The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Lutz News

Nursing home set to open in 2017

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Construction is under way on an upscale nursing home and assisted living facility at the corner of Hayes Road and Nebraska Avenue, in Lutz.

Tampa Lakes Health Care and Rehabilitation Center, at 750 Hayes Road, is slated to open in February 2017. A groundbreaking for the 179-bed facility took place in January.

Tallahassee-based Summit Care Consulting is developing the approximately 96,000-square-foot center that will be built in a neighborhood style layout.

An artist’s rendering shows the ‘neighborhood’ style design for Tampa Lakes Health & Rehabilitation Center. The facility will offer a homelike setting for permanent and temporary residents. (Courtesy of Tampa Lakes Health & Rehabilitation Center)
An artist’s rendering shows the ‘neighborhood’ style design for Tampa Lakes Health & Rehabilitation Center. The facility will offer a homelike setting for permanent and temporary residents.
(Courtesy of Tampa Lakes Health & Rehabilitation Center)

Each “neighborhood” at Tampa Lakes will have its own dining and activities areas, spa room, tranquility/therapy room, outdoor areas and mobility garden.

Permanent and temporary residents will be welcome.

Summit Care specializes in nursing home facilities.

According to its website, clients include New Port Inn in New Port Richey, The Springs at Boca Ciega in St. Petersburg and Northbrook Health & Rehabilitation Center in Brooksville.

In a statement announcing the start of construction, company officials said they were responding to a customer base that wants “to enjoy more of a homelike environment during their stay.”

For instance, residents can dine in restaurant-style settings with freshly prepared meals. Nutritional counseling will be provided by a registered dietician for residents in short- and long-term care.

The focus of customized care plans will be to reduce unnecessary drug use and repeat visits to the hospital.

A “Partners in Care” program brings physicians, patients, residents and their families together to set attainable goals.

Rehabilitation programs will offer state-of-the-art medical technologies to work toward recovery, reduce pain, prevent falls and address other age-related health issues.

“It will be our focus to improve the quality of life for each individual, so they can get the most out of life,” the company statement says.

Published March 9, 2016

Rays manager recalls north Tampa roots

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Kevin Cash tries not to dwell on the fact that he’s in the second year of managing his hometown Major League Baseball team.

Instead, he separates his duties of being the skipper of the Tampa Bay Rays with the nostalgia of growing up in Lutz, playing in Northside Little League, attending Gaither High School and being a one-time catcher for the Rays in 2005.

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash embarks on his second season leading the ball club. The North Tampa native played in Northside Little League and graduated from Gaither High School, before attending Florida State University and playing eight years in Major League Baseball. (Courtesy of Tampa Bay Rays)
Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash embarks on his second season leading the ball club. The North Tampa native played in Northside Little League and graduated from Gaither High School, before attending Florida State University and playing eight years in Major League Baseball.
(Courtesy of Tampa Bay Rays)

While he admitted “there’s a lot of excitement” in having the opportunity to return home a year ago, he noted that it’s more important to have an MLB managerial job, regardless of where it’s located.

“Whether you’re in the town or not, there’s 30 of those jobs that are pretty prestigious positions, and it’s an honor to be there,” said Cash, 38. “But, it does make it a little bit sweeter, and you can’t deny the fact it gets you back home.

“You factor in that it brought my family back to my hometown, and back to a bunch of family and friends. That just adds to everything,” he said.

Over the years, Cash, the youngest manager in the MLB, has proven he’s willing to move anywhere to work in professional baseball.

After an eight-year MLB career as a journeyman catcher that sent him to Toronto, Boston, New York and Houston, Cash became a bullpen coach for the Cleveland Indians, working under manager Terry Francona in 2013 and 2014.

With his playing days finished and his coaching career in full swing, Cash wasn’t sure how long it would take before he’d be able to permanently return to Florida— where the bulk of his family and his wife’s family live.

Cash still recalls his younger days growing up in the Valley Ranch Drive neighborhood, situated across from Lake Park.

“I remember when my parents moved to the neighborhood in Lutz, it was like a one street cul-de-sac, and there were boys everywhere,” Cash said. “We had pickup football games, pickup basketball, baseball games every day. It was just a pretty cool neighborhood to grow up in, because there were so many kids our age that we could go out there, and have a complete game with.”

Even back in the late ’80s and early ’90s, the Tampa youth baseball scene was rife with talent.

