Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Pasco Commission veteran stops at seven terms

By Kyle LoJacono

In 1984 Pasco County lacked a library system, the county’s parks department operated only a small handful of facilities, and the major roadways were meant more for light traffic rather than the thousands of vehicles they accommodate today.

It was 27 years ago when Ann Hildebrand successfully ran for the Pasco Commission District 3 seat — a post she has occupied ever since.

Hildebrand fought to modernize the county, bringing forward legislation to create the first Pasco library system, expand parks and road infrastructure and transform it from a bedroom community into one people could live, work and play.

“I really think we’ve taken Pasco into the next century,” said Hildebrand, a Republican. “I think Pasco is a better place to live now and a big player in the region. It’s been a great ride, but it had to end sometime.”

Hildebrand, 73, said she will not seek an eighth term on the commission.

County records are sketchy going back to Pasco’s earliest days, so no one can say for sure if she is the longest tenured board member ever. Then again, no one in those same partial records served as many as seven four-year terms like Hildebrand will after her current one ends in January 2013.

“I love what I do and I’m doing what I love, so I’ve been really lucky,” Hildebrand said. “But there comes a time when you want to look at other venues and opportunities. … I’ll tell you one thing:  You’ll still see me out and about. I’m not going to just sit around and watch the grass grow.”

Hildebrand came to Pasco from Michigan, where she had been working as social worker. In 1984, she did not file the paperwork to run for the commission until a week before she had to.

By her own admission she was the unknown and the underdog in that first race, which included seven candidates.

“I guess the people liked what I said,” Hildebrand said. “The day I filed I don’t think I thought I was going to win the seat.”

One of the first things Hildebrand successfully pushed for was overhauling the sewer system and building an incinerator that converted garbage into energy for county residents.

Next up was creating Pasco’s first libraries.

“When I heard there wasn’t a library system in Pasco I was kind of taken back,” Hildebrand said. “It’s the kind of thing I expected every county to have. It just kind of shows where we were and where we’ve come.”

Linda Allen was one of the people initially brought on to create the first libraries in Pasco in 1987. She retired in February after 25 years with the system and said Hildebrand was always its biggest supporter.

“She’s the reason we have libraries in Pasco,” Allen said. “She said we have to have libraries and wouldn’t let the subject go until it happened.”

In the late 1980s and early 1990s Hildebrand worked to get parks and recreation centers built up from the Gulf Coast to the Withlacoochee River system in east Pasco.

Hildebrand’s big project during the last 10 years has been the Penny for Pasco sales tax, which pays for road improvements, building new schools and renovating existing ones and buying land for environmental conservation purposes.

Hildebrand also stretched out to work with other governments in the region by serving on a number of planning boards, such as the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority (TBARTA) and Tampa Bay Water.

“From where the county was before she got on board to now, she’s really helped improve the quality of life,” said District 5 Commissioner Jack Mariano. “Parks and libraries all evolved under her tenure.”

Next up for the District 3 seat

Hildebrand’s departure leaves a void on the five-member board. The freshly revamped District 3 stretches from Holiday in west Pasco to Wesley Chapel, but stays mainly between the SR 54/56 corridor and the boarder with Hillsborough County.

Anyone who wants to fill the District 3 seat must live within its boundaries but is elected by all voters in Pasco.

Three people have filed as candidates for the District 3 Republican primary: GOP activist Wil Nickerson, former Pasco Mosquito Control board candidate Nikolas Tzoumas and healthcare marketer Chris Gregg.

Gregg is the only one of the three who has received any campaign contributions as of Nov. 3 — a $100 deposit given to himself.

Lutz Patriots hope to send ‘tons of stuff’ to soldiers

By Kyle LoJacono

The Lutz Patriots are gearing up to send care packages to U.S. soldiers serving overseas in time for the holiday season but need a little help from the community.

The group, which formed in March of 2003 during the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom, will have a packing party on Saturday, Nov. 26 to prepare as many packages as possible for the troops. The boxes will include items like snack foods, hygiene products and entertainment.

