Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Group’s ownership transferred to members

By Kyle LoJacono

Each year, people pour into conference rooms to watch the best high school athletes sign their letters of intent to play in college, but a very different signing brought crowds to Zephyrhills.

Nearly 100 east Pasco County shuffleboard enthusiasts found their way to the Zephyrhills Shuffleboard Club (ZSC) Feb. 27 to witness the start of a new era. The ZSC, at 5207 Eighth St. in Zephyrhills, had been owned by member Bob Perkins, but he signed ownership of the building to the 127 in the group.

“I wanted to give the club back to its members,” Perkins said. “They’re the ones who enjoy it and use it, so it should be theirs. It was always my plan to give it to the members in my will, but I decided it would be easier on everyone if I did it now.”

The ZSC was formed April 4, 2007 when the building with the courts was bought by Perkins from the Tourist Club of Zephyrhills after the latter group had some financial problems. Perkins wanted to keep the shuffleboard courts open for all the members, so he took the economic risk.

“We, the members, were and still are extremely grateful,” said Chuck Moulton, ZSC treasurer. “His vision was for the club to always be maintained as a facility for shuffling even after he was no longer able to participate.”

Perkins, whose wife Diane was also at the signing, sad he still plays at the courts almost every day during the four months they winter in Zephyrhills. The rest of the year is spent in Wisconsin.

“We must be the luckiest shufflers in Florida,” Moulton said. “Not many people are as generous as Bob and Diane. Bob observed the need and was able to fulfill that need.”

After the club was formed nearly four years ago, the group’s membership increased and donations were collected to make improvements to the courts. One of the larger additions was coverings over all 16 of the ZSC’s courts.

“I think it looks much better than when we started in 2007,” Perkins said. “The hard work of the members has made it look so good. It’s really special to think that we were able to save it from closing and to see what it looks like today.”

Club membership is $45 per person or $75 per couple for one year, or $15 per month for more seasonal residents. There are no resident restrictions to join. The fee also includes membership to the Florida Shuffleboard Association.

The ZSC hosts many club, area, central district and state shuffleboard tournaments each year. It also has an exchange night with the Betmar Shuffleboard Club each Tuesday and Thursday night to create area competition and fun.

The club also has morning pickup games and relaxed play each afternoon during the winter months. There are also instructional programs for the winter season for both novice and advanced shufflers. For more information on the club, call (813) 779-9513 or visit www.zephyrhillsshuffle.com.

By B.C. Manion

Pasco County’s newest county commissioner doesn’t expect his constituents to agree with him on every issue.

Indeed, if they do, Henry Wilson said they should never vote for him again.

In fact, Wilson told members of the Pasco Alliance of Community Associations that he’s not even sure he will seek re-election when his term expires in roughly 3 1/2 years.

“Why did I get into politics?” Wilson said. “I was tired of being an armchair person.”

However, even since being elected on Nov. 10, he’s already learned this: “There’s a big difference between campaigning and governing.”

On the campaign trail, you can have all sorts of ideas. But ideas won’t get implemented without a majority vote by the board, he said. Wilson, a Republican, defeated Democratic incumbent Michael Cox last fall.

“We want to make Pasco County business-friendly,” Wilson said. “It’s been talked about a lot.”

Along those lines, the board has directed county staff to figure out what the county needs to do to bring impact fees to zero for industrial and commercial developers.

“We have enough retail. We have enough restaurants,” but the county needs more companies that will bring quality jobs to the county, he said.

He’s also aiming to help the county rid itself of its “business as usual” mentality.

The county needs to create process improvement teams, to take a fresh look at how things are done, Wilson told members of the alliance, an organization whose members include 75 of Pasco County’s homeowner associations, community development districts and condominium associations.

These “pit” crews should include people from other departments to help see things from a new perspective, he said.

“One of the biggest frustrations I hear about on a daily basis is the permitting process,” said Wilson, who advocates finding out what makes the process so difficult.

Wilson said he’d also like to see Pasco County do more to advertise itself, particularly in northern states.

The pitch could go something like: “You might be in three feet of snow, but here in Florida, it’s 80 degrees,” he said.

“We need tourism to help us,” Wilson said.

The county also needs a broader economic base.

“For far too long the county has relied too heavily on residential impact fees,” Wilson said. “We need to diversify what we have.”

Wilson said there’s also a need for civil discourse.

“I don’t have all of the answers. You don’t have all of the answers, either. We need to work together.”

“We’re not going to agree on everything,” Wilson said. But he added, “You’ll know where I’m coming from. I tell you what I believe. I don’t sugarcoat things.”

