Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Sarah Whitman

Alexa Rae Ulrich will not be forgotten.

More than 600 people gathered Friday night at Wiregrass Ranch High School for a vigil remembering Alexa, 15, her little sister Carlie, 5, and their parents, Jeff and Ronni.
The family was killed last week when their single-engine plane inexplicably crashed into an Arizona high school. They were headed to the Grand Canyon for vacation. Instead, the week ended with a funeral service at Congregation Kol Ami in Tampa.
Alexa, known to her friends as Lexi, was an honor-roll student, a cheerleader and a cross country athlete. She was well known for her upbeat attitude and infectious smile. Classmates described her as happy, kind and full of energy.
“She was the most amazing girl I’ve ever met,” said David Villarreal, one of the students who helped organize Friday’s vigil. “It’s only fitting we do something to honor her and her family. They meant so much to all of us.”
Villarreal, who wore a shirt reading ‘Save me a spot in Heaven,’ was one of several people to speak at the flashlight vigil. Wiregrass principal Raymond Bonti, teachers and friends stood one by one at a podium looking out at the football field. They spoke about the family and what they meant to the community. They spoke about Alexa and what she meant to the Wiregrass alma mater.
Alexa’s friend and Wiregrass graduate Nicole Phillips, struggled to speak through her tears.
“We were best friends,” Phillips said. “Her family was like my second family…Before Lexi left she was making a scrapbook with pictures of us and she said she would finish it would she got back. It was going to be filled with pictures of us from summer. Now it will be filled with pictures from tonight.”
Principal Bonti remembered Lexi’s school spirit and passion for cross country.
“In a school with more than 2,000 students, everyone knew Lexi for all the right reasons,” he said. ”She loved life, school, cross country and cheerleading. Most of all she loved her friends and her family. Her ever shining light will live in all of us forever.”

Teacher Frank Shearrow also shared his memories of Lexi.
“Lexi lived it to its fullest,” he said. “Her smile was untamed by the troubles of this world. When she left school for the summer, the last thing I said to her was ‘I’ll see you later’ Lexi knew I didn’t like goodbyes. So tonight I won’t say goodbye, I’ll say ‘I’ll see you later’. ”
Class of 2010 graduate Jack Whidden, who co-organized the vigil, remembered Lexi by talking about the good times.
“Thank you Lexi for always making my day brighter,” he said. “Thank you for being an amazing friend that will never be replaced.”
On the field, mourners held pink balloons given out before the ceremony. The balloons were released into the sky at sunset. As they drifted away into the clouds, the people below looked up.
“We’ll see each other again Lexi,” Villarreal said at the podium. “We just have to wait. One day, we’ll all get back in touch. Rest in paradise.”
Under a clear night sky, the flashlights were turned on and shined as bright as Alexa’s smile.

At Round Valley High School in Arizona, where there were no injuries due to the crash, the school has started a scholarship fund in Alexa’s honor.

By Kyle LoJacono

County commissioners are poised to create and raise fees to make up the more than $900,000 budget shortfall in the Pasco County Parks and Recreation Department.
“We tried to look at what other counties in the area were doing to make up for their budget problems,” said the department’s director Rick Buckman. “Hillsborough and Pinellas have both created admissions fees for regional parks and raised fees for summer programs and athletics leagues. We’d rather have fees than close parks during the week and cancel programs.”
In Hillsborough, officials created fees to enter regional parks last November, according to spokesman John Brill. It also increased the fees to participate in certain activities, such as summer programs and athletic leagues.