As a 12-year-old, Kevin Cash played on the 1989 Northside Little League team that reached the 43rd Little League World Series. His team fell in the quarterfinals to Eastview (California) Little League 12-5. (Courtesy of Little League Baseball)
As a 12-year-old, Kevin Cash played on the 1989 Northside Little League team that reached the 43rd Little League World Series. His team fell in the quarterfinals to Eastview (California) Little League 12-5.
(Courtesy of Little League Baseball)

In 1989, 12-year-old Cash played second base for the Northside Little League team that reached the 43rd Little League World Series, which then consisted of the top four little league teams from both the United States and the rest of the world.

From the time Cash attended (and graduated) Gaither High from 1993 to 1997, 31 players from Tampa were drafted to pro ball clubs directly from the high school ranks.

“It was a youth hotbed,” said Cash, who played college baseball at Florida State. “There were just a lot of good players coming out of that area…and the competition was always very healthy. When you look at when that age group got to high school baseball, you started to see that there were really good high school players that were either getting pro contracts or opportunities to go play college baseball.

“We’re biased, because we think Florida baseball is great, but we get to play year-round where some other states obviously don’t,” Cash said.

Despite having a father, Mike, who played minor league baseball, Cash never felt pressure to participate in the sport growing up, often playing with his brother, Justin, as much as possible.

“Playing as a little leaguer was the highlight of (our) day—going to practice, playing those weekend or weekday night games. We just really enjoyed it,” Cash said.

“We just always wanted to play. We lived at the Northside Little League Park.”

Published March 9, 2016

‘Trial by Fire’ seeks to spark social movement

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Documentary filmmaker Charles Mattocks hopes to inspire a social movement to help people suffering from Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and other rare diseases.

Mattocks — who is the nephew of famed reggae artist Bob Marley — has produced “Trial by Fire,” a documentary that tells the story of his mother’s eight-year struggle with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, called CRPS for short.

It’s a rare condition that is not widely understood, Mattocks said.

“I was totally confused, really, on what this thing was,” Mattocks said. “I used to tell my mother, ‘Mom, you’ve got to walk it off. You’ve got to go to the gym.’”

Fifteen-year-old Natalia Rijos has been diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. It’s a condition that is characterized by prolonged pain that may be constant and, in some people, extremely uncomfortable or severe. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Fifteen-year-old Natalia Rijos has been diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. It’s a condition that is characterized by prolonged pain that may be constant and, in some people, extremely uncomfortable or severe.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

Mattocks said while he didn’t initially know what CRPS was, as he delved into the topic and observed his mom, he knew something must be done to give people suffering from the condition a voice.

“It’s agony,” Mattocks said.

The key symptom is prolonged pain that may be constant and, in some people, extremely uncomfortable or severe, according to information published on the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke’s website.

The pain can spread through the body, the pain can travel from limb to limb and there often is increased sensitivity in the affected area, such that even light touch or contact is painful, the website says.

People with CRPS also experience constant or intermittent changes in temperature, skin color, and swelling of the affected limb, the website says.

Other common features of CRPS include:

  • Changes in skin texture
  • Abnormal sweating
  • Changes in nail and hair growth patterns
  • Stiffness in affected joints
  • Problems coordinating muscle movement
  • Abnormal movement in the affected limb

Fifteen-year-old Natalia Rijos, who is also featured in the film, is quite familiar with CRPS.

There’s a clear line of demarcation in her life.

One day, she was a typical 12-year-old, enjoying the normal activities of girls her age.

But, that changed on Dec. 15, 2012.

That was the day she was horsing around with her dad, showing off some karate moves.

Her dad grabbed her leg, she began to fall, and as she went to brace herself from the fall, she injured her left hand.

Initially, her mom, Myrna Concepcion, thought it was just a sprain.

But, the girl’s hand became swollen and discolored, and didn’t heal properly.

In ensuing months, the pain became unbearable and doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong.

It took three months to get a diagnosis.

According to Concepcion, in one sense, the family was lucky. In can sometimes take years to get a proper diagnosis.

In Rijos’ case, the situation was complicated by an accident. She suffered additional injuries when she was riding in a school bus and a car plowed into it.

The teenager, who lives with her family in Lutz, has been living out of wheelchair for two years. She is fed through a feeding tube.

Rijos attends Steinbrenner High for some classes, but is educated by telephone at home for other classes.

People with CRPS not only suffer with the pain, but they also struggle with the failure of others to understand their condition, Concepcion said.

