Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Sarah Whitman

Senior Staff Writer

The future of Village Lakes Shopping Center remains unknown. When Wal-Mart moved out of the center last fall to its new mega-center on US 41, people began speculating what would fill the space.

Property management company Ramco Gershenson Properties Trust should have an answer within the next 30 to 60 days.

“Right now we are in negotiations with retailers,” Michael Sullivan, senior vice president of investment, said. “There are two scenarios. In one scenario, there will be one user in the space. In the other, there will be several tenants in the space.”

Shoppers and employees at Village Lakes have their own opinions about how to best use the space.

“I’d rather see one retailer than several,” said Dawn Chiacchio, hair stylist at Euro Concepts Salon. “I can maybe see two businesses there, but I don’t see how more than two would work.”

Shopper and Land O’ Lakes resident Gladys Romain agrees.

“I’d like to see a store go in like an outlet,” she said. “I think it should be a big-name store where middle class people shop, like a Kohl’s.”

Ben Pumo, owner of Benedetto’s, thinks several retailers would be risky.

“There would be more of a chance that the businesses would go out of business,” he said.  “One big retailer would be better because it would be consistent.”

According to Sullivan, a major retailer is a definite possibility. His main goal is to keep Village Lakes open and thriving. He has no intention of letting the center empty out.

“This property is a keeper for us and we are committed to making it work,” he said. “We want to redevelop the property for the next generation.”

Built in 1987, Village Lakes is the oldest shopping center of its size in Land O’ Lakes. Throughout the years, smaller businesses have come and gone from the center. In 2009, Jam Music went out of business  and Room Exchange and Weck’s Deli relocated to other centers.

Remaining businesses include Sweetbay, Beef O’ Brady’s, Goodwill-Suncoast, The Dollar Tree, Murphy’s Pub, Gentle Pet Animal Hospital and Land O’ Lakes Dental.

Dental receptionist Kera Mandigo thinks the next tenant should mimic Wal-Mart’s success.

“I miss the Wal-Mart,” she said. “I think it would be good if another big store went there, something that would bring in a lot of people.”

Sam Hamdaoi owns Uptown Pizza in Village Lakes.

“I’ve heard a lot of rumors,” Hamdaoi said. “I’ve heard that the store is going to be divided into two spaces and about Beall’s Outlet leasing one of the spaces.”

Shopper Romain winces at the idea.

“Oh no, we don’t need another Beall’s,” she said.

Sullivan said he is unable to comment on what specific retailers are involved in negotiations. Still, he is optimistic that not too long from now, the mystery of Village Lakes will be announced.

“We don’t want to jinx anything but I can tell you we are working on finding the perfect fit,” he said. “Redeveloping properties is one of our greatest strengths.”

Village Lakes Shopping Center is located on SR 54, one mile east of US 41.

History of Zephyrhills rich and plentiful

By Kyle LoJacono

Staff Writer

When Howard Barth Jeffries bought 35,000 acres of land, he would not have been able to envision what the area would be like 100 years later.

Today that land is the city of Zephyrhills, which turned 100-years-old March 10.

“I’ve seen a lot of change over my time on the east side of Pasco County,” said Margie Partain, member of the Zephyrhills Historical Association board of directors. “It has gone from a little place with almost nothing but farms to a city with lots of people and businesses.”

Partain moved to Wesley Chapel in 1977 and then to Zephyrhills seven years ago.

Several community leaders have been preparing for the celebration for a long time.

“The Zephyrhills High School Centennial Committee has been planning for the anniversary for two years now,” said Zephyrhills historian Madonna Wise. “The other committee I’m on, the Main Street Zephyrhills (Inc.) centennial committee, has been working on the celebration for about six months. It takes a long time to plan for something that has been coming for 100 years.”

Wise has lived in Zephyrhills for 36 years and has worked in five of the six public schools from the elementary to the high school level.

“This city is just rich in history that you can never know it all,” Wise said. “I was so interested in the history that I wrote two books on it.”

