Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Kyle LoJacono

Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) will unveil a new program this month that allows people set their own public transportation schedule.

Marcia Mejia, HART public information officer, said the new program is called HARTFlex. Residents along Dale Mabry Highway can schedule van rides to several locations in Lutz, Northdale and Carrollwood. Residents are picked up at the doorstep.

“HARTFlex is a win-win for both HART and our customers,” Mejia said. “HARTFlex is community-based transportation that is especially more efficient for HART to operate in less densely developed areas of Hillsborough County. Moreover, customers benefit from the advantages of regular bus service with the flexibility of curbside pickup.”

It is the first time HART has offered such a program in the area. Destinations include Saint Joseph’s Hospital-North, Northgate Square, Lake Park, Gaither High School, Home Depot/Sam’s Club, Target and the intersection of Fletcher Avenue and Dale Mabry.

“In designing the flex zone, it was important to provide service to St. Joseph’s Hospital-North,” Mejia said. “The HARTFlex van can go into St. Joseph’s Hospital-North to pick up customers, instead of requiring customers to walk out to a bus stop or make infrastructure enhancements to accommodate a 40-foot bus to enter into hospital property.”

Residents can also be taken from any of those locations back to their homes. Return trips leave from the hospital on the half hour.

The new service begins on Monday, July 11. Each ride costs 85 cents. The fare is kept inexpensive because of savings brought on by changes in the regular bus routes in the area.

“One of the things people complain about bus service is the times don’t fit into their schedule or it’s too difficult to remember the times,” said HART board member and Hillsborough Commissioner Mark Sharpe. “This is one of the ways we’re working to make bus travel easier and bigger within Hillsborough County, and it’s very affordable.”

Mejia said HART has a similar flex program in Brandon and the southern portions of the county, which began in April 2010.

“The flex zones in Brandon and south county began as pilot projects, and have been well received,” Mejia said. “The most recent U.S. Census numbers in Hillsborough County indicate that most of the population growth in the past 10 years occurred in unincorporated Hillsborough County.”

HART is also making changes to the Route 36, which currently runs along Dale Mabry. HARTFlex zone is replacing regular buses from that route within the new program’s zone. Mejia said the board predicts ridership in that area will drop as HARTflex picks up, so the need for the current bus service won’t be needed.

“Service changes occur in part to adjust to ridership trends,” Mejia said. “As population densities change, so do ridership trends. Therefore, HART service will change in the future to adjust to these trends, and better match service with demand. This is how we keep our service as efficient and effective as possible.”

The route changes begin on Sunday, July 10. Mejia said ridership for Route 36 in May 2011 was 57,350, up 23 percent from the 46,826 during May 2010.

In addition, HART’s board approved an increase in the millage rate, up to .500 to prevent drastic service cuts, according to Mejia. The increase to the average household — valued at $92,820 — will pay an extra $1.61 each year to a total of $46.41. The increase balances the organization’s 2011-12 budget.

 

To learn more about the new HARTFlex program or to make a trip reservation, call (813) 449-4555. For more information about HART and its bus routes, visit www.gohart.org.

 

 

 

 

By B.C. Manion

Efforts began last week to develop a guide to community planning in Hillsborough County.

The goal is to develop a template that can be used by individual communities when they are drawing up plans to address the unique nature of their community.

The idea is to have a standard approach, while acknowledging distinct differences within communities, said Lisa Silva, the project manager for the Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission that is heading up the project.

The guide is being developed in response to some of the findings in a March 31 audit report of the countywide planning process.

The 48-page report was completed by Cherry, Bekaert & Holland, LLP, of Tampa.

In the executive summary of the report, the auditors note: “Community plans do not have the same format or elements, adding to complexity and confusion to the development review process.”

Community planning is a tool that has been used in Hillsborough County to help individual communities guide the future development of their particular geographic area.

In theory, in places like Keystone/Odessa, where residents have battled for years to preserve the rural character of the area, a community plan can help to assure that commercial development doesn’t change the area’s nature.

