Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Kyle LoJacono

After more than two years of debate about how to spend $11 million to improve county parks, the Pasco Commission has come down to a pair of plans for the money.

One would send the entire pot to help build a sports complex near The Shops at Wiregrass, while the other would split the money between the Wesley Chapel location and a wakeboarding park in Aripeka in northwestern Pasco.

The proposed complex, which would be called Fields at Wiregrass, had its plans recently presented to the commission. The plan calls for a 160-acre park just north of The Shops at Wiregrass along Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.

The $25-million project is the brainchild of J.D. Porter, whose family founded the original Wiregrass Ranch in the 1950s that included more than 14,000 acres. While some of the land is still used for raising cattle, the Porters have given or sold off much of the property allowing the building of Wiregrass Ranch High, Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel and Pasco-Hernando Community College’s future Porter Campus.

“This is how you create places that aren’t simply bedroom communities,” J.D. Porter said. He added it has been his father, Don’s, dream to see the area grow from its origins as a ranch into its own self-sufficient community.

The project would include 12 multiuse sports fields for football, soccer, lacrosse and other sports activities to support large regional and national tournaments. It also includes three MLB-regulation sized baseball fields and another three for Little League games.

Other amenities will include fishing areas, hiking trails and a dock to launch canoes and kayaks.

J.D. said the family envisions the complex as similar to Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex. They have even hired former Disney executive Steve Daugherty, who for 10 years managed more than 40 youth sports events annually at the Orlando complex.

If approved, the Porters would not only pay for all construction costs not covered by Pasco, but would also pay to operate the facility. J.D. said because of that stipulation they would like the county to kick in the entire $11 million for the job.

The $11 million available comes from tax revenue collected on people staying at county hotels. The money has to go to help attract more tourists to Pasco.

However, Pasco’s parks department will not be able to keep either the Wiregrass or Aripeka facilities open without the help from investors like the Porters because of cuts to the county budget during the last four years.

Commissioner Jack Mariano, whose District 5 includes the site of the proposed wakeboarding park, said he favored splitting the money between two locations.

“That way we can get the biggest bang for the buck,” Mariano said. “Better to have two places bringing in tourists than one.”

J.D. said they would likely have to amend the plans if they do not get the entire $11 million. However, if the Porters get their wish the Wiregrass complex would be up and running to host spring break tournaments in 2014.

The commissioners are expected to vote on the plans by the end of the year.

B.C. Manion

Army Sgt. Joel Tavera will be home for the holidays.

The highly decorated wounded Army veteran was hailed with a hero’s welcome on Saturday, as he rode in a motorcade including Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputies on motorcycles, fire trucks, a military vehicle, biker groups and other vehicles.

The procession made its way from the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital through Lutz, to Grand Hampton, a North Tampa community of upscale, architecturally diverse homes. The entry of the normally gated community was opened on Saturday, Nov. 19, to allow in the flow of cars, trucks and motorcycles.

Flags lined the roads leading to the war hero’s home and people of all ages stood along the sidewalks waving flags and homemade “welcome home” signs as the procession crept through the subdivision. The procession stopped just short of Tavera’s new home at 20007 Outpost Point Drive.

Hundreds of people were there, on a beautiful, breezy morning, to celebrate with the man who has endured 73 surgeries since March 12, 2008, when he was riding in an armored SUV inside the Tallil Airbase in southeastern Iraq. Five rockets struck the armored vehicle, killing three of the soldier’s friends.

Tavera initially was thought to be dead.

He suffered serious head trauma. He lost sight in both of his eyes. He lost his right leg and four fingers on his left hand. He sustained critical burns to 60 percent of his body.

At the time of the incident his parents, Jose and Maritza Tavera, were told that their son was the second most severely injured soldier to survive the Iraq war.

Tavera was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star, and, on Saturday morning, Nov. 19, he was honored in a homecoming celebration at his new four-bedroom home.

