Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By B.C. Manion

If a camera were panning this room, the close-up view would be eight or nine women sitting around a table, decorated with a cheerful centerpiece.

They would be talking and laughing, and enjoying a brunch.

The scene would be reminiscent of most baby showers — as the women socialize before opening the gifts.

The wide-angled view of the same room, however, would show scores of tables, with more than 160 pregnant women seated around them.

A motivational speaker is at the front of room, reminding the women they have a God who loves them, no matter what’s going on in their personal lives.

The raised stage at the front of the room and the floor below it are jam-packed with big-ticket items: strollers, cribs, dressers, car seats, pack-and-plays, high chairs, bouncies and bath tubs.

Along the room’s walls, there are tables stacked with toys, clothes, baby bottles, formula, diapers and breast-feeding bras, among other things.

Welcome to “Baby Share 2011,” a huge baby shower put on every year by the Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) of Victorious Life Church, 6224 Old Pasco Road in Wesley Chapel.

An event program sums up Baby Share’s goal: “You are invited to sit back, relax and enjoy your baby shower,” it tells the expectant mothers. “It is our desire that today will provide you with hope, much-needed baby items and friendships that will last a lifetime.

“We hope that you will forget about any worries or stress and that you feel unconditional love and acceptance as we celebrate you and your new baby,” the program adds.

The event is geared the culmination of months of efforts by church volunteers, who solicit donations to provide the breakfast and to obtain brand-new presents and gently used items that the mothers will need.

The items are donated by local groups and by organizations all over the United States, said Debbie Heger, one of the key organizers.

About three dozen local restaurants donated food or gift certificates for the event, and countless others donated new or used baby items.

In addition to a goody bag filled with new gifts, the women also get to choose three big-ticket items from the front of the room to take home.

They get to do some free shopping, too, choosing items from tables that are stacked with gently used toys or clothes. They also can pick up some free baby formula, bottles and diapers.

The motivational speaker for the event was Jennifer Beckham, a woman who was once a Disney princess and whose life was changed by attending a Billy Graham crusade and accepting Jesus as her savior.

Each woman attending Baby Share 2011 received a number when they arrived.

The numbers were then picked at random to determine who would win brand-new grand prizes and the order in which they would choose the big-ticket items they wanted.

“Everybody gets three large items,” Heger said. “The number system is just to keep order.”

Most of the goody bags the women received included a handmade quilt, a book or CD and new gift items for their baby.

Victorious Life’s Diane Stickland, director of community development, said the event is characteristic of what the church wants to achieve in the community. It seeks, she said, to show God’s love in a practical way.

“A lot of these women don’t have their own personal baby shower,” Heger said. “Maybe this is the only baby shower they get.”

So, the church wants it to be special. Each table has a hostess, who almost becomes a surrogate mother for the day, Heger said.

It takes a large crew of volunteers and many willing givers, but the event has done well every year, Heger said.

“Everyone steps up. We never have any issues,” Heger said, crediting noting that Melisa Dean has spearheaded the efforts for several years.

She was at it again last week, acting as the emcee and ramping up the crowd’s enthusiasm, as she compared the give-away to a television game show.

“It’s like Supermarket Sweep,” she said, as she called out numbers for women to come on up, to choose a big-ticket item.

One woman claimed a stroller, and her way back to her seat she turned to a friend and proclaimed, “Oh, my God, I got chills.”

As other women made their way toward the stage, a patient Melanie Diaz waited. She held No. 1, meaning she was first to arrive that morning.

When her number finally was called, a cheer rose up from her table and the emcee observed: “This person had to arrive here very early to get No. 1.”

Megan Layton, an expectant mom from Plant City, was the first to win one of the grand prizes. She got a brand new stroller.

Layton gave the event high marks: “It seems really awesome, especially for young moms.”

By B.C. Manion

They donned fluorescent vests and stretched out across the natural preserve, focused on the task at hand.

Two were mounted on horseback. Another pair rode in a 4-wheel drive motorized scooter.

The search party stepped its way carefully through the woods, scanning the landscape, looking for any clue that might help them find the two “missing diabetic toddlers.”

