The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Lutz News

Lutz Guv’na race debate set for May 20

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It’s campaign season again — in Lutz, that is.

The annual Lutz Guv’na Race is underway.

And, it kicks off with the 2017 Guv’na Debate on May 20 at the Old Lutz School, 18819 N. U.S. 41.

The event — which runs from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. — is free and open to the public.

Last year’s Lutz Guv’na candidates competed in several fun-filled activities, including a watermelon-eating contest. The annual Lutz Guv’na Race kicks off with the 2017 Guv’na Debate on May 20 at the Old Lutz School, 18819 N. U.S. 41. It runs from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
(File)

This year, three candidates will vie to raise the most money for their “campaigns,” with proceeds benefitting local nonprofits and community organizations.

Incumbent Guv’na Greg Gilbert, of Beef O’ Brady’s in Lutz, will square off against two first-time candidates: Kori Rankin from Kori Rankin Photography, and Jessica Sherman of Pinch A Penny in Lutz.

Throughout the fun-filled debate, the trio will field jocular questions from audience members and partake in other quirky activities, hoping to raise money for a good cause.

The event’s emcee will again be Paul Vahue of First Baptist Church in Lutz.

Attendees, meanwhile, can attach themselves to a candidate to benefit their campaigns; former Guv’na winner Stephanie Ensor of Flip Flop Embroidery Shoppe will offer a $100 campaign donation to the candidate who brings the most guests to the May 20 debate.

The annual charity event — which started in 1991— is sponsored by the Lutz Civic Association.

“This is what makes a small town a small town,” said Suzin Carr, ambassador for the Lutz Guv’na Race.

It typically raises several thousand dollars for about 20 beneficiaries, including scout troops, the Old Lutz School and Friends of the Library.

“They make community spirit what it is,” Carr said, of the beneficiaries. “They make Lutz a nice place to live.”
More than $100,000 has been raised in the past decade alone.

“There’s some years that are less, and some years that are more, but the impact…on these small groups is huge,” said Carr.

Last year’s event, like the others before it, proved particularly entertaining, thanks to a makeshift bowling competition, costume and watermelon-eating contests, and a Donald Trump-masked mystery candidate.

Besides various tasks and challenges, the debate regularly features plenty of laughs, as candidates offer up tongue-in-cheek answers to “hot button” issues surrounding Lutz.

The race continues through the Fourth of July weekend, where the winner is announced, and earns the coveted “sash” from the prior year’s winner.

The winner also typically earmarks 10 percent of what he or she raises to the organization of their choice.

Carr, a former two-time winner of the Guv’na Race, is actively seeking additional community involvement and volunteers for the Guv’na festivities.

“We want bodies out there,” she said. “When people don’t come out and support these kinds of programs, they die…and we certainly don’t want to see that.”

For more information, contact Carr at (813) 453-5256.

Published May 10, 2017

Woman unleashes creativity through soaps

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Step in Melissa Brown’s workshop, and you’ll see a woman focused on creating handmade soaps at her home business in Lutz.

Brown launched her business —Nautilus Soap Company LLC — more than a year ago, and hopes one day to open her own storefront. Besides making scented and unscented soaps, she also makes bath bombs and shampoo bars.

Melissa Brown uses a cutting device to create 11 bars of soap from a single mold.
(B.C. Manion)

She sells her products at local markets, such as the Lutz Arts & Crafts Fair, the weekly market in Indian Shores, the downtown Dunedin and other events. She offers wholesale pricing and handles custom orders.

Brown is a member of the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce and was one of the vendors at the chamber’s Land O’ Lakes Music Fest in March.

When Brown ventured into soap-making, she was beginning at Ground Zero.

So, she has spent a fair amount of time researching how to make soap, source suppliers and find out which markets work for her, and which ones don’t.

She’s chatted with other soap-makers to glean pointers — to help her avoid potential mistakes.

And, she’s done a fair amount of experimentation, too, learning through trial and error.

Melissa Brown’s Nautilus Soap Company LLC creates soaps of many colors and fragrances.

She began soap-making after trying her hand with candles and discovering that she didn’t find that engaging enough to suit her.

“I actually started making soap last January, really more of a hobby than anything. It just continually progressed,” Brown said.

