Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Opila and Bubley work back from major knee injuries

By Kyle LoJacono

When the Steinbrenner girls soccer team won the Class 4A state title last season, it helped light a competitive fire under two players watching from the sidelines.

Marley Opila and Lexy Bubley had the unusual situation of accepting a state championship medal after not seeing the field during any of the playoffs.

Bubley, a defender, tore the ACL in her right knee just before the postseason began last year. Opila, a midfielder, suffered the same injury to her left knee a week before the first practice of the 2010-11 season.

“It was really hard watching and knowing I wasn’t a part of it,” Opila said. “It made me want to work harder so we can get another state title where I can actually help the team get it.”

Bubley added, “When you’re sitting on the bench watching everyone work to get better and you can tell they’re all having fun, that was the most difficult thing to watch. Just in practice wishing I could go run around with everyone. I felt so separate.”

Both players worked to get back strong for this season, and both said they are 100 percent healthy again. However, they will not be playing on the same field — except when Steinbrenner plays Gaither.

Opila is back with the Warriors, but Bubley is now suiting up with the Cowboys. Bubley attended Gaither during her freshman and sophomore years.

Cowboys coach Trevor Scott is more than happy to have Bubley’s physical defense back on Gaither’s backline.

“She hasn’t missed one conditioning session or anything during the summer,” Scott said. “She’s been the one person who has been out here every single day and never complains about the rain or the heat. You can tell she loves the game and missed playing. I’m just happy we can have someone that good and that dedicated.”

Bubley, who had two goals and three assists last season before the knee injury, said even those simple conditioning sessions were missed while she was sidelined.

“Once I didn’t have it I realized how much I missed it,” Bubley said. “I wanted to be running and doing those things to get better. Once the things over the summer started I just said I’m going to be there every day because I couldn’t for so long. Plus I had to get back in shape because I definitely wasn’t in good condition.”

Opila, who had 16 goals and 17 assists as a freshman, felt a similar loss when the game was taken from her.

“Soccer is my life,” Opila said. “When I tore my ACL it made me understand how important it is to me. I took it for granted. … I missed everything about it. The teammates, the getting better, college opportunities. I even missed conditioning and fitness. Before I hated fitness. That was the worse thing in the world, but once you tear you ACL and you’re not fit anymore it’s more challenging.”

Steinbrenner junior forward Alexis Bredeau could not be happier Opila is back on the field.

“Before she hurt her knee she was on my club team, so having a girl on your high school and club team you never stop seeing each other,” Bredeau said. “We were really connected throughout the time she did hurt her knee and to see her just try so hard to come back I know she’s going to be better than ever.”

First-year Warriors coach Robert Woodard is also excited to have a player like Opila.

“She likes to go forward and has a lot of skill,” Woodard said. “Watching her in tryouts I knew she was a very talented player. It’s nice to have a confident midfielder who can add to the attack.”

Bubley and Gaither will host Opila and Steinbrenner on Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 6 p.m.

“The players here haven’t asked me yet for any information on how they do things there, but I’m sure it will come up,” Bubley said with a laugh. “I’m sure they will when the game gets closer.”

–All stats as recorded to Maxpreps.com by coaches.

By Kyle LoJacono

Marc DeMarcus cringes as he sees the fuel indicator in his truck slip closer and closer to E.

The story is similar for most drivers, but the Wesley Chapel resident does so from behind the wheel of his diesel truck he uses for his hauling business.

“It takes a lot to fill it up,” said Marcus, whose business base is in southern Pasco and northern Hillsborough counties. “It’s usually between $80 and $100 if it’s completely empty, and I usually have to get diesel two times a week.”

Pasco and Hillsborough counties are looking at ways to take some of the sting out of filling up both diesel and conventional gas tanks during the next few years.

The Pasco Commission is contemplating adding compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling stations as a way to reduce the cost and pollution from operating diesel-powered trash trucks. Once established, such facilities could be used by school buses, other county vehicles and the general public.

“Maybe we can start down the road of bringing natural gas instead of diesel and everything else associated with that,” said County Administrator John Gallagher.

Gallagher, along with Commissioner Henry Wilson, said they don’t want to force the switch by trash collectors, which are private companies contracted to work within Pasco. They instead predict the switch to CNG would happen voluntarily once the option is available.

