Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Kyle LoJacono

A $2.7 million extension of Sunlake Boulevard should be open in the next two weeks, but drivers will have to wait several years to reap any benefit from it.
That is because this new 3,000-foot extension, south off SR 54, connects to nothing.
“The current improvements will not access neighborhoods at this time,” said Deborah Bolduc, Pasco County’s program administrator of Engineering Services.
Eventually, the county plans to construct Loop Road, a new street that will connect neighborhoods and link Pasco and Hillsborough counties.
“Phase 1 will result in the initial two laning of this roadway segment from Loop Road to the Hillsborough County line and Phase 2 will expand the roadway to four lanes,” Bolduc said. “Phase 1 is programmed to start construction by December 2013 and Phase 2 is programmed to start construction by December 2015.”
Or maybe later, warned Pasco County Commissioner Ted Schrader.
“Even with so many projects being under funded, we are still seeing progress in Pasco County,” said Pasco Commissioner Ted Schrader. “Because of the economy being down we’ve had to re-evaluate this project like many others. The commissioners will need to take a closer look at funding any more projects.”
When it does open, the eventual connection of Sunlake through SR 54 and the future Loop Road into Hillsborough will likely reduce the confusion of people trying to find Sunlake High.
“I’ve had people tell me that they got lost trying to find the school because they got on the Hillsborough Sunlake and couldn’t find us,” said Sunlake principal Garry Walthall previously. “Apparently when they try and find directions online it takes people the wrong way. It should help people find the school once it’s done.”
But for now, the current project does nothing to make travel easier in Pasco or increase the connectivity with Hillsborough. Tampa-based RIPA & Associates is completing the project.

Sunlake Boulevard extension
Extending Sunlake 3,000 feet south
Cost: $2.7 million

COLLIER PARKWAY
The Pasco County project to extend Collier Parkway north to Parkway Boulevard has been at a standstill since WDG Construction Inc. was fired by the county in February.
Pasco County Chief Project Manager Robert Shepherd said he expects RIPA & Associates to be named the replacement company by the beginning of July. The bonding company that insures the project’s contract still has to finalize that selection.

The extension would be finished in May according to the original plans, but WDG had only completed 40 percent of the work when it was fired. The company’s contract was terminated because it was behind schedule and had let its workers and vehicle insurance expire, according to Pasco Chief Engineer Jim Widman.
Shepherd said the extension should be around the end of this year.
The original contract with WDG was worth $4.3 million. No additional county money will be needed to finish the extension to Parkway as all Pasco projects require the bonding company to pay for any additional cost beyond the contract.
The extension of Collier to Parkway is the first half of a larger project. Collier will eventually be taken north to Ehren Cutoff. The overall project is meant to ease traffic on US 41 by allowing those living in the area to take Collier south to bypass the congested highway. The contract for the second step has not gone out for bid yet.
Deborah Bolduc, program administrator for Pasco County Engineering Services, said the second part will not be planned until 2013 or 2014 and will not be completed until at least 2015 or 2016.
Some places besides neighborhoods affected by the extension include Pine View and Lake Myrtle elementary schools, Pine View Middle, Academy at the Lakes, the Land O’ Lakes Branch Library, the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Center and Our Lady of the Rosary Church.

SR 56 CONNECTION
Construction to complete the extension of SR 56 and Mansfield and Meadow Pointe boulevards in Wesley Chapel began again June 22.

Pasco County Chief Project Manager Robert Shepherd said there is 20 to 25 days of construction left to be finished when the work restarted. He said he expects it to be completed by the end of July.
RIPA & Associates replaced WDG Construction Inc. in finishing the project after the latter was fired by the county in February. WDG had its contract with the county terminated after it allowed its workers and vehicle insurance to expire, according to Pasco Chief Engineer Jim Widman.
Shepherd said much of the road construction has been completed and most of what is left is work on signage and traffic signals.
The connection will give people an alternative route for people during the widening of SR 54. Instead of driving through that construction site, people can drive south through Meadow Pointe until it connects with SR 56 or vice versa. Meadow Pointe was recently repaved as part of normal maintenance of the road, which has strengthened the boulevard for the increased traffic.
Once the connection is complete, new bus routes will be drawn up by the Pasco School District. Students who live in and around Meadow Pointe are zoned for Wiregrass Ranch High and Dr. John Long Middle, which are located on Mansfield.
The connection will change 18 bus routes, according to Pasco School District spokeswoman Summer Romagnoli. She said the new road will cut time and miles from these routes.
The road will also bring increased traffic by the Shops at Wiregrass.
Greg Lenners, general manager at the shops, has said the opening will be perfect for the businesses because it is right before the back-to-school sales. Lenners also lives in Meadow Pointe and said he thought the connection would cut about nine miles from his driving each day.

