Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Eugenio Torrens

Phillip Darrow used to have a tough time getting around.

The 65-year-old Arbor Oaks resident has neuropathy in his ankles, which means the nerves to his knees and ankles are deteriorating. An on-and-off regiment of steroid infusions for the past four years wasn’t enough.

Then a few weeks ago, Darrow started using some new equipment and gradually, he has noticed an improvement.

That equipment is available at the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital in Tampa or at USF. But now, it is also closer than ever to home.

Physical therapist Robert Dragan operates out of an office by the Florida Hospital Zephyrhills. He has been in the city since 1995 and established Rehab Point in 1999.

“I owe something to the community,” Dragan said.

He has helped countless patients with stiff bones, muscle aches and worse. Now he may be able to offer patients an aide into the future — minimizing future risks.

That’s thanks to the Biodex Balance SD and the Gait Trainer machines housed in his facility.

Although the names may sound intimidating, the Biodex Balance SD is a simple-looking machine, upon which the patient stands and engages in a series of games that test motor coordination.

WThe Gait Trainer looks like any state-of-the-art treadmill, but it is noticeably low and flat to the ground, and it tracks the walking patterns of the patients in an attempt to maximize the body’s most efficient manner of stride.

Roughly two weeks into using Dragan’s new equipment, Darrow noticed a difference.

“I didn’t think I could do it,” Darrow said about first stepping on the Biodex Balance SD. “My stability has gotten better. My balance has gotten better also. It takes your mind off what you’re doing.”

The mental aspect is part of the reason Dragan said the Biodex Balance SD and Gait Trainer are so effective.

“It actually requires much more thinking,” Dragan said. “You are involved. It’s not the repeating exercises. A lot of patients come in here, they want me to give them, you know ‘Just give me exercises at home, and I’m going to do it. I’m just going to repeat this 15-20 repetitions, and I’ll be fine.’ No, you will be not fine.”

It has been so productive that Darrow has recommended it to different people in addition to posting brochures about Rehab Point at his mobile home park.

As for the Gait Trainer, Darrow said he’s still getting used to it, but that it too, is helping.

“It’s showing me how to move my hips and get the gait in the right perspective,” Darrow said.

Before the Gait Trainer, Darrow used to exercise his ankles just by walking around. It was all he could really do. He wished he had been privy to the technology weeks ago.

One of the vital aspects of Dragan’s new machines is their intuition — they are not only meant to illustrate weaknesses in balance or walking strides, but also to improve physical habits.

After Darrow saw his results on the Gait Trainer, he has tried adapting the walking habits the trainer suggested to his habitual walking routine.

Dragan said his new equipment could eventually reduce health care cost by improving overall safety for senior citizens.

“We would like to save this money for Medicare later on,” Dragan said. “If we can decrease the cost of the health care by decreasing the risk and all these costs of complications, we will be much better.”

Dragan said if people learn their limitations, they can learn to prevent them as well as how to deal and improve upon them.

“The more you’re afraid to fall, the faster you fall,” Dragan said. “Unfortunately, that’s how it works.”

Although this experiment is still in its infancy, Dragan hasn’t been shortsighted. He doesn’t plan to limit the abilities of this technology to seniors only. He predicts it could be particularly beneficial to high school athletes as well.

“Unfortunately, there is always somebody who gets injured,” Dragan said.

He noted football, volleyball, soccer and track and field athletes as ones who could get the most out of this.

Dragan hopes by working with coaches that he can bring the program to Pasco and Zephyrhills high schools.

Rehab Point Inc. is located at 38026 Medical Center Ave. in Zephyrhills. For more information, visit www.rehabpoint.com or call (813) 779-8829.

By B.C. Manion

When 83-year-old Shirley Stemler had a total hip replacement, she knew she’d need some extra help during her recovery.

She turned to Home Instead Senior Care East Pasco for help.

The private company, based in Wesley Chapel, provides various services aimed at helping people remain in their homes, instead of going to a healthcare facility.

Stemler, who lives in Dade City, was delighted to have that option.

