Special to The Laker/Lutz News

There’s a new sheriff in town — current Pasco County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Chris Nocco.

Nocco was appointed by Gov. Rick Scott to replace retiring Sheriff Bob White. Effective Sunday, May 1, he will fill the remainder of White’s term, which ends in 2012.

Sheriff’s spokesman Kevin Doll confirmed the appointment Monday afternoon.

The 35-year-old oversees the law enforcement aspects of the department. He was one of current U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio’s aides when Rubio was Florida Speaker of the House.

State Rep. Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, issued a statement praising both White and his replacement.

“I have known Sheriff Nocco for many years, and have worked with him. He has the right temperament, skills and commitment to our community,” he said.

 

By B.C. Manion

Lutz Elementary took a break from the regular school routine last week to have some good old-fashioned fun.

It was a day set aside for remembering the community’s past and enjoying the fellowship of each other.

Kids went on hayrack rides on a flatbed stacked with bales of hay, towed by a tractor.

Other kids did impromptu square-dancing, while signing along to “Old MacDonald had a Farm,” played by the guitar duo of Stan Bozek and his son, Andrew. They got a kick out of strumming tunes, while children took turns taking hayrack rides around the school’s driveway.

Inside the cafeteria, kids at one table were making “snow bottles” — small water bottles filled with a mixture of oil, water and glittering pieces of confetti, that when shaken have the same effect as snow globes.

At another table, youngsters were coloring in a picture of the Old Lutz School, built in 1926-1927 — an icon of the community and a landmark which plays a starring role in the collective memory of this community.

At another table, kids listened to Elaine Warner and Phyllis Rowan, members of the Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club, as they told children how to make a “radish seed necklace.” Theoretically, the radish seeds will sprout in a matter of hours, when someone wears the necklace close to their skin.

Meanwhile, Robin Pritchard, a speech record aid, was fashioning hats out of newspaper for the kids.

Elaine Forbes, 10, was simply having a blast. She’s a huge fan of the Lutz Olden Day, a 19-year tradition at the school at 202 Fifth Ave., S.E. in Lutz.

“I love it,” she said. “It’s fun.”

She wasn’t the only one having a good time.

Alexa Linville, a volunteer mom, was working the table where kids get to color a picture of the old schoolhouse. Her 5-year-old son, Carson, who will be attending the school next year, was there demonstrating just how the coloring is done.

Linville said all of her children who have attended the school have enjoyed the annual event.

“It’s a great tradition of Lutz. It’s fun to be part of it.”

Principal Mary Fernandez said the event demonstrates the strong connection the school enjoys with the community.

Every year all sorts of volunteers help the school to put on the event, which combines lessons about the community’s history along with fun activities for the kids.

During this year’s event, there was a storyteller, line dancing, panning for gold, wheelbarrow races and a Girl Scout awards ceremony, among other things.

The event gives the children a firsthand look at community involvement, Fernandez said, noting many community volunteers show up each year to help provide a fun day for the students.

It’s also a great way to relax after demanding testing days, Fernandez said.

The principal said the school is lucky to be located in a place with such a strong sense of community.

When the school’s grade from the state is announced every year, Fernandez said it’s not uncommon for her to receive congratulatory calls from many area residents. Some don’t even have children at the school, she said.

They’re just proud of their school.

Teacher Judy Alvarez said the annual event helps the children form stronger connections to the community, a community that Alvarez said she loves.

Lutz is a special place, Alvarez said. “It’s just a small-town feel.”

 

By Kyle LoJacono

The Pasco County commissioners voted a resounding no to diverting $700,000 from the local Habitat for Humanity chapter for a project in the Ten Oaks Community.

The commissioners voted 4-0 to reject the proposal. Commissioner Ted Schrader recused himself from the vote and even the discussion, as his brother Tom has a financial interest in the Zephyrhills private neighborhood of Eiland Boulevard.

The county agreed to give $700,000 in 2008 for a project to give affordable housing to government workers, such as teachers, law enforcement officers and fire rescue personnel, in Ten Oaks. The idea was to help keep high housing value from soaring out of the price range of the public workers.

The Florida Legislature stepped in and gave Pasco a grant to pay for the project, but backed out of the deal as the housing market crash reduced taxable revenue across the state. It was suggested the money could come out of the county’s Neighborhood Stabilization Project funding, which was designated for Habitat for Humanity East and Central Pasco’s Lacoochee project.

