Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Kyle LoJacono

Staff Writer

ZEPHYRHILLS — Kevin Ryman and Charlie Proctor will be giving free appraisals for those who want to know the value of their coin collections March 6.

“People have been coming by and calling me asking about coins more and more,” Proctor said. “It’s great for me because I love coins and buying and selling them. It gives me a reason to focus more on coins.”

The event is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Ryman Construction Inc., 36413 SR 54 in Zephyrhills. It is the second such event for the two men. The first was in Dade City in January.

“We want people to make appointments so we know how many people to expect,” Kevin said. “We’ll be paying cash to anyone who wants to sell their coins there too. We’ll appraise as few as one coin or a whole collection. If people keep showing up we’ll do more of the appraisals in town.”

To make an appointment, call Ryman at (813) 714-0962 or Proctor at (813) 780-1858.

“I first got interested in coins because my grandparents (Ike and Catherine Miller) had some and I loved looking at them,” Ryman, who owns Ryman Construction, said. “I’ve always bought coins and I don’t sell nearly as many as Charlie does.”

Proctor, who owns Charlie’s Coins, had his interest sparked by one special dime.

“I didn’t have a relative who had a lot of coins, but my father (Clarence) would let me and my sister (Patty) have as many coins as we could grab from his pocket in one handful,” Proctor said. “He worked three or four jobs at a time and always had a lot of change. One time I found a Mercury dime, which were all made of silver. I started researching coins because of that one dime and I’ve been hooked since.”

Ryman and Proctor both said their favorite coins are any of the old ones made from gold and Morgan silver dollars, which were made from 1878 to 1921 and are 90 percent silver.

“For years the auto detail company brought in a lot of my income, but last year with the economy the way it was people cut back on their cars,” Proctor said. “For the first time I made more selling coins than in car detailing.”

Neither Proctor nor Ryman ever clean the coins they buy for themselves or for later sale.

“That kills the value of the coin,” Proctor said. “I know a cleaned coin as soon as I see it and I won’t buy them that way. People might think it’s no big deal to try and take some dirt off, but it’s really destroying the coin.”

Zephyrhills winter resident Stanley Rynes buys coins from Proctor eight or nine times each year.

“I love collecting Civil War tokens, and Charlie will call me whenever he gets some in,” Rynes said. “I’ve been to other coin dealers in the area and Charlie is the one I like most because of his honesty. He bends over backward to make sure you’re comfortable with any deal.”

Ryman has developed a similar reputation with Proctor.

“Kevin is a great guy, and I thought that before I knew he collected coins,” Proctor said. “His construction business keeps him a little busier so he can’t buy and sell as much as I do, but he’s starting to get people to see he gives fair prices on coins.”

Owner of featured pet sitting service charged with marijuana trafficking

Katie Yates, one of the owners of a pet sitting service featured in the Feb. 24 editions of The Laker and Lutz News, was charged with the manufacture of marijuana last October after Pasco County deputies raided a home she rented and confiscated 70 plants and 6 pounds of packaged marijuana. The Land O’ Lakes home was located in the gated community of Plantation Palms.

Yates’ husband, Robert, also a partner in All About Love Pet Sitting & Transportation, was arrested with his wife on Oct. 14. According to court records, marijuana trafficking charges against Robert Yates were dropped Nov. 18.

Katie Yates’ case is still pending a final hearing. She pled not guilty to the manufacture of marijuana on Dec. 8 and is currently enrolled in a court-ordered drug treatment program. Her next court appearance, a status check, was March 1.

When reporting on the couple’s pet sitting service, the staff of The Laker and Lutz News was unaware of the Yates’ arrests and Katie Yates’ subsequent felony charge.

Katie Yates gave the following statement regarding this situation to The Laker and Lutz News:

“I feel that it is very unfortunate that after all the good I am contributing to the community that my past has to be brought to light in this manner. The charges brought against me last October in no way, shape, or form defines my character, morals, values, or how I conduct my business.

“I might have regrettably made mistakes in the past, as I believe we all have in some way or another. Nobody is perfect. But learning from our mistakes helps to shape our character and grow as individuals. I have definitely learned a lot from my past and I am blessed because of it. I have now created a successful business and provide a valuable service for our community.

