Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By B.C. Manion

Learning Gate Community School will seek a charter to begin a high school and plans to construct a new building for seventh- through 12^th-graders.

The high school will have a new name and will be located within a couple of miles of the existing campus in Lutz, said Patti Girard, the school’s principal.

In the interim, the school has signed a deal to lease classroom space in an office building at 15316 N. Florida Ave. and expects to have classes there for students in grades 7-9 in the fall, Girard said.

Offering a high school program would be the latest expansion of a school that began as a private pre-school in 1983 and became a public charter school in 2000.

The school, with its 572 kindergarten through eighth-grade students, operates on 27 wooded acres at 16215 Hanna Road. Students from both Hillsborough and Pasco counties attend Learning Gate.

It’s a place where children do research in a log cabin, sit outside to write in their journals and tend to an organic vegetable garden where they grow some of the veggies served in the school’s lunchroom.

It’s also a place that seeks to teach children to be good stewards of the Earth.

The high school would continue on that theme.

It will take a couple of years for the land to be purchased and the school to be built, Girard said.

“We’re going to strive to get to net zero with that building,” she said, meaning that the power produced on campus will equal or exceed the amount needed for operations.

Being energy conscious is nothing new for Learning Gate. A modular building on its campus was the first in the country to achieve the Platinum designation in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Schools program.

Girard said the school is enthused by a partnership it has formed with Imperium, a cutting-edge company that specializes in alternative forms of energy and will help Learning Gate ensure the new school is designed to maximize energy efficiency.

Girard said a new charter will be needed for the high school and an application seeking that charter will be submitted to the Hillsborough County school district by Aug. 1. The ninth-grade program already has approval for next year.

Girard believes the district will look favorably on the application, given Learning Gate’s solid track record.

The new school will be much smaller than a typical public high school and care will be taken to limit its impacts, Girard said.

One example: “Kids will have to carpool to limit the amount of traffic in and out.”

In addition to ushering in a high school program and shifting some classes to a leased location, Learning Gate also plans to add a classroom to each of the grades on its Hanna Road campus, Girard said. The total enrollment there will remain under 600 because the seventh- and eighth-grade classes will be operating out of the leased space.

But adding the class at each grade level will allow the school to reduce its waiting list, Girard said.

By Kyle LoJacono

Betty Weymouth spends between $150 and $300 for her bi-monthly trip to fill her four prescription medications.

The Wesley Chapel resident suffers from high blood pressure, joint pain and breathing problems. It has become difficult for her to maintain her prescription drug regimen, but a new Pasco County program will make things a little easier.

Points of Care, which started Feb. 1, allows Pasco residents to save from 10 to 50 percent off their prescriptions, diabetes materials, hearing aids and other medical supplies. There are no qualifications for age, income or pre-existing conditions.

Scott Stromer, Pasco County’s purchasing director, said the program was created for those who do not have prescription drug coverage with their health insurance, or in Weymoth’s case, if there are medications not covered.

“The board of county commissioners actively sought a program at no expense to the county that reduces prescription costs for residents and generates revenue to support the Human Services Division,” Stromer said. “First and foremost, the program is designed to help residents save money, especially those who are unable to secure insurance or experiencing financial difficulties in the current economic environment.”

Universal Rx will administer the program.

“We are excited to help the residents of Pasco County save money on prescription medications,” said Jan Sessor, president of Universal Rx. “During difficult economic times, savings is important and can mean the difference of prescriptions being purchased or not each month. We are confident that our savings program will make a difference for the people in Pasco County, and more importantly, bring a little relief to the high cost of medications.”

Weymouth, 68, was very happy to hear about the new program.

“Oh that’s a Godsend,” Weymouth said. “Sometimes I wonder if I’ll have enough. My husband and I are both retired and this will really help.”

The county did have a plan to help with prescription costs as part of the National Association of Counties, but it was dropped to save money to place the current budget.

The new agreement will actually earn the county money, $1.52 per prescription filled. Stromer said the county expects to raise as much as $250,000 per year with the program. Money raised will go to Pasco’s human services department to help needy families pay their electricity and other bills.

Residents can visit www.PascoRxCard.com to print a card, which is free, that will let them participate. The cards can also be picked up at any county community services office or library.