“We looked at it hard and long, and I will tell you we were conflicted on what to do here,” said Pasco budget director Michael Nurrenbrock.

One of the biggest events for the Lacoochee project is Women Build Week, when women volunteer to help build homes for Habitat families around Mother’s Day. The event begins April 30 and runs through May 8. Stephanie Black, Habitat’s local spokeswoman, said the loss of money would have put the event in great danger of being cancelled.

“Fortunately we didn’t have to go down that road,” Black said.

Habitat’s local CEO John Finnerty said all the event’s goals are going on as planned.

“We’ve got two houses with the floors already in,” Finnerty said. “We have demolished a couple of houses, and we’re pulling two more permits in.”

The event was one of the reasons the commissioners rejected the proposal.

“We didn’t want to cancel an event that will help people in east Pasco because of a deal made under a very different set of circumstances,” said Commissioner Jack Mariano. “The state cut the money and the housing market changed. I wasn’t comfortable going forward with the proposal.”

The commissioners said the Ten Oaks project is not yet dead, but Nurrenbrock said he does not know where the money will come from given he is projecting about a $5 million budget shortfall for next year.

“It’ll be more tough decisions that will have to be made,” Nurrenbrock said.

For more information on Habitat, visit www.ephabitat.org.

By Gary S. Hatrick

A long-time youth sports volunteer and leader asked the Zephyrhills City Council to consider forming a youth recreation board to oversee youth sports programs that use city fields and facilities.

Lee Mahon has been involved with youth football since 1981 as a coach, referee, board member, equipment manager, program director and fundraising coordinator for several organizations. He approached the board with the support of and at the invitation of Councilman Lance Smith.

In a letter sent to the city council prior to his appearance before council, Mahon said,  “The goal is to establish a board to help monitor activities at the city fields, coordinate the use of the fields, oversee and approve new ventures of the smaller boards, and assist with the needs of the programs.”

Mahon expressed the concern that schools may have to cut some sports programs due to budget restraints. “This puts pressure on the city to maintain the city leagues, so these children have a place to participate.”

“These city leagues are intended to not only provide recreation, but also positive role models in an attempt to keep the children of our city out of trouble, Mahon added.

Several programs have been discontinued or have suffered in quality over the past few years due to the inability to raise enough financial support, lack of volunteers or leadership difficulties. Mahon explained that a youth recreation board would help to find solutions to those needs.

“The Youth Recreation Board would raise funds for the city leagues’ needs, keeping up and enhancing the city’s current parks and recreation facilities, future builds, future programs, and to start up programs previously available such as the Dixie Softball League, the Zephyrhills’ Youth Soccer League and the Zephyrhills’ Youth Basketball League,” he wrote.

Mahon told the council that rather than losing programs, “these leagues should be really growing.”

All of the city council members expressed support for the concept, but asked what form the board would take, who would serve on the board, what authority it would have and how it would be related to the city.

It’s important to provide a foundation to support the youth of the community,” said Councilman Tim Urban. “You have my support on this.”

“You definitely have mine,” added newly elected councilman Charlie Proctor.

Mahon was asked to return to the board at a later date with a more formal request.

 

In other council news, the city council

— Agreed to revisit the billing structure for water provided to RV parks

— Approved a resolution in support of keeping US 301 as a two-way road through the city. A Florida Department of Transportation meeting will be from 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 27 at Alice Hall to discuss the project.

— Discussed questioning procedures for the city manager applicant interviews, scheduled to begin 9 a.m. Saturday at City Hall. The public is welcome to view the interviews.

By Elizabeth Gwilt

With up to 15 dogs a week being put down due to the recession, Garrett McDermott knew help was needed.

The Gaither High freshman’s organization Pennies for Puppies Cash for Kittens is hosting a party to raise money for the Humane Society of Tampa Bay. The event is at the Carrollwood Applebee’s, which is donating 10 percent of the cost of appetizers purchased on April 30.

“My mom and I went to several businesses and asked them to help us out, and our sponsors include Sweetbay, LA Hangout, J.C.’s, and Honey’s,” McDermott said. He is expecting a turnout of between 30-50 people for Saturday.

McDermott also adds that anyone who isn’t able to stop by for the party can drop off food, toys or money with their pet’s name on the bag.

McDermott said that he had a lot of motivation while planning this event.

