The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Education

Big competition: Students prep livestock for fair judging

By

Land O’ Lakes High School has nice football and baseball fields. But if you go past them, you might see something unusual.

Like a barn with livestock, and students training them.

Stephanie Dahm, a junior at Land O’ Lakes High School, works with Dixie, a 700-pound heifer at the school’s barn. Dahm and Dixie will compete at the Florida State Fair and Pasco County Fair. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
Stephanie Dahm, a junior at Land O’ Lakes High School, works with Dixie, a 700-pound heifer at the school’s barn. Dahm and Dixie will compete at the Florida State Fair and Pasco County Fair.
(Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)

“People think we’re crazy,” said sophomore Augusta Browder. “They think we’re just out there rolling around with them (the animals). They don’t think we’re being serious about it.”

But they’re not being crazy; they’re being competitive. The school’s members of Future Farmers of America, now known as the National FFA Organization, are prepping their livestock to be judged along with other animals at the Florida State Fair and Pasco County Fair next month and other competitions throughout the year.

Some of the animals stay on school property. Other students own their animals and have homes that can maintain them, so they live on their land.

But wherever they stay, caring for them is hard work.

Browder gets up around 5:30 a.m., every morning, to feed her animals at her home, and does it again at the end of the evening. She can’t take extended time off, and she also has to practice with them so they’ll perform well when the time comes to be judged in categories such as appearance and showmanship. She’ll show a heifer and a steer this year, and she has a bull named Buster that she’s already planning to show next year.

Actually showing them only comes after getting the animals, caring for them and learning their behaviors and traits. The students often are showing large animals that are several times their weight, so developing a strong relationship is important.

“It’s spending time with them. If you don’t spend time with them, they’re not going to do what you want,” said Stephanie Dahm, who’s showing a 700-pound heifer named Dixie at the Florida State Fair and Pasco County Fair.

While Dahm said that Dixie is a calm heifer with a good demeanor, she still has to spend a lot of time with her. That means at least an hour or two each day during the week and then more time on the weekend.

Dahm has shown animals before, and had a Florida White rabbit that won Best of Breed at the Florida State Fair and the Pasco County Fair last year.

The jump to livestock is good practice for her; she plans to study livestock management and ranch management when she goes to college.

Browder, who wants to be a large animal veterinarian, also has a lot of experience raising and showing animals. And while she wants to win when she competes, it’s the experience and the friendships that make it worthwhile.

“I actually met one of my best friends at the Pasco County Fair two years ago,” she said. “We all realize that we’re doing this for responsibility, for leadership, to do something,” she added.

In order to do something special with their four-legged partners, they have to practice quite a bit. On many afternoons, FFA members will be out with their livestock, going through movements and practicing techniques. Even if some people at the school don’t even know they’re out there.

A lot of people at our school, when I say we have a barn, they’re like ‘We have a barn?’ Not many people know about this,” Browder said.

But for around 30 members of the school’s FFA program, it’s an important part of their high school experience. They learn how to handle different animals, they learn time management skills, and they get to spend time with both schoolmates and show partners.

“I love being out there with my friends, and I love being out there in the ring. Some people do sports, and I do cows,” Browder said. “I love it.”

Dahm agrees.

“There’s something about cows,” she said.

Published January 28, 2015

WEEKLY BINGO AT FOP LODGE

By

The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 29, 21735 YMCA Camp Road in Land O’ Lakes, will host bingo every Tuesday at 6 p.m., for ages 18 and older. Doors open at 4 p.m. The lodge is located at the corner of U.S. 41 and Bell Lake Road. For information, call (813) 928-2294.

Internships aim to offer new possibilities

By

Brandon Butts got a break when he was 12 years old — working as an apprentice in a computer repair shop.

Months later, a promised job never materialized. But his experience at the repair shop set him on a path toward becoming a successful businessman with his own repair shop, Anything Computers, 38501 Fifth Ave., in Zephyrhills.

