Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Survey online through April

By Kyle LoJacono

Pasco County citizens can help shape the future of local government in about 20 minutes.

That is the amount of time needed to take the 2011 citizen survey, available at www.bringingopportunitieshome.com.

“Any Pasco resident is welcome to take the survey,” said Heather Grimes, Pasco performance development administrator. “We want everyone’s input.”

The survey asks county residents, among other things, where Pasco budget cuts should be made.

Pasco budget director Michael Nurrenbrock recently revealed the projected county budget for next year with a $3.3 million shortfall.

“Many of the questions help us during the budget process,” Grimes said. “When you only have one pot of money, you have to make tough decisions. We like to make those decisions based on facts regarding citizen preferences.”

Pasco Commissioner Pat Mulieri was the board’s chairwoman during budget discussions in 2010.

“Last year when we were facing a huge budget crunch, we looked at the things most important to our citizens and kept those services at the same level,” Mulieri said.

The top three ranked county services in last year’s survey were firefighting and rescue, emergency medical service and law enforcement. Road maintenance and Meals on Wheels services came in fourth and fifth.

Budget questions are a big part of the survey, but not the only elements.

“Most of the other questions are related to measuring our performance in providing services to citizens,” Grimes said. “We have instituted a culture of continuous improvement here in Pasco. You don’t know if you have successfully improved your services if you don’t survey your customers to find out.”

Residents can take the survey until the end of April. The county will also have in-person interviews with a few hundred Pasco residents as part of the data when compiling the final results of the survey, which will likely be released in September.

Pasco’s new budget must be in place before Oct. 1, when the new fiscal year begins.

By B.C. Manion

Timing isn’t everything, but it plays a huge role in Sensible Micro Corporation’s business plan.

The Odessa company specializes in critical supply chain solutions or, to put it more simply — it helps companies keep production lines going by supplying parts that are hard to find.

“We pride ourselves on quality parts that get them out of a jam,” said Chris Torrioni, president of the company at 2339 Destiny Way.

The company distributes electronics components such as processors, memory capacitors and semiconductors used by original equipment manufacturers and electronic manufacturing services.

“Our parts go in everything from ATM machines to data processing systems to navigation devices, medical instruments, automotive electronic systems. The list goes on and on,” Torrioni said. Customers also include aerospace and defense conglomerates.

The company focuses on time-sensitive issues, Torrioni said.

The idea is to get ahead of the curve by studying trends so they can anticipate where shortages will occur, he said. It also keeps tab on sources of highly sought after inventory.

Much of Sensible’s business stems from lead-time issues relating to emerging markets, Torrioni said.

“We chase the money. We try to find out what’s going on with the market,” Torrioni said.

The company also specializes in finding so-called obsolete or end of life components that are needed by its customers to build equipment to fulfill current orders, he said.

“We’re like a professional sourcing partner,” Torrioni said.

“What happens is you’ve got large aerospace or defense companies who have been building for the government for 30 or 40 years, and they’ve spec’d these parts that have gone obsolete 20 years ago. And then the Air Force says, ‘Oh, we want another 200 units,” Torrioni said.

“We might have a customer in California who is no longer using this product and we can match that product to a customer in New York who absolutely needs it,” he said.

“We’ve probably got 200,000 line items of available inventory. We’re working with global companies.

“We’re on the phone with six different countries before 9 a.m.,” he said.

Apparently, the company has found a niche in the market.

It has enjoyed enormous growth during its short history, ranking No. 429 among the nation’s 500 fastest-growing companies in 2009, according to Inc. Magazine.

The company began as a two-man shop, Torrioni and his dad, Fred.

Now, about two dozen employees work at the company’s 5,500-square-foot office.

It also has big plans.

It is building a 20,000-square-foot office in Oldsmar, where it will have more room for inventory and will be able to set up onsite testing, to protect its customers against counterfeit parts.

“Right now, we have to outsource all of the lab work. We want to have it in house, a one-stop shop,” he said.

That will be better for customers because the company will be able to fulfill assignments more quickly — without waiting for a lab to return results.