“I’ve been an animal lover all my life, and some of my friends have had to put their pets down. I think this is a cause a lot of people are willing to support, especially anyone who has been to the Humane Society and seen all those little eyes looking up at you,” McDermott said.

According to his mother, Joan, Garrett has always been compassionate.

“Since he was 3, every other year for his birthday we donate all his gifts to the charity of his choice,” McDermott said. “I think the Humane Society was a great choice, I know they hand out food every day and that a lot of people can’t afford to keep their pets because of the recession.”

“I think it’s an admirable thing that he’s doing, since as many kids get older, they would like to keep their birthday money,” McDermott said.

As for Garrett, he credits his parents for his willingness to give.

“Ever since I was young, they taught me to pay it forward. I will absolutely continue donating as I get older, because it is so important to support organizations like the Humane Society,” he said.

The Pennies for Puppies Cash for Kittens party will start at 2:15.

By Kyle LoJacono

The long awaited Medical Center of Trinity will open shop to its first patients in just more than six months.

The new facility is set to open Nov. 11 on the southeast corner of SR 54 and Little Road in Trinity and will replace the 40-year-old Community Hospital in New Port Richey, according to hospital spokeswoman Mary Sommise. The construction comes with a near $200 million price tag.

Leigh Massengill, Community Hospital’s CEO, said about 25 percent of her daily activities are devoted solely to the new facility, but most of what she does has at least something to do with the approaching opening.

“It’s really starting to pick up,” Massengill said. “The construction is almost completely done and then we’ll start the rest of installation. It’s getting close and it’s exciting.”

Massengill said she expects the facility will start having equipment installed in late July to early August.

The new facility will be five stories tall and 400,000 square feet, plus another 90,000 square feet for a medical office building. It is built to be able to easily add additional stories or wings as needed.

The new location sits on 55 acres, which will allow the new hospital to expand as well. Community Hospital on Marine Parkway has virtually no room for future expansions.

“I couldn’t be more excited with the opportunity to offer better healthcare to the community,” Massengill said. “The New Port Richey site is 40 years old, so this gives us a chance to bring in the best technology for the next 40. We want to serve both the traditional market in New Port Richey, while reaching out to the communities in Trinity, Odessa, Land O’ Lakes and the rest of central Pasco.”

Massengill said all the services of Community Hospital will be offered at the new facility.

“We’ll expand from there,” Massengill said.

All medical records will become electronic once the move is made. This will eliminate a lot of paper and also allow for doctors to share medical information more quickly.

The added space will allow every room to be a private suite at the new facility, including 30 in the emergency department. Community Hospital treated 76,113 patients last year.

The emergency department will also be near the cardiac catheterization laboratory, which is where doctors can look for blockages and other problems with a patient’s heart. The proximity of the department and the lab will allow for faster diagnoses and treatment of heart and other circulator system problems.

The Medical Center of Trinity will have much more space than the older hospital, but Massengill said the look and feel is where the main differences between the two facilities will be the most contrasting.

“We don’t want it to look and feel like a hospital,” Massengill said. “We want it to look like a nice hotel. We want to get away from the traditional hospital beige colors and make it look like a nice hotel suite.”

Like an upscale hotel, every suite at the Trinity facility will have its own bathroom with shower, room service, Internet access and a 32-inch high definition TV. Patients will even be able to watch videos to educate themselves about their condition and treatments on demand.

Its maternity suites are also designed to provide comforting care following the baby’s birth. A team of registered nurses specializing in labor delivery and newborn care, a certified childbirth educator, lactation consultant and support staff will work with expectant mothers alongside their physician to provide care during labor and delivery. Additionally, neonatology services will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for high-risk labor deliveries.

The maternity center will feature AirStrip OB Technology, a patient monitoring system that allows obstetricians to remotely access fetal heart rate in virtual real-time.

Community Hospital currently has 1,000 employees. Massengill said she expects the new facility to make more jobs, but did not know how many. She added the older facility will be kept open as a satellite emergency department and behavioral health facility.

“There are no plans to tear down the original building right now,” Massengill said.

The project also includes widening Little Road from SR 54 south the Mercy Way to account for the increased traffic expected to come with the new hospital.

For more information on Medical Center of Trinity, visit www.MedicalCenterTrinity.com or call (727) 834-4000.

 

 

By B.C. Manion

Peggy Fortner is out in the garden most Friday afternoons, working with a group of eager children at Bright Beginnings, a preschool and daycare center in Zephyrhills.