Anything Computers intern, at left, Jesse McGee, 24, and former intern and now store technician Pierce McMenamin, 18, both of Zephyrhills, man the front end of the store and tackle technical issues for customers and stay busy resolving the computer issues of customers. (Fred Bellet/Photo)
Anything Computers intern, at left, Jesse McGee, 24, and former intern and now store technician Pierce McMenamin, 18, both of Zephyrhills, man the front end of the store and tackle technical issues for customers and stay busy resolving the computer issues of customers.
(Fred Bellet/Photo)

Now, 16 years after his youthful apprenticeship, the 28-year-old Butts wants to pay it forward.

He wants to give other computer geeks an opportunity to learn skills to either land a job at his shop or to work somewhere else in the IT or technology industries.

At the very least, they’ll have a chance to walk away with a wealth of computer knowledge.

When Butts was an apprentice, he did everything from mopping floors to fixing computers. He didn’t get the job he had hoped for, but he said the experience was important.

“It kind of mapped what I am today. Without the apprenticeship, I wouldn’t be what I am today,” Butts said.

He wants to open a similar door of opportunity for today’s youth.

He’s reaching out to local high school students who want to become interns.

Butts and his employees will train the interns, who will provide free diagnosis and repairs on computers.

To build up an inventory of computers to use in the program, Butts invites people from the community to bring in computers that need a repair.

The labor to repair the computer is free, but patrons must pay for any necessary software or parts, Butts said.

Butts plans to take on about three interns at a time for 90 to 120 days of training.

He’s looking for interns who are at least 13 years old, but will consider younger applicants.

“I’ve known 10-year-olds who can build their own computer and are mature enough,” Butts said.

The first graduate of his training program — 18-year-old Pierce McMenamin — landed a part-time job at Anything Computers after learning the basics of computer repairs during a summer internship.

“I never knew how to do any of this stuff. Now it feels awesome because I have knowledge,” said McMenamin, a senior at Pasco High School.

Learning how to remove a computer virus or how to respond when a computer crashes weren’t part of the learning curve at high school, McMenamin said.

The 18-year-old said he wound up in the internship program partly because he was looking for a summer job and party because his dad and Butts are friends.

A little more than a week ago, a new intern arrived.

Zephyrhills resident Jesse McGee, 24, an engineering student at St. Petersburg College, said he’s a “little techie at heart.”

No matter what job he holds in the future, McGee said he knows that computer and technology skills are essential.

“This is how it’s going to be from here on out. I might as well learn.”

Schedules for interns can be flexible, as the students must juggle schoolwork and the apprenticeship.

Butt said almost 80 percent of computer troubles the shop encounters are related to viruses. Sometimes a computer needs a tune-up. Other times a system must be rebuilt from scratch.

“We’ve seen almost every problem under the sun,” Butts says. “I want to build up the interns and keep them here. But no matter what the job market, they’ll have a skill.”

As a youngster, Butts was interested in computers but wasn’t certain of a career. His apprenticeship led to a job at another computer repair shop and eventually working with computers became a full-time gig.

Butts opened his first shop in 2009 on Main Street in the midst of the country’s downward economic spiral. The shop survived, and three years later he relocated to Fifth Avenue.

“I wanted to be on Fifth Avenue, the main part of downtown,” Butts said. “It’s classic.”

While looking to give young people new opportunities, Butts also is looking toward expanding his shop in Zephyrhills into a franchise, and to market socially responsible mobile applications to a national audience.

One of his patented devices, known as Quiet Zone, is a mobile application marketed to establishments such as movie theaters, churches and schools that have a need to silence cellphones.

His other patented device, DriveTAB, can be installed in vehicles to prevent texting while driving.

Butts said he’s proud of his accomplishments, but he noted, “A lot of people weren’t as lucky as I was.”

He hopes his future graduates will find their own path to success with the skills they learn at Anything Computers.

For more information about this internship program, contact Anything Computers at (813) 364-1737, or visit MainStreetComputerShop.com.

Published January 21, 2015

Teaching the art of business through small transactions

By

The children on the covered play court behind Chester Taylor Elementary School were having a blast.

They were learning the ins and outs of business without even realizing it.

As the kids made their way from station to station, they could earn money by asking questions.