“I was very, very pleased,” she said. “The fact that I could come home and not have to go somewhere else when I left the hospital was important to me.”

She turned to the service to help her with practical matters.

“I had them come basically for the mornings,” she said. They helped her with sponge baths, cleaning chores and preparing meals.

“One gal, M.J., when she finished helping me she went into the kitchen, cleaned my cupboards, my refrigerator – stuff I hadn’t done. I was in a lot of pain for the two months before I had surgery. She really went above and beyond.”

Stemler only used the service for five or six days, but she was pleased she could go home immediately from the hospital.

“The good thing is, you’re home. I like my own home. I’m more comfortable in my own surroundings,” said Stemler, while sitting in her home, surrounded by artwork and photographs on the wall and other personal mementoes.

Michele and Lynelle Bonneville are co-owners of Home Instead Senior Care East Pasco, which is based at 29149 Chapel Park Drive in Wesley Chapel.

The company’s service area is bounded by US 41 on the west and by county lines on the east, north and south. Another franchise office Home Instead Senior Care West Pasco, is owned by Joy and Howard Cook, and serves people living in Pasco County west of US 41.

Michele said her business service ranges from as little as one day a week for three hours to 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The rates vary. In general, the rate ranges from $17.75 an hour for a homemaker companion to $200 for a 12-hour shift.

Michele, a former nurse practitioner and pharmaceutical sales representative, said she had retired from those professions and was looking for something new.

She attended a franchise expo in Miami where she found out about Home Instead and knew immediately it was the niche for her.

As America’s population ages, these kinds of services will become increasingly important, Michele said.

About 5.3 million Americans were afflicted by Alzheimer’s, according to 2010 statistics compiled by the Alzheimer’s Association. Michele said she was drawn to the franchise because of its solid track record and reputation but was also attracted by its mission.

“It’s like a calling, because I do want to change the face of aging,” Michele said.

In addition to her medical background, she also has a degree in anthropology.

“I have been around the world, and I have seen other cultures,” she said.

She understands why extended families are so important in helping a society to function, she said. “But it (the extended family) is fractured in our society.”

The majority of her clients are people between the ages of 45 and 65 who are the children of seniors and who live far away, Michele said.

They know their parents need care, but they are not here to provide it, she said.

“We provide peace of mind. I provide updates, little progress reports. Lots of times it’s good news and sometimes it’s with concerns, ‘Well, we see this happening, maybe we should think about this.’”

In some cases, her staff can provide an alert that can lead to an earlier diagnosis and intervention, Michele said.

“We have one client, I see signs of dementia, but she’s never been diagnosed with it and she’s not on medication.

“I had a talk with her daughter, and she’s now going to ask her physician to work her mom up.”

As people age, their memory can fade.

“We lose our sense of time,” Michele said. “It becomes hard to discern different days of the week and times of the day. The biggest impact it has is on their medication regimen.

“Either they don’t take their medications or some days they will double or triple up, and it ends up in a hospital admission.”

Home Instead Senior Care East Pasco County provides medication reminders.

“We do focus on the client. We don’t go in and do the tasks, like make the meals for them. If we can, we keep the client engaged as much as possible. ‘Come, help me fix lunch.’ ‘Come help me fix dinner.’

“We’ll snap beans together or fold laundry together,” she said.

If the client can’t perform a household task, her staff will do it for them.

“We will clean, do the laundry for them, strip the beds. They don’t have the strength to strip the beds or vacuum sometimes.”

They’ll transport clients to doctor’s appointments and go in with them to see the doctor, taking notes to pass along to family members.

“Sometimes there is clutter in the house, there are papers everywhere. We may sit down and help them get them organized or work with a family member to get them organized.”

Soon, the company will be launching an Alzheimer’s program.

There’s a huge need to help caregivers learn how to cope with that, she said. “We will be offering family training for the community for free,” she said.

Michele has hired about 25 part-time employees to serve her company’s clients. Each of those employees has undergone a background check and a motor vehicle records check. They also undergo a drug and alcohol screening and are subject to random tests.

The company provides training for its staff, Michele said.