Her first book is “Tapestry-Zephyrhills: An Anthology of its History Through Education,” and the second is “Zephyrhills: Images of America,” which was just released. Wise will be signing copies of the books at Jeffries house, 38537 Fifth Ave., at Founder’s Day March 13 and 14.

Before it became Zephyrhills, the area was called Abbott, named after a local doctor named J.M. Abbott. The word station was added to the town’s name after two train depots were opened.

Jeffries, who was a retired Union Army captain, first came to central Florida looking for a place to farm.

“A lot of soldiers moved to Florida and started farms because Union Army pensions were small,” Partain said. “They could get two harvests each year, which many people couldn’t pass up.”

Jeffries bought the land in 1909 from James Lee Greer, who owned Greer Sawmill. Jeffries first planted the property in 1910.

“The reason people say the town was founded in 1910 is because that’s when Capt. Jeffries divided up the land and started selling it to people,” Partain said. “That allowed other people to move to the area. You can’t very well have a town if no one can buy land and move in.”

Zephyrhills was officially incorporated as a city in 1914 when the Zephyrhills Colony Company was formed.

How the city got its name is not clear, but two main stories are generally accepted among the historical association. The first is that there was a strong breeze on top of LeHeup Hill, which is where Jeffries signed the contract for the land. The word Zephyr actually means breezes, so the name Zephyrhills stuck. The other speculation is the first person to survey the city had either a first or last name of Hill.

The city is not the only thing turning 100-years-old in 2010. The original Zephyrhills High School was founded in September 1910. It was first located on Gall Boulevard where the Clock Restaurant is today. It stayed there until 1926 when it moved to the present location of Raymond B. Stewart Middle School and finally to 12th Street.

“It was at Stewart Middle until 1975 when it moved to where it is today,” Wise said. “I taught at both locations and I’m so happy that we’re going to be dedicating Stewart Middle with a historic marker on March 13 at Founder’s Day. We’ll have a lot of politicians there for the dedication and it will be a great event for everyone to come and see.”

The dedication is at 2 p.m. after the Founder’s Day parade, which ends at Stewart Middle.

“I’m just happy that all the work the committee has done is starting to come together,” said Tim Urban, president of the school’s centennial committee. “Having the dedication at Founder’s Day is a great way to kick off our celebration of the school. We will have a big celebration on Oct. 22, which is homecoming next school year.”

Urban is an assistant principal at the school and will be a city council member in April.

“I just want to continue the rich history of learning here in Zephyrhills,” Urban said. “We want to keep shaping great young people who can go out into the community and make a difference. That was our goal for the first 100 years and that will continue to be our goal in the future.”

By Kyle LoJacono

Staff Writer

The recession has created budget shortfalls at every level, but road construction projects continue to be funded and move forward in east Pasco County.

The Pasco County Commission is expected to approve the low-bid contract of $22 million to widen SR 54 to six lanes form I-75 to Curley Road in Wesley Chapel on March 16.

“Pepper Contracting Services, which is based in Clearwater, had the lowest bid for the project at just more than $22 million,” said Pasco chief project manager Robert Shepherd. “They will get the project because they passed all of our background checks and were the lowest bidder. The project will add the lanes to 3.47 miles of (SR) 54.”

Shepherd said construction would likely begin April 5 and could take 21 months to complete.

“We need to keep building, especially new roads because the population in east Pasco is still growing,” said Pasco County Commissioner Ted Schrader. “We sometimes get complaints sometimes from the people who drive the roads every day and want road projects completed faster. They don’t understand how much goes into a project. A lot happens behind the scenes to start a project.”

Schrader is from Pasco District 1, which covers all of Zephyrhills, Dade City, much of Wesley Chapel and some of northern Land O’ Lakes.

SR 54 is already four lanes at the western end of the project zone, but the road shrinks to two lanes at Pointe Pleasant Boulevard near Heritage Ford.

Schrader said the county had already purchased the land needed for the expansion and many of the affected businesses have relocated within Pasco. The construction that is currently happening on SR 54 is on utilities in preparation for the widening.