At the same time, when he’s wrong, he wants people to tell him he’s wrong and then present information to help him better understand the issue.

In some cases, he might change his mind, he said.

Some people may call that “being a flip-flopper,” he said.

“I call it being open-minded,” he added.

People need to stay informed, not only by reading the newspaper or listening to the media or talking to their neighbors or relatives — but by doing all of those things, Wilson said.

And when they vote, they need to find the right person to support — regardless of the candidate’s political affiliation, Wilson added.

Wilson also took questions from the crowd, including one about the county’s proposal that would temporarily slash or eliminate impact fees, including one which pays for new school construction.

He said county commissioners and school board members plan to meet to discuss that issue.

“The schools are not projected to build a school for 10 years, so why do they need an impact fee?” Wilson said.

Wilson said his biggest concern is that he doesn’t know what the school district’s fund balance is, or how much it actually needs.

“We need transparency for everything,” Wilson said.

If the district can’t support going to zero, he wants to know what it can support.

Wilson was also asked to talk about what has been the most surprising thing to him since he took office.

“My biggest surprise? How set in the way people are. “We do it this way. We’ve always done it that way.’“

His other biggest surprise is the lack of cross-training in the county. He said more workers need to have the ability to perform multiple job functions. Many employees are approaching retirement and the county needs to be sure that it doesn’t allow all of the knowledge they’ve built up to walk out the door with them, Wilson said.

Screenings key to success rate

By Kyle LoJacono

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer related death for men and women in the United States, surprising considering how treatable it is if caught early.

“That’s really the sad thing is about 90 percent of the people who have colorectal cancer can be cured if it is discovered before it can spread,” said Dr. Barry Frank, gastroenterologist with Florida Medical Clinic. “Once it spreads, the death rate increases tremendously. About 60 percent of the people who die from colorectal cancer could have been cured, but it was found too late.”

Frank said there are about 150,000 new cases of the disease each year, affecting both men and women.

“There is a misconception that only men get colorectal cancer,” Frank said. “That’s not the case at all.”

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) statistics report 142,672 people were diagnosed with the disease in 2007 in the United States, the most recent figures available. Of those, 72,755 were men, while 69,917 were women.

The same records show 53,219 people died from colorectal cancer in 2007. Of those, 27,004 were men and 26,215 were women.

The CDC statistics show that African Americans have the highest incidence rate of colorectal cancer, followed by Caucasians. Native Americans had the lowest rate.

Frank said the medical world still does not know for sure what causes colorectal cancer.

“We know that eating a lot of red meat may increase the chance of getting it,” Frank said. “We also know that eating a lot of fiber can help to reduce the chance. Anything else is kind of still a guess.”

Frank said the most important thing in preventing the disease is to get regular screenings.

“We are very lucky here because the screenings are very available and they do save lives,” Frank said. “We can go in and remove a polyp before it progresses, effectively preventing colorectal cancer. If it has progressed to cancer, but hasn’t spread, we can easily see that in the colonoscopy and treat it.”

The CDC’s website agrees with Frank.

“Colorectal cancer screening saves lives,” the CDC website states. “Screening can find precancerous polyps — abnormal growths in the colon or rectum — so that they can be removed before turning into cancer. Screening also helps find colorectal cancer at an early stage, when treatment often leads to a cure. About nine out of every 10 people whose colorectal cancer is found early and treated are still alive five years later.”

March has been deemed National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month to spread the word about how screenings save lives.

A normal person without a first-degree relative who hasn’t had colorectal cancer should start getting colonoscopies at age 50, and then every 10 years after that, according to both Frank and the CDC. If someone has one or more first-degree relatives who have had the disease, they should talk with their doctor about possibly starting earlier and having them done more often.

“Of the people who should get screened, only about 45 percent will,” Frank said. “Some are afraid of what the doctor will find, some are embarrassed and some are afraid of pain. There is no pain from a colonoscopy and there shouldn’t be any embarrassment. Everyone over the age of 50 should be getting them regularly.”

Along with traditional screenings, Pasco Regional Medical Center in Dade City is giving away free home screenings for the month. The home-based test detects blood being passed, even if it is too small an amount to see, within two minutes.

Susan Frimmel, Pasco Regional spokeswoman, said the goal is to get people in the area accustomed to getting screenings. If the test detects blood, the person should see his or her doctor for further screenings.

Anyone can request a home-based test by calling (352) 521-1100 or by visiting the facility at 13100 Fort King Road.

Dogs of all shapes and sizes — and their owners — are welcome at a weekend event

By Elizabeth Gwilt

The second annual Bark Fest at the dog park on Collier Parkway will provide an array of activities for pets and owners alike.