I am an active member of my church and I belong to a homeless outreach program which helps feed 125-200 people weekly. I am proud of the woman I have become. I am a person of faith and I believe in the power of forgiving others for things that I might consider to be wrong. I pray that the community also shares this belief in forgiveness and second chances.”

Chelsea is a 1 ½- year-old boxer. She goes to daycare at Happy Tails Pet Lodge and loves every minute of her day. Just the mere mention of the place makes her grin. Chelsea’s proud owners are Jim and Lisa Patterson of Land O’ Lakes.

Zephyrhills athlete ready to show her talents

By Kyle LoJacono

Staff Writer

Zephyrhills High School senior Heather Haynie has been a national champion at the shot put and discus throwing events since the fifthgrade. Now she will be able to show off her athletic talents for the first time for the Bulldogs.

She was unable to compete before because until this year, Florida had no track and field division for permanently disabled athletes in high school.

“It really is great that I’ll finally be able to compete in my senior year,” Haynie said. “I tried to compete in middle school, but I wasn’t allowed. Now I’ll be able to finally show what I can do.”

Haynie was born a normal girl, but lost both her legs in a car accident one week before her fifth birthday.

“I’ll never forget that day,” Haynie said. “July 20, 1996.”

The Florida High School Athletic Association announced last November it was creating new adapted divisions for track and field this year.

“The issue was brought to us last spring by some parents who had eighth-grade students who were interested in competing in high school,” said Laurel Ring, FHSAA director of special programs. “FHSAA staff began looking at programs already in place in other states and decided to add the new divisions for disabled athletes.”

The new divisions will be broken into four classes like traditional track and field based on the number of students that attend each school. The athletes will be able to compete in three events, the wheelchair 200-meter and 800-meter races and wheelchair shot put.

“They will be competing with the traditional events all the way through at every meet,” said Lanness Robinson, Hillsborough County athletic director. “There haven’t been many athletes show interest yet, but I’m sure that will change with time…It’s great that the athletes will have a chance to participate because they haven’t had an opportunity to show their talents before.”

The story is similar in Pasco County.

“I don’t know how many athletes we have in the new divisions yet, but I know it hasn’t been a huge number yet,” said Phil Bell, Pasco athletic director. “It will be great for the athletes once it becomes more mainstream, but we have to start somewhere.”

Haynie is the only disabled athlete who has confirmed her interest in competing in the new divisions in Pasco from any of the high schools in Land O’ Lakes or east, but students from the surrounding counties have.

“She adds a lot to our team,” said Jason Rouser,” Zephyrhills girls track and field coach. “It’s great that she can finally compete because it is obvious that she is very talented. She will be a big factor for the state championship.”

The Bulldogs are in Class 3A, District 7. Haynie will be competing in both racing events and the shot put.

“It is like having the best extra coach in the country here,” said Janay Rouser, Zephyrhills assistant and wife of Jason. “I coach shot put, discus throw and pole vault, so I’ll be working with Heather a lot. I don’t know how much I’ll be able to teach her because she is one of the best in the country, but she’ll be able to point out problems with anyone’s form in the shot put.”

Despite her skill in the shot put, her true passion is in an event she cannot compete in.

“The shot put isn’t my favorite event,” Haynie said. “I really like discus throwing, but they don’t have that yet for wheelchair athletes in high school.”

Haynie said her best distance in the shot put and discus throw are 7.5 and 23.5 meters respectively.

“I actually have all the records for distance in both events for my age and class,” Haynie said. “I’m also the youngest person ever invited to the Paralympics. I was 14 then.”

Haynie also won gold medals in the shot put and javelin throw events and a silver medal in the discus throw at the 2008 Junior Paralympics. Heather said the shot she will be using is about 6.6 pounds.

“People ask me all the time if it is tiring, but it isn’t really,” Haynie said. “You don’t try and use a lot of strength when you do it. It’s more about technique than anything. More strength will actually mess up your form and you won’t get as a much distance.”

Haynie will finally be able to leave her mark on Zephyrhills track and field in her last year, but she has loftier goals as well.