“When we asked for public input the majority of people said they would rather see fees than parks closed during the week or programs eliminated,” Brill said. “…The thought behind adding fees instead of raising taxes is the department felt the people who use the parks the most should be the ones paying to maintain them. We didn’t want to tax people who never use the facilities.”
Buckman echoed Brill’s sentiment, saying, “That’s what we saw in Hillsborough County and things seem to be working. They haven’t had to shut down their parks and that’s what we are working to do in Pasco County.”
Pasco Commission chairwoman Pat Mulieri said she and the other commissioners were in agreement to adopt Buckman’s proposal.
“We’ve basically decided to keep the sheriff’s budget where it is, which means we won’t have to cut elsewhere to make up for that,” Mulieri said.
The current budget for the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office is $85.5 million and the department was asking for an increase to $89.4 million. Had the increase gone through, the parks department would have had a large budget shortfall.
“The suggestions by Mr. Buckman will allow us to maintain our park services,” Mulieri continued. “We didn’t want to close parks or cut park services and the new plan should allow us to avoid those things.”

Buckman said he thought the fees to enter regional parks would be $2 per car, which is the same as in Hillsborough. An annual pass will also be offered for frequent uses, but the price is still being discussed. In Hillsborough the fee does not apply for entry to other department facilities and Buckman believed it would be the same in Pasco.
Another area that will see fees for the first time are youth leagues co-sponsored by the county. In the past these leagues only had to pay direct expenses like electricity.
“We’ve never charged children in leagues we co-sponsor either, but we had to do something if we were going to keep them,” Buckman said. “The choices were to either make small fees or have the leagues take care of the facilities on their own. We talked to the league presidents and they favored the fees.”
Some of those co-sponsored leagues include Central Pasco Youth Soccer, the Wesley Chapel Athletic Association and Dade City Little League. There are 35 such youth programs in the county.
Mulieri, who represents District 2 including Land O’ Lakes, Odessa and Shady Hills, said it will cost participants $10 for two sessions in these leagues and $25 or children who come from other counties.
“The families from outside counties will pay a little more because they aren’t paying into the tax pool,” Mulieri said. “That makes it more fair for the people who live in Pasco County.”
Like Hillsborough, the new Pasco fees will allow people in financial need a way to enjoy the parks and services as well. Children receiving free or reduced price lunches will pay $5 for two sessions in Pasco sponsored leagues and may even qualify for a scholarship.
Buckman also proposed raising fees for athletic programs and other services offered, such as adult softball offered at the Land O’ Lakes Community Center.
“It’s been a rough year for everyone and we’ve had to make a lot of cuts,” Mulieri said. “People want to maintain their quality of life and need a place to raise their kids. Parks are an important part of people’s lives and raising healthy children and we believe Mr. Buckman’s ideas are the best way to maintain our services and keep our parks open.”
Brill said the Hillsborough department has collected $500,972 from regional parks’ entry fees and annual passes from November through May 30.
Buckman said he is not sure if further elimination of department services will be needed to make the budget. The Hillsborough department had to eliminate its special events team, which helped during the set up of such events as the Lutz Independence Day Celebration.
The final fees will not be set until the budget is finished Oct. 1, but the proposal will be submitted in July.

Proposed changes
$2 fee to enter regional parks
Increased fees for programs offered through the parks department
Fees for co-sponsored youth leagues
Fees to launch boats at regional parks

Some central Pasco parks and centers
Land O’ Lakes Community Center in Land O’ Lakes
Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex in Land O’ Lakes
Turtle Lakes Park in Land O’ Lakes
Suncoast Trail in Odessa
Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park in Odessa/New Port Richey
Crews Lake Wilderness Park in Shady Hills

Some east Pasco parks and centers
Samuel W. Pasco Recreation Center in Zephyrhills
James Irvin Civic Center in Dade City
John S. Burks Memorial Park in Dade City
Withlacoochee River Park in Dade City
San Antonio Athletic Complex in San Antonio
Wesley Chapel District Park in Wesley Chapel

Some north Hillsborough parks and centers
Lake Park in Lutz
Lutz Community Center in Lutz
Oscar Cooler Sports Complex in Lutz
Nye Park in Lutz
Lake Rogers Park in Odessa
Keystone Recreation Center in Odessa
NFL Yet at Mort Recreation Center in Lutz
Lettuce Lake Park in north Hillsborough