Customers have to be able to trust the quality of the parts they’re receiving, Torrioni said.

“Our biggest thing is transparency with the customer, so they know what they are getting,” he said.

The company also plans to expand its staff after it moves to its new quarters.

“We’ll be able to fit up to 50 sales reps on the floor,” Torrioni said.

By B.C. Manion

When most people hear that the Ducati motorcycle company has just released a new bike and that it’s not a race bike, it probably doesn’t even register on their radar.

But for those in the know about the Italian motorcycle maker’s history, it creates quite a buzz.

Aaron Sprague, owner of Euro Cycles of Tampa Bay, thought it was such a big deal he had a party on March 25 to unveil the highly anticipated bike and about 275 people showed up to check out it.

“Traditionally, Ducati is a race bike. That’s their claim to fame,” said Sprague, who became the owner of the dealership at 8509 Gunn Highway in Odessa about two months ago.

The Diavel, which starts at $16,995, is not business as usual for the motorcycle maker.

“It puts Ducati in a market where they’ve never been before. This is the first time they’ve departed from that to something like this,” Sprague said.

Of course, the new bike wasn’t the event’s only lure.

There was also free food and a band, Sprague said, laughing.

Beyond that, Sprague himself was a key attraction, said David Picou, the dealership manager.

“A lot of people know Aaron,” Picou said. “He rode a motorcycle around the world.”

Sprague traveled around the world on his BMW Enduro, including a journey from London to Beijing, via Tibet, that he took with a UK-based expedition company, “GlobeBusters.”

Of all of the places that Sprague traveled through during his year on the road, he figures that Tajikistan and Tibet were the most interesting from a “culture shock” perspective. The best food, he said, was in Central America.

So, when Sprague talks about motorcycles, he brings more than an average rider to the conversation.

“Motorcyclists, in general, are very loyal — no matter what you ride,” Sprague said, which may explain why so many Ducati lovers were curious about the new model.

The Diavel has the same engine as a race bike, Sprague said.

“It’s the fastest thing on the market right now,” he said, noting it has 162 horsepower engine. But it also has a management system, so riders can adjust the power of the engine based on what they want the bike to do.

Ducati has been around since the 1920s. It used to make calculators, juke boxes and compressors for radios before it got into making motorcycle motors.

“They started out making little bitty motors you could put on a bicycle frame,” Picou said.  That was popular during the 1940s and 1950s.

“After World War II, they got into building motors and motorcycles,” Picou added.

The company began production of its first complete motorcycle in 1949, according to Ducati’s website.

“The interesting thing about the bike is that it doesn’t fit into any of the common niches for motorcycles,” Picou said. “People like to categorize motorcycles as people sport bikes or cruisers or adventure bikes or naked bikes and this doesn’t clearly fit any of those categories,” he said.

Instead, it combines elements from the sport bike, cruiser and naked bike, he said.

The new model is pricey.

Still, it’s attracting a considerable amount of interest, Picou said.

“We sold a bunch of them already,” Sprague said. The dealership’s typical customer is over 25 years old and earns $45,000 a year and up.

Its primary market is Florida, but it also attracts some out-of-staters with its used bikes, which are selling quickly these days, in light of spiking gasoline prices, Picou said.

Many drivers want to switch over to a motorcycle because it costs far less for them to commute, said Sprague, who lives in St. Petersburg.

Euro Cycles is a full service dealership that sells, services and supplies parts for luxury, high performance Mv August, BMW, Ducati and Triumph motorcycles.

It also offers a broad selection of branded apparel, merchandise and motorcycle gear.

Anyone who takes a test ride on one of the dealership’s motorcycles is required to wear protective gear, said Sprague, who owned medical-related companies before shifting gears to buy the motorcycle dealership.

“We’re trying to change the culture to a ‘Wear your gear’ from a ‘Flip-flops, hat and T-shirt, no helmet’,” Sprague said.

The shop also encourages riders to take advanced safety courses.