The community of Lutz also has consistently been involved in planning efforts – to keep major highways and big development from overtaking the once rural and now primarily suburban community.

The county’s new guide to community planning will create a template for individual communities to follow when they are creating their individual plans or updating them, Silva said.

But the development of that guide could have a profound effect on what is considered when community plans are created. So, this exercise goes far beyond merely providing a standard format to follow.

Some key issues include:

–What should a community plan include?

–What kind of notice should be required when proposals are made to create or change community plans?

–What can be done to ensure that community planning reflects the broad interests of a community, not just the special interests of a few?

–How do individual community plans mesh with overall strategic or economic goals of the county?

–How can the county avoid mistakes made during previous community planning efforts?

–What can be done to ensure that desires of the community, as adopted in community plans, are ultimately upheld by people who issue permits for various building activities?

At the initial session, opinions were all over the map.

Some participants said that previous community planning efforts have gone too far – by including restrictions that prohibit the practical use of property. Others said that community plans were adopted without enough public notice or participation.

Steve Morris of Keystone said the community plan does a good job of reflecting the community’s desires. Keystone is happy with its plan, Morris said.

Its biggest problem, he said, is making sure the plan is enforced by the people who issue county permits.

Last week’s meeting was just the first in a series to hash out a new community planning guide.

Ultimately, the Hillsborough County Commission will vote on the community planning guide. That vote is expected in the fall.

By B.C. Manion

When the giant limbs from a laurel oak tree crashed onto the roof of Dorothy R. Brown’s home, the Zephyrhills woman said she was petrified.

“It sounded like a bomb exploded,” the 79-year-old woman said. “I leaped up and I was looked up at the ceiling – but I knew it was the tree. I’ve lived in dread of this tree since the day I moved here.”

Brown said she has been concerned about the tree since she bought her house “sight unseen” with proceeds from an accident settlement more than 20 years ago.

She’s never had the money to have it removed, said the widow, who lives on a fixed income of just over $600 a month, with $300 of that going to her mortgage.

Just a few weeks ago, another limb broke off the tree and landed on power lines across the street.

The broken limb knocked out power for hours to houses along Palm Grove Drive and also sparked a small fire, some of Brown’s neighbors said.

At the time of that incident, Brown said she was warned that the limbs that landed on her house on June 23 were most likely to go next. She said she asked the crews responding to the previous incident if they could take down the tree, but they said they couldn’t because it’s on private property.

When the giant limbs crashed on her roof, however, the community responded to help.

Barton & Sons Tree Service removed the heavy limbs from the roof and stacked up the debris in Brown’s yard. They also applied tarps on the roof to keep water out of the house.

“We try to give back to the community,” said Robert Barton, noting the tree service company has been in business for five generations.

The tree is in bad shape, he added. “It’s been breaking for years.”

The tree service diverted from another job scheduled that morning to help Brown, said Pop Barton, now retired. “We just wanted to get this done today,” he said. “They wouldn’t let her come back here until we got the hazard off.”

Members of the Zephyrhills-Wesley Chapel Ministerial Association also pitched in to help.

The American Red Cross helped, too, putting Brown up at a Quality Inn for a few days while the debris was removed.

Brown was pleased by the community’s response.

“I think it’s wonderful,” she said.

Her friend, Shirlene Grant, was sad that Brown’s home was damaged, but pleased that so many people came out to help.

“She needed to know that people really care about her,” Grant said.

 

By B.C. Manion

It’s summer time – that time of year when swimmers hit the beaches, families have cookouts and lots of people break out the fireworks.

To help you have a good time while enjoying your summer break, we’ve compiled some safety suggestions from some local and national sources.

Lisa Patterson, communications manager for St. Joseph’s Hospital, put together an email outlining common reasons for trips to the emergency room during the summer – and suggestions aimed at helping people to avoid such trips.

