East and Central Pasco competed at Wesley Chapel High for the county’s Special Olympics Summer Games Feb. 22.

A wide variety of sports were offered, including bocce ball, basketball, soccer, cycling, track and field and tennis.

The day began with a parade to celebrate the different schools represented, followed by the opening ceremony and traditional Olympic torch lighting.

When the ceremonies were completed, the athletes rushed excitedly to start preparing for their events. They were followed closely by their biggest fans and supporters — family and friends. After each race, the finishing athlete were surrounded in congratulations from supporters and student volunteers.

The joy doing the sports gives the participants is very evident in their smiles as they play. Alberto Chuquimia, who won the 800-meter race, put the day’s events into perspective after crossing the finish line: “You’ve got to finish. I did it.”

Wesley Chapel principal Carin Nettles said many of the school’s students volunteer to help at the event.

“Our students come out and see what the other students can do and want to be a part of it,” Nettles said.

Volunteers were there to time and organize events, give out awards and provide moral support to encourage them to finish strong.

Pasco began the Special Olympics in 1975. The number of participants, who must be age 8 or older, has quintupled to more than 1,000 athletes at the county’s two summer games locations.

The Special Olympics gives those with intellectual and physical disabilities the opportunity to participate in training, competing and winning.

Pasco offers training and other competitions for the Special Olympics throughout the school year.

 

 

By Kyle LoJacono

 

Road resurfacing work on the Suncoast Parkway in Pasco County is a few months from completion, according to Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) public information officer Christa Deason.

The $18.5-million project, which started last summer, includes milling and resurfacing of the travel lanes on the 20 miles of the Suncoast between the exits to SR 54 in the south and County Line Road in the north.

Deason said the project is the normal upkeep work that is done on all roadways.

“Most asphalt lasts 10 to 12 years, and it is inspected all the time for wear,” Deason said. “The Suncoast has been open 11 years. This project should be complete by late summer, barring any unforeseen weather events. We will be starting a similar project in Hernando (County) within the next week or so.”

Deason said the project also includes construction of median cable barriers and upgrades to the existing motorist aid call boxes.

She added that drivers should continue to watch for single-lane closures until the roadwork is completed.

For lane closure information, visit www.floridasturnpike.com/construction_update_CentralFla.cfm.

—Follow Kyle LoJacono on Twitter: @Kyle_Laker