The event, which will be Saturday, March 19 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., will feature vendors selling everything from dog toys to food. Donations from attendees and vendors will go to the local SPCA.

Ruth Ann Collins, the recreation leader at the Land O’ Lakes complex, says that the purpose behind Bark Fest is twofold.

“Besides raising funds for SPCA, we want the public to know that there is a dog park in Land O’ Lakes, and that it’s a great place to bring your entire family,” Collins said.

Bark Fest is in two different sections of the dog park, with areas for both small and larger animals. A variety of demonstrations, a mobile vaccination center and the dog and disc Frisbee competition qualifier will also be headlining attractions.

“We wanted to provide a variety of activities; it’s going to be bigger and better than last year’s, which was already a fabulous success,” Collins said.

This year, more vendors and demonstrations will make their way to the dog park, such as the grooming demonstration, a crowd favorite.

Collins asks anyone willing to donate, whether it’s pet items or money, to stop by the festival. “Bark Fest is sure to be a fun time, and I encourage everyone to come out and spend some time with your pets in the fresh air.”

Lorey Tinti, an attendee at last year’s Bark Fest, said she can’t wait for the upcoming event.

“I’m absolutely going to Bark Fest again; it’s just such a great event that the community can all go to together,” Tinti said.

Tinti went with her beagle-hound mix, Trooper, after she heard about plans for the festival. “I loved watching Trooper interact with the other dogs,” she said. “But the speed tail wagging and howling contests were fun to watch too.”

Tinti said that she would like to see more dogs be taken home after this year’s Bark Fest. “I hope people will adopt even more pets this year. There were so many wonderful dogs last year that deserve homes.”

Tasha Hyder, who organized the first Bark Fest before Collins took over, agrees with Tinti.

“Although last year was a great success, I would love to see more of the dogs get adopted, as well as raising more money for SPCA,” Hyder said.

Bark Fest raised $500 and three huge bags of pet supplies last year, but Hyder said that she would love the donations to reach $5,000.

Hyder, who now lives in Jacksonville, is making the trip to Tampa in order to go to the festival.

“I’m so happy how successful it’s been after only one year. I was shocked, since I was only expecting 200 or so people, but over 1,000 showed up.”

Tinti, along with several hundred other dog lovers, are expected to spend their Saturday at the Collier Parkway dog park. “If you have a dog, want to adopt a dog or just like being around dogs, then I strongly encourage you to come,” Tinti said.
The dog park is located at 3032 Collier Parkway in Land O’ Lakes.

By B.C. Manion

Seventeen-year-old Breanna Crabtree wants to pursue a medical career, but she doesn’t know the precise path she will take.

That’s why she enrolled in the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program at Pasco High School’s Academy of Health and Human Services.

“I figured it could help me decide what I wanted,” Crabtree said. At this point, she is considering careers in nursing or radiology, though it appears she may be leaning toward radiology.

“I think it’s so cool — how they can look inside somebody’s body like that,” she said.

The school has transitioned from its former Occupational Health program to the academy, and the program is enjoying a good bit of success.

Twenty-six students in the program recently competed in a regional competition hosted by the Health Occupations Students of America, and 19 of them have qualified to compete at the state contest in Jacksonville March 31-April 3.

The program also has received grants to cover the cost of field trips to Shriners Hospital, the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and the Museum of Science & Industry on one day and to Pasco Hernando Community College, All Children’s Hospital and Bay Flight on another.

The field trips help students broaden their perspective on future medical careers, said Jennifer Wilson, a registered nurse who teaches the program.

“A lot of kids think, ‘Oh, I want to be a nurse, or I want to be a doctor.’ But they need to know there are radiology technicians that work in a cardiac catheterization lab, that are hands-on for the physician to take pictures to make sure things are flowing,” Wilson said.

It’s also important for students to realize that they can work in a variety of settings and in various roles in the medical field, she said.

“You don’t have to stay in one position all of your life,” Wilson said. A nurse can work in a medical-surgery center, or in pediatrics, or can teach, she said.

Nurses have other options, too. “You can work in an office. You can work in a nursing home. You can be a supervisor. You can do anything you want.”

Students in the program offered a variety of reasons for signing up.

Eighteen-year-old Kyle Mullet cited a personal motivation.

“My mom had a stroke,” Mullet said. “I couldn’t help her out when she really needed me,” he said. He wants to be a physical therapy assistant so he can help people.

Others in Wilson’s class aspire to work in a wide array of medical careers.

“I want to be a sonographer, or ultrasound tech,” said Lauren McIntosh, 18. She’s glad to be enrolled in the CNA program because she thinks it will help prepare her for work.