“This is my absolute passion. It’s what I live, eat, breathe, and sleep every single day. I’ve never been this way about anything before,” she said.

She sells all sorts of soap. There’s Almond Milk & Honey, Bare Naked Soap, Bay Rum & Bergamot, Bed of Roses, Chill Out, Mother Nature, and Orange Blossom, just to name a few.

One recent day, Brown was experimenting with a batch of pink grapefruit soap.

While soap-making is an ancient art, Brown uses sophisticated equipment.

Melissa Brown stands in front of her Lutz home, where her soap company is based.

She uses a computer software program to formulate her recipes.

As she mixed the sample batch, she explained her process.

“What I have in here is my oil blend. I use an oil blend of five different oils. I use canola, castor, coconut, rice bran oil and olive oil.

“What is in this pitcher right here, is my lye and water mixture. It’s a specific strength that I use, and it has been formulated by my program, chemistry-wise, to make sure that it activates all of the molecules of the oils that I have in here. It’s a very specific ratio,” she said.

The lye mixture is critical, she said.

“If you do not have this, you will not get soap. You will just get oil,” she added.

Pink grapefruit essential oil, Australian pink clay and melted cocoa butter were the other ingredients she used, for this batch of soap.

These bars of soap are on the curing rack. They’ll cure for six weeks before being sold.

The clay is good for the skin, but also provides some color for the soap.

“Once I mix the oils and the lye together, after that is when I add the cocoa butter, because the cocoa will be free floating molecules within the soap, so it will more moisturizing,” Brown said.

“I give it a little stir, and then I go with the stick blender,” she said.

She’s careful while mixing the ingredients, because she doesn’t want the soap to harden too quickly. She also adds the color gradually to make sure she gets the shade she desires.

Her sample batch makes 11 bars.

After pouring the mixture into the mold, it rests overnight.

These pink creations add fizz to a luxurious bathing experience.

“Once I cut it,” she said, “it goes on these drying racks, it cures for six weeks.”

Sometimes, the soap doesn’t come out like she expects.

But, some creations she views as “mistakes” turn out to be quite popular with customers, Brown said.

In addition to learning the ins and outs of soap-making, Brown has broadened her knowledge on many other fronts, including figuring out out how much to charge for her soap, how to market it, and about taxes and other business requirements.

“I learn as I go,” Brown said.

Her husband, Doug, helped her to price her goods.

Nautilus Soap Company LLC, based in Lutz, offers can custom make orders.

“We looked at basically everything that was out there. We looked at markets. We looked at soap companies online. We looked and actually broke it by how much they were charging by ounce of soap. And, that’s how we kind of came up with it, so we were in line.

“I didn’t want to be too high, because then people are turned off by the price; but, I didn’t want to be too low, because then it would seem like it was a cheap product,” Brown said.

Brown said most of her working life has been devoted to medical work, in one form or another.

She didn’t’ feel able to unleash her creativity.

She decided to give soap-making a try and discovered a new source of joy.

The feeling reminded her of advice she’d heard during a talk, many years ago, by Debbi Fields, the founder of Mrs. Fields Cookies.

“She (Fields) said, ‘Do what you love, and love what you do.’ I never ever forgot that. And, that’s when it came to me, ‘You know what? I love this, and I want to do this.’

“It just blossomed from there,” Brown said.

Upcoming markets/fairs/festivals
You can buy handmade soaps produced by Nautilus Soap Company LLC, based in Lutz, either through the company’s website, or at these upcoming markets:

  • Indian Shores Sunday Market, on May 14 and May 21, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Indian Shores Town Hall Municipal Center, 19304 Gulf Blvd., Indian Shores.
  • Clearwater Mall Weekly Market, May 16, May 23 and May 30, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., southeast corner of U.S. 19 and Gulf-To-Bay Boulevard, in front of Target.
  • Downtown Dunedin Weekly Market, May 12, May 19 and May 26, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Pioneer Park, Main Street and Douglas Avenue.
  • Armed Forces Day, May 20, noon to 8 p.m., at Frankie’s Patriot BBQ, U.S. 19 and Ulmerton Road in Clearwater.

For more information, call (813) 438-3507, or visit NautilusSoap.com.

Published May 10, 2017

‘Welcome to Lutz’ sign goes missing

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Jay Muffly, who serves on the Lutz Civic Association, is trying to unravel a mystery, and he’s hoping someone from the public can help.