She has identified the most important qualities she looks for in a prospective employee.

“They have to have a caring heart and they have to be reliable and dependable,” Michele said.

Home Instead Senior Care

East Pasco: (813) 991-7524

West Pasco: (727) 845-5819

By B.C. Manion

It isn’t even Halloween yet, but workers at Helping Hands Pantry are already starting to worry that they won’t have enough food in their cupboard to help families in need during the holidays.

Like many individuals and companies, the community food bank headquartered at Atonement Lutheran Church of Wesley Chapel is taking a hit from the tough economy.

Some of the people and organizations that have helped in the past can’t do so this year, said Yvette Williams, assistant director of the food pantry. So, the organization is planning a couple of events aimed at drumming up some support.

It will host a Trunk-A-Treat on Sunday, Oct. 23 to solicit donations to help provide food for Thanksgiving dinners. It also is hosting a “Help Stock our Shelves Pancake Breakfast and Fall Festival” on Saturday, Nov. 12.

Proceeds from those events will support the purchase of turkeys for holiday dinners.

The need is enormous, Williams said.

“When we first opened, we had about 50 recipients,” Williams said, noting the food pantry started up in March 2009.

Now, she said, “we’re averaging anywhere from 190 to 200 families.”

The pantry provides families a two-day supply of food, and during 2010 it distributed about 283,850 pounds of food to more than 8,213 families, representing a total of 26,866 people.

“When we opened, we thought we would be helping the homeless,” she said.

But it turns out that homeless people don’t come to the pantry much because they need a ride to get there.

“So, we’ve been having people come because they’ve lost their jobs, or had their salary or hours cut,” Williams said.

“It’s really heart-wrenching because of the different stories you hear,” Williams said.

“We have families that are combining. One might have lost the house and they move in with their relative or friends.

“You find out that because a husband has lost a job, it’s humiliating for them to come in for help,” she added. “It’s so sad when you see a man cry.”

The food pantry does all it can to make people feel welcome and to ensure they are treated with dignity and respect, she said.

“Our volunteers are quick to give you a kind word. Give you a hug, if you need it. By the time they walk through these doors, they feel better.

“We try to make it very pleasant,” she said. “It could be any one of us.”

Some of the people that the food pantry helps end up becoming volunteers, she said.

There are also a large number of community groups, local businesses, schools and about 200 individual volunteers who provide donations and volunteer help, she said.

But the organization still has many needs.

“We are trying to get a walk-in freezer, if anyone knows of one and wants to donate it to us, give us a call,” she said.

“We can always use volunteers. We need men to help move stuff, to put stuff back,” she said.

The food pantry also needs donations of various foods, including canned fruits and vegetables, boxes of cereal, spaghetti sauce, peanut butter and jelly and other foods.

It can especially use donations of quart and gallon plastic bags, so it doesn’t have to buy them, Williams said.

The plastic bags are used to provide servings of cereal and other foods, she said.

“We don’t give a box of cereal unless it’s a big family,” she said. However, she added, “We try to give a little” when they can.

The organization also provides school supplies and holiday presents for children.

It’s never too early to start shopping for those holiday gifts, she added. “If they want to start Christmas shopping for kids, they can just bring it (present) by any day.”

Williams said she has been touched by the kind hearts in the community.

A group of kindergarteners from a Montessori school in Wesley Chapel came by to tour the food pantry, Williams said. After they visited, they decided they wanted to help.

“They had a bake sale and gave us close to $500,” she said.

The pantry welcomes donations of all sizes.

“We’re grateful for anything that we get,” she said.

Anyone who wants to help can bring his or her donations to the church office, which is open from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Friday. If they want to help pay for holiday turkeys, they can make their checks out to “Helping Hands Pantry.”

The food pantry is open on Wednesdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. For more information, call the church at (813) 973-2211.

 Trunk-A-Treat

When: Sunday, Oct. 23, 5-11 p.m.

What: Cars will be decorated and children will be able to trick-or-treat from the trunks of cars. Participants are asked to bring canned goods to help stock the Atonement Lutheran Food Pantry so it can stock up to help families in need. The items will be used to help provide a nice Thanksgiving for families in need and to help stock the pantry. The event also will showcase the church’s ministries.