Once they have a card, people just have to present it at one of the more than 45,000 participating pharmacies nationwide, including CVS, Kmart, Publix, Sam’s Club, Sweetbay, Target, Walgreens, Wal-Mart and Winn-Dixie.

For more information on the program, call (727) 847-2411.

By Kyle LoJacono

A year ago St. Joseph’s Hospital-North welcomed its first patient, Dustin Keithly.

Since then, the facility has seen more than 33,500 patients, welcomed 40 babies into the world and opened its own imaging center.

Paula McGuiness, the facility’s chief operating officer, said people come from around northern Hillsborough and southern Pasco County for more than just treatment.

“From our very first emergency room patient, to the folks who stop by our hospital each day just to dine at Twigs Café, the support of this community has made the opening a success,” McGuiness said. “We value each and every person who has visited our hospital or trusted us for their care.”

The 350,000-square-foot  hospital opened last February. It is located at 4211 Van Dyke Road in Lutz and was the first new full-service facility in Hillsborough County in 30 years. Hospital spokeswoman Jacqueline Farruggio said along with improved healthcare in the area, St. Joseph’s North also added 500 jobs to the local economy.

The facility was designed to be energy and water efficient and has just been awarded LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, which verifies the hospital’s efforts as a steward of the environment.

“Research shows environmentally sustainable buildings contribute to improved health, so having a green hospital helps St. Joseph’s achieve its vision of creating a healthy environment for the community it serves,” said Colleen Mackin, executive director of Florida Gulf Coast Chapter of the building council.

McGuiness said the model fits in with what BayCare Health System, the hospital’s parent company, is working to achieve in all its facilities.

“Buildings are one of the largest consumers of resources and energy in this country,” McGuiness said. “St. Joseph’s Hospitals and BayCare Health System believe in being leaders of environmental stewardship, innovation and corporate responsibility.”

Along with reducing its impact on the environment, the hospital was designed to put the patient’s comfort first. Known as evidence-based design, the rooms, hallways and waiting rooms are patterned to look like a hotel with artwork, soft colored paint and wood floors.

During the last year, the hospital has opened its obstetrics unit. The first baby, Michael Boria III, was born in September to Jill and Michael Boria II of Land O’ Lakes.

In December, the facility opened BayCare Outpatient Imaging Center right next to the hospital in front of Kohl’s on Van Dyke. Farruggio said the center offers high-field MRI, multi-slice CT scans, digital mammography, digital X-rays and bone density and other scans to make treatment faster.

The hospital offers emergency care, surgical services, imaging, intensive care, obstetrics, cardiac catheterization and other services. For more information, call (813) 443-2045 or visit us at StJosephsNorth.com.

Section of Dade City gets upgrades to roads, sewers

By Kyle LoJacono

Margareta Della Penna has lived in Tommytown with her husband Marcus for nearly 30 years and they remember what the old area looked like not that long ago.

“Worst road,” Della Penna remembered. “Holes, gaps and very bumpy. Our son (Sal) and his friends would come home with cuts on their legs because they would fall trying to skateboard on the road. … There wasn’t a sidewalk for them. Just dirt.”

Della Penna said Sal always had at least one, and usually three or four, bandages on his legs because of the falls. Sal is now 28 years old, but if he ever gets the desire to pull out his old skateboard, he will have a much smoother ride.

That is because Pasco County completed an improvement project in the Dade City community on Feb. 8. The nearly $8.5 million project, paid for by a federal loan, followed a smaller but similar project to help the impoverished east Pasco County community.

The job included adding sidewalks along Lock Street, also known as Calle De Milagros, between 14th and 21st streets while repaving the road, adding seven miles of roadways and putting in additional storm water and sewer infrastructure. It also removed 15 run-down houses.

Pasco commissioner Ted Schrader, who represents most of east Pasco, said the county did the project to make the area look better in hopes the residents would continue with improvements to their own property. Schrader said that mission is being accomplished.

“We’re seeing people keeping their land much nicer and renovating their houses,” Schrader said. “I’m seeing a lot more pride in the community’s appearance.”

Della Penna is among those.

“It does give us more pride,” Della Penna said. “We’ve always liked living here, but it wasn’t nice to look at. With the old buildings down and the new roads, it is much nicer. We got three new bushes and want to put in some trees.”