He’s trying to figure out what happened to the “Welcome to Lutz” sign that, until recently, greeted motorists as they entered the community near County Line Road.

This is what the ‘Welcome to Lutz’ sign looked like before it went missing, which is believed to have happened sometime between April 22 and April 23.
(Courtesy of Jay Muffly)

“My daughter says she thinks it was there, Saturday (on April 22). She thinks. She’s not 100 percent sure,” Muffly said.

It has been missing since at least April 23 at 1:30 p.m., he added.

“I sent a message to the president of the (GFWC Land O’ Lakes) Woman’s Club, to see if she would ask her people,” he said.

Muffly has a number of theories about what might have happened.

“There are so many variables,” he said.

“One of the poles has some rot in it. Those screws may not have been holding. Maybe it had blown, or maybe it was cockeyed,” he said.

So, he put in an inquiry to the Hillsborough County Public Works Department to see if the crew that maintains the right-of-way moved it.

Muffly things the crew may have reasoned: “Well, this is falling apart, we better take it, or something.

Or, he said, “A trailer truck could have gone by there at a high rate of speed and maybe blown it off.”

The sign that is missing was “at County Line Road, where the turn lane starts to go to Target, just before the first oak tree,” Muffly said. It was installed by the Lutz Civic Association.

He estimates it will cost about $2,500 to replace it.

He’s made a report to the community resource deputy, who said he’d look around, and ask others to look and listen around.

At this point, Muffly said he has no clue where it could be.

“It’d be nice if someone did know,” he said.

Anyone who knows of the whereabouts of the sign is welcome to call Muffly at (813) 949-2224.

Published May 3, 2017

A church finds its permanent dwelling place

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North Pointe Church, which has seen much change since forming more than a dozen years ago, finally is getting a permanent home.

The church, which most recently has been meeting at Sunlake High School, plans a soft opening for its new location in early May. It plans a free community getting-to-know-you barbecue on May 20, followed by its official grand opening services on May 21.

The church had its formal groundbreaking on April 10 of last year, in hopes of completing the project in plenty of time for services on Easter.

Senior pastor Steve Wells credits his staff, church members and church supporters for the work that’s been done to get ready to give North Pointe Church its first permanent home in 12 years. From left, church staff members shown here are Lance Courtney, student pastor; Deanna Porter, children’s ministry director; Steve Wells, senior pastor; Leila Povlack, women’s ministry director; Kylie McCracken, communications director; and Chris White, worship leader.
(B.C. Manion)

But, as often happens, construction didn’t go quite as quickly as planned, said Senior Pastor Steve Wells. The requirement to install a 30,000-gallon water tank to provide fire protection for the property caused most of the delay, he said.

The church’s new home, at 19862 Amanda Park Drive, is on a 33-acre site off County Line Road in Lutz.

“We’re finally putting down roots. That’s a big deal for a church that’s been portable for 12 years,” Wells said. “We believe that God is planting us here.”

The church began meeting in 2004, in the auditorium at Wharton High School, as a church planted by Belmont Church of Temple Terrace. It became its own church the following year.

It moved from Wharton to a warehouse space in Land O’ Lakes in 2008, then moved again in 2015 to Sunlake High in Land O’ Lakes, where it is meeting now.

Its membership grew from 40 when it started to 300 now. It draws worshippers from as far west as Odessa, as far east as Zephyrhills, as far north as San Antonio, and as far south as Thonotosassa.

The 12,000-square-foot worship center which is approaching completion doesn’t look like a church — and that’s intentional, Wells said.

The pastor foresees the building being used for all sorts of gatherings, including live performances, corporate recognition parties, team building exercises and so on.

He wants to give people many reasons to enter through the church’s doors.

North Pointe currently has two services on Sundays, which Wells expects to continue. When the time is right, he expects a Saturday service to be added.

All of the services are contemporary, with music provided by highly skilled musicians, the pastor said.

The worship center is able to accommodate 450 people, but there is plenty of room to grow, Wells said.

The church aims to be a place where people can find help with life’s practical challenges, as well as to grow spiritually, Wells said.

In addition to having facilities for private events, the church also plans to offer foster care training, adoption services and adoption counseling, Wells said.

The pastor believes the church’s new location represents a physical manifestation of God’s word in action.