Fortner, a master gardener with the Pasco County Extension Office, volunteers her time to help cultivate a love of gardening among the children.

One of the youngsters happens to be Sarah Luke, her 7-year-old granddaughter.

It seems only natural that Fortner would want to share her love for the earth and the bounty it can produce with a new generation of gardeners. After all, it was her grandmother who introduced her to the joy of gardening.

So, every Friday, she and the kids at Bright Beginnings, 5905 Craig Lane, spend part of their day, tilling or planting, weeding or watering, feeding or harvesting a small patch of ground.

They have grown all sorts of vegetables, including tomatoes, squash, onions, green beans, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower and spinach.

Soon, they’ll be staging a plant sale, where they hope to raise money to perpetuate and expand their gardening efforts. The sale will be from 1-3 p.m. on April 30 at New River Public Library, 34043 SR 54 in Zephyrhills.

In addition to selling plants, Fortner will be demonstrating how to make an earth bucket, and the kids will be handing out some freebies.

Beverly Petrini, owner of Bright Beginnings, said the childcare center started its garden a couple of years ago when her son-in-law, Clyde Bracknell, began it for one of the center’s summer camps.

When Fortner’s granddaughter began coming to the center, the master gardener offered to share her knowledge with the youngsters and Petrini took Fortner up on the offer.

Petrini is delighted that Fortner is there to teach the youngsters and to help them develop an understanding of how vegetables grow.

Fortner also has been instrumental in getting items donated to support the children’s gardening efforts, Petrini said.

The program gives children a wonderful exposure to gardening, Petrini said.

“So many of them probably don’t have a garden. People don’t have time for gardens anymore,” Petrini said.

In at least one case, the school’s garden has inspired a family to create a garden of its own, she added.

Children have a natural curiosity that should be nurtured, Petrini said. And youngsters can also be a source of inspiration for adults, she added. “We learn more from them, I think, than they learn from us.”

Bracknell, who initiated the school’s first garden, said the children appear to enjoy working out in the patch. “They seem to have a lot of fun.”

Last week, the kids spent part of the day learning about suckers — shoots on a tomato plant that some gardeners prune because they rob nutrients from other parts of the plant and can cause the plant to get top-heavy.

“Look at this thing growing up here. That is called a sucker. We’ve got to check all of these plants. You know what we do? We lop it off. It doesn’t help the plant at all,” Fortner said.

“Miss Peggy, there’s one over here that’s growing,” a little girl proudly reports.

Other kids are poking around, in search of offending suckers.

Some spot them and get permission to pull them off. Others don’t quite get concept and want to snap off stems with tomatoes.

Fortner gently corrects them, and they move on.

It’s obvious that the kids are having fun, despite the blazing heat.

“It’s really fun,” said 5-year-old Rebecca Fardella. “I get to plant some plants. Miss Peggy helps us.”

Bayleigh Kirby also enjoys the Friday afternoon sessions. “Everyone helps in the garden,” the 10-year-old said.

“It’s fun to be out in the sun,” said Malachi Varro, 7.

Zack Stevens, 8, loves digging into the work: “I like getting dirty and planting and helping Miss Peggy.”

 

If you go

Bright Beginnings plant sale

1-3 p.m. April 30

New River Library, 34043 SR 54 in Zephyrhills

Plants on sale will include tomato, squash and onion plants, crepe myrtle and lemongrass.

A demonstration on how to create an earth bucket will be given. And, there will be some items for event goers.

 

How to make an Earth Bucket

What you will need to assemble the bucket:

1 5-gallon sized bucket

1 6-quart or 7-quart colander

1 piece of 2-inch fill pipe. Cut into a piece as long as the bucket is deep, plus 3 inches

1 plastic drinking straw or similar to a quarter-inch diameter tubing

How to assemble the bucket:

Trim the rim of the colander. Cut a hole in the bottom of the colander, which is where the 2-inch diameter fill pipe will go. Cut the bottom end of the fill pipe at a roughly 45-degree angle. Insert the colander face down into the bucket. If should fit tightly. Insert the fill pipe, slotted end down into hole in colander.

Drill a small hole about 4.5 inches from the bottom of the bucket. Insert the straw or small tube into the hole in the bucket, pushing about 1-inch of the straw into the colander, just under the top side of the inverted colander. You may have to drill a hole in the colander.

What you will need for the filling:

Using a potting mix designed for use in containers, fill around the side of the colander, packing tightly. This will work as a wick to move water up.