Where: 29617 SR 54 in Wesley Chapel

Help Stock our Shelves Pancake Breakfast and Fall Festival

When: Saturday, Nov. 12, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

What: Sausage, eggs, pancakes, coffee and juice. Lots of games, music, activities, a car show, dunk the pastor and other fun.

Participants are asked to bring canned goods to help those in need at Thanksgiving and to help stock the pantry.

Where: 29617 SR 54 in Wesley Chapel

By B.C. Manion

A children’s outreach group is staging will raise money so it can help more kids who often fall through the cracks.

The Children’s Outreach Program Effort, which is affiliated with the Wesley Chapel Seventh-Day Adventist Church, has amassed an eclectic collection of items to sell at its auction on Nov. 6.

There’s a boat, a Jacuzzi, quilts and antique picture frames and furniture.

There’s wedgewood, carnival glass and crystal. There’s a rug shampooer, a Singer sewing machine, golf clubs, lamps, collectibles, appliances, jewelry, coins, watches and tools.

One gentleman cleared out his tool business and donated a lot of items to the auction, said Janet Chubinsky, director of the volunteer children’s outreach group.

The church, at the edge of Zephyrhills, helps children in need throughout East Pasco County.

“We’ve got 1,000 sockets,” she said, she’s hoping those and other tools will attract people with a mechanical bent.

There are gift certificates, as well — to local restaurants, golf courses and salons. Those can be a good bargain, Chubinsky noted.

The church, at the edge of Zephyrhills, helps children in need throughout East Pasco County. This is the first year its COPE outreach program is having an auction, but if things go well, it will become an annual event, Chubinsky said.

The group provides new shoes, new clothing, medicine, food, toys and support services to children in need. Group members also make pajama bottoms, which are donated to hospitals, to help provide comfort and dignity to children.

The program often helps the children “who fall through the cracks,” said Chubinsky, who organized similar auctions when she lived in Tennessee.

One child the group is helping is an infant that requires special formula because her mother used drugs during her pregnancy.

Two others are children of a single mom who can’t afford to buy new clothing for her son or diapers for her baby, Chubinsky said.

The group, which began serving East Pasco children in May 2010, is helping about 25 kids now. Its goal is to double that number, Chubinsky said.

The organization aims to supply each child it helps with at least three changes of clothing and one new pair of shoes. In addition to the clothing, the organization provides toiletries and hygiene items as needed, offer a Bible and will provide a blanket and stuffed toy when necessary. The group also provides school supplies, when resources permit.

In addition to raising money that will be spent directly on children, the group is also hoping to use some of the proceeds to help purchase a building. The program has outgrown the trailer it has been using and needs to find a building to provide office space and storage, Chubinsky said.

The auction is being conducted by Evan Minck, a professional auctioneer who has donated his services. There will likely be some very good bargains, Chubinsky said.

“Our auctioneer said that everything will go. Some of the box lots, we might only get a dollar or three dollars, but they will go. We don’t want anything left out there,” Chubinsky said.

And, besides bidding on items, patrons can grab a bite to eat.

Hot dogs, nachos and cheese, soft drinks and baked goods also will be available for purchase, Chubinsky said.

Chubinsky said the organization hopes to raise at least $6,000 from the event.

The group is still accepting donated items to sell, and Chubinsky is grateful for the community’s generosity to date.

“God has blessed us,” she said. “We’re 100 percent volunteers, so all of the money goes to the children.”

 

Charity Auction to benefit the Children’s Outreach Program Effort

When: Sunday, Nov. 6; Preview begins at 11 a.m.; auction starts at 1 p.m. and continues everything is sold.

Where: Wesley Chapel Seventh Day Adventist Church, 33520 SR 54 in Zephyrhills

Hot dogs, nachos and cheese, soda and baked goods also will be available for purchase.

 

COPE seeks to help children in need

Here are some ways you can help

–Donate food, new shoes, clothing, material and elastic for pajama bottoms, thread, ribbon, new toys, games, cash.