Here’s how the location came about.

In 2008, church members prayed over an 11-acre site, hoping that a door would open for the land to become the location for the church’s first permanent home.

That didn’t happen.

And, while it desired a larger piece of property, the church decided to search for a 3-acre piece because that was in keeping with its finances, Wells said.

As it turns out, another property — directly next to the original piece that they had prayed over — became available.

Although the church was looking to buy a 3-acre piece, the owner said: “Well, I’ll sell you 3 acres for the same price as 33 acres. Decide what you want to do,” Wells said.

That decision was easy, he said.

As Wells surveys the property, he sees enormous possibilities.

He is delighted that the members of North Pointe Church finally will have a home where couples can be married and children can be baptized. The property also provides a place for church picnics and other activities, and will be available for rentals for all sorts of events, Wells said.

Visiting the church property is like taking a step back in time.

Much of the property features Old Florida’s unspoiled beauty, with its ancient oaks and paths shaded by tree canopies.

“You don’t have to go far away to feel like you went far away,” Wells said.

The church plans to take advantage of that natural beauty.

It also intends to provide a trail to encourage both physical and spiritual fitness.

As people walk the trail, they’ll be able to make periodic stops to do fitness — or spiritual — exercises, Wells said.

It’s been a big project, which has benefited from the help of church staff, church members and church supporters, Wells said.

Creating the church’s permanent home has been both daunting and thrilling at the same time, Wells said.

“It’s the most exciting, humbling, overwhelming, intimidating thing I’ve ever been a part of,” the pastor said.

Published April 26, 2017

La Yuma dishes Cuban cuisine in Lutz

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Chef Pepe Diaz keeps a close eye on what goes on in his kitchen.

The Cuban dishes that pass from the kitchen to the dining room at La Yuma restaurant are authentic to his native country.

But, Diaz also has recipes uniquely his own.

His back story in itself is not the typical path to culinary success.

Chef Pepe Diaz, left, his wife, Tania Diaz, his daughter, Thania Diaz Clevenger, and son-in-law, Ashley Clevenger, stand outside their new Lutz restaurant – La Yuma.
(Courtesy of Kathy Steele)

As a political prisoner of Fidel Castro, his job in jail was to take scant food staples and turn them into meals for himself and other prisoners.

Later exiled from Cuba, Diaz went first to Spain, and then, to Miami and Key West, where he nurtured a dream of becoming a restaurant entrepreneur.

Patrons of his Key West restaurant in Mallory Square – El Meson de Pepe – have been dining on Diaz’ cuisine for more than 30 years.

Now his daughter and son-in-law, Thania Diaz Clevenger and Ashley Clevenger, are bringing the family recipes to Lutz and Tampa Bay.

Ashley Clevenger is general manager; Thania Clevenger is in charge of marketing. Family matriarch, Tania Diaz, is helpmate to her 76-year-old husband, and overall consultant.

It’s a family-rooted business for five generations.

“But, nobody gets to be chef,” noted Thania Clevenger, except for her father.

La Yuma restaurant opened in Lutz in January, at 16411 N. Florida Ave., south of the apex linking U.S. 41 and Florida Avenue.

The establishment replaces a series of bars that never quite caught on, including The Lutz Area Hangout and Twisted Rooster Bar & Grill.

The bar atmosphere is gone.

La Yuma offers fine casual dining wrapped in a family centric environment.

Murals on the walls depict the journey of Cuban refugees to America, and for some — their new lives in Ybor City.

Pepe Diaz gather at a table at La Yuma restaurant, in Lutz. The family opened the Cuban restaurant in January.

The restaurant’s name, “La Yuma,” is from the street lingo that Cubans use as a stand-in for the United States.

Some believe the term comes from a classic western, “3:10 to Yuma.” The movie, first made in 1957, had a remake in 2007.

“The whole idea was not to tell just our family’s story, but all Cubans’ story,” said Thania Clevenger.

An outdoor patio taps into island leisure. A banquet room will host weddings, parties and special events.

Latin bands perform live on Fridays and Saturdays. Cigars by Tampa’s J.C. Newman cigar company can be enjoyed with Cuba libres, Pepe’s Homemade Sangria and cocktail specialties.