“The best motorcyclists are people who are constantly varying what they are doing when they are riding and they’re constantly aware of what’s going on around them at all times.
“They are always looking at what they are riding into,” Sprague said.

They’re paying attention to the traffic patterns and what’s happening in the intersections they’re about to enter, he added. They’re making sure they are visible to other drivers and they’re not drinking and riding.

Riding under the influence is the No. 1 problem and not being seen by other drivers is the second biggest problem in Florida, Sprague said.

When riders are killed, drivers who hit them frequently report they didn’t see the motorcycle, Sprague said.

“Whether it’s not having the lights on the bike bright enough, or not wearing gear that is bright enough to be seen, or just traveling too fast for the condition that they’re riding in — there’s a million causes.

“The rider is assuming they’re being seen.”

That’s a dangerous — and possibly deadly — assumption, Sprague said.

For more information about the dealership, visit www.ridetampa.com. To learn more about the Diavel, go to www.ducati.com.

Story, photo by Tammy Sue Struble

On April 7, the Dade City Kiwanis raised funds for area kids at their annual Roy Hardy fish fry in the Badcock Furniture parking lot. This year’s sponsors were Jarrett Ford Lincoln and Pasco Regional Medical Center.

“We’ve been doing fish fries since 1949 for Rotary or Kiwanis in Dade City and Zephyrhills, all over,” explained Roy Hardy. “We always have this particular event the first Thursday of every April.”

Years ago, Hardy saw how the Kiwanis in Brooksville was involved with the community and he wanted to be a part of it. Although a graduate of Hernando High, Roy moved to the Dade City area after World War II.

“I happened to be invited to be a guest at a particular Kiwanis meeting by two different people,” Hardy said. He was asked to join and didn’t look back. Hardy says he has perfect attendance for 64 years.

When asked why the fish fry was called the Roy Hardy fish fry he said that, “we just started doing them (fish fry fundraisers) and it (his name) stuck.”

Kiwanis Club president Mike Carr said that they fried around 900 pounds of catfish and served about 800-900 dinners, earning about $3,500.

All in all, the Dade City Kiwanis fundraisers earn more than $10,000 a year. Carr said about $5,500 to $6,000 of it will go to kids in need of eyeglasses. Other donations may go to places like Boy Scouts, Key Club or other children’s organizations.

“It’s all for the kids…the kids need it,” he said.

Volunteers needed to run Land O’ Lakes support groups

By B.C. Manion

The statistics are staggering.

An estimated 5.1 million Americans have Alzheimer’s, reports the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.

In Pasco County alone, Florida’s Department of Elder Affairs estimates there are approximately 17,000 people with the condition.

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, degenerative disorder that attacks the brain’s nerve cells, resulting in loss of memory, thinking and language skills and changes in behavior, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America reports.

Short-term memory fails when Alzheimer’s disease first destroys nerve cells in the hippocampus, and language skills and judgment decline when neurons die in the cerebral cortex, the foundation says.

And those with the neurological disease aren’t the only ones who suffer because of it. Their caregivers also pay a price.

If you have a loved one with Alzheimer’s, you are familiar with the increasing demands that arise as your loved one slips further into the grip of the disease.

It’s a huge problem and it’s expected to take an even greater toll on society as Americans age, said Joan Griffin, the Pasco County community educator for the Alzheimer’s Family Organization.

“Alzheimer’s is being referred to as the public health crisis of the 21^st century,” she said.  It is the fourth-leading cause of death in the elderly, trailing only heart disease, stroke and cancer, Griffin said. Statistics show that an estimated one in 10 people who are age 65 are afflicted by Alzheimer’s; by age 85, the odds of having Alzheimer’s are one in two.

A portrait of America’s demographics doesn’t yield a pretty picture, either. Beginning Jan. 1 of this year, an estimated 10,000 Baby Boomers will turn 65 every single day for the next 17 years, Griffin said.

But the outlook isn’t entirely bleak.

The Alzheimer’s Family Organization wants caregivers to know they are not alone, Griffin said.