By Joe Potter

A larger park system, more bicycle and hiking trails, a pedestrian friendly shopping district, clean industry and a new community center were items placed on a wish list for Zephyrhills’ future June 16.
The ideas were presented during a workshop held at Alice Hall Community Center regarding updating the city’s decade-old Comprehensive Redevelopment Plan. About 40 people attended the session that was coordinated by Kimley-Horn and Associates Inc.
Maine-ly New England provided breakfast for the 7 a.m. meeting.
Kimley-Horn is a Sarasota-based consultant working with Zephyrhills to update its Community Development Plan. The plan covers what type of development may occur within a Community Redevelopment Area in downtown Zephyrhills.
The city is in the early stages of updating the plan. It will likely take eight to nine months to complete the process. Additional public meetings will be held during the coming months to receive input from the public, affected property owners, city officials and other interested parties.
Mayor W. Cliff McDuffie said he would like to see Zephyrhills, which is Pasco County’s second largest municipality, attract more businesses and more local jobs.
Another goal would be to see East Pasco YMCA be able to enlarge its facilities at 37301 Chapel Hill Loop and to be able to offer additional programs.
Todd Vande Berg, Zephyrhills’ development director, said a good working relationship exists between the city and Pasco County. That may help to move some of the city’s goals forward, Vande Berg added.
It was noted that skydiving activities, which draw approximately 70,000 visitors to Zephyrhills each year, has an approximately $8 million annual economic impact on the city. Skydive City, located at the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport, is one of the premier skydiving locations in the country. It even draws visitors from Canada, Europe and other nations.
Vande Berg said he thought more residents and businesses could be attracted to Zephyrhills if the city were able to find one key catalyst project that could be developed within the CRA.
“We need to get economic improvement resources imported more to east Pasco,” said Randy Stovall of Pasco-Hernando Community College. “We need to wave our flag every chance we get. We need to be wherever they’re talking about economic development and to make our needs known,” Stovall said.
Realtor Michael Prilliman said Florida Hospital Zephyrhills “is the one thing that has improved the quality of life in Zephyrhills.”
Others attending the meeting also commented upon the positive impact Florida Medical Clinic has had on Zephyrhills.
“It seems like you have a lot of economic development assets to work with. You need to do a better job of identifying the city’s brand and marketing it,” said Kenneth H. Creveling, president of Urbanomic$. The Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.-based firm is a subcontractor to Kimley-Horn. Urbanomic$ specializes in Urban and Real Estate Investments.
Martin P. “Marty” Black of Kimley-Horn said Zephyrhills is already very well associated with the bottled water industry. Zephyrhills bottled water is known throughout the world, Black said.
City Councilwoman Jodi Wilkeson said Zephyrhills has a reputation for being a healthy city in which to live. She suggested more attention could be focused on that aspect to help attract businesses and people to the city.
Kimley-Horn also met with various other groups during sessions held June 16 and June 17 at various locations.
Results of the sessions will be available on Zephyrhills’ city website, www.ci.zephyrhills.fl.us/, Black said.

City’s southern gateway needs facelift
By JOE POTTER
Laker Correspondent
The southern entrance to Zephyrhills along U.S. 301 is blighted and needs to be improved, according to residents and a city consultant working to map the future of Zephyrhills.
Run-down homes, semi-demolished or mostly unsecured mobile homes and dilapidated commercial buildings line both sides of a section of U.S. 301 on the city’s southern side, according to Martin P. “Marty” Black of Kimley-Horn and Associates Inc.
Kimley-Horn is a Sarasota-based consulting firm that is helping Zephyrhills to update its decade old Community Redevelopment Plan.
The plan outlines how development may occur within the city’s Community Redevelopment Area that consists of a several block area in downtown Zephyrhills. The CRA is broadly outlined by 11th Avenue to South Avenue along U.S. 301 and 1st Street to 10th Street along State Road 54. Tax dollars generated by improvements within the CRA are set aside to pay for projects within the CRA, including streetscape, façade improvements and infrastructure.
Most of the approximately 40 people attending Wednesday’s meeting at Alice Hall Community Center agreed the city’s other gateways – from U.S. 301 north, State Road 54 West, and Eiland Boulevard/County Road 54 – presented a much better overall impression of the city.
Todd Vande Berg, the city’s development director, said many people are unaware of where the city limits begin on the south side. Generally speaking, properties at C Avenue and to the north are within the city. Properties south of that location are in the county, Vande Berg explained. The city does not have control over blighted areas in the county, he continued.