The menu offers tapas, or small plates, including Cuban nachos and Camarone Al Ajillo, a pan-seared shrimp with garlic, parsley and white wine sauce.

Entrees include Cuban favorites, such as Rope Vieja and Picadillo Habanero, as well as combination platters and Paella de La Pepe. A children’s menu includes a Cuban steak platter, hamburgers and chicken fingers.

But, La Yuma isn’t by any means a replica of Diaz’ Key West restaurant. It’s a plan, years and generations in the waiting.

“We kept envisioning a different restaurant we wanted to get to do,” said Thania Clevenger. “We’d sit and daydream about it.”

Thania Clevenger is a civil and human rights attorney who grew up helping out in her father’s restaurant. She earned her law degree from Stetson University.

Ashley Clevenger is a former firefighter and U.S. Coast Guard veteran.

They moved to Tampa Bay in 2007, and to Lutz in 2011. They have one son, 5-year-old Dean Sergio, and another child due in August.

They like the area’s small town.

Ashley Clevenger said his hometown in Illinois had 850 residents. He graduated in a class of 18 students.

“It’s all about family,” he said.

This family legacy is founded on activism and dreaming.

“He essentially lost everything,” said his daughter, of her father’s journey from Cuba to America.

He met his wife Tania, also a Cuban refugee, when they both worked at a Miami restaurant. The move to Key West followed.

El Meson is still family owned and operated.

And, now, La Yuma represents another beginning.

“Once it’s in your blood, it’s always in your blood,” said Thania Clevenger.

La Yuma is open Tuesday-Thursday, and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., on Friday and Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

For information, visit LaYuma.net.

Published April 26, 2017

Task force on traffic issues starts up again

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A 17-member volunteer task force will pick up where two previous task forces left off — drilling down into the details of tackling traffic issues along State Road 54/State Road 56.

Much of the discussion is expected to center on traffic issues at State Road 54 and Little Road, and at State Road 54 and U.S. 41.

Little Road is seen as more typical of congested intersections in the county.

The intersection of State Road 54 and U.S. 41 is the county’s busiest with more than 100,000 vehicles a day. It will be a focus of a task force seeking solutions to ease congestion and improve safety along the State Road 54 and State Road 56 corridor.
(File)

The U.S. 41 intersection, however, stands out because more than 100,000 vehicles pass through daily.

“It’s the most congested one in the whole county that we have,” said Ali Atefi, transportation engineer with Pasco County’s Metropolitan Planning Organization.

This is the second of a three-part study to find traffic solutions to ease congestion, improve safety and increase mobility along a corridor that has been a magnet for new residential and commercial development.

The entire study area includes the State Road 54/State Road 56 corridor, from Bruce B. Downs Boulevard on the east and U.S. 19 on the west.

Three meetings will be held in 2017, with the first on April 20 at Rasmussen College. Additional meetings will be scheduled in 2018 to fully complete the study’s second phase.

As part of these efforts, the Florida Department of Transportation is expected to fund a detailed analysis and evaluation of the State Road 54 and U.S. 41 intersection, likely in 2018.

It is the only segment with funding, but Atefi said additional money is being sought for other road segments, including Little Road.

Many members of this task force participated in the West Task Force and East Task Force that kicked off meetings in late 2015. They met separately to consider different segments of the roadway.

In April 2016, the task forces made almost identical recommendations after considering 19 alternatives.

At the April 20 meeting, Atefi said, “We’ll give them feedback on where we are now. And, we want to reconcile all of the alternatives and have one list moving forward.”

Initial solutions included redesigning roads at ground level, building flyovers, using frontage roads and by-passes, and a no-build option.

Three or four alternatives will be chosen from a recommended list of six major highway and transit alternatives, five complementary alternatives, and a no-build option.

Representatives from Pasco County Planning and Development, the county’s MPO, FDOT, and consultants from AECOM will be on hand to take comments and answer questions.

What: Vision 54/56 Phase 2 Task Force meeting
Where: Rasmussen College, 18600 Fernview St., Land O’ Lakes
When: April 20 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Cost: Free, open to the public

Published April 12, 2017

Gaither High wind ensemble to perform at Carnegie Hall

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A group of Gaither High School band students are gearing up this week to perform in a major music festival at one of the world’s most historic venues.