By Sarah Whitman

The line for Helping Hands Food Pantry forms early Wednesday mornings outside Atonement Lutheran Church of Wesley Chapel.
Helping Hands, a weekly outreach of the church, has served more than 3,000 Pasco County families since opening last March. Some are homeless or living below the poverty line. Others have been hit hard by the economy and need a place to turn until things get better.

“So many people come now who just need help getting back on their feet,” said Helping Hands administrator Carla Haberland. “When they find work they come back and say thank you. Sometimes they bring something to donate as a way to give back.”
When Helping Hands first started, only a few people took advantage. Within a few months, a few turned into more than a 100. Now, 140 to 160 visit each week to pick up groceries, household staples and even clothes.
Mary Spittka and her two daughters, ages 11 and 8, drive from Zephyrhills every week to collect items. Spittka is unable to find work, so her family relies on her husband’s modest paycheck. She said they visit Helping Hands because the economy is tough and every little bit helps.
“The food selection is good and my oldest daughter likes to pick out clothes,” Spittka said. “It’s a blessing.”
When people arrive at Helping Hands, they sign in before going into the pantry.
There, canned goods, produce, breads, household items and clothes donated by the public are presented in a general-store-style atmosphere.  Anyone in need is welcome to come and fill up a bag. Some things, like toiletries, are limited to one per household.
The pantry receives donations from the community and from local businesses. Sweetbay donates bread and produce weekly. Bagelicious donates bagels.
Helping Hands is also partnered with USDA, which serves families requiring government-funded assistance. USDA donated foods are bagged ahead of time and given to families who qualify. Applications are available on site.
So far, no one has left Helping Hands empty handed.
“We have never run out of food,” Haberland said. “It’s amazing. On Tuesday night, the storage shed will be completely full and by the end of the day Wednesday it is completely empty, but we always have enough for everyone.”
Atonement Lutheran Church senior pastor Scott Linder said he is continually humbled by the success of Helping Hands.
” In the beginning we weren’t sure our small church could handle it, but every time there was a question the volunteers and the donations just kept pouring in,” he said.
Volunteers, including Haberland and director Caroline McKinney, help set up the pantry on Tuesdays. They distribute the items on Wednesdays and carry bags out for pantry users. Volunteers come from the church, the community and local schools.

Retiree and Wesley Chapel resident Jean Butler volunteers whenever she can.
“I’m so glad I found this place and I can help,” she said. “I think it’s a good thing what they’re doing. People helping people is what life is about.”
Violet Moore, a Wesley Chapel resident raising teenage grandchildren, came to Helping Hands after her husband passed away. She needed assistance but also became a volunteer.
“I needed some help and I found it,” Moore said. “I also wanted to give back because the people here are wonderful. This place has made a big impact on the community. It reaches so many people, especially families in need.”
Helping Hands needs more volunteers to help pick up and transportation large food donations.
“We need someone with a pick-up,” Haberland said. “A lot of the volunteers that helped with that were only here for the winter, so we need help getting the food to the church. We pick up the USDA foods at Suncoast Harvest Food Bank in Land O’ Lakes once a week.”
Haberland said as long as people keep helping, no one will be turned away that lines up Wednesdays mornings.
Helping Hands is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays at Atonement Lutheran Church of Wesley Chapel, 29617 SR 54. For information, call (813) 973-2211.

By Suzanne Schmidt

At Contempo School of Dance, students are gearing up for another season of competitions.
Children ages 4 to 16 attended camp last week to learn dance moves and routines that dance competition teams will perform at contests such as The Hall of Fame national dance competition, Nexstar and On Stage America.
Instructor Michele Glenn said the camp was to help instructors pick their competitive dance teams. She is the instructor for the mini-ballet team.