“I’ll be competing in the trials for the 2012 Paralympics this summer and my dream is to compete in the games in London,” she said. “I’ve been a national champion, but know I want to test my skills against the best in the world.”

Local reaction mixed about project

By Kyle LoJacono

Staff Writer

LAND O’ LAKES — The recent firing of WDG Construction Inc. by the Pasco County commissioners has left the Collier Parkway extension project in limbo.

The Wesley Chapel-based company, which was also fired by the commissioners from the project to connect Mansfield and Meadow Pointe boulevards in Wesley Chapel, had its contract with the county terminated Feb. 9. County chief engineer Jim Widman said the company stopped work on the extension in December after its vehicle and workers insurance expired.

The extension, which will take Collier through Hale Road and Parkway Boulevard and connect with Ehren Cutoff, is meant to ease traffic on US 41 by allowing those living in the area to take Collier south to bypass the congested highway. However, those working and living in the affected area are mixed about what the extension will do to traffic.

“If anything it will make the traffic worse on Collier,” said Christina Telleir, property manager for The Lakes at Collier Commons Apartments. “It will help with traffic on (US) 41, but everything on it south of Ehren Cutoff is six lanes I believe, so that is where most of the traffic should be. I guess I’m mixed on the extension because I want progress and growth, but the traffic should stay on the main roads.”

Collier Commons is located just north of the intersection of Collier and SR 54. Telleir not only works in the area, but lives close by in Sable Ridge.

Representatives from several of the neighborhoods on Collier, including Lake Padgett and Plantation Palms, all echoed Telleir’s concerns. However, Rebecca Macone, community association manger for Lake Padgett East, saw more positives resulting from the extension.

“It will pull some of the traffic from the back roads,” Macone said. “The buses drive through Lake Padgett East to get to the bus depot on Parkway Boulevard. The extension will let them use Collier to get to the depot instead of driving through the neighborhoods.”

Jeff Johnson, who has lived off Parkway Boulevard near Ehren Cutoff since July 2009, has his own concerns about the buses.

“The back of our house faces Parkway, so we expect to hear much more traffic, especially in the mornings when Pasco County school buses are driving to and from their lot at Pine View Middle School,” Johnson said. “The Collier extension will provide a more convenient path to the businesses around Collier, SR 54 and to I-75 and Wesley Chapel, but my family hopes the convenience will outweigh the additional noise.”

Other major places affected by the extension include Pine View Middle School, Lake Myrtle Elementary, Academy at the Lakes school, Land O’ Lakes Branch Library, Land O’ Lakes Recreation Center and Our Lady of the Rosary Church.

“We have between 2,500 and 3,000 members of our parish and some of those do come from that area that would have their travel time reduced by the extension,” said Deacon Dennis Snyder. “When mass lets out on Sundays, it gets a little crazy out there. That wouldn’t do anything with the weekday traffic, but it can get bad on Collier.”

The extension project was planned in three phases. The first two, which WDG was hired to complete, will take Collier north through Hale until it connects with Parkway Boulevard. The last will further extend Collier to Ehren Cutoff. The whole project will add about three miles of road to Collier, one from phase one and two and two more miles from phase three.

Phases one and two were set to be completed this spring, but WDG had finished less than 40 percent of the work as of Feb. 9. WDG was awarded the contract worth $4.3 million to complete the first two phases in April 2009. Since being fired from the project, the company has taken down its Web site and disconnected its phone number.

Deborah Bolduc, program administrator for Pasco County Engineering Services, said phase three will not be planned until 2013 or 2014 and will not be completed until at least 2015 or 2016. Bolduc said phases one and two will still be completed, but no plans had been set for how and by when as of Feb. 17.

WDG was the second construction company doing work in Land O’ Lakes fired by the county this year. Kearny Construction Company, which was doing waterline work along US 41, also had its contract with Pasco terminated in January.

When the road extension is completed, the land around it will be usable for a variety of different purposes. In an e-mail, the Pasco Zoning and Site Development Department wrote the different portions of the newly accessible land are zoned of everything from residential to agricultural purposes.

“I’ve lived in Land O’ Lakes for most of my life,” Telleir sad. “When I was young there was barely a Collier Parkway and I hope the increased traffic doesn’t negatively affect the area.”