The Gaither High Wind Ensemble, which consists of 50 students, is one of a select group of school band programs invited to the National Band and Orchestra Festival on April 15, at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

The Gaither High Wind Ensemble will perform in the National Band and Orchestra Festival on April 15, at Carnegie Hall in New York City. The adjudicated festival brings together high school bands and orchestras from across the country, giving them the rare invitation into one of the most prestigious music venues in the world.
(Courtesy of Penny Brickson)

The adjudicated, unranked festival brings together high school bands and orchestras from across the country, giving them the rare invitation into one of the most prestigious music venues in the world. About 70 other Gaither band students will also be making the trip, but won’t perform, according to third-year band director Luis Alvarez.

The students, along with the band director and several parent chaperones, leave for the four-day New York trip on April 13.

The wind ensemble, the school’s top performing band, was selected for the festival, thanks to an audition tape submitted in 2015.

The tape featured the ensemble performing a couple of selections, including two movements of Howard Hanson’s “Romantic Symphony.”

“The kids are incredibly gifted,” Alvarez said.

At Carnegie, the ensemble is scheduled to play three scores on-stage: “The Crosley March” by Henry Fillmore and Robert Foster; “Irish Tune from County Derry” by Percy Grainger; and, “Fanfare and Allegro” by Clifton Williams.

Following the performance, the ensemble will receive written and recorded comments from a group of renowned adjudicators.

They include: Frank Battisti, conductor emeritus at the New England Conservatory of Music; Craig Kirchoff, conductor and band director at the University of Minnesota; Charles Peltz, director of wind ensembles at the New England Conservatory of Music; and, Robert Reynolds, principal conductor of the Wind Ensemble at University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music.

The ensemble, along with Alvarez, also will meet with each adjudicator individually, providing a valuable learning experience.

“These are some of the largest—or most important—names in wind bands,” Alvarez explained. “It’s like if you’re going to a basketball camp and you have (Michael) Jordan and Magic (Johnson) working with you.

“The advice they give us will 100 percent be clinic to practice, and used for the future,” he said.

Members of Gaither’s wind ensemble, such as junior Raina Sparks, are also thrilled for the unique opportunity to perform at Carnegie, and “grow musically.”

“I’m really excited to share that experience with so many musical greats,” said Sparks, who plays the French horn. “It’s really cool that we have the opportunity to do that as a high school group.”

Since March, Alvarez said ensemble practices “ramped up quite a bit,” in advance of the festival, including two after-school rehearsals per week.

“The kids are wonderful—and that’s the fun part,” Alvarez said. “It would be tough to do if I had to pull teeth, but they’re so self-motivated. It’s been a very fun process.”

Besides Carnegie Hall, Gaither band students will also explore various parts of New York City throughout the trip.

The group is planning to visit a pair of museums — American Museum of Natural History, National September 11 Memorial & Museum — and see a Broadway show.

“We’re going to go to a few sightseeing things. We’ll get a chance to experience New York, in general,” Alvarez said.

Over the next several years, Alvarez said he’d like to take the high school band to other music festivals across the country, such as Bands of America in Indianapolis, or the Midwest Clinic in Chicago.

For the time being, his sole focus is the looming visit to Carnegie.

“There are goals that we have for the program,” Alvarez said, “and this is just one other building block towards it.”

Published April 12, 2017

Tour a $1.9 million home, enjoy a party, raise money for charity

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You don’t have to be among the rich and famous to dip into the lifestyle during the Party at Bella Lago, a charity event set for this weekend.

Waterford Designs is hosting a benefit for the American Cancer Society and breast cancer research on April 8, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The party will be at the Bella Largo Model Home, 18707 Cypress Shores Drive in Lutz.

A poolside view, looking back to Lake Cooper.
(B.C. Manion)

Party-goers will see distinct features wherever they look, in the $1.9 million house designed and built by Toliver Payne, on Lake Cooper in Lutz.

During a preview tour for The Laker/Lutz News, Payne pointed out some of the unique features in the Tuscan-style home, which has 7,720 square feet of space under roof, including 5,405 square feet of living space.

For instance, when party-goers walk through the front door, they will be greeted by a soaring 23-foot ceiling in the foyer and a faux-stone vault, which leads to the rear of the home and a beautiful view of the lake.

As they walk through the vault, they’ll discover a massive room that stretches across the entire rear of the house.