People tend to discount the pain, Concepcion said. They think they are exaggerating, or that the problem is just psychological, she said.

That’s why the disease is sometimes called the “suicide disease,” Rijos said. Some with CRPS can no longer bear the pain, lose hope that their condition will ever improve, and they choose to end their lives, she said.

Rijos compared the pain she experiences to someone placing their hand on a hot burner and leaving it there.

It’s like having a pain switch that never goes off, her mother said.

The documentary has been accepted by six film festivals, and recently won ‘best director’ and ‘most impactful topic’ in a documentary at the Hollywood Florida Film Festival.

The Tampa Bay area is fortunate, because there are two doctors who treat patients with CRPS, Mattocks said, noting his documentary also includes a Land O’ Lakes woman in her 40s who is suffering from the disease.

Increased awareness of CRPS is needed, not only by the general public, but also by the medical community, Mattock said.

“I know people who live in Long Island, who have to go to Philly for treatment,” he said.

Mattocks said that CRPS is just one of the rare conditions that people face, without anyone giving voice to their struggles.

“There are over 350 million worldwide who suffer from rare disease. If you think about it, if there is no Ice Bucket Challenge, how can these people have a voice? It’s not just about CRPS. “It’s about rare disease in general,” Mattocks said.

To that end, he plans to be an advocate and hopes to inspire others.

“I believe that this is, in a sense, divine,” he said, noting additional screenings of “Trial by Fire” are expected.

“We have several distribution offers on the table,” Mattocks said.

Published March 2, 2016

Woman’s club gears up for annual flea market

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Donations have been flowing into the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club.

The organization has received thousands of items, as its gears up for the annual Woman’s Club Flea Market scheduled for March 4 and March 5 at the Historic Old Lutz School, 18819 N. U.S. 41 in Lutz.

Lois Cohen, left, and Ruby Helphrey, sort through donation items at the Historic Old Lutz School. (Kevin Weiss/Staff Photos)
Lois Cohen, left, and Ruby Helphrey, sort through donation items at the Historic Old Lutz School.
(Kevin Weiss/Staff Photos)

The flea market is set to be the club’s largest fundraiser this year, because its annual arts and crafts festival, typically held in December had to be cancelled due the development of a sinkhole at Lake Park.

“The community has really been rallying around. I think we have more donations this year,” said Cathy Mathes, president of the woman’s club.

“This year, we’re in particular need,” she said. “We just want to exceed last year’s (flea market) number.”

People have donated a wide range of goods from household and children’s items to antiques and collectibles, to sports equipment and gardening tools.

“If you walk around, you’ll see we have one of everything,” Mathes said.

Higher-end items such as silver and crystal can be found at “huge bargains,” Mathes noted.

The flea market, which has been around for more than 35 years, typically attracts thousands of shoppers during its two-day run.

When patrons want to take a little break from shopping, they can grab a bite to eat at the food booth — which will be offering breakfast items, baked goods, hot dogs, coffee and other beverages.

To help keep the event running smoothly, the club enlists the help of over 80 volunteers — including the member’s husbands and children.

Members of the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club organize donations as they prepare for the annual Woman’s Club Flea Market on March 4 and March 5.
Members of the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club organize donations as they prepare for the annual Woman’s Club Flea Market on March 4 and March 5.

Besides raising money, the event provides a chance for club members to spend time with each other and with people from the community, the club president said.

“It’s so much fun with the camaraderie,” Mathes said. “I really enjoy working with the people. …You get to know people better than just seeing them at a (woman’s club) meeting.”

At the end of the event, leftover items will be donated to local organizations, including Goodwill and Salvation Army, local nursing homes, veterans’ charities and local libraries.

Figuring out how much the club can give in scholarships and to the various organizations it helps will be tougher this year.

The cancellation of the arts and crafts festival has forced the club to scramble to secure funds for local organizations and college scholarships.

“We plan to sit down and look at how much we make, and decide what we’re going to do with it, because it’s still not what we had last year,” Mathes explained. “We had (raised) $30,000, plus we had the flea market (donations) last year. …We have to be very careful about budgeting it out.”

Anyone who wishes to donate items for the flea market still has time. Donations will be accepted until March 3. All donations should be in clean and in working order. Large appliances and sleeper sofas cannot be accepted.

What: Woman’s Club Flea Market
Where: Old Lutz School, 18819 N. U.S. 41 in Lutz
When: March 4 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and March 5 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
For more information, call (813) 949-1937 or (813) 948-4752.