There are several steps before a county project can begin. The job is first advertised for at least 30 days and bids are then evaluated. The lowest bidder wins the contract unless they have something that disqualifies them.

“Companies can be disqualified if they have a history of not completing projects or other similar red flags,” Shepherd said. “The county has attorneys look at the bids also to make sure the math is correct and everything is as it should be. Basically it’s to insure the company can finish the project.”

The last steps are the contract is awarded and the winning company has to then get bonded and insured to protect the public’s investment.

“It’s very important that companies are bonded in case they can’t complete the project,” Schrader said. “When a company is fired from a Pasco County project the bonding company is responsible for getting another company to complete the project. The bonding company then pays any cost over the original contract. No additional public money would be used in those cases.”

These safeguards are especially important now after Pasco’s head of finance recently said the county would likely lose $17 million this year without property tax increases.

This bonding process will help Pasco complete two other projects in Wesley Chapel and Land O’ Lakes. The largest of these is the extension of Collier Parkway through Hale Road and Parkway Boulevard. WDG Construction Inc. was working on the project before it was fired by the county Feb. 9.

“The bonding company has narrowed its list of companies to finish the Collier extension to six and they should make their recommendation soon,” Shepherd said. “The original building company received $1,489,000 for the work they had done, and 10 percent of that is withheld until the projects completion. The company that finishes the project will get that 10 percent.”

The original contract with WDG was for $4.3 million. The company was also fired from the project to connect Mansfield and Meadow Pointe boulevards in Wesley Chapel. Shepherd said that project is still scheduled to be completed in April even though a replacement company had yet to be named as of March 5.

Additional construction on Meadow Pointe from S.R. 54 to near Smith Road all started March 7. The project includes milling, resurfacing and restriping the road and one lane will be open at any point in time.  The project is expected to be completed within 30 days. The improvements to Meadow Pointe will provide a detour for residents and commuters during the widening of SR 54.

“We want all of Pasco County to continue to grow and that requires road projects,” Schrader said. “It’s a problem during the project with traffic being delayed and occasionally you have problems with the contractor, but in the end it will benefit all the people and businesses in the area.”

By Kyle LoJacono

Staff Writer

During the 26-year history of Gaither High School, only one man has managed the Cowboy’s baseball team. Now Frank Permuy will live forever as a hall of famer.

Permuy was named to the Florida High School Athletic Association’s (FHSAA) Hall of Fame Feb. 25.

“When the FHSAA called me I was actually worried because they usually will only call if you’ve broken some rule,” Permuy said jokingly. “When they told me I was named to the hall I was very surprised and extremely honored. There are so many great coaches in the FHSAA Hall of Fame and it’s a pleasure to be among them.”

It is the second hall of fame the coach has been inducted into. The first is the Florida Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame, which he was named to last year.

“The FACA is for coaches only, so this one is even a little more prestigious you could say,” Permuy said. “The FHSAA has officials, student-athletes and other athletic personnel along with coaches.”

The 2010 class is the 18th group named to the FHSAA hall. The group will be officially inducted at a ceremony April 25 in Gainesville.

“Frank Permuy will join official Clement Brooks, former swimmer Andrew Coan, baseball coach Pat McQuaid, writer Larry Blustein, former football coach Harry Jacobs, the late baseball coach Guy Garrett, official Joseph Rider and the late former football coach Sam Sirianni,” said Seth Polansky, FHSAA spokesperson. “Permuy and the others are all very deserving new members of the hall of fame.”

Permuy, 67, was born in Ybor City and grew up playing baseball, football and many other sports. After a short career in the minor leagues was cut short because of knee problems, he took over as the skipper at Leto High School for the 1971-72 school year.

“We won our district my first year at Leto and I’m proud of that,” Permuy said.

He then coached at the University of Tampa for four years before moving to Tampa Catholic High School. He guided the Crusaders to the 1982 Class 3A state championship.

Permuy took the coaching job at Gaither when the school opened in 1984. He was a physical education teacher for most of that time, but retired from teaching three years ago.