The home is valued at $456,580. It was built by William Ryan Homes as part of a nationwide project spearheaded by Building Homes for Heroes, an organization that organizes efforts to build new homes for returning wounded veterans. So far, nine homes have been built and others are in the pipeline.

Features in the 4,300-square-foot home include hardwood and ceramic tile floors, granite countertops and stainless appliances.

It also has a water softening system for Tavera’s sensitive skin, a 13 feet by 26 feet pool with therapy jets and a swimming exercise treadmill and a front door that opens automatically upon Tavera’s approach.

Tavera was clearly elated during Saturday’s event– delighted both by the gift of the new home and by the size of the crowd of supporters there to share his big moment.

“I’m grateful for everybody who took the time from their busy schedules to make it out here, to come celebrate this with my family – with both my wonderful caretakers, my mother and my father,” Tavera said.

The celebration included plenty of pomp and ceremony. There were bagpipe players, a formal presentation of colors and speeches by dignitaries. Honored guests included high-ranking military officers and top-level staff of the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital.

Kelly Hallman, the Building Homes for Heroes mission leader in Tampa – who also is a Hillsborough County firefighter — could barely keep his composure as he expressed gratitude for Tavera’s service and courage, and spoke of the generosity that resulted in the solder’s new home.

Andy Pujol, the founder and president of Building Homes for Heroes, and Jeff Thorson, of William Ryan Homes, were also there to salute Tavera’s service and welcome him to his new home.

When it came Tavera’s time to speak, he told the crowd that he heard people referring to him as a hero, but he doesn’t see himself in that light.

“You are! You are!” a man shouted from the crowd – to which the audience broke out in cheers and applause.

But Tavera responded: “I got hurt doing my job.”

The wounded warrior was clearly touched by the generosity shown to him.

“I cannot exactly name every single person who was involved in putting this home together,” Tavera said.

A banner posted near the house reinforced how difficult it would be to thank every supporter by name. It listed hundreds, if not thousands, of names of people who helped in some way on the project.

Some of the biggest contributors were nearly two dozen of the homebuilder’s business partners. They donated products, materials and services, totaling about $150,000.

Those supporters include:

–Guardian Protection Services, $50,000

–John Madison Landscape, $24,000

–Masco Cabinetry, $14,000

–Jeffco Construction, $9,000

–Aquascape Pools, $8,500

–Seagull Lighting, $5,000

–Seagull Lighting, $5,600

–Prestige Electric, $5,200

–Hartshorn Custom, $5,200

William Ryan Homes, a family-owned company, builds in three Tampa Bay locations, include Ashton Oaks in Wesley Chapel, Harbour Isles in Apollo Beach and Grand Hampton.

For more information on Building Homes for Heroes, go to www.BuildingHomesforHeroes.org.

Serving up hot meals, food boxes and kindness at Thanksgiving

By B.C. Manion

 

In homes across the region on Thanksgiving, the aroma of roasted turkey will fill the air, as family and friends gather to share a feast and the pleasure of one another’s company.

Scores of volunteers, however, will be devoting a portion of their holiday to serving or delivering hot meals to those who are less fortunate.

So many people signed up to help at the second annual Turkey Gobble Feast at the Dairy Queen in Wesley Chapel that the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel had to ask some volunteers if they could help deliver toys for Christmas, instead.

“It’s amazing how many people want to volunteer,” said Jennifer Cofini, one of the Turkey Gobble’s organizers.

Cofini is customer and community relations manager for Heritage Ford, which is one of the sponsors for the Turkey Gobble.

Dan Byrne, who owns the Dairy Queen, said he had hoped that fewer people would need by this time this year – but many people are struggling because of the tough economy.

The event is aimed at helping not only the unemployed, the underemployed and the homeless, but also shut-ins who have no way of getting a holiday meal, Byrne said.

Last year, the goal was to provide 400 meals. This year, the organizers are being more ambitious. They hope to feed 750.

When they created the event last year, the idea was to have people dine at the Dairy Queen, where they could share the experience with others, Bryne said.