Published March 2, 2016

Arts and crafts festival finds new home

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The GFWC Lutz Arts & Crafts Festival has a new home.

After months of searching, the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club found an ideal fit for the festival at Keystone Prep High School, 18105 Gunn Highway in Odessa.

The festival is slated for the first weekend in December.

The GFWC Lutz Arts & Crafts Festival will take place at Keystone Prep High School on Dec. 3 and Dec. 4 this year. Last year’s festival was cancelled at Lake Park after a sinkhole developed in a road. (File Photo)
The GFWC Lutz Arts & Crafts Festival will take place at Keystone Prep High School on Dec. 3 and Dec. 4 this year. Last year’s festival was cancelled at Lake Park after a sinkhole developed in a road.
(File Photo)

According to woman’s club president Cathy Mathes, the two-day festival will be at Keystone Prep for “the next few years.”

Mathes was particularly impressed by the school’s large property, and the school’s enthusiasm in hosting the event.

“They’re getting the students involved. They have a really involved parent club that’s going to be doing a lot of work, too,” the club president said, noting the festival will be mutually beneficial for fundraising purposes.

Last December, the 36th annual Lutz Arts & Crafts Festival was cancelled at Lake Park due to a sinkhole that was estimated as being around 6 feet wide and 100 feet deep. The club had also encountered some problems with flooding on park roads during previous arts and crafts festivals.

After the cancellation, the woman’s club opted to find a new location to house the popular event, which typically attracts up to 30,000 people.

The festival is the largest yearly fundraiser for the club, which gives back to the community in the form of college scholarships and donations to local charities.

The process of finding a new location was “quite a search,” according to Pat Serio, head of public relations for the woman’s club.

“Finding a new venue is not as easy as it appears,” Serio said. “We can’t just relocate to a (land) parcel. We have to have infrastructure and electricity.”

Serio added it was important to keep the arts and crafts festival near Lutz.

“A lot of people pitched location ideas, but some weren’t practical or weren’t going to work,” Serio said.

“Someone, for instance, suggested the (Florida State) Fairgrounds. We can’t do that; we have to keep it in our area.”

To make up for the dearth of funds caused by cancellation of the festival nearly three months ago, the woman’s club plans to host several smaller events and fundraisers throughout the year.

“We’re trying to take the burden off our club members’ shoulders, because it’s a heavy financial demand on us,” Serio said. “We’re trying to reach our (donation) numbers.”

One new event, titled ‘White Nights,’ is slated for October near the Lutz Branch Library. It will feature music, food and original artwork for sale at reasonable prices.

Published March 2, 2016

 

Assisted care center set to open in August

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A new $13 million assisted living center in Lutz is under construction, and set to open in August.

Angels Senior Living at Lodges of Idlewild, located at 18440 Exciting Idlewild Blvd., in Lutz, will have 94 units to serve about 100 residents, according to Daniel Almendares, corporate operations manager at Angels Senior Living.

The 85,000-square-foot facility expects to employ 45 people.

Construction is under way on the new Angels Senior Living at Lodges of Idlewild facility. The $13 million, 85,000-square-foot facility will have 94 units for up to 100 residents. (Photos courtesy of Angels Senior Living)
Construction is under way on the new Angels Senior Living at Lodges of Idlewild facility. The $13 million, 85,000-square-foot facility will have 94 units for up to 100 residents.
(Photos courtesy of Angels Senior Living)

As part of the assisted living experience, residents will be aided in hygiene, ambulating, keeping track of medications, and dining.

In addition to assisted living, Lodges of Idlewild will offer both memory care and independent living services.

The memory care program, designed for residents suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, will be a “secured unit” with a higher staffing ratio for additional attention.

The independent living program features independent apartments where residents can pay for “a la carte services” and transition into the assisted living facility when needed.

A rough estimate for the monthly cost for a resident to live at the facility is $4,000, Almendares said.

The two best options for financial assistance for senior care is through the Medicaid Managed Long Term Care program, or the Veteran’s Aid (VA) and Attendance program attained by serving in a war, according to Angels Senior Living’s website.

The Medicaid route requires being on Medicaid and then applying for the program to pay an amount that may total 25 percent to 50 percent of monthly rent.

The veteran’s aid option requires an application through the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs. Financial assistance in this program varies.

The location of the senior living center “fit well into our geographic offerings,” Almendares said, adding that its proximity to the Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz is a bonus.