Amalie Rodriquez lives near Della Penna and has plans for her house as well.

“New paint,” Rodriquez said. “I want new paint. We have some neighbors who just had theirs painted and I want the house to look good too.”

Rodriquez said it is also a relief to not have the dirt from the old, unpaved road constantly flying in the air.

Tommytown was established in the 1940s, mainly as an area for the workers of a now closed citrus packing plant, according to community activist Margarita Romo. Today, the area is home to mostly migrant workers who labor in the orange groves and various fruit and vegetable fields in the area.

While the community’s appearance has been upgrade, many in the area cannot afford to use the new sewer lines.

Charlene Daprile, Pasco assistant manager for community development, said state money was originally going to be used to pay the impact fees for Tommytown property owners. However, budget cuts have changed those plans since the project started in 2002.

Daprile said a homeowner pays about $5,000 per year for those impact fees. She said the county is working with federal housing services to secure funding so the residents of Tommytown can enjoy all the improvements.

“It would be a shame to have new lines that were too expensive for the residents to use,” Daprile said. “We’re still working on it.”

Additionally, Daprile said the original federal loan was for $13.6 million. The remaining money will be used for improvements to the Lacoochee, Kent Grove, Gulf Highlands and Moon Lake communities in Pasco.

By B.C. Manion

When Vonnie Maples began working in a school lunchroom, she wasn’t intending to make it a career.

“I started at Pasco High School in Dade City,” said Maples, of Zephyrhills.

“A friend of mine worked in the kitchen and she called me and said, “We had a lady who got hurt. Just come help us for a couple of days.”

She agreed to step in, temporarily.

“That was 27 years ago.”

Sticking with it was sort of a no-brainer.

“I absolutely loved it,” Maples said.

Through the years, she has gone from being a cafeteria worker at Pasco High to being an assistant manager at Pasco Middle, where her husband, Wendell, now teaches.

Next, she was an assistant manager at Sand Pine Elementary, before being promoted to manager. She then ran both Sand Pine and New River Elementary, when both schools were located at Sand Pine. Finally, she took the helm of Watergrass Elementary in Wesley Chapel, where she works today.

Recently, she was named the Non-Instructional, Non-Bargaining Employee of the Year for Pasco County Schools.

“I was in shock. I truly didn’t expect it. They called my name and I just sat there.

“When you stop and think about how many people are in this district, it was very humbling. It really was.”

She loves her work.

“I have a passion for people being happy with what I offer them every day.

“There are so many, many, many kids that this is all they have every day to eat. There’s nothing else. Because I know there are kids that that’s all they have (to eat) every day, I want them to have the best food, in the cleanest environment, with the most friendly service that they can get.”

School kitchens are much different places than they were when Maples served her first cafeteria meal.

“When I first started 27 years ago, we had cases upon cases of raw products. Chicken, ground beef, eggs.”

Health concerns changed that.

“We don’t use any raw products any more,” she said.

There weren’t many pre-packaged foods when she started, either.

“We were slicing frozen hamburgers on the slicer to make hamburgers for kids. We made our rolls from scratch. We cooked turkeys at Thanksgiving and picked all of the meat off the bones. We had turkey and dressin’ and potatoes and gravy and all of that stuff.”

Now, many recipes call for using pre-packaged sauces or other ready-to-eat ingredients — to assure uniformity and nutritional content, she said.

The Pasco school district puts a premium on serving healthy food.

“Pasco County is always the leader in meeting the nutritional standards,” she said.

“We have very good people at district office and they try to stay on top of what is coming, so we’re always prepared by the time it’s mandatory.”

Running a school kitchen is a busy job.

Maples and her staff serve 120 to 150 breakfasts a day at Watergrass Elementary. They serve 350 to 375 children at lunch and about 40 adults. The adult menu is different from the kids’ menu except on days when Maples is dishing up volume foods, such as spaghetti or orange chicken with rice.

“We take a lot of pride in the fact that we do serve a lot of adults,” Maples said.

Kindergarten teacher Janell Perez said she enjoys the food. She also noted that substitute teachers at Watergrass soon learn that they’re in for a treat.

“The lunches are very good,” Perez said.

The teacher added that Maples is quick to help when the teachers want to do something special for kids.