They were mindful of gopher tortoise holes in the dense underbrush. They stepped around the weeds that often shot up over their heads. They peered beneath trees and bushes.

It didn’t take them long to find the first “child,” who was lying under a tree.

The second one was found a few minutes later, on the north side of the expansive property.

Searchers cheered at their success — but this was only an exercise, led by Bob Siwik, to help Keystone and Odessa residents learn how citizens can help when a real disaster strikes.

“Nowadays disaster planning is important,” said Siwik, who has written an emergency operations plan for the Keystone Civic Association. “You don’t have to be living under a rock to know that disasters like those in Japan could happen anywhere.”

Naturally, people’s first instinct is to tend to their own families, but if they’re not in the middle of the disaster themselves, they may be able to help others, Siwik said. That’s why the Keystone Civic Association decided to set up an emergency operations team.

“Given the physical nature of the landscape of Keystone, we have to have some way to respond to neighbors quickly,” said Tom Aderhold, president of the Keystone Civic Association.

“We have 56 lakes and 32 square miles to cover. A lot of wooded area,” Aderhold said.

Saturday’s training exercise was on Patterson Road, at the Brooker Creek Buffer Preserve.

It was the group’s first trial run.

Steve Morris, a member of the civic association’s board, said it was a good idea to do the mock exercise.

“What better way to find out what would happen if the real thing happened?” Morris said.

It gives the group a chance to figure out the logistics, identify people who would be willing to help and learn from experience.

“I think this is going to be one of these things that will evolve,” Morris said. Perhaps to be more effective, the volunteers will sign up to become part of a pool that would receive more advanced training — so they’ll be more effective if a true emergency arises, Morris said.

Although it was only a drill, organizers had thought of just about everything.

They had gathered equipment and personnel they might need during a real emergency. They had an RV for a command post. They had a first aid tent. They had water, insect spray and sunscreen. They had a food tent, with sandwiches, tangerines, boiled peanuts, chips and brownies.

They had equipment including radios, a whistle, an aerial map, a rope, an axe, a shovel and a fire extinguisher.

They had a mounted rescue team, a motorized scooter, a fire truck standing by and a helicopter that circled overhead.

The rescue party conducted a grid search.

“We’ve got nine grids,’’ Siwik said, with a team assigned to each. “We’re going to start and stop, mostly by visual signals. If that doesn’t work, we’ll use a whistle,” Siwik told the search party. “One whistle means stop and two whistles means go.

“Move slowly, cautiously,” he instructed. “I don’t want you going into any heavily vegetated areas. We haven’t seen any snakes, but you never know. We haven’t seen any insect hives, but you never know.”

As they walked, the teams were told to remain in a straight line, stretching across the wide expanse. Keeping visual contact is important, to ensure the safety of the rescue team and to keep the lines of communication open, Siwik said.

“We want to keep the line intact,” Siwik said. “You don’t want to get out of sync.”

Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Capt. Andy Ross said keeping the search organized is critical.

“Zone integrity and team integrity are vital,” he said. The search commander is counting on people to stay on their team, searching their assigned zone.

“If you switch teams, it seems insignificant to you. To the incident commander, it’s a big deal. It’s not just you that’s done that, there’s six other people who did that, too, and now you have a team that’s falling apart.”

It’s also important to concentrate on your assigned zone, he said. “Stay in your zone,” he said. Otherwise, there’s a chance that a search that organizers thought was being searched will be overlooked.

It’s also important to be thorough, Ross said.

“Forget about looking for the children,” he said. “Pretend you are looking for a paper clip. What is just as important to find is evidence of where they have been.”

Searchers must be mindful of any clue that might help: Tire tracks. Disturbed grass. A piece of clothing. Footprints.

It may seem insignificant to the search team, but could yield vital information, Ross said.

Kelley Rexroad, of Odessa, was there documenting the event through photos.

“We believe in neighbors taking care of neighbors and that is what this is really about,” the volunteer said.