Once it is complete, the assisted living center should look similar to this prototype. The senior living center is set to open in August 2016.
Once it is complete, the assisted living center should look similar to this prototype. The senior living center is set to open in August 2016.

“We want to develop a tight-knit relationship with the church and the patrons, and for our residents to enjoy the services offered on such an already beautiful campus,” he said. “The placement along a major thoroughfare only improves the ease for family members to visit their loved ones on the way from work, school, or (coming) from errands.”

To help promote social interaction, there will be activity rooms for games, arts and crafts, and exercise.

“The activities for all our residents are there to entertain and provide a higher quality of life beyond just great care,” Almendares said.

Angels Senior Living operates a total of nine other locations throughout Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties.

There are three facilities in North Tampa alone — Connerton Court in Land O’ Lakes, Angels Senior Living at New Tampa on North 42nd Street, and Shady Palms on North Florida Avenue.

Angels Senior Living has not yet determined who will be the executive director to oversee the day-to-day operations at Lodges of Idlewild, Almendares said.

Angels Senior Living at Lodges of Idlewild
What: A $13 million, 85,000-square-foot assisted living facility with 94 units
Where: 18440 Exciting Idlewild Blvd., in Lutz
Opening date: August 2016
Key Programs: Assisted living, memory care and independent living
For information, call (813) 886-2023, or visit AngelsSeniorLiving.com.

Published February 10, 2016

He calls cats purr-fect companions

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The license plate on his car reads “BigCats.”

But, when it comes to cats, Denny Mitchell doesn’t care whether they’re big, small or medium. He loves them all.

And, he wants to persuade others that they should love the furry felines, too.

Denny Mitchell is a devoted cat aficionado who sings the praises of cats – literally – at his musical tribute show, “All About Cats.” (Kathy Steele/Staff Photos)
Denny Mitchell is a devoted cat aficionado who sings the praises of cats – literally – at his musical tribute show, “All About Cats.”
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photos)

While dogs may be a man’s best friend, the way Mitchell sees it: “Cats are our best companions.”

Two years ago, Mitchell took his passion for cats on the road.

He educates and entertains audiences, generally from age 8 and older, at libraries, senior centers and civic groups with his musical tribute “All About Cats.”

On Feb. 27 at 2 p.m., he will bring his musical show to the Lutz Branch Library, at 101 W. Lutz Lake Fern Road in Lutz.

The Friends of the Lutz Branch Library is sponsoring the event, which has free admission.

Mitchell, owner of Meowser Productions, spent more than a year composing music and lyrics, and crafting a slide and video show to cover the history and habits of cats.

He brings his keyboard and sound system. A robotic, white-furred cat, named Tallulah, also accompanies him – arriving in a pink cat carrier.

Tallulah rests regally atop a purple pillow, where she purrs, meows and washes her face with slow paw swipes.

“She sets the mood,” Mitchell explained.

He sprinkles his performance with humor and original songs — though sometimes he also sings “Memory,” the show-stopping tune from the musical “Cats.”

Mitchell researches his facts.

Among his nuggets are:

  • Cats date back 35 million years.
  • The Egyptian word for cat is mao, meaning “to see.” In ancient Egypt people were fascinated by a cat’s eyes.
  • Cats, per pound, are 12 times stronger than humans.
  • Adult cats have 244 bones; humans, 206.
  • A cat’s field of vision is about 200 degrees.

Mitchell, who grew up on Long Island, New York, shared his mother’s love for cats.

Tallulah is a robotic cat that purrs and meows as it rests on a purple pillow, when Denny Mitchell begins his musical tribute to cats, “All About Cats.”
Tallulah is a robotic cat that purrs and meows as it rests on a purple pillow, when Denny Mitchell begins his musical tribute to cats, “All About Cats.”

On Christmas Eve, when he was 5, the family heard a plaintive meowing.

“We opened the front door, and there was the tiniest little black kitten all by himself,” Mitchell said.

Clancy, as he was named, had found a home.

It’s a cliché story, he said, but it’s true.

Cats have freedom of choice, he said. “They pick us. We don’t pick them.”

Mitchell is a self-described ailurophile, that is, cat lover.

He is passionate about helping nonprofits that find homes for abandoned cats and that help feral cats living on the streets.

He volunteers as a tour guide at Big Cat Rescue, an animal sanctuary in Citrus Park, near Tampa. The organization rescues and houses exotic cats, including lions, tigers, bobcats and cougars.