Talk about being spacious — there’s certainly plenty of room in the master bath’s shower at Bella Lago.

Though it’s one single room, he uses beams to create a sense of separation between the gathering spaces on both ends, and kitchen outfitted with high quality equipment, in the middle, Payne said.

On one side of the house, there’s a transition zone leading to a study, a huge walk-in closet, a master bedroom, and a master bath, which includes a giant walk-in shower, a soaker bath and other special features.

The first floor also has a formal dining room and a wine room. And, on the other side of the house, for privacy, a guest bedroom.

A single staircase leads to a second-floor landing, where separate staircases split off leading to bedrooms on both sides of the house. There’s also a room that seems to offer an ideal place for kids to play.

Outdoors, there’s a swimming pool, a baby pool and a Jacuzzi, as well as steps leading down to a fire pit area, closer to Lake Cooper.

There are plenty of spaces where people can have quiet conversations, or gather in larger groups all over the property, indoors and out.

This soaker tub will offer future residents a nice place to relax.

And, those are just a few of the highlights awaiting those attending the Party of Bella Lago, or checking out the house during the 2017 Parade of Homes, presented by the Tampa Bay Builders Association.

Beyond touring the home, those attending the Party at Bella Lago will be able to partake of an open bar, gourmet hors d’oeuvres, live music and dancing, a fashion show, a live auction, a 50/50 raffle and valet parking. Tickets for the soiree are $75 each.

Waterford Designs Inc., owned by Payne, is a luxury homebuilder with more than 200 custom homes in communities, including Eagle Crest in Lutz, Sanctuary on Livingston in Lutz, Brookside in Wesley Chapel, Saddlewood Estates in Wesley Chapel, Turnbury Tampa Palms and Stone Lake Ranch in Thonotosassa.

Other sponsors for Party at Bella Lago include Stone Saver Inc., Scarboro Design, Olde Town Pavers, Total Design Source, Belgium Diamonds Inc., Meares Plumbing, Beaute Savage, SaltBlock Catering Co., and Princess Boutique.

Party at Bella Lago
What: Benefit for American Cancer Society and Breast Cancer Research
Where: Bella Lago Model Home, 18707 Cypress Shores Drive in Lutz
When: April 8, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Cost: $75 per person
Details: Event-goers can explore a Tuscan-style $1.9 million home on Lake Cooper, featuring 7,720 square feet under roof and unique design details. The party includes an open bar, gourmet hors d’oeuvres, live music and dancing, a fashion show, a silent auction, a 50/50 raffle and valet parking. RSVP: (813) 948-4160. For more information, bit.ly/partyatbellalago.

Published April 5, 2017

Super Saturday offers a swingin’ good time

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It might’ve been April Fool’s Day, but this softball event was no joke.

This dog belongs to Mackenzie Pavloff, of Lutz. The service dog, named Koda Bear, is a 5-year-old Pitbull-mix, who seems to like the sounds of the softball games at Oscar Cooler Youth Sports Complex. The pet’s owner said she played softball at the complex years ago.
(Fred Bellet)

It’s called Super Saturday, and it’s an annual fundraiser for Lutz Softball, a recreational fast-pitch league for girls ages 5 through 18.

On April 1, several hundred softball families gathered to cheer on more than 20 teams, soaking in the daylong festivities at the Oscar Cooler Youth Sports Complex.

Besides a full slate of softball matchups, there was plenty to keep attendees amused, from family friendly games and activities, to numerous vendors and countless raffles.

“This is probably the biggest Super Saturday we’ve ever held,” said Mike Cook, president of Lutz Softball Inc.

“Every year, it’s gotten bigger and bigger and bigger,” added event coordinator Jennifer Bommarito. “This is quite a bit bigger than it started out to be.”

Ten-year-old Sicily Jordan, of the visiting Wesley Chapel Pink Rockets, gets a hit against the Renegades during game action last Saturday at Oscar Cooler Youth Sports Complex.

Held each spring, Super Saturday is one of the league’s two major fundraisers. The other is Fall Festival, in October.

Amid softball rivalries and competition, Super Saturday gives young athletes a chance to unwind.

“This is actually like a fun day for them,” Bommarito said, “where they actually get to goof all a little bit…and not have to be so serious.”