In retrospect, however, organizers decided it would be better to give people a take-out option, so they could enjoy the meals at home, he said. So, this year, diners have a choice. They can enjoy their meal of turkey and all the fixings at Dairy Queen, or take it home.

For those who are unable to go to the Dairy Queen, 27328 SR 54 in Wesley Chapel, there are volunteers who will deliver the meals, Cofini said.

Besides the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel, Metropolitan Ministries, Dairy Queen and Heritage Ford, other primary event sponsors are the International Hair Co. and Florida Medical Clinic. There’s also an anonymous donor who has contributed $2,000 for the Thanksgiving feast and another $2,000 for toys for Metropolitan Ministries, Byrne said.

The group has reached out to churches, schools, homeless shelters and others to ask them to spread the word about the Thanksgiving meal.

Others across the region also have given out their time and treasure.

Atonement Lutheran Church in Wesley Chapel gave out 200 turkeys to families last week during the church’s weekly food pantry, said Scott Lindner, church pastor. The New Tampa Rotary Club helped distribute the turkeys and other holiday foods, he said.

The church raised money to purchase the turkeys through a special fundraising event. Wolf’s Den, a local restaurant, donated all of the food for the breakfast at the fundraiser.

The church also received $2,000 in donations from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, a fraternal organization based in Appleton, Wis. to help pay for the turkeys.

In another act of kindness, Heritage Ford created a collection site in its dealership where people brought in enough donations to fill 50 food boxes in its first Boxes of Hope campaign for Metropolitan Ministries of Pasco County. The dealership, at 28739 SR 54 W., collected 686 pounds of food and donated a turkey for every box it filled.

At Wesley Chapel Nissan, 28519 Wesley Chapel Blvd., the dealership’s owner, Jay Rosario, its general manager, Glenn Gibson, and its internet director, Troy Stevenson, provided $800 in gift cards to help 47 families in need in the community of Wimauma, through efforts led by Myrtle Lake Baptist Church in Land O’ Lakes.

Last week, the WWJD Food Outreach was busy gathering donations for Thanksgiving dinner boxes for 225 families. The goal was to collect enough donations to give each of those families a turkey, as well as other items to create a holiday meal.

The Chancey Road Christian Church also planned to provide meals on Thanksgiving for the elderly, homeless, lonely and elderly. Reservations for those meals were due by Nov. 22.

Efforts are ongoing at Keystone Community Church, 21010 SR 54, in Land O’ Lakes. The church has been collecting food, turkeys and toys for Thanksgiving in its third annual Metropolitan Ministries Holiday Collection Tent.

The church’s youth group collected 1,486 pounds of food in a single day by collecting bags filled by contributors in the community.

The Thanksgiving drive was set to end on Tuesday, Nov. 22. That tent will reopen on Saturday, Dec. 10 and will remain open until Wednesday, Dec. 21, to accept contributions for Christmas.

Doing things the same old way won’t bring new contracts, CEO says

By B.C. Manion

Motorists buzzing down Gunn Highway in Odessa likely are oblivious to a German-based company that has its U.S. headquarters on a side street called Byrd Legg Drive.

But the company – Bauer Foundation Corp. – is known throughout the world and recently landed a $106 million contract to install a barrier wall at Center Hill Dam in Cookeville, Tenn.

While other companies are giving employees pink slips or holding steady on their staffing, Bauer is hiring.

The company especially needs engineers, said Charles Puccini, president and CEO of the company in Odessa. He’s especially interested in people who can think through solutions.

Winning contracts, Puccini said, means figuring out ways to do things faster, better and cheaper than they were done in the past.

“We have to outthink our competitors every day and be better every day,” Puccini said. “If we re-tender the same idea we had last time, we lose.”

When they fail to secure a contract, Puccini tells his employees: “We were outthought by our competitors. We didn’t think about it enough.”

He also reminds them they always have to be looking to the future. Something that used to be acceptable may not be good enough today, he said.

In other words, “In 2002, it was a great idea. It’s going to be 2012 in a couple of days. You have to be improving every day,” he said.