–Become a volunteer

–Provide dental and medical services

–Provide a space which the program can use for an office and for storage.

For more information, call Janet Chubinsky at (352) 668-4397 or Naomi Philipp at (13) 395-6084

By B.C. Manion

When it comes to political races, this one is much friendlier than most.

While the rhetoric heats up at the national level, the candidates for the 2012 Honorary Mayor of Land O’ Lakes have mutual respect for each other and share essentially the same goals.

Debbie Hawley and Rene Van Hout are taking part in a tradition that combines fun and raising funds.

Both women speak highly of each other.

Both of them want the community to have fun, while helping them to raise money for their favorite charities and for the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce.

They also want to help raise the chamber’s profile, they said.

These are not your typical opponents.

“We go to each other’s events,” Van Hout said.

“That’s because it’s not political,” Hawley said.

The honorary mayoral competition dates back for decades, said Kathy Dunkley, executive director of the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce. She’s not sure of precisely when the contest began, but she believes its roots go back to the 1960s or even earlier.

The contest is a big fundraiser for the chamber. Ninety percent of what each candidate raises goes to the chamber and the other 10 percent goes to the charity or charities they designate.

The winner of this year’s competition will be announced at the chamber’s holiday party, which is being held from 5-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 6 at the Plantation Palms Golf Club.

The candidates use a variety of fundraising techniques including everything from a barbecue to a wine tasting, a jewelry party to an open mic night, a bunco game to chance drawings.

The candidates do all of this and more to generate a buzz for their cause.

Earlier this month, Hawley had a family barbecue and ski show at Hungry Harry’s Family Bar-B-Que in Land O’ Lakes.

The event included water skiing demonstrations, live entertainment, a silent auction and a dunk tank featuring Robin Hawley, the mayoral candidate’s husband.

“I got to throw the first ball,” the candidate said, adding that her husband wound up in the tank a lot. Both Debbie and Robin are dentists with Hawley & Hawley Dental Associates.

Hawley has identified Pediatric Cancer Foundation as her charity.

Van Hout, who is raising money for Oasis Pregnancy Care Center and the Heritage Park Foundation, said the idea is for people to have fun.

Along those lines, she doesn’t even refer to herself as a candidate.

“I call myself the ‘Wanna-Be,’” said Van Hout of LOL Transport & Moving.

She even had a sash proclaiming that status — made by Edna Dunston of Sophisticated Tailoring for Women.

The honorary mayor’s duties include attending ribbon cuttings, grand openings and special events.

Van Hout said she already does those things.

She’s even created a tradition of using the ribbon from ribbon cuttings to make a sash, which is signed by those attending. That gives the ribbon special meaning, she said. It’s not just a piece of fabric.

Upcoming fundraisers

Rene Van Hout

— Tuesday, Oct. 18, 5-7 p.m.: Meet and greet and also 7-9 p.m., open mic night: Organic Life Coffeehouse and Bakery, 1900 Oak Grove Blvd., Lutz.

–Monday, Oct. 24, 4-8 p.m.: Eat in or take out dinner at Hungry Harry’s Family Bar-B-Que, 3116 US 41, Land O’ Lakes.

— Wednesday, Nov. 9, 7-9 p.m.: Bunco Fun Night, Organic Life Coffeehouse and Bakery, 1900 Oak Grove Blvd., Lutz. Cost $10 at the door.

— Monday, Nov. 21, 6-8 p.m.: Wilderness Beef O’ Brady’s Fun Night, Wilderness Lakes Plaza, 7040 Land O’ Lakes Blvd. Entertainment by Culprit and members of the Land O’ Lakes High Gator Band. Silent auction. Chinese auction. Sell your scrap gold.

Debbie Hawley

— Upcoming events are in the planning stages. Please check Hawley & Hawley Dental Associates’ Facebook page to find out more.

By Kyle LoJacono

 Garrett Linquist spent his college years helping the Saint Leo University men’s lacrosse team reach new heights and is now helping students and athletes do the same.