The lunchroom always looks cheerful, Perez added.

Atmosphere counts, Maples said. “I cannot stand my kitchen looking institutional.”

Those nominating Maples for the award cited numerous attributes, including her sensitivity, her attention to detail, her level-headed nature and her ability to make others feel appreciated and respected.

While pleased by the recognition, Maples credits her staff for helping her in her quest to serve satisfying meals.

She also appreciates the help of a volunteer who pitches in, often as many as three times a week.

“He volunteers from 7 to sometimes 1 o’clock,” said Maples, who has known the man all of her life.

“It’s my dad,” she said. “I’ve got him trained pretty good,” she added, laughing.

The recent award gratifies Maples, but there is something she would treasure more.

When people where she’s worked look back on their days at that school, she hopes that they’ll think this: “I was glad every day to go into that cafeteria where I knew I would get a nutritious, hot meal that was served to me with a smile by somebody that cared about me.”

Beth Brown leads John Long Middle, the county’s second largest

By B.C. Manion

When Beth Brown decided to become a teacher two decades ago, she didn’t think of it in terms of simply choosing a career.

“It’s like a calling,” said Brown, recently named as Pasco County Schools’ Administrator of the Year.

She taught social studies for nine years before moving into the administrative ranks.

In some respects, being a teacher and being a principal are the same, Brown said. Teachers        lead their students; principals lead the faculty and staff. Both have the same goal: They want to create the best learning environment they can for every student.

Brown views herself as the instructional leader at John Long Middle in Wesley Chapel.

She has been at the helm of the district’s second-largest school since it opened in 2006.

Brown is fully aware of the central role that teachers play in delivering excellence in education.

“The most important job that I have is to select the very best teacher to put in front of these kids.”

Once the right teachers are in place, Brown said, “you empower teacher leaders.”

The principal, who was selected first as the district’s secondary principal of the year and then as its most outstanding administrator overall, said she has worked to build a structure at her school that encourages teachers to lead one another.

She keeps her focus on academics and delegates other issues such as facilities and transportation to her assistants. Those issues are important, she said, but instruction matters more.

The goal at John Long Middle is that every student will attain at least a year of progress, regardless where they are on the educational spectrum.

“We meet them where they are,” Brown said.

Brown said she’s fortunate that the parents at her school demonstrate support through a large and active Parent Teacher Student Association.

Many parents routinely check their child’s progress through an electronic tracking system that keeps tabs on student attendance and progress.

“They are plugged in,” Brown said. They know, for instance, whether or not their child showed up for third-period, she added.

Safety is also of utmost importance to Brown.

Every staff member at her school helps with student supervision, she said.

There are also electronic eyes helping keep watch, she said. There is electronic surveillance with 48 cameras in the cafeteria and common areas, she said. “The kids know it.”

Such vigilance tends to reduce potential problems, Brown said. John Long Middle has the lowest percentage of discipline problems in the district.

That’s not to say that there aren’t problems that must be addressed, she said. Recently she had the drug dog at school because there was a rumor a student had drugs. Nothing turned up, she said.

Brown’s leadership receives high praise from people nominating her as the district’s secondary principal of the year. She was honored for that and for being the county’s top administrator Jan. 29 at the Pasco Schools Center for the Arts at Wesley Chapel.

“I see these awards as an opportunity for the board to say “thank you” to all of our staff,” said Joanne Hurley, chairwoman of the Pasco County School Board.

“As you know, money is very tight. They haven’t had a raise in years,” Hurley said.

Despite that, Hurley said it’s gratifying to see so much good work being done by employees.

“I walk into schools and I see excellence all of the time,” Hurley said.

Those nominating Brown were effusive in their praise.

“She runs a village of students in her above-capacity school in a smooth and efficient manner,” one nomination notes. She prioritizes “the needs of students” and cultivates “a professional learning environment that allows all students” to reach his or her potential, it adds.

“Beth is clearly an innovative leader who masterfully handles all aspects of school-based leadership. She understands what it means to be a true instructional leader, relates well with her faculty, students, families and community, and understands the necessity of raising and tackling difficult issues,”

Another nomination described Brown as “an outstanding mentor and principal.”

She was also described as “a wonderful supporter of the arts.”