Roundabouts could make some Zephyrhills intersections safer
By JOE POTTER
Laker Correspondent
Having roundabouts at key Zephyrhills intersections could help traffic to flow more safely and reduce the number of accidents an engineer told city officials Wednesday.
Ken Sides was participating in one of several workshops held Wednesday by Kimley-Horn and Associates. The Sarasota-based firm is helping Zephyrhills to revamp its Community Redevelopment Plan.
A roundabout is a type of circular intersection with yield control of entering traffic, islands on the approaches, and appropriate road curvature to reduce vehicle speeds said a Federal Highway Administration brochure provided by Sides.
Handling how traffic flows through the city’s Community Redevelopment Area is one of the objectives of the plan that is now approximately 10 years old. The CRA is roughly bounded by 11th Avenue to South Avenue along U.S. 301 and 1st Street to 10th Street along State Road 54.
There are currently four roundabouts in Tampa and 18 in Clearwater.
Roundabouts are used to slow the speed of vehicles navigating through an intersection. Reducing vehicle speeds helps to reduce the likelihood of collisions and the severity of injuries incurred if a collision does occur, Sides said.
A study by the FHA shows roundabouts reduce fatalities by more than 90 percent. Also, a roundabout reduces the so-called “kill zone” in a regular signalized intersection by three quarters. And the likelihood of a vehicle-pedestrian accident in a roundabout is reduced by two thirds compared to a regular signalized intersection, Sides said.
Modern roundabouts differ from traffic circles that have been used in various places in the United States for more than 100 years, Sides said. The older traffic circles lack the effectiveness of modern roundabouts because they do not adequately reduce the speed of vehicles entering the circle, Sides continued.
The presentation by Sides, the engineer, was intended to give city officials some options to consider as the Community Redevelopment Plan is revised over the next several months.
No specific intersections in Zephyrhills have been identified at this point as likely candidates for a roundabout.
More information about the sessions Kimley-Horn has been holding on the Community Redevelopment Plan will soon be posted on the city’s website at http://www.ci.zephyrhills.fl.us/.

By Sarah Whitman

When potential home buyers bought into the Connerton dream six years ago, they were promised a community like no other in Land O’ Lakes.  Then, the economy changed and so did the real estate business. Home sales plummeted and plans for Connerton came to a screeching halt.

Homes stopped being built. A proposed apartment complex was nowhere in sight. The neighborhood’s welcome center closed its doors and residents wondered if what they were promised would ever become a reality.
According to Connerton’s new owners, Dallas-based CoastOak Group, the dream is not dead.
“Our vision is similar to the original vision,” said Stewart Gibbons, president of the Southeast US Region for CoastOak. “We are in the process of speaking with builders now and should have models open by the end of the year.”
CoastOak purchased the 5,000-acre community from former owner Terrabrook for $5.6 million and intends to finish what was started in 2004. There are plans to complete the planned 8,500 homes, new businesses and a hospital. A new elementary school will open at Connerton in the fall and three more schools are planned for the area.
The plans are in sync with the original idea to make Connerton its own little community where people live, work, shop and eat. The neighborhood offers several amenities including parks, walking trails, conservation areas and Club Connerton, a community club with a café’, swimming pool, exercise room and tennis courts.