The most common injuries seen in emergency rooms during the summer months are sprains, strains and back injuries from falls or sporting activities, according to Patterson.

Other common summer health issues involve heat, insects, water, fireworks and a wide assortment of injuries.

Alcohol-related motor vehicle, boat or jet ski accidents and falls from ladders, roofs or attics, are common causes for summer emergency visits, Patterson notes.

So are missed medications by people who go on vacation and forget to take their medicine. The missed medications can lead to heart attacks, strokes and diabetic and hypertensive emergencies, the email adds.

Other kinds of emergencies involve neck injuries from diving into unknown shallow water; snake and dog bites; jellyfish and sting ray stings; food poisoning from food left out too long at picnics; injuries from lightning strikes and puncture wounds from sharp objects, such as nails in old boards.

Here are some tips from Patterson to help stay out of the emergency room:

–Stay well hydrated, especially when taking medications that are prone to dehydrate such as diuretics, heart and many other types of medications.

–Wear sunscreen with a SPF rating of at least 30 to 45 and reapply regularly. Wear a hat and long sleeves or use an umbrella, if necessary, to avoid prolonged sun exposure.

–Use insect repellent with DEET. Read labels and use lower strengths for younger children. Also, wash it off children when indoors for the day.

–Wear helmets rated for safety by the Consumer Product Safety Commission when riding bicycles, skateboards, ATVs, horses or scooters.

–Wear sturdy closed-toe shoes, not sandals, when operating a lawnmower. Keep children under the age of 16 off of riding mowers.

–The safest way to enjoy fireworks is at a public display.  If you are planning to use them yourself, make sure they are legal in your locale. Never light them indoors or near grass, and have water nearby. Never let children light fireworks and supervise children using fireworks all times.

–Don’t drink and drive. Assign a designated driver.

Vicky Yeakley, public education coordinator for Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, also shared some safety tips that she compiled.

Fireworks safety

–The best way to stay safe is to go to a public fireworks display.

–Do not relight a sparkler that appears to be a dud. Also, keep a can of moist sand nearby to hold the used sparklers. Discard the used sparklers a day after they’ve cooled off.

–If you suffer a minor burn, cool it with cool tap water. In the event of a serious burn, call 911. Do not apply oils, sprays, ointments, ice or butter to any burn.

Water safety tips

–Make sure pools and spas have four-sided fencing with self-latching locks.

–Do not leave children unattended near water, not even for a minute. Children require supervision during all water activities.

–Designate a “water watcher” who will remain alcohol-free.

–Have a portable phone or a cell phone near the pool. A child can die in the time it takes an adult to go into the house to answer the telephone. Also, having a telephone nearby saves time in the event of an emergency.

–Keep water rescue equipment handy including poles, ropes, flotation devices and first-aid equipment.

–Learn CPR.

–Enroll your children in swimming lessons taught by a qualified instructor and, if you don’t know how to swim, it’s a good idea to learn.

–Teach kids water safety habits, which include no running, pushing or roughhousing near the water.

Grill safety tips

–Do not leave objects that could catch on fire close to the grill.

–Do not leave cooking unattended.

–Position the grill well away from deck railings and sidings and from under eaves or overhanging branches.

–Keep the grill away from areas used for foot traffic, lawn games and play areas.

–Keep children and pets away from the grill area.

–Use long-handled grilling tools to protect the cook.

–Remove grease or fat build-up in trays below the grill so it cannot catch fire by a hot grill.

–Be sure to use the proper type of starter fluid for a charcoal grill and do not add charcoal starter fluid when the coals or kindling have been ignited. Be sure to keep the starter fluid away from heat sources and from children.

–Keep starter fluid away from children and heat sources.

–If you have a propane grill, check the cylinder hose for leaks before using it.

–Do not use propane or charcoal grills indoors. If used indoor in or enclosed spaces, they pose a fire risk and a risk of exposing people to toxic gases, which can be lethal.

