Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Kyle LoJacono

Staff Writer

The project to widen SR 54 in Wesley Chapel began March 29 and will cost Pasco County a record-breaking $105.2 million to complete.

Pasco Chief Project Manager Robert Shepherd confirmed the project is the largest in the county’s history. The price tag includes $74.2 million to buy the land, $28 million to widen the 3.47-mile strip of road and move utilities and $3 million for planning and design.

The majority of the money went to purchase the land and not the construction itself because most of the property had businesses on it that needed to be bought out. Pasco County Commissioner Ted Schrader said many of the businesses have already relocated to other places in the county.

The project will make SR 54 a six-lane highway from I-75 to Curley Road. The road is currently four lanes at the western end of the project zone and shrinks to two at Pointe Pleasant Boulevard near Heritage Ford.

The job is projected to take 21 months and is being completed by Pepper Contracting Services, a Clearwater based company, according to Shepherd.

“Pasco is growing and we need to have road projects to accommodate that growth,” Schrader said. “This one in particular might cause people some headaches as it is going on, but in the end the road will be able to better serve the people of Pasco County.

“We sometimes get complaints from time to time from the people who drive the roads every day and want road projects completed faster,” Schrader continued. “They don’t know what goes into a project of this size. A lot happens behind the scenes just 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.

In the early stages traffic will continue with delays on SR 54, but in about six months vehicles will be diverted to SR 56 through Meadow Pointe Boulevard. State records from last year show that 38,000 vehicles travel on SR 54 between I-75 and Curley each day. Meadow Pointe is currently being resurfaced and strengthened to accommodate the increased traffic.

“We want to continue to grow Pasco County and road projects are an important part of that,” Schrader said. “We need to be careful about where we spend county money especially now. We all need to do more with less and figure out where to do road projects in the future.”

COLLIER PARKWAY EXTENSION

The bonding company responsible for finding a replacement construction firm to finish the Collier Parkway extension to Parkway Boulevard has received 10 bids according to Pasco County Chief Project Manager Robert Shepherd.

WDG Construction Inc. was originally hired by Pasco to complete the project, but was fired in February in part because the project was behind schedule.

Shepherd said he expected the bonding company to make a recommendation on which company would finish the project soon, but gave no date. The project was originally scheduled for completion this spring.

The project was only about 40 percent complete when WDG was fired from the project. No additional county money will be needed to finish the project because all Pasco County projects require the company finishing the job to be bonded. The bonding company pays any additional costs greater than the original contract.

The county is planning to eventually extend Collier north to connect with Ehren Cutoff, but that project will not begin until 2015 at the earliest.

SR 54 WIDENING

The SR 54 widening project from I-75 to Curley Road in Wesley Chapel began March 29 and will last 21 months. The total price for construction, land purchases and moving utilities is $105.2 million, making it the most expensive road project in the history of Pasco County.

The project will make the road six-lanes wide along the 3.47-mile stretch of land. SR 54 is currently four lanes at the western end of the project zone and shrinks to two at Pointe Pleasant Boulevard near Heritage Ford. The project is being completed by Pepper Contracting Services, a Clearwater company.

If you give a man a fishDade City man combines aquaculture and agriculture to fight hunger

By Sarah Whitman

Senior Staff Writer

When Hans Geissler founded Morning Star Fishermen in Dade City, he had a vision to help alleviate third-world hunger using aquaponics, a form of sustainable fish and vegetable farming.

A decade later, his vision is closer to home.

“Now, our biggest project is helping people in the United States,” Geissler said. “Because of the economy and changes in food production more people here want to learn how to be self-sustaining. Aquaponics is the future.”

Aquaponics is a process where waste water from fish is used to grow plants. The plants purify the water so it can be recycled. No soil is needed and synthetic fertilizers aren’t used.

Morning Star is an aquaponics training and research center located on 10 acres off Old Saint Joe Road. The nonprofit has more than 110,000 galloons of tank space and a solar-heated green house where tilapia are bred to feed a variety of plant species.

Morning Star’s main focus is education. Students come to learn how to create sustainable farming systems of their own. There are dormitories on site where people can live and study for up to three months. Morning Star offers courses lasting one day to 12 weeks.

“You know the parable, if you give a man a fish, he’ll eat for one day but if you teach a man to fish, he’ll eat for his whole life,” Geissler said. “We offer hands-on learning, which is the best way to learn, then the students can take what they have learned back to their home or community and create their own aquaponics system.”