Crystal Enger enjoyed showing off a sports car from Wesley Chapel Nissan to children at Chester Taylor Elementary in Zephyrhills. Enger said the kids seemed to enjoy asking her questions about the car, and she enjoyed seeing them have a chance to think about things they might not have considered before. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Crystal Enger enjoyed showing off a sports car from Wesley Chapel Nissan to children at Chester Taylor Elementary in Zephyrhills. Enger said the kids seemed to enjoy asking her questions about the car, and she enjoyed seeing them have a chance to think about things they might not have considered before.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

They could then spend their earnings on games of chance to win prizes.

Of course, the money was paper money, and the prizes were things like candy, tiny balls and pencils — but the experience gave kids a chance to interact with area businesses, learn a bit about their operations and have some fun at the same time.

The event’s main goal was to pave the way for elementary school children to develop a greater interest in business, said Rene Martinez, a teacher at Weightman Middle School in Wesley Chapel.

Martinez, Gregg Clapp and Ryan Prieto, all serve as advisors to the Future Business Leaders of America chapter, which meets as a club at Weightman Middle.

Chester Taylor Elementary, in Zephyrhills, was just one of the elementary schools included in the American Enterprise Project organized by the Weightman Middle School chapter.

Other schools they included were Wesley Chapel Elementary, Seven Oaks Elementary, Double Branch Elementary and New River Elementary.

By the time they’d finished their rounds, thousands of children in nearly 75 classes had the opportunity to learn about local businesses and have some fun.

“Every year, each FBLA chapter has to do something called the American Business Enterprise. And the kids have to come up with a theme and an idea and put it together and organize it,” Martinez said.

“Right now, Weightman Middle School is the only middle school in Pasco County that has an FBLA chapter. It’s our first year. We’re really small,” Martinez said.

Chapter members were wondering how they could expand, and they came up with the idea of reaching out to elementary schools, Martinez said.

Prieto, a student at Pasco-Hernando State College, was involved in FBLA at Wesley Chapel High and he saw the need to get more students involved at the middle school level, Martinez said.

The club came up with the idea of using the game Monopoly as a model, and filling each of the spaces with a local business.

The kids would make their way around the board, spending money at the various stops.

Their aims were a bit ambitious, Martinez said.

“There’s 22 squares on a Monopoly board. Do you what it’s like to get 22 businesses?” Martinez said.

But he admires their optimism.

“That’s the beauty of children. They reach for the moon. They really do.”

They didn’t get 22 business, but they did get Sagat Computer Inc., Parks Fiat of Wesley Chapel, Hyundai of Wesley Chapel, Wesley Chapel Nissan, Bank of America, Wells Fargo Bank, Busch Gardens, Pilote Bank and Bright House.

The FBLA members also experienced something that businesses encounter all of the time, Martinez said. If one plan doesn’t work, you come up with another one.

“This is real-world stuff,” said Martinez, who teaches sixth-grade World History.

Crystal Enger was there from Wesley Chapel Nissan, showing off a black 370Z Nissan.

The kids lined up for a turn to sit inside the car.

As they waited for their turn, they asked questions. “Does that have a lot of torque?” one student wanted to know. “How much horsepower does it have?” asked another.

Enger was clearly enjoying herself.

“I think it’s nice,” she said. It gives students a chance “to think about things they’ve never thought about before,” she said.

Seth Raigoza, a member of Weightman’s FBLA chapter, said he was having a good time.

“The kids get to play games and to hear about business.”

Published January 21, 2015

Bishop to dedicate Saint Anthony’s new building

By

Students, parents and staff from Saint Anthony Catholic School are looking forward to a Feb. 9 celebration, where the Rev. Robert N. Lynch, bishop of the St. Petersburg Diocese will bless the school’s new building.

A celebration of the Mass is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., and it will be followed by the blessing and dedication of the new building.

This photo was taken on the day ground was broken for the new school. The new facility can accommodate 270 students. (Courtesy of Saint Anthony School)
This photo was taken on the day ground was broken for the new school. The new facility can accommodate 270 students.
(Courtesy of Saint Anthony School)

Festivities also will include an open house and light refreshments.