Mike Jackson, an emergency expert from Sun City Center, was there to observe the event and to offer feedback. He said the exercise generally went well.

However, he did note that the team rescuing the first child should have consulted with emergency personnel before moving the child.

That’s important because the child could have been injured, and emergency personnel need to assess whether a stretcher or other precautions are needed before the patient is moved, Jackson said.

Siwik said an assessment will be made to determine what went well and what can be improved.

He said the group also hopes to recruit more volunteers and could use some more radios.

Overall, though, he was pleased by the turnout, which exceeded 60 participants, including emergency personnel, members of the American Legion, Boy Scouts, a doctor, nurses and civic association members.

“We have already succeeded,” he told the crowd, “by each and every one of you being here today.”

The sheriff’s department’s Ross also applauded the residents for being so willing to help.

“I’m impressed that so many people would come out,” Ross said. “It really shows a lot of community cohesion.”

If you are interested in getting involved or would like more information, call Siwik at (813) 926-8378.

By Tammy Sue Struble

Charles Proctor took his seat on the Zephyrhills City Council this week, replacing incumbent Manny Funes.

At a special council meeting on Monday, April 18, City Clerk Linda Boan, administered the oath of office to newly elected Proctor, along with incumbents Kenneth Compton and Lance Smith, who ran unopposed for their seats.

Only 376 registered city voters cast their choice in the Funes-Proctor race on April 12.

Proctor received 214 votes to Funes’ 162 votes.

Also at the Monday meeting, the council elected Jodi Wilkeson as president while Compton earned another term as vice president.

Proctor arrived early for the meeting dressed neatly and greeting everyone with a smile and handshake. The owner/operator of a car detailing business and coin buying and selling trade, Charlie’s Auto Detail and Charlie’s Coins, was ready to get started in his new council position.

“I have my own ideas; but, I know we need to work together,” Proctor described. “We need to get with the city manager and mayor and get their input. We also need input from all department heads,” he explained of the impending budget crisis faced by the City of Zephyrhills.

With a shortfall of around a million dollars going into next year, Proctor was concerned.

“We will be looking at trying to balance the budget. It’s really important we work with a balanced budget. I have ideas.”

By Kyle LoJacono

A month ago, Phil Minden thought he was leaving Pasco Regional Medical Center. Fast forward a few weeks, now he is the Dade City hospital’s CEO.

He first heard of the opening on March 28, when former CEO Gary Lang left to pursue other opportunities, according to hospital spokeswoman Susan Frimmel.

“I was out the door leaving to go work with another hospital,” Minden said. “I was excited the board wanted to keep me here. I love this community and I want to stay here.”

Minden, 33, is the youngest CEO for Pasco Regional, which opened in 1973. He was working as the chief operating officer.

Minden was born in Arkansas and earned a master’s degree in health care administration from the University of Oklahoma. He started working with Health Management Associations, Pasco Regional’s parent company, in 2004 with Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center in Missouri. Minden moved in 2006 to Sebastian River Medical Center in Sebastian and then to Pasco Regional in 2008.

“The area was completely new to me when I came to Pasco Regional,” Minden said. “I’d never even been to Tampa. It was actually shocking to see the topography and the rolling hills. It kind of reminds me of Arkansas. I feel at home here.”

Minden said the two things he is most proud of in his time with Pasco Regional is working to bring a new cardiac catheterization lab and, most recently, an expansion to triple its emergency department’s size.

“I want to be able to provide all the wonderful technology and services at Tampa General and larger facilities here,” Minden said. “We’ve made great improvements to our cardiac catheterization lab and we have other things planned for the future.”

Part of the future is getting accreditation as a chest pain center, which means patients start receiving treatment within 90 minutes of when they experience a heart attack or similar problem.

“Who wants to wait to get treatment?” Minden said. “It’s our obligation to make sure they’re seen as soon as possible. We want to make sure they have the best care, but we want to be considerate of their time.”

The average time a patient is at Pasco Regional is between 2-2.5 hours from when they are discharged or admitted to a hospital room. The national average is 3.5-4 hours.