The company leader places paramount importance on an educated work force. That’s why his company offers robust internship and training programs.

“You pull the economy out through technology and the only way you get technology is through education,” Puccini said.

The company is constantly looking for ways to improve its equipment, to get better results in the field, he said.

The company began as Coastal Caisson in the 1970s and was purchased by its parent company, Bauer Spezialtiefbau GmbH, based in Schrobenhausen, Germany, in the 1990s.

Bauer is a leader in the execution of complex excavation pits, ground improvement, deep foundations and in-ground walls, utilizing the most up-to-date equipment and installation techniques.

Loren Winckler, who has been with the company for 20 years, said he explains what his company does this way: “I work for a construction company, but you don’t see anything we build because everything we build is under the ground. Once we get to the ground level, we’re done. It’s all foundation work.

“We’re in the beginning processes of building a bridge, building a building. We’re the first ones on the scene, the first ones on the job,” he said.

Winckler handles much of the company’s training program.

“Drilling into the ground is a very specialized field,” he said, noting interns at the company generally spend six weeks learning about various facets of the company.

“What our company makes is the equivalent of a tunnel boring machine, but we go vertical instead of horizontal,” Puccini said.

So, instead of tunneling through an area and pushing away the debris, it drills down.

“We have to lift up all of this rock chips and cuttings – it’s just tons of materials,” Puccini said. “This is not easy. This requires lots of research and development.”

Puccini said the company chose to move to Odessa because it had outgrown its site on Ulmerton Road.

It wanted a site that had ample room to accommodate growth, was on a trucking route and was in an area with good roads that was not heavily developed.

Pasco County, near the Hillsborough County line, fit the bill.

 

 

By B.C. Manion

As the holiday season approaches, Keystone Community Church in Lutz and Heritage Ford in Wesley Chapel are stepping forward to help others in need.

Keystone Community Church will hold its third annual Metropolitan Ministries Holiday Collection Tent and Heritage Ford is having its first Boxes of Hope campaign.

Both efforts will benefit Metropolitan Ministries of Pasco County, which in turn will help families in need at the holidays.

Heritage Ford, at 28739 SR 54 W., has already begun accepting food donations in its Boxes of Hope campaign.

The goal is to collect enough food to provide Thanksgiving meals for 50 local families, said Jennifer Cofini, community relations manager for the car dealership.

“If we get more, that’s great,” Cofini said. “I figured 50 (food boxes) was a good place to start,” she said.

The dealership will contribute a turkey for every box of food it collects, Cofini said.

Those wishing to help can bring their food donations to the dealership’s showroom.

Items that are needed include canned fruits and vegetables, stuffing, mix, rice, beans, canned yams, gravy mix, cookies and Jello pudding.

Those contributing items also are invited to enter a drawing for a free deluxe vehicle detail valued at $149.95, Cofini said. It’s the dealership’s way of showing appreciation to the community for taking part in the food drive, she said.

The dealership’s food drive began on Oct. 26 and runs through Friday, Nov. 18. Contributors are invited to drop by the dealership’s showroom with their donations anytime between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Cofini said.

While Heritage Ford’s food drive is well under way, Keystone Community Church is just gearing up for its third annual Metropolitan Ministries Holiday Collection Tent.

The church will kick off its annual effort by having a Holiday of Hope Tent Blessing at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 11.

Those attending are asked to bring a canned food item to donate, representing their “first fruits,” which refers to terminology used in the Bible.

The event will be at the church, 21010 SR 54 in Lutz, near the intersection of US 41 and SR 54.

The donation tent will begin operation on Nov. 12 and will receive donations through Nov. 22. It will reopen on Dec. 10 and remain open through Dec. 21 to accept additional contributions for Christmas.

Florida Blood Services will be on site during the opening day, so those wishing to donate blood will be able to do so.

Angela Hobson, the church’s outreach coordinator, said the intersection of US 41 and SR 54 is an ideal spot to gather donations because it is in such a central location in Pasco County.

She said the founders of Keystone Community Church have had a longstanding relationship with Metropolitan Ministries.