“Now I just coach and it’s a little different,” Permuy said. “Before I could deal with problems as soon as they happen. Now I wait until I come in and get my mail to hear if there are any problems.”

The Cowboys have won eight district titles under Permuy, who was also named the 2007 National Federation of State High School Association’s coach of the year. Gaither’s best finish under Permuy was the 2005 6A state runner-up. He has won more than 500 games during his high school coaching career.

“We went 2-20 my first season at Gaither and that’s the only losing season I’ve had here,” Permuy said. “The next year we won the district, so we got things going in the right direction fast.

“I want to keep coaching because I think I can contribute and help the kids,” he continued. “Although my wife (Danae) might tear the uniform off me before I’m ready. She thought it was time years ago.”

Several of Permuy’s former players became coaches too. One that has stayed in Hillsborough County is Wharton’s Scott Hoffman.

“He’s the reason I got into coaching,” said Hoffman, who graduated from Gaither in 1989. “I’m not the only one of his players that is still in Hillsborough. Landy Faedo at Alonso and Jason Gordon at Tampa Bay Tech did too. He’s got quite a coaching tree going…All I can say is he’s a great coach and deserves to be in the hall of fame for sure.”

During his career at Gaither, Permuy has coached several players who were drafted by Major League Baseball franchises. Of those, Kevin Cash, who played last season for the New York Yankees, and Chad Zerbe, who played four years for the San Francisco Giants, reached the big leagues.

“It’s great when a kid gets drafted, but I’m more proud when they sign with a college,” Permuy said. “I think that’s what coaches should be doing. Getting kids prepared to play at the next level.”

One of the most recent of Permuy’s players to get a college scholarship is senior first baseman Brady North. When he signed to play at Hillsborough Community College, North said of Permuy, “He’s a great coach and I’ve loved playing for him here. He really is Gaither baseball.”

One of the coach’s younger players is sophomore left-handed pitcher Alex Milne.

“It’s a privilege to play for coach P,” Milne said. “He runs a class program and I hope he coaches for many more years. He has all the experience in the world and anyone would benefit from having him as their coach.”

By Sarah Whitman

Senior Staff Writer

They call him Hurricane Sammy.

Samuel Valentin is a 15-year-old boxing champion with one thing on his mind—fighting his way to the 2012 Summer Olympics.

“My dream has always been to go to the Olympics and represent my country,” Hurricane said, taking time out from training at his home gym in Wesley Chapel. “I want to become a professional boxer so I can travel and see the world.”

Hurricane tried on his first pair of boxing gloves at age 5. His father, Samuel Valentin Sr., is a former kick-boxer who was training boxers in Plant City when his young son unexpectedly stepped up to the punching bag.

“He just started hitting the bag and mimicking everything the boxers were doing,” Valentin said. “I knew then he had a natural talent.”

Hurricane began boxing in amateur fights at 9 years old. He has since placed in three world championships and acquired more than 20 state titles, including 2009 Police Athletic League (PAL) State Champion. His record is currently 96-14.

“He has never been knocked out,” Valentin said. “He’s such a talented kid, the way he moves; he has never even been really hurt.”

Hurricane will compete in the Junior Olympics April 31 through May 2 in Ybor City. He has six Junior Olympic Championship belts already. They are displayed on the wall in his garage, along with an impressive trophy collection.

“To be a good boxer, you have to be self disciplined,” Hurricane said. “You have to be dedicated. It isn’t just about having skills. You have to want it.”

Hurricane is a sophomore at Wharton High School, where he maintains good grades and has gained the support of friends. He works out everyday after school, usually at Calta’s boxing gym in Temple Terrace.

He tries to get his homework finished before heading to the gym around 6 p.m. He trains for three hours a night. He lifts weights, practices moves in the ring and spars with his trainer, Luis ‘Hurricane Tony’ Arreola, the former professional boxer who gave Sammy his name.

“I’ve known Sammy since he was 5 years old,” Arreola said. “It’s been exciting watching him grow. When he wins, it feels like I’m winning as well. It’s like I’m in the ring with him.”