A plumber by trade, Geissler taught himself to hand craft sailboats and is the owner of G-Cat Multihulls LLC, a successful company specializing in catamaran boats. He runs Morning Star on a strictly volunteer basis and has never taken a salary. He and wife, Sigrid, live on the property.

Geissler was inspired to study aquaculture on a mission trip to Guatemala 20 years ago.

“I saw the poverty in Guatemala and I had this inner voice speak to me that I needed to do something to help humanity,” he said. “I didn’t know anything about aquaponics. I started with a 10-gallon tank and went from there. I still don’t know everything. I’m always learning.”

Morning Star has helped bring aquaponics to 25 countries including Haiti, Nicaragua, Jamaica and Nigeria.

In recent months, the training center has attracted more students from the Tampa Bay area. Most are looking to set up backyard aquaponic systems for personal food supply.

“For our next four-week class all the students are from this area,” said Barbara Arthur, Morning Star executive director. “They’ll all be commuting so no one is staying in the dorms. It’s unbelievable how many people locally are interested now.”

Arthur began volunteering at Morning Star three years ago. She became executive director in September and moved into a house next door to the Geisslers. She works for room and board, and fresh veggies.

She is trying what she calls the 100-mile diet.

“It’s where you don’t eat anything that was grown outside of a 100-mile radius,” she said. “Hans and I are both trying it.”

Geissler considers homegrown food to be a step above fine dining. He loves the tilapia bred at Morning Star and was devastated when 2,000 fish were lost in the winter freeze. Busch Gardens recently donated 1,000 tilapia to help replenish the facility.

“Tilapia is a wonderful fish to breed because it tastes great and it is a great source of protein,” Geissler said. “When students come, we give them tilapia to get their own systems started. With aquaponics, a single family or a community of people can get their vegetables and their protein.”

Geissler believes organic farming will continue to grow in popularity.

“There are so many people without jobs and this is really a time to go back to basics,” he said. “If everyone would just grow something in their backyard, it would have a huge impact.”

Will McDonald, of Weeki Wachee, agrees. He heard about Morning Star from a friend and visited the farm March 30 to learn more.

“I’m interested in the future of green business,” McDonald said. “The food markets are changing. I want to know what opportunities there are. ”

Geissler is not interested in making his farm a business. Most of the food farmed at Morning Star is given away. Still, Geissler sees the potential for others to make a living with aquaponics.

“In the future, I believe it is going to be one of the main ways of growing food,” Geissler said. “The earth is 30 percent land and 70 percent water, and the population keeps going up and up.”

Morning Star needs volunteers to help with farming, volunteer coordinating, grant writing, maintenance, electrical and plumbing work, and in other areas.

Registration is open for a one-day training class May 8.

For information, visit www.morningstarfishermen.org.

By Sarah Whitman

Senior Staff Writer

The 9-year-old chess prodigy earned the championship title at the Super States 7 tournament last month in Miami, where she competed against hundreds.

“I am so proud of her,” said mom Heidi Truong. “She is amazing. When she plays people gather around to watch, waiting to see what her next move will be.”

Nguyen played her first chess game two years ago. She learned the basics from her dad, William Wallace, and from the chess club at Pine View Elementary, where she is a third grader. The more than 40 trophies displayed at her Land O’ Lakes home are evidence of her natural talent.

“To be a good chess player, you have to learn how to move the pieces and about tricks,” Nguyen said. “It’s a lot of fun.”

Nguyen, an only child, has competed in tournaments throughout Florida and the United States. She placed 8^th in the 2009 Turkey Bowl in Ft. Lauderdale, where she made it to the final round and matched with adult players.

“She was playing with people in their 50s,” Truong said. “She played for four hours and never lost focus.”

Nguyen practices four nights a week, at school and at the Tampa Bay Chess Club. She likes playing against older children and adults.

“I like the challenge,” she said. “When I beat someone older, I get a lot of compliments.”

Coach Willard Taylor of the Tampa Bay Chess Club is continually impressed by Nguyen.

“Her work ethic is what pushes her and she has such a love for the game,” Taylor said. “Chess is a very male dominated game, so when a female comes along it’s really inspiring.”

Nguyen said she gets nervous at tournaments but doesn’t let it get in the way of her game.

“I write notes to myself to remember to breathe,” she said. “If I get tired, I just take deep breaths.”

Nguyen’s parents taught her a phrase to repeat when she feels overwhelmed: Blunder Alert.