The organization, which began serving Central Pasco County 12 years ago, provides education, support and assistance to caregivers, as well as providing help to individuals with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

The group’s executive director, Dominick DePetrillo, understands the need to support families who have a member with Alzheimer’s. His mother suffered from Alzheimer’s, and DePetrillo and his wife, Judy, were his mother’s caregivers.

The organization has support groups operating in some parts of Pasco County, but doesn’t have one in Land O’ Lakes, Griffin said.

But the organization hopes to remedy that situation soon, she said. “There is an absolute need.”

A training session for group leaders is set for the morning of April 15 in Brooksville.

Besides recruiting volunteer group leaders, Griffin also has been searching for free meeting space.

She’s been in discussions with representatives from the county’s parks and recreation department and it appears that it may be possible to have the support meetings at the Land O’ Lakes Community Center on US 41 and at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex on Collier Parkway, Griffin said.

The goal is to have at least a couple of meetings each month, to give caregivers more than one opportunity to fit a meeting into their schedule, Griffin said.

The support groups give caregivers a confidential place to express their frustrations, to learn about available help, to learn from each other’s experiences and to share information about Alzheimer’s, Griffin said.

Alzheimer’s presents many challenges, she said.

The demands can make caregivers physically and emotionally exhausted.

They can become so consumed in caring for their loved one, they also can become socially isolated and lonely, she said.

And, of course, “there are so many financial and legal concerns.”

“A lot of people are at their wit’s end,” said Kathy Montero, a community service coordinator for Alzheimer’s Family Organization.

“There are things that can make your life easier,” Montero said, and her organization wants to be one of them.

To find out more about the Alzheimer’s Family Organization, call (727) 848-8888 or visit www.alzheimersfamily.org

Training for leaders

What: Alzheimer’s Family Organization will hold a free Support Group Leader training session to help volunteers learn the ropes of running a support group session.

When: 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on April 15

Where: Spring Oaks ALF, 7251 Grove Road, Brooksville, in Hernando County

Who: For anyone who would like to attend

Please RSVP to (727) 848-8888 or (888) 496-8004

Other services

In addition to support groups, the Alzheimer’s Family Organization provides a number of other free services, including respite care assistance, a wanderer’s identification program and others. For details, call (888) 496-8004 or visit www.alzheimersfamily.org

Other ways to help

If you’d like to help, but do not wish to become a support group leader, there are many other ways you can get involved in the Alzheimer’s Family Organization. You can help spread the word about the organization in your organization’s newsletter, you can volunteer your time to help in the office or with fundraisers, or you can take on other assignments. For more information, call (727) 848-8888.

Warning Signs

Each case of Alzheimer’s is different, but there are some signs that distinguish it from basic forgetfulness. These symptoms gradually increase and become more persistent.

Typical warning signs include:

Memory loss, especially of names, recent events, placement of objects and new information

Confusion about time and place

Changes in mood and personality, such as persistent mood swings, increased suspicion and disinterest in usual activities

Difficulty in completing familiar actions, such as brushing teeth or getting dressed

Using poor judgment

Having trouble in finding the proper words or having difficulty in completing sentences, carrying on conversations or following directions

Having difficulty with complex mental assignments such as balancing a checkbook

Source: Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. For more information, visit www.alzfdn.org

More meeting rooms, kids programs and a café coming soon

By Kyle LoJacono

The Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library is already the most used location in the Hillsborough County system and a future expansion will likely push visits even higher.

The library, part of the Tampa-Hillsborough Public Library System, is one of four in the county that will be expanded by 2013. The new space will likely be used for nontraditional library services, such as more and larger meeting rooms, more space for children’s programs and cafés.

“We’re finding people want more from their libraries than just books,” said Charlie Parker, the system’s executive director. “People are still checking out books and other materials, but they are looking for more.”

Jimmie B. Keel’s circulation, which includes books, DVDs and audio materials, is 340,096 for the current fiscal year, according to system circulation manager Joe Stines. The next highest used location is the New Tampa Branch Library, which has had 261,333 items circulated this year.