A foster program at Big Cat Rescue temporarily houses kittens until they are ready for adoption. The program is in partnership with Humane Society Tampa Bay.

Mitchell became a volunteer at Big Cat Rescue after taking a tour there about 15 years ago.

A few years ago, while he was giving a tour, a promoter on the tour commented on Mitchell’s wit and humor. The promoter suggested that Mitchell put together a show.

So, Mitchell did.

“The mission is to inform, raise money for nonprofits and hopefully pay my expenses — though that is secondary,” Mitchell said.

Kittens can be viewed on live cam as they play at the Kitten Cabana at Big Cat Rescue. (Courtesy of Denny Mitchell)
Kittens can be viewed on live cam as they play at the Kitten Cabana at Big Cat Rescue.
(Courtesy of Denny Mitchell)

While it wasn’t his college major, music has been one of Mitchell’s chief interests for years.

He has written lyrics and performed music, and for more than three decades, he has played piano and sang at church, often as a soloist.

He’s constantly doing volunteer work with cats.

Mitchell has given donations to that group and others, including Humane Society Tampa Bay and Humane Society of Pinellas. Both agencies have trap, neuter, vaccinate and return programs for feral cats, as well as offering foster care and adoptions for domesticated cats.

“This is how you break the breeding cycle,” said Mitchell. “It’s a harsh life (for feral cats).”

Mitchell lives in Seffner with his wife, who also volunteered for 13 years at Big Cat Rescue. She now spends most of her time operating a boarding stable for horses.

“We are very much animal people,” Mitchell said.

And, of course, they have cats.

“I told my wife I thought we should have two. So, we have five,” he said.

Want to know more?
You can see live cams of Big Cat Rescue’s kitten rescue operation by going to Explore.org/bigcatrescue.
You can also visit Denny Mitchell’s website, MeowserProductions.com, to find links to area nonprofits and about adoption events.

Published February 10, 2016

Wastewater plant is set to retire

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Due to increasing maintenance and operation expenses at the Dale Mabry Wastewater Treatment Plant, the county expects to retire the plant.

To prepare to end operations at the 40-year-old plant, the county is installing a six-mile stretch of 24-inch and 36-inch reclaimed water pipeline transmission main, and a new pump station to transfer wastewater flows from the Dale Mabry plant’s location to the Northwest Regional Water Reclamation Facility.

The pump station, as well as reclaimed water tanks, will replace the Dale Mabry plant, which will be demolished, likely in early 2017.

Once the wastewater facilities at the Dale Mabry site are removed, it will leave a majority of the site as a green space, which is likely to become a county park.

Construction of the Dale Mabry Wastewater Diversion project is in full force, with a six-mile stretch of water transmission piping being installed along Gunn Highway. The installation of the 24-inch and 36-inch piping should be complete over the next few months. (Courtesy of Alice Ramos of the Valerin Group)
Construction of the Dale Mabry Wastewater Diversion project is in full force, with a six-mile stretch of water transmission piping being installed along Gunn Highway.
The installation of the 24-inch and 36-inch piping should be complete over the next few months.
(Courtesy of Alice Ramos of the Valerin Group)

The Dale Mabry Wastewater Diversion Project is one of three components of the larger, $240 million Northwest Hillsborough Wastewater Consolidation Project.

The other phases involve expanding the Northwest facility to accept and treat additional wastewater flows, as well as retiring the River Oaks Wastewater Treatment Plant.

The Dale Mabry portion of the project costs approximately $35 million.

Officials say the entire program will improve treatment efficiency, reduce power costs and minimize future rate impacts.

“It’s kind of like an old air conditioner. When you replace your old air conditioner, it’s like, ‘Wow, I really saved a lot of money,’” said Thomas Rawls, program manager of the Northwest Hillsborough Wastewater Consolidation Project. “When we transfer that flow to the new plant, it’s like you’re getting better motors, better energy savings.

“Everything’s more efficient.”

Barring any delays, the Rawls said the entire project should be completed by December—ensuring the pumps, pipeline and plant all work in conjunction with one another.

“We have to make sure the (Northwest) plant can absorb that (water) flow because we use a biological treatment system…there’s actually living organisms that treat our wastewater, and you don’t want to shock them,” Rawls explained about the flow transfer. “It’s like you’re sending them a new type of food, if you want to call it.”