Do not pack the mix once you are above the colander level. Fill the bucket about half-full with mix. Water gently. Stop watering when the water begins to flow throughout the drain tube (straw). Finish filling with mix and water again. Allow the filled bucket to stand overnight.

Plant:

Put in your plants, gently water them in by pouring a cup of water around the plant. Check the water level regularly by pouring water into the fill pipe until the water runs out the overflow tube.

 

 

 

 

 

By B.C. Manion

People are hurting.

Unemployment in Pasco County remains above 10 percent and more than half of the homeowners in the county owe more on their homes than they are worth.

For many, not having a job has meant not being able to pay the mortgage.

And because of all of this, many people are stressing out.

Rabbi Larry Johnson of Shoresh David Messianic Synagogue and Pastor Dave Huff of Trinity Church want to help relieve some of that stress by bringing the community together for a National Day of Prayer event in Wesley Chapel.

Both religious leaders said they are unaware of anyone else sponsoring a community-wide event in Wesley Chapel, so they want to get one started.

Similar events already are all over the country, including local events in Dade City and Zephyrhills, Johnson said.

“We’re all in this together,” said Johnson, whose synagogue meets in the annex building of Trinity Church, a nondenominational Christian church that meets in a larger sanctuary building at 33425 SR 54.

The idea is to bring business leaders, politicians, public servants and people from all religious persuasions together to share in prayer, Johnson said.

“We have invited several clergy to participate with us,” he noted.

It’s a call to “lift up the community, lift up the nation,” Huff said, noting, “the nation itself needs to be bathed in prayer, there’s just no doubt about that.

“The community needs to able to pull together,” Huff continued. “People are looking for answers. Your answers are not in what your government can do for you. Your answers are in what God can do for you. When you build a unified community, in coming together in prayer, there’s so much power in prayer.”

People need to feel a sense of hope, Johnson said, adding that many people have been discouraged by difficulties caused by the recent economic downturn.

But Johnson said the community needs to be reminded of the great things that are to come.

He points to the vision of the Porter family, owners of Wiregrass Ranch, who have played a pivotal role in bringing growth to the area.

The family owned the land where The Shops at Wiregrass stands and has donated a 60-acre site for a community college, which Pasco-Hernando Community College plans to break ground on this summer.

The Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel also is under way on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, north of SR 56.

If people were more aware of the various projects poised to open in the near future, they would have a greater sense of hope, Johnson said.

“This isn’t a crisis that we can’t overcome. We’ve had many other crises and we’ve survived. But we survived because we came together.”

And Johnson and Huff hope they can help build a deeper sense of community through the National Day of Prayer event.

The Wesley Chapel National Day of Prayer is slated to begin at 6:30 p.m. on May 5, at the annex of Trinity Church, 33425 SR 54.

Besides prayer, it will feature talks by local leaders and music.

For more information call Johnson at (813) 760-3269.

By Kyle LoJacono

Tommytown is getting another upgrade less than three months after Pasco County completed an $8.5 million project to improve the impoverished and rundown section of Dade City.

Members of the Pasco Sheriff’s Office and Saint Leo University students pitched in to help restore and reopen the community center in the Dade Oaks Apartments complex, 37460 Acorn Loop just south of Lock Street.

Pasco Sheriff’s spokesman Kevin Doll said volunteers from the department, with help from the Pasco Housing Authority, worked on the center in the public housing complex in the morning and afternoon on April 16.

“It’s just community policing and we think it is a very important part of what we do,” Doll said. “We want the kids and residents here to have a safe place to be. There aren’t a lot of places like that in that area.”

Doll added that department volunteers did similar work at the Lacoochee Community Center when it reopened. Saint Leo students helped with a cookout after the work for the reopening ceremony was complete. The event was organized by Pasco Sheriff’s deputy Mary Guyer, who said she is the agency’s “Officer Friendly” in that area.

“Officer Friendlies are officers who work in areas like Tommytown to make kids not afraid of law enforcement officers,” Guyer said. “It’s fun things like the ceremony to open the community center in Dade City that help us reach out to the area’s youth.”

Abigail Lozano, 13, was at the community center a few days after the reopening and said she is thrilled to have a place to go after school.

“A couple of my friends and I have been coming the last few days and it’s great,” Lozano said. “We get to come inside out of the sun and play games. … I’m happy and my parents are too.”