The event marks the latest milestone in a history that dates back to 1883.

San Antonio was founded in 1882 as a Catholic colony. The following year, a widowed woman named Cecilia Morse moved into the community with her six children.

When she inquired about the school, she was told it could wait until there were more settlers. She reportedly responded that the “minds of the children now here, can’t wait.”

With that, the widow began teaching 14 children, including six of her own, in her kitchen.

Saint Anthony School officially was established in 1884.

It is the oldest parochial school in the diocese, as well as one of the oldest Catholic schools in Florida.

Generations of families have been educated in a three-story brick structure that was built in 1922.

That building will continue to be used for some functions.

The new 17,905-square-foot building is the fourth in the school’s history. The 1922 current building replaced a two-story structure built in 1899. The original building was a 12-by-24-foot structure constructed in November 1884.

Students and teachers are now situated in their new classrooms in the new school building.

There was a time, not so many years ago when the future was anything but certain for the school.

Attendance had dwindled to 153, and there was talk of closing Saint Anthony School.

But parents and other supporters rallied.

They used their ingenuity, coming up with various ways to spread the news about their school, including a 15-second spot shown at the Cobb Grove 16 in Wesley Chapel.

The school’s enrollment improved. It now has more than 200 kindergarten through eighth-graders coming from San Antonio, Dade City, Zephyrhills, Brooksville, Land O’ Lakes, New Tampa and other communities.

In a previous interview, School Principal Sister Alice Ottapurackal attributed the school’s increased enrollment to “God’s special blessing.”

“Truly, I believe, it’s the power of prayer,” she said at the time.

Much has changed on the campus, but the school’s core mission remains the same.

It continues to emphasize academic excellence while teaching the Catholic faith.

Published January 21, 2015

Opponents to charter school gearing up to do battle

By

About 90 concerned residents turned out to a strategy meeting on Jan. 8, as opponents gear up to battle a proposed charter school for up to 1,050 kindergarten through eighth-grade students in Lutz.

Charter Schools Inc., of Boca Raton is seeking permission from Hillsborough County to allow a school for students in kindergarten through eighth grade at the southwest corner of Lutz Lake Fern Road and Sunlake Boulevard.

Sam Calco, a member of the Lutz Citizens Coalition, said the rules for public hearings on zoning and land-use issues can be confusing. He said it’s important to know the rules, so residents can protect their interests. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Sam Calco, a member of the Lutz Citizens Coalition, said the rules for public hearings on zoning and land-use issues can be confusing. He said it’s important to know the rules, so residents can protect their interests.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

The operator of the school would be Charter Schools Association of Coral Gables, according to the application filed with Hillsborough County.

The proposed Sunlake Academy would operate on 7.46 acres. A 1-acre outparcel at the site represents a potential child care center in the future that is already permitted by existing zoning.

A public hearing on the request is set for Feb. 16. The meeting begins at 6 p.m., but the precise time this request will be heard won’t be known until that evening because there generally are a number of items on the agenda.

The hearing has already been delayed twice and there’s a chance it could be delayed again, Mike White, president and founder of the Lutz Citizens Coalition told area residents and interested parties who gathered at J.F. Swartsel Masonic Lodge, 3109 Lutz Lake Fern Road.

The application for the project shows two phases.

The first phase includes a two-story building with 33 classrooms, and the second phase calls for a two-story building with 20 classrooms.

The plans also show a storm water pond, a playground, and areas for parking for both vehicles and bicycles. Plans also call for basketball courts.

Since submitting the original plans, the applicant has revised the plans to include a number of changes, including a larger buffer area and setback from residential lots to the west of the proposed school, double tree plantings and fencing.

The plans also include revised plans regarding how vehicles will be able to get in and out of the proposed school.

Area residents and organizations have submitted letters objecting to the proposed school — citing concerns about traffic congestion, potential flooding and negative impacts on their quality of life and property values.

Todd Caroline, who lives in Lake Fern Villa, notes that the project would back up to his property line, according to a letter objection he submitted to Hillsborough County.