The county expects the entire Northwest Wastewater program to save the county approximately $80 million over the next 20 years. Water rates will not rise for residents, officials say.

“As soon as we start transferring that (water flow), the county’s saving money,” Rawls said.

Rawls referred to the project as “the perfect storm,” for beginning construction this year, due to the county’s good credit rating and bond capacity. Plus, the county was staring down the barrel of “$10 (million)-$20 million” in repairs alone at the Dale Mabry plant site.

“It’s like an old car — you’re either going to junk it, or you’re going to rebuild it make it a pristine car,” the project manager explained. “We’ve got the fiscal ability, the county’s administration is behind it, the citizens are behind it, and it’s just a good mesh of everything.

“Five to 10 years ago — in the middle of that recession — it wasn’t the best time to go out and do this,” he said.

Construction crews are currently installing transmission pipelines along Gunn Highway between the Veterans Expressway and Lynn Turner Road—which should wrap up in the next few months.

With drills going underneath major intersections at Brushy Creek and the Veterans Expressway, there have been a small section of lane closures.

“We’re doing a directional drill that goes down 40 feet underground…and comes up on the other side,” said Rawls. “We don’t want to affect all the traffic in those big intersections, but we’ll have to close some of the median. It’s better than cutting through the intersection and disrupting all that traffic.”

Rawls said the project’s construction has “stayed pretty true” with its timelines, especially since the county is using a “design-build” form of project delivery, where both the designer (McKim & Creed Engineering) and contractor (Westra Construction) are working hand in hand.

“If they come across a problem out there, they have a team of engineers and experts out there that can get together, figure out the issue and keep moving, so there’s less impact on the community,” Rawls said. “It’s not going to linger on for years and years.”

During the winter months, Rawls noted it’s much easier to lay pipe into the ground, because there’s not as much rain.

“We can properly compact the (piping), and backfill it while it’s drier,” he explained. “We kind of held off during the holidays, but we’re hitting it hard now. We’re picking it up full steam.”

Published February 3, 2016

Local man makes unique jewelry

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For Dan Balk, creating jewelry for a living wasn’t his original path in life.

But, he’s glad it’s turned out that way.

Balk, who operates a jewelry studio from his home in Lutz, has been making jewelry since 2008—around the time the United States’ recession was in full swing.

With a background in athletic training and physical therapy, the New Jersey native spent 13 years working as an associate dean of education for a massage school in Tampa. Simultaneously, he worked as a massage therapist for the Tampa Bay Mutiny and the New York Yankees.

However, once the nation’s economy took a tailspin for the worse, Balk’s seemingly stable career was no more.

Dan Balk handles the entire jewelry-making process for all of his pieces. (Courtesy of Nataly Balk)
Dan Balk handles the entire jewelry-making process for all of his pieces.
(Courtesy of Nataly Balk)

His massage school went bankrupt, and the Yankees, like many companies at the time, began laying off employees.

“Massage is very much a luxury for people, and people weren’t spending that type of money at that time,” Balk explained. “I must’ve sent 2,000 to 3,000 resumes in any one of the fields I was licensed to work in, and nothing was happening.”

With a wife and two children to support, Balk was at a crossroads — until his father-in-law, Roberto Vengoechea, suggested Balk make some “trinkets” to sell in the meantime.

Taking up Vengoechea’s suggestion, Balk served a 28-day apprenticeship under the guidance of his father-in-law, a master jeweler in Black Mountain, North Carolina.

Vengoechea’s tutelage turned out to be a  “cathartic” and “powerful” experience for Balk.

It was like the planets began to align, he said.

“I really, really loved what I was watching him do, and what I was doing,” Balk said. “What a boon for us that I was able to learn from someone who was so well-versed in the trade.

“We haven’t looked back since,” he said. “This is was what I was made to do.”

The craft of making jewelry by hand is declining, Balk said, due in part to the proliferation of graphic design, 3D printing and overseas production.

“All of these things that were done by hand — in a couple generations, if we don’t teach other people, they’re lost,” Balk said. “As a craftsperson, you’re under an obligation to teach.”

Balk designs and fabricates every piece of jewelry from raw materials.

Typically, the process can involve as many as five or six different parties, from the time a piece is designed until it is sold, he said.

Balk handles the entire jewelry-making process—whether it’s a ring, a pendant, a necklace or a bracelet.

He leaves the “business side of things” to his wife, Nataly.