“When we go out in the field, we’ll be ready to work,” she said. It’s not like just reading a book and not having a clue what to do once you start your job, she added.

Eighteen-year-old Renae Reynolds has a clear career goal. She wants to be a physician’s assistant and to work with babies.

“Ever since I was little, I have always wanted to be in the health field,” she said. She said she’s drawn to pediatrics because she loves babies.

She said the program at Pasco High helps students find out if they truly want to work in the health field.

The students have a chance to do rotations in a nursing home and a hospital, Wilson said.

They also have a mock hospital room — set up like a real hospital room.

Students practice with mannequins, which are life-size and weigh as much as an actual human being. They learn to lift the patients and do other chores that are done by certified nursing assistants.

Wilson said she tries to prepare students for their clinicals by teaching them how to communicate with professionals and how to speak to patients.

She asks them: “How would your mother or your grandmother expect you to converse with them?”

Students are sometimes shocked by the way some patients behave, Wilson said.

Reynolds agreed. She said she was surprised at “how rude some patients can be” but she attributes that behavior to “what they are going through.”

Seventeen-year-old Courtney Rubio said she’s surprised by how quickly she can form a connection with the patients she’s helping. “In the nursing home, you wouldn’t think it, but you actually get attached to the residents who live there,” she said.

Seventeen-year-old Beatriz Cruz is interested in working in a hospital, but she’s not drawn to being a doctor or a nurse. She wants to be a social worker.

Karina Maisonet wants to become a physical therapist and she thinks the CNA program will help get moving in that direction.

“It’s kind of like a jumpstart,” agreed Kara Bihorel, 15, who is considering a career in nursing. If she winds up choosing that career she’ll be following not only in her father’s footsteps, but in her grandfather’s as well.

Other students in Wilson’s program mention they want to pursue neonatal nursing, work in pediatrics specializing in treating ears, nose and throat, become an anesthesiologist, or work in sports medicine.

The school’s CNA program prepares students to become certified and enter the workforce, Wilson said. They take Health Science 1, Health Science 2 and Nursing Assisting 3 in the program.

They also have clinicials at Royal Oak Nursing Center and at Pasco Regional Medical Center. Some also do clinicals at Premier Community Health Group.

Students learn everything from what vital signs should be and how to take them and the meaning of complex medical terms. They also learn about physiology and anatomy, medical ethics, patient privacy rights and how to use medical equipment.

Students must apply to be accepted to the program. In addition to writing an essay explaining why they want to be in the program, the student must have at least a 2.5 grade-point average and a history of very few or no disciplinary issues. They also must sign an agreement stating they will abide by the program’s requirements.

Being self-disciplined is important because students must be able to handle challenging situations when they arise, Wilson said.

“If you can’t behave or control yourself at school, how do you expect us to trust you to control yourself in a healthcare setting where you have a patient who is confused, who may want to bite you or hit you or yell at you — and how are you going to handle that, or respond?” Wilson said.

STUDENTS WINNING HONORS

These students from Pasco High will compete in the state’s HOSA competition:

Taylor Edwards, Angelica Wheeler, Kevin McDougal, Peter Mercadante, Keshawn Davis, Sakina Tyson, Sheyanne Neidert, Courtney Wheeler, Courtney Rubio, Jennifer Sakellaris, Kelsey Ray, Beatriz Cruz, Jordan Glitch, Mariarose Kussler, Karina Maisonet, Breanna Crabtree, MariaElena Sanchez, Keiser Permanante and Lidia Moreno.

By B.C. Manion

It’s a place that invites visitors to drink in all kinds of artistic creations.

There are woven baskets, metal sculptures, oil paintings, watercolors, digital art, wildlife photography and photography of nature and other outdoor scenes.

There’s jewelry, too.

It’s also a setting for art classes and is known for its special events, where people can decorate cupcakes, do makeovers and engage in all sorts of other fun stuff.

Welcome to HiBrow Art Gallery, at 14127 Seventh St., in downtown Dade City.

The nonprofit artists’ co-op is part of Dade City Center for the Arts Inc.

The art gallery occupies just one of three spaces in the building, owned by Dade City Commissioner Camille Hernandez and her husband, David.

One of the other spaces in the building soon will become the home of a bakery, and the other space is a venue used for concerts and other special events.

The artist co-op works like this: Members pay $35 a month to display their works and volunteer to staff the gallery once a month. If they can’t work the gallery, they pay a slightly higher fee of $60 a month, said Stuart Marcus, a wildlife photographer who is one of the co-op artists.