“Imagine what we can do with more space for more patients,” Minden said. “There are going to be times when it’s going to be longer because a major case comes in. We do our best, and it’s a big part of what we believe in.”

The hospital is already an accredited stroke center, meaning people can start receiving treatment within an hour of a stroke beginning.

“We’ve identified certain areas of need in the community,” Minden said. “Through research we’ve looked at what to provide to best serve our residents. I encourage people to let us know what we can do better.

“The ER is a prime example of us listening to the community,” Minden continued. “They’ve asked for years that we renovate or expand the ER. It’s built to handle 10,000, but we see just less than 20,000 each year.”

Minden said the hospital sees patients from not just Dade City, but also Zephyrhills, Wesley Chapel and the other cities and towns in east Pasco County.

“The demographics of Dade City are changing,” Frimmel said. “Wesley Chapel is mainly families, Zephyrhills still has an older population, and Dade City used to be that way. We’re seeing younger people and more families in Dade City. So we’re caught between Wesley Chapel, Zephyrhills, Dade City and into Sumter County.”

The influx of retired people from the north each winter is still present, which creates a different set of challenges for a hospital.

“The biggest strain for us is in staffing,” Minden said. “We bring in temporary labor and other contingency plans every year so we can continue to offer the best care. We even have some seasonal nurses who come down with the influx and work a few months.”

Another challenge is the large number of hospitals in the Tampa Bay region.

“We want to build up this facility,” Minden said. “I think through renovations, expansion and hiring the right staff we can be the top choice. There are many healthcare options in Tampa Bay, and I want our community to think of us first and foremost of care.”

Minden serves on the Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and is a member of the Dade City Kiwanis Club. He plans to get involved with more community groups in the future, but he has not adopted one part of the culture.

Instead of cheering on the University of Florida Gators, University of South Florida Bulls or Florida State Seminoles, Minden is loyal to the team of his youth.

“I’m an Arkansas Razorbacks fan, so woo pig sooie,” Minden said. “We’ve got Tyler Wilson coming in at quarterback next year and we’ll be all right.”

By B.C. Manion

The region will usher in a new chapter in its educational history on May 1 when Rasmussen College opens its new campus at Sunlake Boulevard and SR 54.

Claire Walker, campus president for the Pasco County campuses of Rasmussen College, outlined the college’s plans for the campus at a Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce luncheon last week.

The college’s new 25,000-square-foot building will begin offering online and traditional courses in August, Walker said. It has schools of nursing, health science, tech and design, business, education and justice studies.

The new campus is situated between the Suncoast Parkway and Interstate 75, making it convenient for residents in Pasco and Hillsborough counties. It also will provide a straight shot into Hillsborough County when the Sunlake Boulevard extension is completed in future years.

The campus will offer a broad range of courses. Some will be taught on campus, some will be online and some will combine online and classroom learning.

“If you’re looking to return to school, or someone you know is starting out in their educational career, we probably have a program that they can take,” Walker said.

Rasmussen College pays close attention to the needs of employers in the communities it serves. It wants to provide relevant coursework and to ensure its students are prepared to meet existing needs in the work place, Walker said.

“One of the things I think is important for you to understand is that we always meet the needs of our communities,” Walker said. “So, for example, Sunlake High School has a finance academy, so we obviously want to follow that finance academy student into a bachelor’s degree, or get them interested in our new accounting degree,” Walker said.

“Pasco County has done a phenomenal job over the course of many years at creating academies in their high schools that track students specifically in their careers,” she said. “We actually articulate with those high schools to make sure that the students comes in with some credit from their high school degree,” Walker said.

The college is thrilled to be opening a campus at the SR 54 and Sunlake Boulevard location, Walker said. The site is across the road from a 72-acre site where T. Rowe Price plans to build office complex that may one day employ up to 1,600 workers.

“We wanted to be where the growth potential would be in the future, meeting the needs of the new communities and new employers and the new student population coming out of these high schools and our new communities out there,” she said.

The private, 110-year-old college has 21 campuses throughout the country. It has invested heavily in Pasco County, Walker said.