When the church was established at such a prime location, it decided it wanted to do its part to help Metropolitan Ministries of Pasco County — formerly known as Joining Hands Community Mission, Hobson said.

The church wants to do what Metropolitan Ministries in downtown Tampa does, at a smaller scale, Hobson said.

“We’ve scheduled dates throughout the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays” to collect donations of food and new toys, Hobson said.

After the church collects the items, it delivers them to Metropolitan Ministries, which then distributes the items to families in need.

Hobson said she’s trying to get additional churches and community organizations to help out by providing volunteers to help at the collection site.

First United Methodist Church of Lutz has stepped up, Hobson said. Their volunteers are going to cover a day at the collection tent.

Middle school and high school students that need to earn community service hours can pitch in, and so can community groups, the outreach coordinator said. The church is not encouraging groups of young children to help because the site is in a high-traffic area and they don’t want to take any chances of anyone getting hurt, Hobson said.

Contributors are encouraged to donate canned fruits and vegetables, spaghetti, spaghetti sauce, peanut butter, cereal and other nonperishable items. Frozen turkeys are also welcome because the church has freezers it can use to store them, Hobson said.

The church is also collecting gift items, especially gifts for teenagers. Items that are in high demand include board games, jewelry, makeup, hair accessories, footballs, basketballs, DVD and CD players, journals, sketchbooks and gift cards.

New items for infants also are in great need, Hobson said.

 

/Heritage Ford Boxes of Hope food drive

The drop off location for food items at Heritage Ford is in the vehicle showroom reception area. The dealership is at 28739 SR 54 W. in Wesley Chapel.

For more information about the car dealership’s food drive, contact Jennifer Cofini at (813) 907-7800 or email .

County commissioners plan to make chair selection nonpolitical

By Kyle LoJacono

There was tension in the air on Nov. 15 when the Hillsborough County Commission was selecting its new chair for the next year.

Outgoing chairman Al Higginbotham nominated Mark Sharpe to succeed him and made his opinion very well known. However, the other five commissioners backed Ken Hagan, who officially takes over the role this week with Sandy Murman serving as vice-chairman. It is the fourth time Hagan has held the gavel on the board.

After the 5-2 vote, members began talking about changing the process of selecting its chair.

Commissioner Les Miller, who was also voted as chaplain for the next year, said the idea is to make the appointments on a regular schedule to take “behind-the-scenes wrangling” out of the picture.

The idea is to have the position pass to the member with the most seniority who hasn’t served at the post for the next two years.

“This would take the politics out of the process,” Miller said. “I was shocked to be getting calls a month before this from people asking me to support certain nominations.”

Murman agreed with Miller’s idea, saying the way the board’s leader is selected has gotten “out of control.

“Our process is flawed,” Murman continued. “We need to change it.”

Miller’s plan got a 5-2 early approval, with Higginbotham and Victor Crist opposing the motion, meaning it would likely be passed after the required two public hearings to get feedback about the proposed ordinance.

Crist and Higginbotham both said they did not disagree with the plan of taking out the politics of the selection process, but wanted more time to think about the options before supporting the measure. Crist, whose District 2 includes all of Lutz, also wondered why anyone would want to push for certain people to be the chair.

“The chairman has no more influence than any other member of this board,” Crist said. “Lobbyists who want certain people in charge don’t understand how the commission works.”

The chair is the board’s leader in name and guides its meetings, but has no additional powers.

If officially adopted, the new system would go into place for 2012. Sharpe is the one in line to be chairman, with Kevin Beckner serving as vice-chairman. Beckner would take over in 2013, with Murman serving as vice-chairwoman.

After those two years, the position would be rotated sequentially through the districts, starting with District 1 in 2014 and moving to District 2 in 2015. Murman currently represents District 1, which includes all of Odessa/Keystone.

Commissioners will have the first of two public hearings on the proposal on Wednesday, Dec. 7. For additional information on the proposal, call (813) 272-5900 or visit www.hillsboroughcounty.org.