“Basically anything to make their lives a little easier,” said patriot member Bruce Hockensmith. “We like to send as much as we can, so we’re asking anyone who can to donate a few things so we can give them a nice treat. We want to send tons of stuff.”

The packages will be mailed right after the packing party so they reach the troops by Christmas.

Hockensmith was a sergeant in the Army and served in Germany from 1965-68. He said getting care packages was a little thing that helped him get through the tough times.

“I remember serving and how much it meant to me just getting a letter from home,” Hockensmith said. “For those young men and women far away from home, the least we can do is make them feel a little more comfortable.”

The patriots send packages to the troops on a regular basis but try and make a big push right before the holidays. They also receive cards from soldiers thanking them for the kind gesture.

“Seeing pictures and reading letters from the troops lets us know that the soldiers are getting the gifts we send,” said patriot member Judy McCray. “It’s always a thrill to see those letters.”

Anyone interested in donating to the cause should e-mail . Hockensmith said the group will pick up items right up to Friday, Nov. 25, or donations can be dropped off on any Friday from 4-5:30 p.m. when the patriots wave American flags in front of the Old Lutz Schoolhouse on US 41.

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.

When homeowners foreclose on their properties and stop paying their homeowner association fees, everyone living in that community pays the price, said Jim Flateau, president of the Pasco Alliance of Community Associations.

“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 three-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 this month at the Land O’ Lakes Community Center.

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 B.C. Manion

If billboards, balloons, banners and signs are any indication, then building activity is increasing in northern Hillsborough, central Pasco and east Pasco counties.

Drivers along thoroughfares throughout those areas will see plenty of homebuilders vying for their attention.

Just a few of the builders with something cooking include:

–Lennar, with new homes at Concord Station, off SR 54 in Land O’ Lakes

–Southern Crafted Homes, with homes in Stonegate in the $170s to $500s and villas at Devonwood in the $150s

–D.R. Horton, with homes on the north side of SR 54, east of Livingston Road and a The Greens at Hidden Creek off Eiland and Championsgate boulevards

–Cardel Homes, in a new phase in Country Walk off Meadow Pointe Boulevard

–Ryland Homes and William Ryan Homes, with homes in Ashton Oaks off SR 54

–Seven Oaks has new models and builders in its community, off SR 56.

–Ashton Woods Homes, with luxury semi-custom townhomes at Crenshaw Reserve on US 41 in Lutz

Billboards tout homes being offered by other builders, too, including Arthur Rutenberg Homes and Mercedes Homes, and there are multiple builders sending out news releases about their latest offerings.

The signs of activity are more abundant than in recent months – and this comes despite a housing market that has taken a beating for the past couple of years.

High unemployment and poor investments triggered a record rate of foreclosures – and an oversupply of inventory — coupled with foreclosures and short sales — caused prices and values to plummet.

The apparent uptick in activity may reflect an expectation that many have that housing prices will stabilize within the next six months, said Mario Polo, a broker associate for Keller Williams, who compiles a monthly sales report of new and existing homes sold in Pasco and Hillsborough counties.

“If they’re putting them in the ground now, they’ll be ready for spring. That’s the selling season,” Polo said. It takes four to six months to put a home in the ground, he said.

While price stability may be coming, Polo predicts that values will decline in the short term as foreclosures flood the market during the next 30 to 60 days.

“Lenders will be releasing foreclosed properties they have been holding,” Polo wrote in his report, which uses data from the Greater Tampa Association of Realtors Mid-Florida Regional Multiple Listing Service.

The job market is another major issue, Polo writes. “Unemployment is still our No. 1 problem,” he notes. Tougher lending standards and appraisals are hindering sales, too.

Despite those issues, Jim Deitch, chief operating officer for Southern Crafted Homes expects his company to continue to fare well.

“We’ve continued to defy the market, if you will,” Deitch said. “Our sales are up 26 percent.”

The company is building homes in Stonegate, Devonwood in Land O’ Lakes and The Preserve at Quail Woods in Wesley Chapel.

Deitch said the homebuilder’s customers tend to be empty nesters, doctors, military personnel, nurses and people who work in the financial services industry.