“When you think of a college, you think of its students. But our next biggest stakeholder is all of you, sitting in this room.

“You are the employers. You’re the people who take our students as graduates and make them successful as a community member.

“So, we partner with you more than we partner with anyone. It’s important that our students are ready, ready for the next round of positions to be open.

The campus is a startup operation and will begin with a small staff of about 10 people within the first few months, Walker said. Transferring staff members will fill about half of those positions. At full capacity, the campus is expected to serve about 1,000 students and to have 50-60 staff members.

For additional information about the Rasmussen College, go to www.Rasmussen.edu.

By B.C. Manion

You might call it a case of unintended consequences.

When they required developers of most new subdivisions to plant trees in the lawns between the streets and the sidewalks, Pasco County leaders envisioned a day when those trees would form a canopy over the road, providing shade and creating a charming neighborhood ambience.

What they didn’t picture: sidewalks buckling from bulging root systems of mature trees.

Enter the Pasco Alliance of Community Associations.

This group wants to find a solution that gives people the option of taking the offending trees out and replacing them with tree with a smaller root system or planting another tree in a different location on their property, or donating a tree to plant somewhere else in the community where they live.

Or, they could simply leave the tree with the offending roots alone, said Jim Flateau, president of the Pasco Alliance of Community Associations, or PACA for short.

A number of PACA members have reported that sidewalks in their neighborhoods have been shifted by tree roots. They include the communities of Lake Heron, Stagecoach Santa Fe, Meadow Pointe II, Lettingwell, Collier Place, Asbel Creek, Oakstead, Meadow Pointe II, Sedgewick and Country Walk, according to PACA’s newsletter.

In many communities, it is the adjoining landowner’s responsibility to remove the tree and replace the damaged sidewalk, the newsletter says.

Flateau met with county representatives and Pasco County Commissioner Pat Mulieri to discuss the issue.

The officials expressed an interest in working with PACA to create an ordinance that would address the issue in existing communities.

Any proposed changes could be incorporated as part of the county’s rewrite of its land use code, or it could be taken up separately, Flateau said in a recent interview. In either event, however, there would be a public hearing on any proposed changes so residents would have a chance to share their thoughts.

County officials have noted that it is important to be sure that replacement trees are the “right tree” planted in the “right place,” Flateau said.

That means choosing trees that are Florida-friendly, selecting a variety of trees and ensuring that replacement trees are the right size for where they are being planted, Flateau said.

In order words, the county doesn’t want everyone to plant the same kind of tree because a disease could wipe them all out, he explained.

A website that can provide useful information on “right tree, right place” is: http://www.floridayards.org/fyplants/index.php

The idea is to try to establish the widest range of options.

“Let’s solve this problem for the people who think it’s a problem,” Flateau said.

County might trim tree rules

Although it was just an initial meeting, Pasco County officials and representatives of neighborhoods are considering options for replacing sidewalk-damaging trees.

— Leaving trees in place, if that is what the landowner wants.

— Requiring landowners to seek county permission to remove trees and to find out from the county whether the trees need to be replaced

— Planting an approved replacement tree on community property, if an overgrown tree has been removed from a lot that is too small to accommodate a tree.

— Giving associations the latitude to write their own plans for tree removal and replacement and deciding how to pay for it – and requiring the approval of such plans from the county

By Kyle LoJacono

The project to improve SR 52 between the Suncoast Parkway and US 41 in Land O’ Lakes is less than a month from completion.

The $1.6 million Florida Department of Transportation project, being performed by Lane Construction, is making several improvements to the 3.3 miles of roadways, according to department spokeswoman Kris Carson.

The bulk of the project is to resurface the stretch of highway, which sees about 19,300 vehicles drive through each day, according to Carson. It is also repairing damage to the five-foot wide paved shoulder area.

There are also additional improvements being made to SR 52’s intersections with US 41, Quail Ridge Drive and Kent Grove Drive.

The project is lengthening the left and right turn lanes heading south on US 41 at SR 52. It is also extending the westbound right turn lane on SR 52 at US 41.