Hurricane said Arreola and his father support him in all his efforts.

“Working with my dad, it feels good because when it’s just me and him, there are no distractions,” Hurricane said. “It feels good because not a lot people have a support system and I have someone who is always by my side, helping me get to where I want to be.”

Hurricane has been an inspiration to his dad.

“The hunger that my son has to achieve his goals is inspiring,” Valentin said. “He has changed my life. A few years ago I weighed almost 600 pounds. Working out with Sammy, I’ve lost more than 287 pounds. He gave me a reason to really live life again.”

Hurricane adheres to a strict diet that includes daily protein shakes. He currently competes in the 132 to 138-pound weight class; so healthy eating is essential. He said pizza is his weakness.

“I love pizza so I have it every couple weeks, but I can’t eat it all the time,” he said. “I hardly ever drink soda.”

Hurricane does not mind making sacrifices. He knows what it takes to stand in the Olympic ring. Every time he fights, he’s one step closer to the London games 2012.

“I will compete in Olympic trials in 2011,” he said. “Before that, I’ll be in a tournament to make the team that travels around the world competing pre-Olympics.”

Hurricane is not worried about being distracted by all the attention and excitement.

“It’s all about focus,” he said. “When I’m in the ring and the crowd is cheering me on, there’s a lot of adrenaline. I take that energy and I focus on the fight. The best fighters are people who are humble.”

For more information, visit www.hurricanesammy.net.

By Kyle LoJacono

Staff Writer

Pasco County residents will not be stuck paying to finish three road projects left uncompleted when contractors of three major road projects were recently fired by the Pasco County Commission.

WDG Construction Inc. was fired by the county Feb. 3 from the Collier Parkway extension in Land O’ Lakes and the completion of a road connecting Mansfield and Meadow Pointe boulevards in Wesley Chapel.

Kearny Construction Company had its contract terminated in January from a project replacing waterlines along US 41 between Ehren Cutoff and SR 52.

Despite the problems, additional Pasco public funds will not needed to complete the projects because both companies were fully bonded.

“It’s very important that companies are bonded in case they can’t complete the project,” said Pasco County Commissioner Ted Schrader. “When a company is fired from a Pasco County project the bonding company is responsible for getting another company to complete the project. The bonding company then pays any cost over the original contract. No additional public money would be used in those cases.”

Schrader is from Pasco District 1, which covers all of Zephyrhills, Dade City, much of Wesley Chapel and some of northern Land O’ Lakes.

This bonding process will help Pasco complete all three projects.

“The bonding company has narrowed its list of companies to finish the Collier extension to six and they should make their recommendation soon,” said Pasco chief project manager Robert Shepherd. “The original building company received $1,489,000 for the work they had done, and 10 percent of that is withheld until the project’s completion. The company that finishes the project will get that 10 percent.”

The original contract with WDG was for $4.3 million. A replacement company for the Meadow Point connector road had not been named as of March 5, but Shepherd said the project is still scheduled to be completed in April.

Less information was available about the US 41 waterline project because it is not fully under the jurisdiction of the county.

“That project involved Federal stimulus money and had to meet certain checkpoints if it was going to continue to get funding,” Schrader said. “So the commission voted to end that contract.”

The construction currently happening on US 41 is under the jurisdiction of the Florida Department of Transportation. That project is widening the highway to four lanes, but Pasco County has nothing to do with the funding. The county was however replacing the waterlines at the same time to take advantage of the equipment and the ready-made holes.

There are several steps before a county project can begin, with the last being the company getting bonded and insured to protect the public’s investment.

These safeguards are especially important now after Pasco’s head of finance recently said the county would likely lose $17 million this year without property tax increases.

Before a project is awarded, it must be advertised for at least 30 days while bids are evaluated. The lowest bidder wins the contract unless they have something that disqualifies them.

“Companies can be disqualified if they have a history of not completing projects or other similar red flags,” Shepherd said. “The county has attorneys look at the bids also to make sure the math is correct and everything is as it should be. Basically it’s to insure the company can finish the project.”

