Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By B.C. Manion

Pasco County School Board members are pleased by the Pasco County Commission’s decision to leave school impact fees intact.

The county commission voted 3-2 on April 19 to retain the fees, rather than cutting them temporarily in an effort to spur the local economy and create jobs.

County commissioners had proposed slashing the fees by 50 percent, a move that could have resulted in a loss of an estimated $4.5 million in revenues for the district’s capital fund. While that money can’t be spent for day-to-day operations, district officials were concerned that money from the operating budget might be necessary to repay bonds if the capital funds fell short.

The reduced fees would have been effective from March 1, 2011 to Jan. 31, 2012, but commissioners decided not to cut the fees. School impact fees remain at $4,800 per home in Pasco County.

“I was very relieved,” said Joanne Hurley, chairwoman of the Pasco County School Board.

In a year when the school district’s federal funding has been reduced and its state funding is expected to be reduced by about 7 percent, a local cut would have added to the district’s budget challenges, Hurley said. In a year like this year, “every penny counts,” Hurley added.

Board member Steve Luikart characterized the county commission’s action as “definitely a pleasant surprise.”

He thinks that county commissioners were swayed by public support for schools and perhaps additional analysis of the numbers.

Summer Romagnoli, spokeswoman for the school district said, “we are very pleased” by the county commission’s vote. “We’re very grateful for the parents and the community members who took time” to express support for the school district, she said.

School board member Alison Crumbley put it like this:  “I’m glad that’s over. I want to move forward into collaborative efforts with the county.”

While the impact fees debate is over, the district still must find ways to cut an estimated $60 million from its budget.

School board members are expected to decide how the district will reduce its costs by the end of May, Romagnoli said.

Regardless of what they cut, district officials have said layoffs are likely unavoidable. More than 80 percent of the district’s operating budget is made up of salaries and benefits.

By Kyle LoJacono

If there is a pitching gene, the Brandt family must have it.

Aaron Brandt is a Pasco High graduate and is currently a junior pitcher for Saint Leo University’s baseball team. Courtney Brandt is a senior pitcher for the Pirates softball program, as is freshman Taylor Brandt for the junior varsity squad.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Aaron said. “We all talk about pitching. There were always high expectations in the household. I started pitching at age 9, and I’ve always been a pitcher since then.”

All three are right-handed pitchers and have been playing baseball/softball for most of their lives.

“We moved here from Tampa when I was about 6, so I played a year or two there,” Aaron said. “Then I was in the Dade City Little League from T-ball on up. I started around age 4 and so did Courtney and Taylor.”

Courtney started playing baseball and did not pick up softball until about age 10.

“I didn’t really know softball. I was a baseball player,” Courtney said. “As I kept playing it, I really enjoyed softball and have learned to love it.”

Aaron and Taylor both said they always wanted to pitch, but Courtney found her way into the position.

“I didn’t want to be a pitcher at first, but they needed one for my Little League team,” Courtney said. “Ever since then, I’ve liked it.”

The move has paid off, as she has a full scholarship to play at Stetson University.

Taylor said she cannot remember back far enough to when she first started pitching, but an arm injury put her on the sidelines for almost two years.

“I broke my arm and then I rebroke it again,” Taylor said. “It took a long time for it to heal. It’s a lot better now. … It was Courtney and my dad (Phil) who really first helped me with my pitches and helping me get back to pitching.”

Taylor uses a fastball, curveball, changeup, screwball and dropball. Courtney has a fastball, curveball, changeup, screwball and riseball. Aaron focuses on a fastball, curveball, changeup and a knuckleball.

“I started using the knuckleball around age 11,” Aaron said. “Every once in a while I break it out just to give them something else to think about. Batters don’t usually see one of those.”

While all three play the same position, their personalities are very different.

“Courtney is pretty intense,” Aaron said. “She shows her emotions out there on the field. I’m the laid back one.”

Courtney said of their differences, “He’s definitely more laid back and he’s more confident on the mound than I am. He’s had many more pitching lessons and he’s more of a spot-on accurate and I try to throw hard and get it in there.

“I would say Taylor and Aaron are more alike,” Courtney continued. “She’s laid back, but I’ve noticed her getting a little more intense lately.”

Taylor considers herself similar to both her older siblings.

“I’d say I’m somewhere in between,” Taylor said.

During Aaron’s time at Pasco, he had a 21-9 record with a 2.60 ERA and 160 strikeouts. He has also a 4-5 record and a team-leading a 4.64 ERA and 37 strikeouts 11 games started this season, according to the Lions sports information department.

Courtney’s 0.92 ERA is the lowest of any pitcher with at least two starts this season. She has given up only 12 earned run all year with a team-leading 12-4 record and 197 strikeouts.

Statistics for the Pasco junior varsity team are not kept, but the squad’s coach Amy Herndon said she is their frontline starter.

“We go back and forth a little bit on who the best pitcher is, but I think Courtney has me beat,” Aaron said. “She’s doing very well.”

Taylor said she does not know what career she wants to go into yet. Aaron is majoring in business management, while Courtney wants to be a teacher.

“I want to teach history,” Courtney said. “World history is what I like. Ancient Roman times and that kind of stuff is really interesting to me.”

–All stats as recorded to Maxpreps.com by coaches unless otherwise stated.

 

 

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.