“We chose the best of the best to come out to the camp,” Glenn said. “This is like their audition for the competitive dance teams. They are all learning dances that they will be doing at competitions.”
Land O’ Lakes resident Sydney Bruen, 10, said she likes the dance teams because she gets to go to competitions.
“It is fun to go to competitions because we get to see other dances and it is a lot of fun,” Bruen said. “I like the instructors here too because they explain things and they are nice.”
Students are not just learning how to move, they are also learning other useful skills according to dance instructor April Dumas.
“This is like their audition,” Dumas said. “We have already taught them four or five routines. It is surprising how much they learn. They are learning how to act in a class. We are teaching them about their facial expressions and about time management. They learn how to cope with other people.”
Nicole Bouchard, dance instructor, agrees that the children are learning more than just a few moves. She said she loves to dance so much she has been dancing for 32 years.
“This teaches them coordination and discipline and to be kind to each other,” Bouchard said. “It teaches them to not be shy. Also they are getting lots of exercise that they think is playing.”

Land O’ Lakes resident Kelli O’Shaughnessy, 16, has been dancing at Contempo for 14 years.
“This is helping us to get ready for competitions next year,” O’Shaughnessy said. “I like being able to dance and I like learning all these new tricks. I love coming here because all my friends are here, it is like my second family.”
Carolann Ruppe of Land O’ Lakes said she loves having her daughter, Emily Rose, 5, at the dance camp.
“She has been enjoying herself so much,” Ruppe said. “She loves it. She couldn’t wait to come here today. I think is a challenge for her to learn the moves, but I think everyone needs challenges in life. This is building her self-confidence. She is even teaching her little brother how to dance.”
Her little brother Joseph Michael, 3, is so inspired by watching his older sister that he is going to take a tap class in the fall. He said he is excited to learn more dance moves.
Land O’ Lakes resident Erica Wilton, 8, said she loves the Dr. Seuss dance she is learning in the class.
“I like dancing and going to this camp,” Wilton said. “We get to do fun things like jazz.”
Even boys can join in the fun. Land O’ Lakes resident Omar Brito, 10, was the only boy at the camp, but the school is always looking for more dancers.
“I think it is fun to dance,” Brito said. “They teach me new moves. I like the teachers here because they are funny, nice and cool.”
The school, 24148 SR 54, Unit 1, in Lutz offers classes in many forms of dance including ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, musical theater and acting. For more information, visit www.contempodance.com or call (813) 948-3262.

Getting to know club president Curtis Zeigler

By Kyle LoJacono

Curtis Zeigler first learned about Rotary International in 1984 while in Sri Lanka. At the time he was working on a water project funded by the United States Agency for International Development.

Zeigler’s interesting introduction to the service organization led to 21 years as part of the Upper Arlington Rotary Club in Ohio before moving to Land O’ Lakes in 2006 and joining the respective club.
Zeigler will officially be the Land O’ Lakes Rotary Club president at the group’s meeting July 12. He has served as the organization’s membership committee chair the last two years.
The Laker and the Lutz News recently talked with Zeigler about becoming the club’s president and what he plans to do with the group during the next year.

Q: Why did you want to join a Rotary Club?
A: I joined Rotary because I wanted to be a part of something bigger. As an opportunity to give back to the communities in which I lived.

Q: Randy Gailit was the club’s president last year. Tell me about what you saw from his term?
A: Randy has developed one of the best newsletters in the district. He has agreed to continue his giving by accepting the leadership of the public relations committee and maintaining our newsletter as well as our vibrant Web site, www.rotarylol.com.

Q: During the last year, the eight Rotary clubs in central and east Pasco have come together to form the Eastside 8 to work together to help the communities. What is it like to be a part of the group?
A: Being a part of the Eastside 8 group of Rotary clubs gives us an opportunity to reach out to larger needs of our community since we are one of the newer and smaller clubs in Pasco County. Being small is the good news and bad news. Small impact, but small enough to be intimate with the opportunity for all members to grow their leadership skills.

Q: What are your plans for the next year as president?
A: Next year I will emphasize our programs. The speakers at our weekly meetings are going to be frequently controversial, which is good as long as they maintain the first of Rotary’s “Four Way Test.” Is it the truth? I hope our speakers will attract visiting Rotarians, guests and potential members to our Monday lunches at Rapscallion’s.  For example, on July 26 we will hear why we should adopt the Redistricting Amendment, while on August 16 Representative Will Weatherford will present his “truth” on the subject.