Artists get to display several works on the walls and also can have a bin of works for sale, Marcus said. They get to keep 100 percent of the proceeds from the sales of their works on display and pay a 25 percent commission for works that are sold from their bins, he said.

That’s significant for artists because they often pay commissions of 35 percent or more at galleries selling their works, Marcus said.

Besides giving artists a place to display their work, the gallery also rotates the works around the gallery, to ensure each artist gets equal treatment, said Lyndsie Daughtery, who works at the gallery.

The gallery space, which opened two years ago, has undergone substantial improvements.

Besides a fresh coat of paint, the gallery now has more display space, too.

“We just put this new wall up. We wanted to have more space. We want to get as much work up (on display) for our artists as we can,” Daughtery said,

The additional space has made more room for new artists, she said. Those showing works in the gallery must have their works approved before they can join the co-op.

Marcus built the new wall for the gallery. It adds 64 linear feet of wall space for artists and can be moved and reconfigured to produce varying effects, he said.

The gallery also will be getting improved lighting and flooring, which will benefit both the artists and gallery visitors, Marcus said.

Daughtery, who attends Saint Leo University, works at the gallery through an arrangement between the gallery and the university.

She loves her job.

“It’s an interesting place to work,” Daughtery said. “The artists — they all do completely different things.”

Marcus, for instance, shoots beautiful photographs of wildlife, she said.

Eric Durham, another photographer, takes stunning photos of nature, which he displays on canvas, Daughtery said. The technique makes the photographs look like paintings.

“It makes them look really, really pretty,” she said.

Josephine Jones, another artist in the co-op, does all sorts of painting in a variety of media. She does abstracts and surrealism. She does acrylics and oils. She also teaches.

She and her husband travel in a RV, and when they’re not on the road, they live in Dade City.

“I teach at RV rallies,” she said. She also teaches at HiBrow.

She’s the featured artist at the gallery this month and is pleased to have her works on display at HiBrow.

“It’s very nice,” she said, adding it will get better when planned improvements are made.

Prices for the jewelry, baskets and fine art begin at around $15 for a piece of jewelry to nearly $10,000 for an artwork.

HiBrow gets a fair amount of traffic, Daughtery said.

“People who come down here for vacation, they like to stroll around here. It’s just a nice place to come,” she said. “Some of the same people come in here every week,” she said.

She’s also noticed an increasing number of buyers, not just browsers.

“In the past few weeks, I’ve made more sales and more sales and more sales,” Daughtery said. “I can tell the economy is getting better.”

HiBrow Art Gallery, 14127 Seventh St., Dade City

Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday (Extended hours during special events)

For more information call (352) 521-3823

By B.C. Manion

A last-minute surge of sales on Saturday gave the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club the best total it has had for the past three years at its annual flea market, said Pat Serio, co-chairwoman of the event.

The group reported a total of more than $9,100 in sales — short of its $10,000 goal, but substantially more than its totals of just more than $7,000 for the past couple of years, Serio said.

Sales began slowly at the half-price sale on Saturday, March 12, but they picked up substantially during the day, as volunteer club members sold lots of household items, books, clothing, linens, toys and seasonal décor at reduced prices.

Remaining items will be donated to area nursing homes, migrant workers, “Dress for Success” programs, clothing for groups serving the homeless, school reading programs and the Salvation Army, Serio said.

Proceeds from the sale will benefit the Lutz and Land O’ Lakes fire departments, libraries in both communities, scholarships, the Old Lutz School, the Little Women of Lutz, Lutz and Land O’ Lakes Friends of the Park, Christian Social Services, Metropolitan Ministries, Angel Unawares, Scouting troops and others.

The last surge in sales thrilled the woman’s club members, Serio said.

They had already been pleased by the community’s generous donations and by the good crowds at the flea market’s initial sales days on March 4-5, but they had thought this year’s sale may fall far short of their goal. So, they were delighted when the final day of sales helped close that gap.

The flea market is an important fundraiser for the club. It dates more than 20 years and is the woman’s club’s second biggest fundraiser of the year, trailing only the Lutz Arts and Crafts Festival held annually at Lake Park.

Besides helping many community groups, the club uses the flea market revenues to help pay for community events, such as the Fourth of July parade and the Easter egg hunt, and to support a wide range of community causes and organizations.

Club members enjoyed the camaraderie of working together, Serio said.

This year’s sale did not have some of the big-ticket items that have been featured in the past, but Serio suspects that people are holding onto things longer because of the tough economy.

”Now that the sale is over, “the first thing we’ll do is write a check to the old school,” Serio said, referring to the nonprofit organization formed to preserve the Old Lutz School.

The flea market was at the school, at 18819 N. US 41, which is a cherished community building.