Linquist spent the last two school years teaching gifted social studies at John Long Middle in Wesley Chapel after being a part of two Deep South Conference championships from 2005-09 with the Lions.

“I was one of those kids who enjoyed going to school and learning,” Linquist said. “I was always really interested in history and government. I enjoyed most of my teachers, and I model some of my teaching after them. What I love about it is you get to help the outcome of a kid’s life. You get to talk about a subject you like. It’s just a lot of fun to see kids grow.”

Linquist joined John Long’s staff for the 2010-11 school year after completing his internship with the school.

Linquist also gets to teach the game he loves as an assistant on the Wiregrass Ranch boys lacrosse team and with the Tampa Tribe club, a part of the Wesley Chapel Athletic Association. He also is an assistant on the John Long football team.

“You can teach life lessons to these kids,” Linquist said. “I feel like I’m the person I am today because of my coaches, whether it was in football or lacrosse. They all taught me something, and I want to have that impact on kids’ lives.”

Saint Leo men’s lacrosse coach Brad Jorgensen, who started the Lions program, said he is not shocked where Linquist has ended up.

“He was always the person to do anything to help the whole team and would always help other players with their technique,” Jorgensen said. “When I heard he became a teacher and a coach it didn’t surprise me at all, because that’s right in line with the kind of person he is.”

Linquist said of Jorgensen, “He’s one of those guys who is real down to earth and tells you like it is. He really inspired me, and I model my coaching style after what he did. He loves to win and he really cares about the sport.”

Linquist was born in Chicago, but grew up in Lake Mary, northeast of Orlando. He started playing lacrosse as a freshman in high school.

“It was something new, and it was very physical,” said Linquist, who also golfed and played football in high school. “It takes a lot of conditioning because it’s a fast-paced game. I liked hockey when I was a kid, and I’m still a big Chicago Blackhawks fan. Lacrosse is a lot like hockey, so it kind of grew on me.”

When Linquist was looking for a college, Saint Leo was not the first program that came to his mind.

“I didn’t know much about Saint Leo, but my coach in high school (Frank Lanuto) mentioned it to me,” Linquist said. “It was just starting its lacrosse program, so I wanted to check it out. I liked the feel and the area there. It was a little hard my first year because all my friends were going to FSU, UCF or UF and were excited about the big school, but that wears off after the first year.”

Linquist, a defender, was one of the first players to attend the school for the sport. Jorgensen even described him as “one of the founding fathers of our lacrosse team. He was on our very first team.”

Linquist said one of the most important things he learned while in college was about uniting for a common goal.

“You had all these kids from the Northeast, the Midwest, the West coast and the Southeast all coming together and becoming one team,” Linquist said. “It was like a brotherhood, and I still see a lot of them all the time. I’ll never forget those guys.”

Linquist took a medical redshirt during his sophomore season because of a chest injury, but the extra year allowed him to double major in education and history.

“Sometime in high school I knew I wanted to be a social studies teacher and coach lacrosse,” Linquist said. “Saint Leo has a great education program and it just fit me, because it let me get my degree and play lacrosse at the same time. It was one of the best decisions of my life.”

By B.C. Manion

Banks aren’t the only ones left holding the bag when homeowners foreclose on their houses. Homeowners associations feel the brunt, too.

“It’s an issue that every community in Pasco County has to deal with,” said Jim Flateau, president of the Pasco Alliance of Community Associations.

When homeowners foreclose on their properties and stop paying their homeowner association fees, everyone living in that community pays the price, Flateau said.

“When somebody doesn’t pay, that puts more heat on the others,” he said.

Abandoned properties also drive down values in neighborhoods.

When a prospective buyer drives into a neighborhood to look at home, and the house next door has 3-foot weeds, the potential sale is lost, Flateau said.

The general quality of the neighborhood is affected, too, when homeowner associations are unable to collect fees that are typically used for the upkeep of common areas, he added.

Issues such as those prompted the biggest turnout in recent months at the Pasco Alliance of Community Association’s meeting last week at the Land O’ Lakes Community.