Mike Bosworth, who has coached in the league since 2013, said the annual shindig also helps foster positive interactions among families.

“People are…competitive with one another, and when you do an event like this, it gets you to know other people, and it softens those relationships on the field,” he explained.

Other parents agreed.

After playing his Little League game, 5-year-old Wyatt Gingras, of Lutz, totes his favorite bat and backpack to watch Leaguerette softball and cool off with an icy beverage. Wyatt was with his grandfather, Scott Knoeppel, of Lutz, and spent the day enjoying the family fun event at Oscar Cooler Youth Sports Complex.

“I think it brings us closer,” said parent-coach Rainey Rosenberger.

“It’s just fun to get families together from the community,” parent Natalie Brown added.

Another parent, Maggie Mixon, believes the event has nearly become a Lutz tradition.

“It’s phenomenal — just to see the community come together, in the spirit of collaboration,” she said. “It’s just a good, old-fashioned, small-town gathering.”

Among the afternoon’s top highlights was the parents’ tournament — and it’s unlike any other.

A 16-inch blooper ball was used, bases were run in reverse, fathers batted with their non-dominant hand, and kids served as coaches.

“It’s fun and confusing — everything’s backwards,” Rosenberger said, smiling.
The sports complex’s ballyhooed concession stand was another draw.

From biscuits and gravy during early morning games, to mushroom Swiss burgers and buffalo chicken wraps, there’s never a shortage of tasty grub offerings.

Bosworth, whose wife, Alissa, is the concessions manager, said parents from other youth leagues — Brandon, Carrollwood, Wesley Chapel —can’t say enough about the ballpark’s spreads.

Bryan Bounds, of Gainesville, watches softball action with friend, Charlene Ierna, of Lutz. Ierna’s 15-year-old daughter, Emma Ierna, plays on the softball team called the Rebels. Ierna is also the team’s sponsor.

“The parents are always like, ‘You guys have got the best concession stand we’ve ever seen, anywhere,’” Bosworth said.

Super Saturday, meanwhile, couldn’t have come at a better time for the softball organization.

On March 8, two suspects burglarized the Oscar Cooler Sports Complex during early morning hours, causing losses in excess of $5,000.

“That (robbery) threw us for a loop tremendously,” Mike Cook said.

In wake of the incident, the league has received “overwhelming” community support, with donations from the likes of Home Depot, Walgreens, Lowe’s and Ford.

Over $1,920 has also been raised, via a GoFundMe page.

Lutz Softball, formerly known as the Lutz Leaguerettes, also has seen quite a transition since January 2016, when the organization announced it was offering a recreational fast-pitch league for the first time in its 37-year history.

Just six months later, its slow-pitch leagues were discontinued because of dwindling registration and an overwhelming preference for fast-pitch. The fast-pitch league now claims to have about 200 participants, the highest figure in several years.

Lutz Softball Inc., is a PONY (Protect Our Nation’s Youth) Softball affiliate.

Published April 5, 2017

 

Roadwork underway at U.S. 41 and Leonard Road

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A history of crashes, including two fatalities in 2016, is prompting changes to a median on U.S. 41, at Leonard Road.

The Florida Department of Transportation will close the existing full median opening and replace it with a directional median opening.

The median modification project is scheduled for completion by the end of April, according to FDOT representatives.

The Florida Department of Transportation is replacing a full median opening with a directional opening at U.S. 41 and Leonard Road in response to crashes, and two traffic fatalities in 2016.
(Kathy Steele)

Motorists heading east on Leonard Road no longer will be able to turn left onto U.S. 41.

Motorists traveling north on U.S. 41, however, will be able to make a left turn at Leonard Road.

During the project, there will be intermittent lane closures from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The state transportation department’s data shows an increase in angle crashes, from three in 2013 to five in 2015 and five in 2016. Some accidents resulted in minor injuries, but in 2013 two serious injury accidents occurred.

Angle crashes occur when drivers leave the lane they are in and collide with another vehicle or roadside obstruction.

In April 2016, a motorcyclist died in a collision with an SUV. The driver of the SUV drove east on Leonard Road. There is a stop sign at Leonard where it meets U.S. 41 at a “T” intersection. The SUV driver turned north onto U.S. 41 from Leonard and into the path of the motorcyclist that was traveling down the highway, according to media reports.

Published April 5, 2017