By Kyle LoJacono

Summer has begun and Hillsborough and Pasco county departments want to help people protect their pets as the temperatures rise.

“We see a lot of problems each year with people calling us about their pets suffering from the heat,” said Hillsborough Department of Animal Services director Bill Armstrong. “Really, it’s rather simple to keep pets healthy and happy during the summer.”

Pasco Animal Services education director Rosemary Lyons agreed with Armstrong: “It’s just a   matter of taking the right precautions just like you would with your children or yourself if you’re going outside in the heat.”

Both said it is important to have plenty of fresh, clean water available to dogs, cats and other pets at all times. Keeping them in cooler parts of the home will also help preserve their health.

Other tips from the departments include:

–Make shade available.

–Use caution when exercising dogs, even in the morning and evening.

–Limit outdoor exposure for older and younger pets, or those with heavy coats.

–Never leave a dog alone in a car for any length of time on warm days.

Even on mildly sunny days, cars can quickly become heated deathtraps for unattended dogs, according to Lyons. When the air is 85 degrees outside, a car can become 102 in just 10 minutes and can soar to 120 in 30 minutes.

Lyons added it is illegal to leave any animal in a car for any length of time. Cats can also suffer from heatstroke, but it is more common in dogs as they tend to be more active. Heatstroke can be fatal and requires immediate veterinary attention.

According to the American Animal Hospital Association, signs of heatstroke include panting, staring, anxious expression, refusal to obey commands, warm and dry skin, high fever, rapid heartbeat, uncontrolled drooling, vomiting and collapsing.

If an animal is suffering from heatstroke and needs immediate attention:

–Submerge their body in cool, not icy, water or spray it lightly with a hose. Focus on cooling the head and neck area.

–Bring the animal inside an air-conditioned building.

–Do not force them to drink water, but offer it to them.

–Bring the animal to a vet as soon as possible.

For more information on protecting pets during hot summer months, visit the Hillsborough department’s website, www.hillsboroughcounty.org/animalservices, or call (813) 744-5660. For Pasco, visit portal.pascocountyfl.net or call (813) 929-1212.

WHAT’S IN A NAME

By Kyle LoJacono

This week will look into how Fort Broome, Gall Boulevard, Gower’s Corner and Jessamine got their names.

(1) FORT BROOME in Dade City was named for former Florida Gov. James E. Broome, who served from 1853-1857. It was built at the end of the first Seminole War to protect the only town in what is now east Pasco County. All the settlers had to live in the fort when the second Seminole War began.

This fort was located on the south line of the farm of W. C. Brown about halfway between Wire and Richland roads, about two miles south of present Dade City. Close observers can see where the wood cabins from the first settlers stood by the discoloration of the soil under the oak trees now growing there. Those who lived around the fort were said to have called the area Fort Broome.

(2) GALL BOULEVARD is what US 301 is called through Zephyrhills. It is named for Walter R. Gall, who was able to influence the state to run the highway through the east Pasco County city. Gall’s son Owen, was a prominent resident of Zephyrhills who died in 2008 at age 96.

(3) GOWER’S CORNER is named after W. A. Gower, who once owned all four corners of the intersection of US 41 and SR 52 in the mid-1920s. Grower had been superintendent at the Aripeka Sawmills at Fivay in west Pasco County until the timber ran out and the mills closed. Gower bought 80 acres of the then-bare land for himself, including corners of the intersection.

Gower also owned a portable sawmill that he moved from place to place, removing whatever timber was still left and marketable. He built a grocery store on the southeast corner of the intersection, which he eventually turned over to his son Ralph. The store later became a filling station run by Joseph Chapman, but was demolished in the summer of 1984. Today a shopping area known as Chapman Square stands in its place.

(4) JESSAMINE is located in Dade City and includes the area around Jessamine Road between Blanton, Lake Lola and St. Joe roads, including Jessamine Lake. In 1887, businessmen Walter Pike and William Ellsworth moved to Pasco County and were intent on starting a seed and plant business. They moved into an old cabin on the edge of what is now Jessamine Lake, about five miles southwest of Trilby.