“Circulation isn’t up, but people are packing their libraries,” said Israel Grajales, the project manager for the upcoming expansion. “We’re finding from information gathered by residents that they are going to the library more and more to use the computers, meet people and relax. There is usually a long wait list to use the meeting rooms now and these expansions will give  more room.

“Another thing we hear about is parents wanting reading rooms for teenagers,” Grajales said. “They feel if kids have areas for themselves, they’re more likely to go and read. They would also be some more kid’s programs like reading to the elementary school students.”

There are also plans to create a café type area with vending machines so people can have some refreshments while reading or in the meeting rooms. Grajales said that idea originated after the Borders bookstore in the area was slated for closure.

“People told us they liked the feeling of relaxing with a book and a snack,” Grajales said. “It would also be a good way to generate some revenue for the department.”

Lutz resident Donna Browne, who visits Jimmie B. Keel every other week for a new book, said she likes the idea of having a café in the northern Hillsborough library, but is happier with the promise of more children’s programs.

“I’d definitely bring my 6-year-old son (Rodney) to reading programs,” Browne said. “Anything to get him interested in reading.”

Browne said she became interested in reading in elementary school where she grew up in New York City. She said she went to a reading program and was read the first chapter of “Hatchet.” She checked out the book and read it within two days.

“It sparked my love of reading,” Browne said.

While the focus is still on actual books, Parker said the new shift is toward electronics in the system. He said the circulation of e-books increased by more than 15 percent from last year and he expects that trend to continue.

“That gives us more space to offer other services,” Parker said.

The project will expand Jimmie B. Keel, which opened in 2001, by 11,000 square feet at a cost of about $2.5 million. Grajales does not anticipate any major disruption to the library’s operating hours or services during the project.

For more information on the Tampa-Hillsborough Public Library System, visit www.thpl.org.

Few lingering issues remain

By Kyle LoJacono

The most expensive road project in Pasco County history should be completed sooner than expected.

Pasco Chief Engineer Jim Widman said he expects the job to widen SR 54 to six lanes between I-75 and Curley Road will be done by the end of the year. The 3.2-mile project in Wesley Chapel is being completed by Pepper Contracting Services Inc.

“They’ve been really moving,” Widman said. “The original plans were for them to be done in the first half of 2012. We’ve been lucky to have a mild winter and without a lot of rain, so they’ve been able to work most of the time.”

Roadwork comes to a halt in cold or rainy weather. Widman went to say the project is about two-thirds compete.

The project, which started last March 29, was scheduled to take 21 months. The construction cost the county $28 million, which is only a fraction of the $105.2 million total price tag.

“This project was so expensive because we had to buy a lot of property that had businesses on it,” said Pasco Commissioner Pat Mulieri. “The board created a new policy for growth so buildings are further away from roads to account for future widening so we don’t have that problem any more.”

While the project is progressing ahead of schedule, two issues remain. Both involve the old traffic signal at Boyette Road.

Bob Williams, founder of Support Our Troops, has seen donations for his program drop dramatically during the last few months. The group sends supplies to U.S. soldiers serving out of the country.

Williams, of Lutz, said the removal of the light at SR 54 and Boyette, where Support Our Troops is located, makes it dangerous for people to enter or leave his building.

The light was taken out at the intersection and a new one was placed just east at the corner of SR 54 and Vandine Road, which opened in December. Williams said the removal of the older light makes it difficult for big semi trucks full of donations to turn into his facility.

Williams said one of his biggest donors no longer gives to the group because of the new alignment. Williams guessed the project has reduced donations by 200 tons.

Another issue with the light’s removal is the Wesley Chapel Post Office is on Boyette. Williams said he has heard complaints from people who have or nearly had accidents getting to and from the post office.

One of those is Megan Hill, who was nearly hit while dropping off Christmas presents to be mailed in December. She lives east of the post office and the new configuration of SR 54 made it difficult for her to see when to turn on Boyette.