“It is already a struggle to get out of our community morning, afternoon and evening due to a poorly built intersection at Lutz Lake Fern Road and Sunlake (Boulevard). Ever since Steinbrenner (High School), Martinez (Middle School) and McKitrick (Elementary School) have opened, it has only gotten worse,” Caroline wrote in a Dec. 23 email to Hillsborough County staff.

Other residents are on record objecting to the size, scope and density of the project.

They note that Sunlake and Lutz Lake Fern are two-lane roads and are not equipped to handle the additional traffic this project would generate.

The hearing officer must consider “substantially competent evidence” in determining whether to grant the special use permit, White said.

So, while it may feel good to complain about the potential negative impacts, it is crucial to provide the hearing officer factual data, White said.

“You don’t have to be a traffic engineer. You don’t have to be an attorney,” White said, but residents must meet certain benchmarks for their testimony to be considered by the hearing officer.

He recommended “fighting fire with fighting” and “fighting data with data” by hiring an attorney and a traffic engineer to protect opponents’ interests.

A legal defense fund has been set up to collect contributions to cover costs for an attorney and traffic engineer.

Residents also plan to fan out in their neighborhoods to collect signatures opposing the proposed charter school.

Chalk Talk 01-07-15

By

(Courtesy of Woodland Elementary School)
(Courtesy of Woodland Elementary School)

Super Kids named for DecemberThe Kiwanis Club of Zephyrhills has named its Super Kids for December. Given the recognition from Woodland Elementary School were, from left, Morgan Griffith, Jack Dixon, Jasmine Vasquez, Desiree Schoelzel, Justin Hicks, Carlos Torres and Yovanni Gordillo. The club chooses one student per grade level and one exceptional student education student for good citizenship and consistently following the rules.

Application period nearly over for magnet school
The application period for Pasco County Schools’ first magnet school, Sanders Memorial Elementary STEAM Magnet School, runs through Jan. 15.

The school is located at 5126 School Road in Land O’ Lakes and is scheduled to open August 2015.

The focus of the school is on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.

For information, and a virtual tour, visit PascoSchools.org, and click on the Sanders banner at the top.

Open house at Countryside
Countryside Montessori Charter School, 5852 Ehren Cutoff in Land O’ Lakes, will host an open house Jan. 22 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Prospective students and families can tour the campus, and learn more about the school and how to apply for the upcoming school year.

For information, call (813) 996-0991, or visit CMCSMontessori.com.

Civil Air Patrol at teach-in
Squadron mascot Bodhi Price and 2nd Lt. Warren Osceola, members of the Zephyr Airport Cadet Squadron ER-FL 459 of the Civil Air Patrol, addressed more than 300 students at West Zephyrhills Elementary School’s Great American Teach-In.

Price is a student at Woodland Elementary School, and Osceola attends Zephyrhills High School.

The presentation covered topics of airplanes and flying, leadership, integrity, striving to attain personal best in all aspects of life, self-discipline, following directions and learning how and when to be a leader.

For information about the Civil Air Patrol, email .

Library foundation launches website
The Pasco Library Foundation recently launched its new website, making it easier to learn about the library foundation and support the Pasco County Library System.

Donations to the library foundation make great gifts for anyone who loves books and the library.

Donations can be dedicated to a certain type of purchase or a particular program.

Personalized bookplates also can be inserted into a book of your choice.

The library foundation will also send a holiday card to inform the gift recipient that a donation was made in their name.

For information, visit PascoLibraryFoundation.org.

Chamber recognizes Student Citizens
The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce recently had a ceremony to recognize Students Citizens for December.

These students are honored for exemplary effort, achievement and contribution to school, family and community.

Students honored were Cadence Uzarraga, East Pasco Adventist Academy; Kierstin Bolhuis, Chester Taylor Elementary; Gracie Cameron, East Pasco Adventist Academy; Laila Fleming, The Broach School; Emily Hoskins, Woodland Elementary; Victoria Noelle Perez, West Zephyrhills Elementary; Nicholas Dester, The Monarch School; Jacob Navarro, Heritage Academy; and Kayla McCarter, Raymond B. Stewart Middle School.