The two began clearing the woodland and became so impressed with the pleasant smell of a certain wild flowering vine that they named their company Jessamine Gardens and their community Jessamine. They later started growing citrus under the name Jessamine Groves.

For additional information on these areas and how they got their names, visit www.fivay.org.

*The Laker and the Lutz News series on how historic places were named will continue throughout the summer. Information is provided by interviews with Pasco County historian Jeff Miller of Fivay.org and the West Pasco Historical Society. See how Lake Jovita and Land O’ Lakes got their names next week.

By Kyle LoJacono

Pasco residents suffering through the summer’s heat will likely have fewer locations to cool off, if budget projections are correct.

Pasco County budget director Mike Nurrenbrock said the county will be able to avoid major layoffs and closing any of its libraries, but must stop operating the last two public pools to do so. The remaining facilities are at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex on Collier Parkway and at Veterans Memorial Park in Hudson.

The county’s Parks and Recreation Department’s director Rick Buckman said the decision to recommend the closings was a hard one.

“We stopped operating two pools last year and here are the last two,” Buckman said. “We don’t want to close the pools, but we’ve learned more people use the parks instead of the pools. We’d rather close facilities that aren’t used as much.”

Last year’s budget would have forced the county to close Hercules Aquatic Center in Zephyrhills if it had not been transferred over to the Zephyrhills Police Athletic League (ZPAL). Financial concerns made the county reverse the deal and the facility at 38110 CR 54 in Zephyrhills has remained closed since January.

Pasco is giving the property over to the school district, which owned the land in the 1980s.

“We are looking into what the best options are for (the land),” said Chris Williams, the school districts’ director of planning. “We could operate it as a pool for the high school swim teams, but the savings there won’t offset the operating costs.”

The Grove Park Pool in New Port Richey was also closed last year.

The remaining two pools made about $39,000 each year, but cost about $328,000 to operate. The decision was made easier for Buckman and the department as the remaining two facilities need about $100,000 worth of repairs. The parks department has lost more than 30 percent of its budget during the last three years, a total of $1.8 million slashed.

“If we don’t close the pools this year, it will take away from the entire parks system,” Buckman said. “We can’t justify putting the money in to fix the pools and then maintain them at the cost of closing several other facilities.”

Pasco County Administrator John Gallagher agreed with Buckman at a recent board meeting.

“Back when we had this great idea to build all these pools, (other options) really weren’t there,” Gallagher said. “It was a good public service.”

Gallagher explained the large number of people with pools or access to ones run by neighborhoods and groups like the YMCA has reduced the demand for county-run facilities.

“People are more affluent now,” Gallagher said. “Back when we had the great idea to build these pools, you didn’t have that.”

Families may have more ways to beat the summer heat, but high school swimming and diving teams have limited options. Both Sunlake and Land O’ Lakes use the Land O’ Lakes pool, while Hudson and River Ridge use the Veterans site.

Pasco County athletic director Phil Bell said it, “Would be disappointing if it happens. We would have to scramble fast to find places for those teams to compete. I’m not sure if there is a backup plan right now.”

Zephyrhills’ teams had used Hercules Aquatic, but have already worked out a deal to use the pool at the East Pasco Family YMCA in the city, according to Bulldogs athletic director Bruce Cimorelli.

There is less certainty in central Pasco.

“(We have) no plan at this time,” said Land O’ Lakes athletic director Karen Coss. “It is my understanding that if the pool closes, it will be in October. The good news is we don’t have any home meets in October. The bad news is, we still won’t have a place to practice. Hopefully something will be available, but it will certainly put us in a tight spot.”

Sunlake athletic director Russ Schenk said the situation is similar with the Seahawks.

If approved, the pools would close in October. The commission could find a nonprofit group, such as the YMCA, interested in operating them.