“You’re right up against the buildings and then the turn is just past them,” Hill said. “I hit the brakes to turn right and the person behind me had to go into the other lane of traffic to not hit me. I’ve lived here for 10 years, but I almost missed that turn I’ve made about 100 times.”

Williams said the light had to be removed to meet the Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) rules, which require traffic signals to be more spaced out.

“We’re asking FDOT to approve our request for a waiver to put the light back in,” Widman said. “We believe they will approve that and then these problems will be solved.”

Widman said the decision on the waiver should come down in the next few weeks to two months.

By B.C. Manion

Plans are under way to improve the existing facilities and to add some new amenities at the Land O’ Lakes Community Center and adjacent park.

A meeting was scheduled last week to discuss the conceptual plans, but it was cancelled because of severe weather. A new meeting date will be scheduled to discuss the conceptual plans and to seek community feedback.

Plans for an estimated $2 million in improvements include a softball field, a football field, a sports practice area that’s about the size of a football field, and a building which includes a concession stand, restrooms and storage space, according to Rick Buckman, director of the Pasco County Parks and Recreation Department.

Plans also call for an open area for community get-togethers, an area designated for an outdoor stage, a paved perimeter walking path and paved parking.

The estimated $2 million cost for the project, at 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., includes construction and design, according to an email from Buckman.

The timetable for the project is uncertain.

The county hopes it can create a partnership with Pasco County Schools on this project, which would involve an agreement for sharing space with Sanders Elementary, Buckman noted.

“For instance, the schools would use some park amenities during school hours and the general public would use some school amenities when school is not in session,” his email states. Doing that would help the county and the school district make the most efficient use of tax dollars.

The county’s design and construction work is paid for with impact fees, Buckman said. “Operational funding has not been identified; hence design is currently going through 30 percent,” he writes.

Operations and maintenance likely will be discussed this summer, he added. However, he also noted: “Continued reduction in property tax revenues has made it difficult to maintain current service levels.”

Despite the uncertain timetable for the project, Sandy Graves, president of the Heritage Park Foundation, said she’s pleased that progress is being made on planning improvements for the park.

The foundation is working to raise money for an outdoor stage, which Graves hopes will encourage gatherings where people can have good, old-fashioned fun.

“I’m very happy they’ve left a spot (on the plan),” Graves said. An architect who lives in the community already has offered to help with the stage’s design.

The group also wants to install historical markers along the planned pathway on the park’s perimeter.

Native Susan MacManus, who has deep knowledge of the community’s history, has agreed to provide the historical information needed for the project, Graves said.

Building a sense of community is important, Graves said. It has both tangible and intangible benefits, she said.

It helps fulfill a basic human need of fellowship, she said. It also helps create a sense of well-being, which ultimately has a positive impact on an area’s economic value, Graves said. People naturally gravitate to areas where their needs are being met, she said.

By Ayana Stewart

It’s been a good week for Alexander Santa.

“I have been working on three websites and they’re coming along great. I’m nearly finished with two of them, and the third one I just started yesterday,” Santa explained.

Santa owns Xigence Media, a web design and development firm. He founded the business in 2007 and has watched it develop over the years. Santa manages to bring in a healthy profit, charging his customers $250 per five page website.

Although web design is an industry filled with companies offering the same services as Santa, there is one thing that sets him apart from most. Santa isn’t a college graduate looking for work or a seasoned expert. He’s in the 10^th grade at Wesley Chapel High.

“I began designing at the age of 11 and opened my business at the age of 12,” he recalled. “I design and code the website for each of my clients.”

While many teenagers have jobs, Santa is a part of a small but emerging group of local high school students who are starting early with entrepreneurship. Instead of settling for minimum wage earnings, Santa and other area students have focused their energy and creativity on becoming businessmen and women.

With the amount of work that it takes to oversee an entire business operation, it isn’t surprising that these students are a bit short on time. “I have no time to study whatsoever,” Santa admitted. “I still manage to pull off good grades.”

Sylvia Pardo, an aspiring pastry chef, spends her spare time baking for her home-based business, Sylvia’s Sweets. The junior at Wiregrass Ranch High pulls most of her clientele from her family members, teachers and parents of her younger brother’s friends.