The job is also adding two new pedestrian countdown crossing signal. One is on the south side of SR 52 to let people cross US 41, plus another on the west side of US 41 to allow passage across SR 52.

The westbound right turn lane of SR 52 is being lengthened to let more vehicles turn onto Quail Ridge. This will reduce backups, as more cars will be able to enter the turn lane instead of stopping on SR 52 until space clears.

The eastbound left turn lane of SR 52 is being extended at Kent Grove Drive to accomplish a similar goal as with the Quail Ridge intersection.

The last part of the job is to add a guardrail in front of the Quail Ridge subdivision on SR 52 just east of the Suncoast.

Potential lane closures between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. are still possible until the project’s completion.

US 41 widening on schedule

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) project to make US 41 a four-lane highway to Connerton Road is on track for completion by the summer, according to department spokeswoman Kris Carson.

The $15 million project will make the three-mile stretch a four-lane divided road from Tower Road to Connerton. About 28,500 vehicles drive between Tower and Ehren Cutoff, which is just north of Connerton, according to Carson.

The project is paid for by federal stimulus money and being performed by R.E. Purcell Construction of Largo.

“Crews continue to build the new southbound lanes including installing the roadway base and lime rock on US 41 between Gator Lane and Connerton Boulevard,” Carson said. “Paving is expected to begin in April between Gator Lane and Roaches Run Boulevard. … Drainage pipes are currently being installed between Roaches Run and Connerton.”

Carson added some of the larger pieces of the project are already in the rearview mirror, including the opening of a southbound lane near Gator Lane to Tower, allowing two lanes of traffic to travel threw the construction site.

The work on the intersection of Gator Lane/Wilderness Lake Boulevard and US 41, which includes adjustments to the traffic signals, is also finished. Carson said there was an emphasis to finish work in that area quickly as Gator Lane is the main entrance to Land O’ Lakes High and the main buildings for the Pasco County School District.

For more information on the US 41 project or any other FDOT job, see www.dot.state.fl.us.

By Kyle LoJacono

Premier Community HealthCare Group’s pediatrics and dental services in Dade City are getting new buildings thanks to a $530,000 federal grant.

The two-stage construction project began a month ago when its building at 14025 Fifth St. was demolished. The structure was being used as a pharmacy and the new building will go in its place.

Premier spokeswoman Sue Hutson said the 7,300-square-foot facility will be the home for its family medicine and pediatrics center. The job is being done by Simpson Environmental, a Trilby-based firm, and should be completed by the fall.

“It’s been our goal at all of our facilities to provide a clean, safe, welcoming environment for our patients and staff, while ensuring they are optimally functional to support our efforts to provide a high quality of service,” said Kim Schuknecht, Premier CEO. “I’m thrilled we’ve received these funds to improve the Dade City facility to mirror the other Premier locations in Dade City and Zephyrhills.”

Hutson said once the first building is finished, the Doc Stanfield dental facility at 37944 Church Ave. will be partially replaced and remodeled.

“We planned to redo the dental building, but it’s more than 50 years old,” Hutson said. “Engineers looked at the building and said it was going to take more than renovation. It will also be expanded.”

The second part of the plan still needs to be approved by the city. Because plans are not set, there is no estimated cost, but is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2012. Both phases are being paid for by money from the Capital Improvement Program federal grant.

“The projects will let us give better and expanded services to our patients,” Hutson said. “We’ll have more exam rooms and a more efficient layout. Everything will be better.”

Additional parking will come with the construction, but no patient care will be interrupted during the job, Hutson said. She added the new buildings will have the same look as Premier’s other facilities in Dade City and Zephyrhills.

Dade City community development director Michael Sherman thinks there will be no problems with the plans to renovate and expand the dental facility.

“It’s a great organization that gives assistance to low-income families,” Sherman said. “We’re pleased they’re expanding.”

Premier is a nonprofit group that gives cost-effective healthcare for adult and children. It offers behavioral health, dentistry, gynecology, obstetrics, pharmaceuticals and other wellness programs throughout Pasco County.

For more information on Premier, visit www.premierhc.org.