A good portion of the company’s buyers is doctors who have relocated because they will be working at the new Trinity Hospital on SR 54 when it opens. Nurses have been attracted to the homebuilder’s offerings, too, particularly in Devonwood, because they don’t want to have to worry about maintaining their property, Deitch said.

Southern Crafted Homes aims to fulfill its customers’ desires, Deitch said.

“We will pretty much do any change that the customer wants. That includes adding square feet, customizing the space and meeting the individual needs.”

In one case, it meant changing the design of the garage to accommodate a customer who has a passion for cars; in others, it has meant customized media or billiard rooms.

Deitch said he has seen tremendous changes in the Pasco market, since he came into the area. “When we started in 1990, there was nothing up here,” he said.

While Polo expects prices to slide in the short term because of an increased number of foreclosed properties on the market, Deitch expects housing prices to increase long-term as the costs go up for land, concrete, shingles and other materials.

Homebuilders cannot put themselves in a position of trying to compete with short sales and foreclosure, Deitch said. “It’s not a sustainable business model,” he said.

/By B.C. Manion

When Weightman Middle School opened two decades ago, there wasn’t a whole lot happening nearby.

There were a few cows and a couple of houses on Wells Road, and the road, which was dirt before the middle school opened, was only paved to the edge of the school’s parking lot, Freda Abercrombie.recalled.

In those days, the area now occupied by the Bridgewater subdivision was just pasture, Abertcrombie said.

Those were the days before the school’s enrollment peaked – at more than 2,000 students – because of Wesley Chapel’s building boom. During those days, before John Long Middle School opened, Weightman had 32 portables to accommodate the crowd.

Over the years, the middle school has had its share of accomplishments. The trophy case in the front office is filled with trophies, a championship basketball and other mementos of glory days.

The school, at 30649 Wells Road, has the distinction of being the first professional development school affiliated with the University of South Florida.

Weightman still enjoys the status of having the longest running relationship in this capacity with USF and is the only middle school currently operating in that role for USF, Abercrombie said.

The school, which bears the name of former Pasco County Schools Superintendent Thomas E. Weightman, resulted from collaboration between the public school district and educational leaders at USF.

The idea was to use the school as a training ground for future teachers and a place where experienced teachers could experience professional growth.

The school continues to serve those needs today, Abercrombie said. It has played a part in preparing thousands of classroom teachers, Abercrombie said.

Aspiring teachers have spent time at Weightman doing everything from observing classrooms to serving as intern teachers. There have been times when as many as 10 interns have been on the school’s campus at once, Abercrombie said.

The middle school provides an excellent venue for student teachers and university personnel to see what it takes to teach today’s student, Abercrombie said. They deal with “real kids, real issues,” she said.

Over the years, Weightman’s students have come from as far away as Dade City, but now they come primarily from Wesley Chapel.

The school has about 1,100 students made up of a variety of cultural and economic backgrounds.

It also has had the distinction of winning athletic championships over the years, in sports such as basketball, football and volleyball, Abercrombie said.

Abercrombie isn’t the only school employee with long-time ties to Weightman.

Cinthia Holton Wolden, a secretary in the front office, attended seventh-grade at the school in 1991, its inaugural year.

Sharon Morris, one of the school’s guidance counselors, interned as a language arts teacher at the school.

When Morris graduated, there weren’t any language arts openings, but she had some experience in marketing and landed a job teaching that.

She later became a language arts teacher and while doing that, she encountered students writing about some very dark themes. “I didn’t know what to do,” she said, so she decided to pursue a master’s degree to learn more. She later became the school’s behavior specialist before assuming her current position.

Morris, who is helping to organize the school’s 20th anniversary celebrations, said the first event was a football game held two weeks ago. School alumni were encouraged to attend, she said.

Next, the school will be inviting USF staff, former principals and administrators and the school’s charter staff members and current staff members to an event on Thursday, Nov. 10.

Displays will be set up around the perimeter of the cafeteria to showcase the school’s history and refreshments will be served.

Rob Aguis, director of the school district’s Community, Career and Technical Education department, is one of Weightman’s former principals.

He has fond memories of his tenure there.