Tampa Metropolitan YMCA officials have said they are not interested in managing Hercules Aquatic, but would consider allowing public access to its pool at the YMCA in Zephyrhills. There is no YMCA facility in Land O’ Lakes or Lutz, but there are ones in Trinity and Northdale.

 

 

 

 

By Zack Peterson

For years, Plantation Palms Golf Club, a rolling green surrounded by marshy wetlands, stout cypress trees and blossoming reed willows, has been under the control of Plantation Palms Homeowners Association.

Now, Plantation Palms Golf Club is under the ownership of MJS Golf Group, a collective of three Native American business owners looking to give the course a new and highly defined profile.

Mitch Osceola, Jayson Ray and Steve McDonald bought the property from the homeowners association recently after years of searching for a suitable course. The purchase price was not disclosed.

“Our business had been looking for years for a golf course,” McDonald said. “But nothing fit until Plantation Palms. When we saw how well maintained everything was, we knew it was the one we wanted to go after.”

According to McDonald, the homeowners association put the course on the market because “gold course ownership wasn’t their specialty.”

The MJS business trio’s history travels much further back though.

All were raised within their respective tribes, with Osceola a native Seminole in Florida; Ray part of the Klamath Modoc tribe in the Northwest and McDonald growing up with the Prairie Band Potawatomis in the plains of Kansas. Despite their differences, the men ultimately found golf to be their life’s passion.

After years of involvement with the sport, McDonald and Osceola met in 1997, introduced to one another by Osceola’s brother, Max, a member of the Seminole Tribal Council.

Later in 2002, McDonald and Osceola met Ray, and the ideas for business collaboration began to brew.

“We kind of all had the same aspirations and dreams of entering into a business together,” Ray said. “The tough part was scrapping up the money to be owners.”

But before the MJS business trio that came together in 2005, Ray founded the First Nations Golf Association nonprofit organization in 2002.

Described as “a golf association for Native Americans” by McDonald, the foundation of the FNGA provided some of the initial business experience the trio would later need to use with Plantation Palms.

Throughout the years, the trio hosted multiple tournaments, traveling across the entire country to do so.

“We’ve hosted events in Washington, Arizona, New Mexico, Minnesota, California, Mississippi and Oklahoma,” McDonald said. ‘We’ve been everywhere.”

McDonald explained that across the four corners of the country, there are 463 federally recognized Native American tribes.

“Of those 463 tribes, 220 own casinos, and of those 220 casinos, 60 own golf courses that are associated with casinos known as ‘destination resorts,’” McDonald said.

What makes Plantation Palms so special, according to McDonald, is that “Plantation Palms is the first individually owned golf course by three independent business men, not casinos.”

But, as members of Native American tribes, MJS intends to use the support of the nearby Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino as a “market advantage” to attract more gamers.

“We’ve got big ideas for Plantation Palms that will help the HOA (Homeowners Association) grow as well,” Ray said.

So far, the MJS business trio has reshaped particular aspects of the course to make it more player-friendly.

“We’ve changed the fairways by making them narrower, smoothed it out. We’re growing the rough up, and we’re taking out a couple of bunkers,” Ray said.

McDonald explained he, Ray and Osceola go out and make modifications to the course during the workday.

“We’re a real hands-on ownership,” McDonald said. “What people may not realize is that Mitch, Jayson and I are going out there and helping with the changes to the course.”

“We’re not afraid to get our hands dirty or our feet in the mud.”

For now, the owners look to connect with the community by offering a series of benefit memberships, Golf Associations and quality golf instruction.

But the future is fair game.

“Right now our goal is to offer a fun golf experience that is all about ‘family, fun, food and golf’ coupled with customer service and superior playing conditions. We couldn’t be happier,” McDonald said.

“We’ve only owned Plantation Palms for six weeks, but eventually we’ll host celebrity tournaments, Pro-Ams and senior tournaments. Any business that wants to have a great tournament or outing, we’re there for you,” McDonald said.