“We want to make sure we have all the haulers, both the large and small ones, switch their fleet,” Wilson said.

Wilson said the reduced cost will likely be a draw for the voluntary switch, but only if there are enough fueling stations so haulers know they can fill up anywhere into the future. A new natural gas powered garbage truck runs around $35,000 more than a diesel one, but the cost for a gallon of CNG is only about $2.

The first stations would be installed at the landfills in Dade City and Shady Hills. They would later be added near the intersection of SR 54 and Gunn Highway because of its heavy traffic volume.

Wilson said there are no set plans for additional expansion, but did say “Once usage picks up we would start putting them in other places for school buses and for citizens’ vehicles.” The plan is similar for Pasco’s neighbor to the south.

Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART) was recently awarded a $2.3 million federal grant to install CNG stations and make associated modifications to its maintenance facilities.

HART CEO Philip Hale said it is the first step to transitioning the organization’s vans and buses away from diesel toward CNG.

“Natural gas offers a cost-effective alternative to diesel fuel,” Hale, said. “Natural gas is available domestically and at this time, costs approximately 20-25 percent less than diesel.”

The goal is to have the new equipment up and running by the end of 2013.

DeMarcus said he likes the idea of having fuel options like CNG.

“I’ve actually looked into getting a natural gas truck before because I’m thinking of getting a new one anyway,” DeMarcus said. “I’ve heard (CNG) is a lot cheaper, but I also heard it’s hard to find places to fill up at. … If there were enough of them around so I’d know I had places to get it, sure I’d buy a truck that runs on (CNG).”

By Kyle LoJacono

Tim Misandree is a survivor.

Not from war or a natural disaster. The Wesley Chapel resident is a survivor of skin cancer.

Tim, 42, was diagnosed with the disease six years ago. He was told it was probably caused by living his whole life in the Florida sunshine.

“It was the most devastating thing I’ve ever heard,” Tim said. “My first thought is what am I going to tell my wife and two kids? My kids were only 5 and 6 at the time. I felt like I had let them down somehow.”

It was Tim’s wife, Karen, who worried about getting him the right treatment to fight the disease.

“We looked at all the places and after looking at everything we decided the best one for him was Florida Cancer Institute-New Hope,” Karen said.

Tim is now cancer free and attributes being alive today to the treatment he received at New Hope.

“It wasn’t just the treatment and all of that,” Tim said. “It was the way they treated me as a person. The compassion was as important.”

New Hope will now be able to offer that care with the help of Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute (FCS).

New Hope, which offers care through seven locations including three in Pasco County, will merge with FCS on Jan. 1.

“Florida Cancer Institute-New Hope brings longstanding experience and excellent patient care into our practice,” said FCS CEO Brad Prechtl. “We are delighted to welcome these outstanding physicians into the Florida Cancer Specialists family, and we are excited about increasing the number of clinical sites that provide radiation oncology, PET/CT scans and other cutting-edge treatments and diagnostics for our patients.”

Dr. William Harwin, president of FCS, said adding additional facilities to treat cancer patients throughout the state is a big focus for his group right now.

“Increasing patient service areas is one of the primary goals of Florida Cancer Specialists because it is at the very heart of our mission to provide world-class cancer treatment close to a patient’s home and family. As a result, our patients can access the best possible treatment with the least amount of disruption to their daily lives.”

New Hope president Dr. Jorge Ayub added, “The merger of our practices will provide an excellent synergy for our patients. Continuity of care will have no interruptions because our patients will be able to continue seeing their own physicians in the same locations they are familiar with. And by joining Florida Cancer Specialists, we will now be able to offer a more complete clinical research profile, fully integrated electronic medical records and increased access to the latest cutting-edge treatments.”

Along with the merged sites, Prechtl said the combining of doctors and other workers with FCS and New Hope will allow them to learn from each other’s experience to provide better overall care.

“FCS believes that we must provide the most advanced clinical treatments coupled with rigorous attention on patient-centered care,” Prechtl said. “Everything we do is designed to offer our patients the best opportunity for a positive outcome, as well as a better and less stressful overall patient experience.”

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.