More than 50 people representing homeowner associations, condominium associations and neighborhoods showed up to listen to a presentation by Steve Mezer, an attorney with Bush/Ross, who specializes in legal issues pertaining to homeowner and condominium associations.

Mezer is well aware of the problems the associations are facing.

“Some of you have foreclosures with weeds up to there. The houses, with squatters in them. The houses where people who are living in them are not paying you, and they’re not paying them. You’ve got all of these combinations.

“I’m not sure which is worse – you’ve got the squatter, the person living there for free, or the totally abandoned homes, with the weeds up to there. Which would you prefer to have? None of those are good scenarios for you,” Mezer said.

He alerted those at the meeting: “You may get marketed by all kinds of people. Attorneys. People who want to buy your liens, attorneys who want to buy your liens. Companies that want to buy your liens and buy your bad debt.

“The arrangements that these people want to make, first of all, I’m not sure that they’re legal, but secondly, anything that they can do with that bad debt claim, you can do, too.

If there’s a property that is delinquent in homeowner association fees, a lien can be attached to the property and the association can foreclose on the property, Mezer said.

One popular strategy is for the homeowners’ association to place a lien on the property, foreclose on it and rent it until it loses the title when the mortgage foreclosure case is completed, Mezer said.

Typically, if a mortgage foreclosure case has been dismissed, it will take at least a year before a new case would be heard – making it safe for the homeowners association to rent out the home for a year.

On average, foreclosure cases are taking two years or more, he said.

The up side is that the homeowners association can make sure its fees are paid out of the rental income and can make sure the property meets its deed restrictions, he said.

On the down side, many homes that are in foreclosure have been stripped – making it a costly proposition to get them ready to rent.

“Candidly, most of my boards don’t want to get into the rental business. If the market were better, we would have been talking about sales. But that’s really not a reality for most of you,” Mezer said

When a house has been abandoned, it is not a good idea for a member of a homeowner association to go in to inspect its general condition, Mezer said.

“I would probably not go in, if I could avoid going in there because the claims they’re going to make against you for not securing the property. Something is missing or damaged. When the copper turns up missing, ‘I saw the guy out there. He was in there the other day with his truck and the copper ends up missing,’” Mezer added.

In some cases, it may be best to approach the homeowner who is in foreclosure, but has not moved out to see if they want to stay in the house and rent it.

“I prefer you talk over the phone and don’t go knocking on the door, if somebody owes you money. You never know what’s on the other side of that door,” Mezer said.

A representative of the homeowners’ association can tell the owner: “We’re going to go ahead and take title of your home. If you want to stay there and rent it back from us, you can do that. You can stay there, but you have to pay us. If you don’t pay us, we will evict you,” Mezer said.

By Kyle LoJacono

 

When the Wesley Chapel football team started practice in August it had a numbers problem.

The Wildcats had plenty of players tryout for the squad. In fact, it had 100 — 20 more than the number of helmets they had.

“We have to replace 20 helmets next year and we only have 80,” said Wesley Chapel football coach Ben Alford. “We had 100 kids out for football this year, and I hate to turn away kids because we don’t have equipment. Football is something that I believe helps all young men, regardless of skill level, become better young men. I would love to be able to keep all kids rather than cut them off the team.”

The story was similar with shoulder pads and other equipment, so Heritage Ford in Wesley Chapel is bringing the Drive One 4UR School program to help raise money for the team.

“We know funding for school programs is hard to come by, and we want to do our part to help make sure these programs remain available,” said Jennifer Cofini, community relations manager at Heritage Ford. “We’re excited to raise money for Wesley Chapel High School.”

The dealership will donate $20 to the Wildcats football program for everyone who test-drives a new Ford vehicle, up to $6,000 total. It will give an additional $20 for every new Focus driven, up to another $2,000.

Jarrett Ford in Dade City has a similar event each year to support Zephyrhills and Pasco high schools. Alford was thrilled to hear the event was coming to Wesley Chapel.

“I thought it was great,” Alford said. “It is a great opportunity for us to create new relationships within the Wesley Chapel community.”

Heritage will have personnel available to answer any questions about the vehicles.