“I’ve been making cakes and Spanish pastries for two years now, and I want to have my own bakery once I’m older,” Pardo said. “I have business cards and I pass them out so people can just call.”

Gaining work experience in high school is appealing to both colleges and potential employers, but starting your own business creates a unique advantage.

Russell Jones, a sophomore at Land O’ Lakes High, is the CEO of Crusher Enterprises, where he builds and restores custom cars. He creates his own schedule, can earn up to $15 an hour and has been able to work at car races because of all that he’s learned. Jones  predicts he will stand out to colleges because of his achievements.

“Schools will be able to see that I made the best of the right opportunities,” Jones explained. “It’ll show that I’m a hard worker.”

For these teenagers, success came when they focused on honing their existing interests into marketable skills.

Daniel Williams, drummer for the local alternative band Adalee, is another success story. The senior at Wesley Chapel High has been pursuing graphic design for three years. He recently designed and sold shirts to promote his band and made $300 profit.

“I started at LifePoint Church sort of doing my own thing and teaching myself as I went along,” Williams said. “I really hope it’s something I can do for the rest of my life.”

While these students benefit from their hard work with steady income, the most fulfilling aspect may be getting a head start in their dream field. Williams is a perfect example.

“It’s exciting seeing people walking around with something that you made on their clothes. It’s such a satisfying feeling.”

By Kyle LoJacono

The on-again, off-again Sportsplex park is off for good after the management company backed out of the deal last month, which may open the door to shift $12 million to developing a Wesley Chapel complex.

The Pasco County Commissioners agreed to use $12 million of tourism development money for the multisport complex near the entrance of Starkey Boulevard in Odessa with the California-based Sportsplex USA firm managing the site.

Paul Berghoff, Sportsplex USA chairman, sent a letter to county officials stating that his company felt there were just, “too many unresolved issues surrounding this project.”

The project has suffered several setbacks since the county agreed to work with the firm a year ago, including multiple changes in its location. Another sticking point was Berghoff did not give financial guarantees to the county in return for the $12 million investment.

The final death nail may have been when former county commissioner Michael Cox lost his bid for re-election in November. Berghoff’s letter stated Cox was one of the big reasons the initial deal was struck.

“Needless to say, losing the project’s driving force on the (board of county commissioners) last November has only magnified the uncertainties that exist that keep this project from moving forward,” Berghoff wrote.

Commissioner Pat Mulieri was not critical of Sportsplex USA pulling out of the project.

“It has been a very wishy-washy thing we’ve tried to build,” Mulieri said. “If it was my company, I’d probably be a little annoyed with the way things have gone.”

Fellow Commissioner Ted Schrader said the problem was not with the county’s handling of the deal.

“We wanted to guarantee our taxpayers wouldn’t be on the hook if something happened with the project,” Schrader said. “If we’re going to use $12 million of taxpayer money, we need to make sure there isn’t risk of it all going to waste. That’s what stopped the tennis deal a few years ago.”

The county had plans to build the Pasco National Tennis Center in Saddlebrook Resort in 2009, but the deal fell through as well.

The Sportsplex would have had among other facilities, five softball fields designed to attract out-of-county tournaments, bringing in people to spend their money in Pasco.

The Commissioners had planned a workshop on April 12 to meet with Sportsplex officials and the Porter family, the owners of Wiregrass Ranch in Wesley Chapel. The Porters have offered to build and operate a sports complex near The Shops at Wiregrass. The meeting would have discussed how the two centers would be run.

J.D. Porter first offered to build the facility in January, when he described it as something that would resemble Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, which plays host to numerous athletic events each year. He also said the two complexes would not compete with each other.

The county still plans to have the workshop with Porter on Tuesday, April 12, where more details about the proposal will be hammered out.

“We’ve got a whole bunch of things hanging out there,” said County Administrator John Gallagher. “What do we do with that $12 million for tourism? It could go to a Wiregrass site, something on the coast or other options. It’s too soon to tell.”