Gibbons, who also lives in Connerton and was formerly employed by Terrabrook, said the future of Connerton is looking up. The empty promises and possibilities left on the community’s website are in play once again.
“We should have new family homes in the community by spring of next year,” he said.
John Hagan of the Pasco Economic Development council said he is happy about Connerton’s new ownership.
“We’ve always thought the new urban vision Connerton represents is a really great concept,” Hagan said. “We’re excited the neighborhood is back on track and we hope to see more communities spring up with the live, work and play vision.”

Project brings new fields and sports to area

By Kyle LoJacono

A $3.9 million expansion of the Oscar Cooler Sports Complex means more fields, fresh facilities and extra room for even more Lutz, Odessa and Land O’ Lakes athletes.
The project is nearly complete and a grand opening will happen in time for the fall sports season after the complex passes final inspections.
“It will bring more recreation and athletic options for people in north Hillsborough County,” said John Brill, spokesman for Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation. “We’ve been working to expand the park for a few years now and it will be approved soon.”
The project adds 33 acres of land to the complex, located along W. Lutz-Lake Fern Road and Crooked Lane in Lutz. The expansion was originally planned for completion in April, but no sports programs were scheduled to use the new facilities until later this summer.
The project is adding more parking spots, a playground, more concession stands and restrooms, more football fields and also soccer fields for the first time.
“Really that area of north Hillsborough hasn’t ever had a soccer program,” said department director Mark Thornton. “People had to travel to New Tampa, Town ‘N’ Country or Pasco County to play competitive soccer. Now they will have fields near home and that’ll help soccer thrive in the area.”

There will be one soccer field for games and three practice fields for soccer and football at the complex. FC Tampa Rangers will be the competitive soccer program run out of the complex beginning later this summer.
The Rangers are part of the FC Tampa Soccer Club, the oldest youth soccer program in Tampa, according to club organizer and Lutz resident Mike Connell. The Rangers will have developmental programs for younger children and competitive seasons for older players.
“The new fields will be great for the area,” Connell said. “Kids have been waiting for competitive soccer in Lutz and Odessa for years and now they will have it.”
The new soccer program will play in the Florida Youth Soccer Association against such area clubs as Wesley Chapel Soccer Club and the Fusion Futbol Club in New Tampa.
“The real goal is to build soccer here in north Hillsborough County,” Connell said. “For me I’d like to think the kids will eventually bring success to our local high schools, which are Steinbrenner, Freedom, Gaither and Wharton here in Hillsborough.”
For more information on the Rangers, visit www.fctampalutz.com.
The expansion will also make the park one of the game sites for Tampa Bay Youth Football League (TBYFL), a Hillsborough youth football and cheerleading organization.
The Lutz Chiefs, which joined the 16-team TBYFL this year after spending nearly 30 years in the Pasco Police Athletic League, will play home games at the complex with such area teams as the South Pasco Steelers, Thonotosassa Giants and Carrollwood Cardinals.
Lutz Little League baseball and Lutz Leaguerettes softball also call the complex home. A future project will add another baseball field to the park, reconfigure another and add additional parking. Those improvements are scheduled for completion by the start of the next spring sports season.
“Oscar Cooler park is a great place for softball and baseball,” said Frank Zambito, coach of softball team 2 Hot 2 Handle. “The new fields and everything else they are adding will just make it that much better.”
For information on Lutz Leaguerettes, visit www.lutzleaguerettes.com.
Zambito’s team just won the pigtails division, for 10 and 13-years-old girls, last season. Girls in Lutz Leaguerettes are mostly from Lutz, Odessa and Land O’ Lakes.
The facility’s new lighting system is designed to prevent the surrounding neighborhoods from being disturbed during night events. Large trees were also kept in place to act as a sound barrier.

“We want to be good neighbors,” Brill said.
Brill said there are no plans to expand either Nye Park or the Lake Park, both located in Lutz.
The Oscar Cooler Sports Complex dates back to 1975 when the facility had just three fields for baseball only. Before then the area was mainly orange groves. Cooler, a Lutz resident, worked with county officials and local volunteers to get the initial park built.