“It was one of my very favorite stops along my professional development. There was a lot going on at the school. It was very much the hub of the community,” Aguis said. “The community did nothing but support the school.”

In addition to its other celebrations, the school will have an event on Thursday, Nov. 17 for students achieving the school honor roll and their parents. Former superintendent Weightman will be on hand to offer a few remarks.

The sixth-graders and their parents will assemble at 6 p.m., followed by the seventh- and eighth-graders and their parents at 7 p.m.

The school also is initiating a new award at the end of the school year. The award will be called “The Spirit of Weightman Award” in honor of the man who had the vision for creating a school where educators and students labor together in a quest to deepen their knowledge.

By Kyle LoJacono

Pasco County has been trying to get federal approval to extend Ridge Road into Land O’ Lakes for the last 13 years, and the county now has another chance to push for the project.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has consistently denied the permit for an extension to take Ridge from where it stops in New Port Richey to connect with US 41 in Land O’ Lakes. The proposed project, which would also add an interchange with the Suncoast Parkway, has always been deemed too problematic to the wetlands in the area.

“The extension is expected to permanently impact 44 acres of wetlands and temporarily impact 3.5 acres of wetlands,” said Southwest Florida Water Management District spokeswoman Robyn Felix. “The Suncoast interchange with Ridge Road is expected to impact 12 acres of wetlands.”

The latest blow to the extension came last December, when the Corps of Engineers rejected Pasco’s plan to convert 221 acres of land along the Pithlachascotee River into a nature preserve, along with buying 804 acres from a ranch to act as a linkage between the Conner Preserve and the Cross Bar/Albar Ranch.

The Corps of Engineers ruled the plan for the extension would go against federal environmental laws. It proposed widening either or both SR 52 and SR 54 instead of extending Ridge.

“Widening either state road won’t get the job done,” said Pasco Commissioner Pat Mulieri. “Those roadways in west and central Pasco are wide enough for the traffic, but they are in the far north and south of the county. Ridge Road is in the middle of Pasco. That’s where the roadway is needed.”

The county recently gave its new plan for the extension to the Corps of Engineers, but no details of changes from previous plans were released.

Donna Cardellino, a real estate agent, has been working to convince the Corps of Engineers to approve the new plan.

Cardellino said extension is needed as a matter of safety. She recalled it taking firefighters 30 minutes to respond to a fire at a neighbor’s home in the Rosewood community because of road connectivity problems, but she added there are many other benefits from an extended Ridge.

“The Ridge Road extension will ease traffic congestion, save fuel by providing more direct routes across the middle of the county, contribute to public health and safety by providing evacuation access in the event of flood or fire especially for people living in Rosewood, Sablewood and for River Ridge High School and of course contribute to economic development and job creation by linking the US 19, Suncoast Parkway and US 41 corridors,” Cardellino said.

The county has always maintained the greatest reason for the extension is to allow people from central and west Pasco to more easily reach the Suncoast to evacuate in case of a hurricane or other disaster.

State Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, has been a supporter of an extension. He wrote a letter to the Corps of Engineers last November pushing for approval.

Mulieri has also been outspoken about the “snail’s pace” of the project.

“Two years ago there was a belief that if we did certain things the issuance of the permit was imminent,” Mulieri said. “However, that did not happen. It has been frustrating because it appears that when staff accomplished what is asked for, something else is added.”

Critics of an extension have said it is only a ploy to open more land for development.

“An important aspect is that it will be a limited access road similar to the Suncoast,” Mulieri said. “The board supported this concept a number of years ago to allay the concerns that this was just being built to open up more land for developers.”

While the road seems unable to open additional development, it would likely be a positive to area businesses and Pasco-Hernando Community College’s New Port Richey campus located on Ridge.

“The road would definitely be a plus for PHCC,” Mulieri said. “Also Connerton and the commerce park would benefit.”

The Corps of Engineers is currently taking comment to see if the public wants a hearing about any Ridge extension.

Those interested in voicing their opinion about the extension schould call (813) 769-7063 or do so by mail to:

Tracy Hurst, Biologist

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

10117 Princess Palm Ave., Suite 120

Tampa, FL  33610