Scholarship endowment helps veteran students
The Pasco-Hernando State College Foundation recently received a $1,000 scholarship endowment gift from The Florida Suncoast Chapter of Military Officers Association of America.

The scholarship is awarded to eligible PHSC military veteran students and their families.

To date, the organization has contributed $14,000 to its scholarship endowment.

For information on the PHSC Foundation, call (727) 816-3410, or visit PHSC.edu/foundation.

Contract proposal includes pay raises, more planning time

By

Banning smoking from all school district sites will contribute to a healthier work force, Pasco County Schools superintendent Kurt Browning says. (Courtesy of Pasco County Schools)
Banning smoking from all school district sites will contribute to a healthier work force, Pasco County Schools superintendent Kurt Browning says.
(Courtesy of Pasco County Schools)

A vote is scheduled on Jan. 14 to determine whether or not a proposed contract between Pasco County Schools and the United School Employees of Pasco will garner enough support for adoption.

Negotiators for Pasco County Schools and the United School Employees of Pasco have hammered out a deal that includes pay raises and increased instructional planning time. But it also calls for the end of smoking on all district properties and for the end of a district early retirement program.

Teachers and school-related employees, on average, would receive a 3 percent increase under the proposal.

Union president Kenny Blankenship has characterized the proposed pay raise as “one of the best in the state.”

The proposed contract also calls for increasing teachers’ instructional planning time from the current 100 minutes a day, to 150.

Increasing planning time for teachers is perhaps the most significant item in the agreement, Blankenship has said.

The proposed contract also calls for the end of smoking on district properties, effective July 1, 2016.

That’s a provision that Superintendent Kurt Browning has said is important to helping the district have a healthier work force.

Because the change won’t take effect until mid-2016, employees will have time to take part in smoking cessation programs.

Another portion of the proposed contract calls for eliminating new entrants to the district’s early retirement program, effective June 30, 2018.

Again, there’s time between now and then for any eligible employee to take advantage of the program before it lapses.

Provided that the settlement is ratified, the Pasco County School Board is scheduled to vote on the proposed contract on Jan. 20.

Any applicable retroactive pay should be reflected in paychecks by the end of February.

Published January 7, 2015

 

Learning Gate wins national award

By

Learning Gate Community School in Lutz is one of the 2014 Best of Green Schools award recipients, according to the U.S. Green Building Council.

The school received word of the recognition last month, and it is just one of the honors that the charter school located in Lutz has received for its focus on environmental education.

The U.S. Green Building Council has named Learning Gate Community School a recipient of one of its 2014 Best of Green Schools awards. The school was recognized for the EcoFest it organizes every year to promote environmental sustainability. (Courtesy of Learning Gate Community School)
The U.S. Green Building Council has named Learning Gate Community School a recipient of one of its 2014 Best of Green Schools awards. The school was recognized for the EcoFest it organizes every year to promote environmental sustainability.
(Courtesy of Learning Gate Community School)

The award is based on the school’s annual EcoFest, which brings together businesses, organizations and individuals from Tampa Bay who are dedicated to the principles of sustainability, according to a news release from Learning Gate.

The event, held at Lowry Park, offered more than 100 vendors, live music, workshops, demonstrations, informational booths, green living products and services from local artists, environmental organizations, alternative health practitioners, renewable energy specialists and organic farms with local produce.

More than 4,000 people attended the fair last year.

“The students, staff, and families of Learning Gate Community School are thrilled to have been chosen as a winner in the USGBC’s Best in Green Schools for 2014,” said Michele Northrup, event organizer, in a news release.

“We will be celebrating our 6th Annual EcoFest on Saturday, April 18, 2015 at Lowry Park with our partners: USF Patel College of Sustainability and the City of Tampa,” Northrup added.

“Selecting the Best of Green Schools honorees is an exciting and challenging process, as there are so many fantastic examples of efforts being made in communities large and small,” Rachel Gutter, director, Center for Green Schools, said in a news release.