Expanded Oscar Cooler Sports Complex
Cost: $3.9 million
New facilities: one soccer game field, one football game field, soccer/football practice fields, parking spaces, playgroup, restrooms, concession stands, two maintenance buildings
New programs: FC Tampa Rangers soccer club, Tampa Bay Youth Football League teams

By Suzanne Schmidt

Whether it is a gold buyer or a hair cutter, many businesses are trying to capitalize on people’s shopping impulses by hiring “sign spinners.”
Some of the sign holders spin the sign while others will throw them in the air. Often they will be listening to music and dancing around. Regardless of the style, the purpose is always the same: to get drivers’ attention and, in turn, drive new business.
Jason Henke is one of the more animated marketers. Most weekends he can be found at the corner of US 41 and SR 54 holding a sign for Beazer Homes.

Henke, 29, said his father Terry Wilmering taught him to give every job his all, so that is what he does.
“When I get tired or weary, I just think of what my dad taught me,” Henke said. “My dad taught me to work hard. He taught me to give 110 percent and to go that extra mile. I work like I am working for God himself.”
Reactions vary, according to Henke, and not all of them are favorable.
“Some people laugh and giggle,” Henke said. “Sometimes I get honked at or a grumpy person will drive by. Many people say they think I am having too much fun when I am working. That is my stage out there, I love it.”
Henke said he likes to do tricks with the sign to attract people’s attention.
“I know how to twirl the big sign with one hand,” Henke said. “I like to do a vertical twirl or twirl it from one hand to the other. Sometimes I play hide and seek with the sign because it makes people laugh.”
Little research has been done to determine whether sign spinners are effective, but one area gold buyer believes in the program so much that he has hired twirlers for each of his 10 stores in the Tampa area, including one at 28107 SR 54 in Wesley Chapel.
“Every store I have has a sign holder every day of the week,” said David Mcintyre, owner of Top USA Gold Buyers. “If we take the sign twirler away, we only get half of the business. It is probably one of the key factors of my business because there is so much competition out there. I just count it as part of the advertising.”
He said he thinks sign holders are effective because they draw the attention of drivers.
“You see a person holding a sign and it catches your eye,” Mcintyre said. “It is not like billboards that are just up on the side of the road. I encourage them to listen to music and dance.”
Ryan Smith, the sign twirler for Samantha Taylor’s Pure Health Studios in Lutz, used similar techniques.
“He was so dedicated and he took it so seriously,” Taylor said. “He had a sign shaking technique where he would spin the sign to catch people’s attention. He was coming up with all these ways to be creative.”
Despite Smith’s efforts, Taylor said her weight loss and personal training business did not get the intended results after a month of roadside marketing.
“I think my business is too customized,” Taylor said. “I only got a few calls from it so I decided to stop. I don’t think it works for my type of business.”
Steve Weiss is not sure if the sign twirler is driving business to his Sport Clips Haircuts location in Wesley Chapel, but he has employed one for about nine months.
“The challenge for me is that it is not something I can measure,” Weiss said. “I do think it adds value to my store though. I think it helps because most people don’t even know what we do because we don’t have brand recognition. It helps get our name out there.”
Weiss said he originally hired a sign holder because they had attracted his attention to other people’s business.
“I started doing it because I would drive down Bruce B. Downs and see all the people holding signs,” Weiss said. “It really caught my eye and I was looking to attract attention from impulse buyers. I am right behind Sam’s Club so I am hoping people will see the sign on the way to Sam’s and learn that I am here.”
Sport Clips is at 27709 SR 56, where passing drivers are more likely to find a sign holder than a sign spinner.
“I don’t like it when people spin the sign,” Weiss said. “I can’t tell what they are selling so I just ask her to move a little bit. I tell her to listen to music, stay hydrated and use sun screen.”