“Whether you are looking to test out our larger vehicles, like the Explorer or F-150, or more interested in a smaller sedan, like the Focus, we will be able to put you behind the wheel of your favorite Ford vehicle,” said Rich Dearborn, Heritage Ford general manager.

The event is at Wesley Chapel High, 30651 Wells Road, on Thursday, Oct. 20 from 3-8 p.m. The date coincides with the squad’s home game against Hudson, where the players will be raising awareness about breast cancer. There will also be Halloween entertainment for children at 6 p.m.

“We are trying to turn the program around, and we really need the community’s support to do that,” Alford said. “On Oct. 20 you can come out to Wesley Chapel High School and test drive a Ford, trick or treat around the track and also be able to support breast cancer awareness. This will be a big night for us. I am donating half of my concession stand proceeds to the American Cancer Society. So I encourage all to come out and enjoy the night.”

Drive One 4UR School event

Where: Wesley Chapel High, 30651 Wells Road

When: Thursday, Oct. 20

The event coincides with the Wesley Chapel football game against Hudson. Heritage Ford will donate $20 for everyone who test drives a new Ford vehicle.

By Kyle LoJacono

 The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) completed railroad repairs in Lutz that forced two of the three northbound lanes of US 41 to close for five days last week.

FDOT public information officer Kris Carson said the right two lanes were closed in the area around Debuel Road in order to repair the track where it crosses US 41. All three northbound lanes reopened on Oct. 15.

“It was routine repairs that are needed every few years,” Carson said. “Everything went as planned, and there should be no more delays.”

Carson said the tracks need repair because of strain from vehicles that drive across the tracks. For more information on FDOT projects, visit www.dot.state.fl.us.

By B.C. Manion

 

Volunteers are still needed to help with the Land O’ Lakes 2011 Swamp Fest, a community event hosted by the Land O’ Lakes High School Booster Club.

“We’re very, very dependent on volunteers,” said Doug Hutchinson, who is co-chairing the event with Mike Conner.

The festival is slated for Nov. 4-6 at the Land O’ Lakes Community Center, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.

The event aims to bring the community together and serve as a fundraiser for many different causes at the same time, Hutchinson said.

Various venues are selling wristbands in advance of the event, Hutchinson said.

Buying early is a good deal, he said, noting the wristbands are $12 in advance and $20 during the event.

The midway is being handled by W.G. Wade Shows. It will feature 22 rides, 14 or 15 games and seven or eight food vendors, Hutchinson said.

The Central Pasco Optimist Club will be selling boiled peanuts and corn on the cob and Dipping Dots will be selling ice cream, Hutchinson added.

Some businesses and some nonprofit organizations also will have booths at the event, the organizer said.

“We tried to make it a true community fair,” Hutchinson said.

Swamp Fest began as a fundraiser at Land O’ Lakes High, home of the Gators and that’s what inspired the festival’s name, Hutchinson said.

Besides rides, games and food, the event also features live performances.

The entertainment tent will feature bands on Friday night and music all day on Saturday.

On Sunday, performances by youth dance and drama groups will be featured.

“That’s a big day for all those kids,” Hutchinson said. “The kiddie rides will get a good work out that day,” he added.

There is no admission charge, but parking is $5 a car.

This year, as part of the event, the organizers are conducting a survey to solicit ideas to improve the festival. The event has several sponsors, including The Laker.

Anyone who would like to volunteer at the event should call Hutchinson at (813) 293-3684.

LOL SwampFest

When: Friday, Nov. 4: 4-11 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 5: 10 a.m.-11 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 6: Noon-6 p.m.

Where: Land O’ Lakes Community Center, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.

What: Rides, games, entertainment, food, business and community organization booths

For more information, visit http://www.lolswampfest.com

Ticket outlets

— Connerton, Denham Oaks and Lake Myrtle elementary schools

— Pineview and Rushe middle schools

–Land O’ Lakes High

–Kids Stuff Daycare

–Song and Dance Academy

–Beef O’Brady’s in Wilderness, Sunlake and Village Lakes