“Some of the honorees go about their work quietly, others are in public positions and have the attention of a national audience. Every one of the honorees is a leader, taking risks, setting an example for others, innovating and diligently pursuing a world in which every student attends a green school within the next generation,” Gutter added.

The recipients of the Best of Green Schools 2014 will receive recognition throughout the year from the U.S. Green Building Council, as well as access to the Green Classroom Professional Certificate Program, a tool to help school staff and educators identify what supports or impedes healthy, resource efficient and environmentally sustainable learning spaces.

Published January 7, 2015

Charter school faces opposition

By

Opposition is heating up against a proposed charter school for up to 1,050 elementary students in Lutz.

Charter Schools Inc., of Boca Raton is seeking permission from Hillsborough County to allow a school for students in kindergarten through eighth grade at the southwest corner of Lutz Lake Fern Road and Sunlake Boulevard.

Residents living near a proposed private charter school in Lutz say the project would create even more traffic problems on already congested roads near the school. (File Photo)
Residents living near a proposed private charter school in Lutz say the project would create even more traffic problems on already congested roads near the school.
(File Photo)

The operator of the school would be Charter Schools Association of Coral Gables, according to the application filed with Hillsborough County.

The proposed Sunlake Academy would operate on 7.46 acres, according to Michael Horner, the applicant’s representative. A 1-acre outparcel at the site represents a potential child care center in the future that is already permitted by existing zoning, Horner said in an email.

A public hearing — initially set for Dec. 15, then delayed until Jan. 20 — has been delayed again, this time until Feb. 16 at 6 p.m.

Horner said the delay for the hearing was needed because the county requested additional traffic information, which has been completed but not yet reviewed by county staff.

Horner noted that the applicant has submitted a revised site plan that includes a number of changes, including a larger buffer area and setback from residential lots to the west of the proposed school, double tree plantings, fencing and extensive left-turn lane improvements at both entrances, in response to the county’s mandate for no direct left turns into either entrance.

The proposal now includes only U-turns at the intersection, as well as dedicated right turn lanes on both Sunlake Boulevard and Lutz Lake Fern Road.

It’s not clear whether the proposed changes will make a difference to opponents to the school, who have made it known that they are concerned about traffic congestion, potential flooding issues and negative impacts to their quality of life, as well as property values.

Opponents are planning to have an informational meeting about the proposed charter school on Jan. 8 at 7 p.m., at the J.F. Swartsel Masonic Lodge, 3109 Lutz Lake Fern Road.

The application for the project shows for two phases.

The first phase includes a two-story building with 33 classrooms, and the second phase calls for a two-story building with 20 classrooms.

The plans also show a storm water pond, a playground, and areas for parking for both vehicles and bicycles. Plans also call for basketball courts.

Records submitted to Hillsborough County show that residents, area homeowner associations, The Lutz Citizens Coalition and the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club oppose the request.

Todd Caroline, who lives in Lake Fern Villa, notes that the project would back up to his property line.

“It is already a struggle to get out of our community morning, afternoon and evening due to a poorly built intersection at Lutz Lake Fern Road and Sunlake (Boulevard). Ever since Steinbrenner (High School), Martinez (Middle School) and McKitrick (Elementary School) have opened, it has only gotten worse,” Caroline wrote in a Dec. 23 email to Hillsborough County staff.

James Lather, another opponent, said the Lutz Citizens Coalition vehemently opposes the application because of the inappropriate size, scope and density of the project for the proposed location.

Area resident Joanne Plazza noted that she’s lived in the area since 1987 and has never objected to any previous project. But, she said, this school would add traffic to an already congested area.

Opponent Sharon Bard, of 22232 Yachtclub Terrace, put it like this: “I am very much against this. I travel Lutz Lake Fern often and the added traffic would be horrific.”

Mike White, president and founder of the Lutz Citizens Coalition, said the school is being proposed in an inappropriate location.

Both Sunlake and Lutz Lake Fern are two lane roads and are not equipped to handle the additional traffic this project would generate, White said.

Published January 7, 2015