In this case the checks were unable to discover the issues within Kearny Construction and WDG that prevented them from completing their contracts.

“We want all of Pasco County to continue to grow and that requires road projects,” Schrader said. “It’s a problem during the project with traffic being delayed and occasionally you have problems with the contractor, but in the end it will benefit all the people and businesses in the area.”

By Suzanne Schmidt

Staff Writer

Every Friday, children at Kids ‘R’ Kids Meadow Pointe arrive smiling because it is Silly Sam day.

Silly Sam The Music Man, or Eric Halvorsen, teaches his music curriculum to the students where they learn about rhythm, instruments and musical terminology.

“I teach an original curriculum based around my songs,” Halvorsen said. “I want the kids to have fun with music. It is amazing what they can learn. By the end of the year, they should be able to understand musical values.”

The Lutz resident writes interactive songs to keep the children singing and dancing.

“When I was coming up with the curriculum, I knew it had to be interactive,” Halvorsen said. “I didn’t want to just stand up in front of them and play. I write songs so there is a lot of movement and motions.”

Children either learn about songs from Halvorsen’s instruction or through the music itself. Halvorsen teaches his curriculum at Seaborn Day School in South Tampa as well.

“Some songs cater to a specific rhythm or there are some other educational aspects to the delivery of the song,” Halvorsen said. “I teach rhythm by letting them either sing or clap along in the melody. They learn music is fun and about the value of notes like what a treble clef is.”

Each class has a different purpose. During the last class of the month, Halvorsen introduces students to a new instrument.

“I have a lot of friends that are musicians who let me borrow their instruments,” Halvorsen said. “They get to look at it and they hear me play it.”

Showing the instruments to the students helps to reinforce the ear training lessons Halvorsen teaches.

“I play CD’s of different music for them,” Halvorsen said. “This way they can learn to recognize different instruments they wouldn’t normally hear like bagpipes.”

Jaya Sriram, lead teacher for the voluntary pre-kindergarten program, is a big fan of music and Silly Sam’s curriculum.

“The kids learn a lot about music,” Sriram said. “They will remember some comment he made or some music he taught. It gives them an idea of what music is. The curriculum is simple, but at the same time it covers all the basic stuff they can learn at this age.”

Halvorsen thinks music is important for children to know about.

“It is something that is always around us,” Halvorsen said. “Music comes from our hearts, it doesn’t just come from an instrument. I hope they will have an appreciation of music and an understanding that everybody can make music.”

Music has been a part of Halvorsen’s life since he wrote his first song in the seventh-grade. He started writing contemporary music and added children’s music five years ago. Recently he added writing jingles.

“I write everything from love songs to pop songs,” Halvorsen said. “I am just a guy with an acoustic guitar.”

Leighton Lewis, 4, said he always has lots of fun when Silly Sam performs.

“He likes to do silly things,” Lewis said. “I like it when we get to line up and dance and then he tells us to freeze and then we get to start dancing again. When he plays the violin and the drums it is really fun.”

Jenna Horne, 4, said she loves it when Silly Sam comes to her school.

“I like the silly stuff he does,” Horne said.

Halvorsen will be performing as Silly Sam at the Festival of States at 5 and 6:30 p.m. March 25 at Vinoy Park in St. Petersburg.

Halvorsen also owns Clowning Around, which provides children’s entertainment including clowns, look-alike characters, balloon animals and face painters. His company can do everything from children’s parties to corporate events.

Before becoming a children’s entertainer, Halvorsen, 36, was assistant director of a day care in Richmond, Virginia for eight years. He then moved to Florida and began working with Clowning Around when it was still owned by Mary Lynch. He is married to Michelle Halvorsen with two young daughters Ember, 6, and Abigail, 8. For more information visit www.clowningaroundtampa.com.

Silly Sam also has a CD full of educational and fun songs for sale. For more information or to hear samples of his songs, visit www.myspace.com/sillysamsings.