Q: How can people join the Land O’ Lakes club?
A: Any business owner or professional leader in the community who wants to serve can become a Rotarian. But remember, you must be asked to join and this is not just another networking group. You must have a little time, money and most of all a desire to help serve and give back.

Those interested in learning more about the Rotary Club of Land O’ Lakes can attend one of the group’s meetings at 12:15 p.m. each Monday at Rapscallion’s, 4422 Land O’ Lakes Blvd. Janice Klein will be the speaker at the July 12 meeting after returning from India where she helped immunize children against polio.

Other Eastside 8 Rotary clubs’ new presidents
Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel: John Negley
Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel Sunrise: Don Snyder
Rotary Club of Zephyrhills Daybreak: Lea McKenney
Noon Rotary Club of Zephyrhills: Mike Waters
Rotary Club of Dade City Sunrise: Andrea Mason
Rotary Club of Dade City: Cliff Martin
Rotary Club of San Antonio: Suzanne Ritter

By Sarah Whitman

Her words can silence a room.
Adrienne Nadeau, 26, has always identified herself as a writer, scribbling out short stories and poems since childhood. As a student studying writing at the University of Tampa, she narrowed her focus to spoken word poetry. One night after a poetry performance in Ybor City, she was mugged and beaten to the point of needing stitches.

The experience left her with a permanent stage name, Warrior Woman, and a passion to empower people through spoken word. Warrior Woman Inc. was formed.
Nadeau performs and presents poetry workshops throughout the Tampa Bay area. She visits high schools and youth groups to share an art form that helped her through difficult times. She has visited Land O’ Lakes High School several times and Zephyrhills Correctional Institute, a maximum-security prison.

Q: How did your experience as a victim of crime change the way you looked at poetry?
A: That experience showed me how much I use poetry as a coping mechanism. I realized that I took that for granted and decided I wanted to work with others to help expose more people to poetry.

Q: What do you present at your poetry workshops?
A: I do an academic presentation where I talk about things like simile and metaphor by comparing say Edgar Allen Poe and Mos Def. A lot of times at high schools the students will get up and freestyle with me. I teach them about poetry as a form of expression.

Q: What is it like performing at a maximum-security prison?
A: I’ve been a part of the Poetry is Prison tour for four years, visiting correctional institutions throughout Florida. We visit Zephyrhills every year. It is a maximum-security federal institution but you will never get a better crowd. The inmates are amazingly appreciative and energetic. They are polite to us and sometimes we have to remind ourselves we are in a prison.

Q: How do you think hearing poetry benefits the inmates?
A: We hope to remind them that they are not forgotten, to bring them creativity, hope and light. We want to show them an outlet for overcoming obstacles. Some of the inmates send letters saying how we reached them.

Q: Do you write every day?
A: I write most days. Sometimes it comes in waves. I’ll be blocked and be writing but it’s nothing very good. Sometimes, I’ll write six new pieces in six months.

Q: What advice would you give young aspiring poets?
A: To believe in their own voices. Not to be silenced by critics or self-conscious. To know they are entitled to their own opinion and point of view.

Q: What has poetry meant to you?
A: It is so completely who I am.

Adrienne will perform at an open teen poetry night July 30 at Mattress Revolution on Busch Blvd. She is also a teaching artist at Ruth Eckerd Hall. For more information on tour dates and workshops or to schedule a performance or poetry workshop, visit www.thewarriorwoman.org

(poem)
Warrior Woman

I was born with a warrior cry
And all who saw me knew I would never die
Because I had been born a woman
I only dressed up in pink lace to pretend I was a child
So I could survive
And I don’t remember if I cried
When the blood flowed between my thighs for the first time
But after that, I was told to hide
And I chose the wrong women to immortalize
I wanted to be like the ones who had mastered the bedroom eyes
I didn’t realize that they silenced their warrior cry
So after careful consideration I’ve decided I don’t need the makeup
Generously provided by Mary Kay
Because cosmetics are a saving grace, but perhaps they get in the way
You begin with foundation to cover childhood scars
But without those, I suppose no one knows who you are.
So I stand before you today
Not hiding behind makeup, or product, or augmentation
Without fear, or self loathing, or hesitation
Speaking without my mind without worrying about retaliation
Because I am a woman who speaks her own mind
And you won’t be able to silence the warrior this time!

© Adrienne Nadeau 2005