Brown was pleased and humbled by her selection.

Before the awards were announced, Brown said she was reading through the list of prior honorees.

“Just to be on the list with those people is amazing,” Brown said.

By Kyle LoJacono

The ambulance that was part of the groundbreaking of Pasco Regional Medical Center’s expanded emergency department almost did not make it in time.

The ambulance had to go out on call in Zephyrhills and did not get back until 10 minutes before the ceremony began, a near absence that illustrates the growing need for emergency services in east Pasco County.

“There’s certainly an increasing demand for emergency services,” said Gary Lang, Pasco Regional’s CEO. “It’s happening all across the country. I think it’s because a lot of people don’t have primary care physicians anymore, so they use the emergency room in many ways as their primary care physicians. We’re certainly willing and able to take care of all those folks and we will also have the ability to treat more people with strokes and chest pains and similar problems.”

Lang said the existing ER sees nearly 20,000 visitors each year.

“Now we’ll have the capacity to see 30,000-35,000 easily,” Lang said.

The multi-million dollar project began Feb. 9 and will take about nine months to complete.

A hospital spokeswoman said the expansion has been in the works for about two years and will be in what is now the parking lot in front of the ER. It will add 8,400 square feet to the existing 4,300 in the department, create eight new examination rooms and put in dedicated imaging equipment, said Katie Bryant.

“It’s going to facilitate getting patients seen quicker,” said Dr. Petros Tsambiras, chief of staff at the hospital. “It will make things much faster.”

Part of that speed will come from the additional space, but also the new equipment.

“We’ll have a dedicated CT scan for the ER,” Lang said. “We actually average from the time someone walks in the door to the time they leave less than 2.5 hours. The national average is somewhere between three and 3.5 hours. Those ancillary services in the new ER will help with that speed.”

Pasco Regional is owned by Health Management Associates (HMA), which has 54 hospitals in 15 states. The parent company’s president and CEO Gary Newsome said the expansion fits in line with what HMA is doing nationally.

“HMA is right now spending $300 million in expansion and renovation projects around the country,” Newsome said. “We have confidence in our communities and we believe in this community here. That’s why we’re spending money in this economy, but it’s not the bricks and mortar that make a hospital like this great. It’s the people here.”

Newsome surprised one of those hospital employees at the groundbreaking ceremony. He said he had been reading positive comments from patients about the ER and noticed registered nurse Sharon McKendree’s name on several. He brought her up to the podium and thanked her.

Lang pointed out that the expansion is just one of several upgrades the hospital has made in the last year. Pasco Regional opened a catheter lab for heart treatment last November.

“We actually did four catheters today,” Lang said.

The hospital will also apply for designation as a chest pain center in June. Once the expansion opens, one of the exam rooms will be dedicated to chest pain, while others will be for pediatrics, trauma and stroke treatments. Pasco Regional already has a designation as a stroke center.

Also, in October the hospital became the first in east or central Pasco to install a robotic system to perform surgeries. Since then, Pasco Regional has performed 60 surgeries with the technology.

“It’s really exciting right now,” Tsambiras said. “There have been a lot of improvements and this is one of the biggest ways we can give better treatment to patients and that’s the main goal.”

Pasco Regional’s emergency expansion

Adding 8,400-square-feet of space

Adding eight exam rooms

Adding new imaging equipment

Renovating the existing 4,300 square feet

Set for completion in 275 days

Her work gives writers insight into the 10-year-old mind

By B.C. Manion

She’s only 10 years old, but Savannah Smith has already completed her first consulting gig and hopes it will lead to others.

The fifth-grader, who divides her time between Wesley Chapel and Bradenton, is represented by a boutique agency called TruVision Entertainment based in Toluca Lake, Calif.

Her first assignment, which she actually finished when she was 9, involved reading a manuscript of nearly 300 pages and offering her observations.

The arrangement included a confidentiality clause regarding Savannah’s compensation, but regardless of the pay, the girl said she was thrilled to get paid to read and offer her observations.

“I love to read,” said Savannah, who attends Bashaw Elementary in Bradenton.

The book — “The Heart Air Balloons and the City of Points’’ — was written by David Larson, who currently is working on a new pilot for the Disney XD channel. The book is a fantasy in the same vein as the Harry Potter books.