“We taught her to remember to be on blunder alert,” Wallace said. “It means she needs to take her time and stay focused, or she’ll make a mistake.”

Nguyen makes few mistakes. She studies the game and other players like a professional. She even has signature moves.

She likes to open a game with what she calls the Scotch gambit. The move involves moving a knight and a pawn, which forces the other player to do the same or otherwise forfeit pieces.

“I like the knight best because it can attack two pieces at once and jump other pieces,” Nguyen said. “The king is the most important piece but the knight is my favorite.”

Wallace said his daughter’s abilities have far surpassed his own.

“I’ve given up playing her,” he said. “She beats me so easily.”

Nguyen aspires to become a women’s world chess champion. She met the current women’s champion, Alexandra Kosteniuk, at a tournament in Miami; then saw her again at states.

“She (Kosteniuk) remembered Hailey,” Taylor said. “She watched Hailey throughout the tournament to see how she would do and was excited as the rest of us when she won.”

No one was as excited as Nguyen’s mom.

“All the parents were cheering and congratulating me,” Truong said. “I cried. I was so happy.”

Nguyen said the secret to chess is as simple as thinking before you act. Her favorite school subject is math, because she enjoys thinking logically. Chess is her time to shine.

“You have to look out for hidden traps,” she said. “You have to plan your moves.”

By Joe Potter

Laker Correspondent

In March 1975, a well-equipped Chevrolet Impala cost $4,901, Gerald Ford was president and a gentleman named Ira Crook began working at Zephyrhills High School as a custodian.

In today’s market, that vehicle ­in pristine condition ­is worth up to $20,000. Zephyrhills got an even better return on its investment it made by hiring Crook.

More than 100 people recently helped celebrate Crook’s retirement during a party in the commons area of the school.

Crook, 63, a shy, humble man who prefers to work behind the scenes, found himself the center of attention at the party.

He is a unique employee in many ways. Crook is the last school resource personnel who began their career at the former site of Zephyrhills High, now Raymond B. Stewart Middle School. He is sure his starting date is March 15, 1975, but not so sure of the date in May 1975 the new location opened.

“I wish I had wrote the date down,” Crook said.

The new site might not have opened on time without the help of Crook and other employees who carried furniture and equipment into the building.

In 1979, Crook was promoted to assistant plant manager at Zephyrhills High. His 31 years at that position is unsurpassed by any other person in the Pasco County School District.

Crook never aspired to be plant manager. He was happy to work under four plant managers, among whom were Clay Durrett, George Scudder and Mark Steve, and six principals, James E. Davis, Raymond B. Stewart, Larry Robison, James T. Davis, Gerri Painter and Steve Van Gorden. He was happy with his job, which he said fit him the best.

“It’s best to have people in the position they’re best suited for,” Crook said.

He had not figured on working at Zephyrhills High for 35 years when he started in 1975.

“I must be doing a good job because they kept me on all these years,” Crook said.

It is estimated an employee works 72,800 hours over a 35-year career. Crook likely surpassed that mark by thousands of hours. He worked the afternoon and evening shift his entire career.

On many occasions he would be the last person to leave the campus. After all, the band or the football team might be getting back late from an event. It was his responsibility to make sure all the gates and doors were locked and all the lights were turned off

“So I always put in extra time,” Crook said. “You don’t get paid for it, but it’s something that needs to be done.”

He would also help set up the gymnasium for performances by the band or chorus. He made sure the doors and the lighting and the sound system were ready and working.

There were many things Crook did for the school on his days off. He would frequently stop by the school to see if anything was needed during special events.

Crook was not in it for the money. He drew a great sense of personal satisfaction from helping students, coaches, fellow employees, the plant manager and others.

Crook is proud of the way Zephyrhills High looks considering it is 35 years old.

“This looks like a new school,” Crook said.

Crook enrolled in the school district’s delayed retirement plan five years ago. When the five years was up, he had to leave the job. He sounded and acted as if he would have rather stayed on longer, but he acknowledged it probably was time for him to retire so he would have more time to devote to community projects.

One of those is the Neighborhood Care Center in Zephyrhills where he has been a volunteer for several years. He is also involved in Relay For Life and Special Olympics.

His last working day at Zephyrhills High was March 31.

“My first day of retirement is April Fool’s Day,” Crook said. “So what a day to have the first day of retirement.”

That does not mean you will not see Crook around the school. He said he did not know if he would take another full-time job anywhere after retirement, but he does know he is ready, willing and able to help out at Zephyrhills High if he is ever needed.