“It was very interesting. I absolutely loved it,” Savannah said.

Even though it was a pleasure, it also was a time-consuming chore.

“It was a very long book. It was like two Harry Potter books put together,” she said.

To make the task more manageable, she divided the book into 50-page increments.

She made notes on the manuscript as she went along.

She circled words she didn’t understand. She noted when sequences of the story seemed out of sync. She pointed out dialogue that didn’t ring true to her.

“It took a little longer than it probably would now,” the 10-year-old said. “I’ve improved on my reading,” she explained.

Besides his current project, Larson has worked on film projects such as “G” and “American History X” and television programs including “Ruby and the Rockits” and “Just Shoot Me.” Larson made numerous revisions based on Savannah’s comments, according to Jordan Roberts of TruVision Entertainment.

“He took her input very seriously and made huge changes based on her notes,” Roberts said in a news release.

Savannah said she loves reading because it takes her on fun and interesting adventures.

“I like how it paints a picture in my mind and how I can really imagine things,” said Savannah, who particularly enjoys mysteries and adventure stories. At the moment, her favorite books are Nancy Drew mysteries.

She also enjoys writing and can see herself becoming a writer one day.

For now, she just keeps a journal, which chronicles family vacations and other activities.

On some pages, she simply draws arrows.

Those parts of the journal, she said, are private.

By B.C. Manion

The harsh winter weather that has wreaked havoc in other parts of the country may offer a glimmer of opportunity for an industrial office park in Central Pasco County.

COMPARK 75 recently has received feelers from out-of-state companies, said Heidi Tuttle-Beisner of Commercial Asset Partners, an agent for the property.

“We’ve got so much interest now,” Tuttle-Beisner said. “They prefer to be in a climate that’s less volatile.”

There are four companies from out of state and two local companies that are looking to locate at COMPARK at 4446 Pet Lane in Lutz. The industrial park is owned by HR Pasco, whose owner is Larry Morgan.

While the 165-acre industrial park has a Lutz mailing address, it sits off CR 54, about midway between the interchanges of SR 54 and SR 56 with I-75.

It is about 12 miles east of the Suncoast Parkway.

The northern boundary of the industrial park straddles the Tampa North Aero Park airport and it’s easy to see traffic streaming by on I-75.

Tuttle-Beisner won’t name the companies considering a move to the industrial park, but she did say the local companies are interested in leasing space in existing buildings and the out-of-state companies are interested in buying land and constructing their own buildings.

The 165-acre industrial park receives water, sewer, police and fire services from Pasco County. Its electric services are provided by the Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative and its telephone and Internet services are provided by Verizon.

Besides its enviable location, the industrial park has other strengths, Tuttle-Beisner said. “It’s a very attractive industrial park,” she said, mentioning that it 105 acres of permanent conservation space. It also has restrictive covenants that provide strict architectural controls.

The industrial park is zoned light industrial and has office, warehouse and manufacturing sites available. The available sites are 12.5 acres, 10 acres and 6 acres, she said. There’s also 29,700 square feet of space available for lease in one building and 31,500 square feet available in another. One of the buildings is dock high and the other is ground level, she said.

At the dock-high building, the floor is raised so trucks can pull up to a loading dock to load and unload. At the ground-level building, the garage door is at ground level. Tenants in that building tend to be service-oriented companies that require office space but don’t need to move a lot of goods in and out, Beisner-Tuttle said.

The proximity of the Tampa North Aero Park also is a plus because some companies that have planes like the notion of having a private airport next door, Beisner-Tuttle said.

Despite a recent prediction by Florida economist Chris Jones that Pasco would be slow to rebound from the recession, Tuttle-Beisner is optimistic about Wesley Chapel’s prospects.

She said it’s hard to predict how fast the recovery will be in different parts of Pasco County.

“Pasco County is so diverse,” she said. “Over on US 19 is entirely different than it is here,” she said.

COMPARK 75 is in an excellent location for an industrial park, she said.

“The next industrial park is in Hillsborough County (to the south). You don’t really get anything else until you get to SR 52 (to the north),” she said.

She also thinks that Pasco County’s aggressive incentives to attract jobs and Gov. Rick Scott’s obvious pro-business attitude will help to lure new companies and jobs to both the county and state.