“I create all of my own (metal) sheets, I make all of my own (silver and gold) alloys, I design all of my own pieces, and I finish them; I set all of my own stones, and I select my stones. When I can cut and polish the stones myself, I do that myself,” Balk said. “That’s a premium — that the artist had direct contact with a piece all the way through to completion.”

Depending on the type of jewelry and its complexity, Balk may spend anywhere from a few days to a week on a piece.

While most of his jewelry designs are labeled as “modern and futuristic,” there’s essentially no limit as to what Balk can create based on a customer’s request.

From that standpoint, each piece of jewelry made by Balk is “one of a kind,” and not constrained to basic round rings and singular stones.

One customer, for instance, had rings and pendants made out of antique silverware. Another had a wedding band containing fossilized dinosaur bone. Others have had shark’s teeth and sea glass casted into their personalized pieces.

“If you have the idea, it probably can be made. Because I do it all myself, I’m not limited by just the components I can buy,” Balk explained. “Some (jewelers) say, ‘I do customer ordering — these are the settings you can choose, and these are the bands you can choose.’ We don’t do that; we can make anything you want to make.

“It’s not limited by a picture in the catalog.”

A look at one of the rings Balk recently completed. (Kevin Weiss/Staff Photo)
A look at one of the rings Balk recently completed.
(Kevin Weiss/Staff Photo)

After operating the Singing Stone Gallery in Ybor City for six years, Balk has been working out of his home jewelry studio in Lutz since last August.

The change in work location logistically made more sense, especially for teaching jewelry classes, which he’s done since 2012.

Balk’s daily “five-step commute” to work allows him to both focus on his craft and teach hands-on, personalized classes in a relaxed setting.

“We’re really getting to know each person that comes in. It’s not a class of 17 or 18 people that leave after an hour,” Balk’s wife said. “He’s taking you into his studio and saying, ‘Let me tell you everything I know, and if you have any questions, please let me know.’ He starts very calmly and patiently, and explains everything.”

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, men will often surprise their partner by taking them to one of Balk’s jewelry making classes — a unique experience compared to a typical dinner date.

“I’m not against a good meal, and they are memorable when they are good, but you have that night, you eat your food and the next day, you’re done. This kind of thing—you’re making a memory,” Balk said.

“It’s an experience as well as a timeless piece that you keep forever,” Nataly said.

For more information, call (813) 728-4325, or email .

Published February 3, 2016

Forgiveness brings freedom, genocide survivor says

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There was a time when Immaculee Ilibagiza didn’t think she’d live to see another day.

Now, she rejoices for each new day because it gives her a chance to share her faith.

Ilibagiza, author of “Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust,” was at St. Timothy Catholic Church on Jan. 27 and Jan. 28, sharing her story of survival — which she attributes to God’s immense love.

The church invited her to speak, as part of its celebration of the Jubilee year of Mercy.

Immaculee Ilibagiza signs copies of her book, ‘Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust.’ (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Immaculee Ilibagiza signs copies of her book, ‘Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust.’
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

Pope Francis has declared a Jubilee of Mercy, which began Dec. 8 and runs through Nov. 20, 2016, according to the National Catholic Reporter. The pope has called on Catholics around the world to use the ongoing Jubilee year of mercy to “open wide” the doors of their hearts to forgive others and to work against social exclusion.

Ilibagiza’s message fits perfectly with that theme.

She grew up in a small village in Rwanda and had been attending the National University of Rwanda to study electrical and mechanical engineering.

She was home on Easter break in April of 1994 when the assassination of the Hutu president sparked months of massacres of Tutsi tribe members throughout the country.

To spare his daughter from rape and murder, Ilibagiza’s father told her to run to the home of a Hutu pastor, who was a family friend. The pastor hid her and seven other women in a cramped 3-foot-by-4-foot bathroom for 91 days.

“We stayed in that bathroom three months. We never spoke to each other those three months,” she said.

During that time, her faith was crushed and challenged.

She knew that any tiny noise could lead to her death.

The Hutu killers stormed into the pastor’s house and searched through it. They looked on the roof, under the beds and in the ceiling.

As she feared for her life, she asked God to give her a sign. She asked him to keep the intruders from finding the bathroom door.

In a 60 Minutes interview, the pastor said one of the intruders put his hand on the doorknob, but didn’t turn it.

That’s when Ilibagiza said she knew, without doubt, that God is real.

It took her quite some time, though, to reach a point where she could forgive the murderers.

She said she used to pray the “Our Father,” but couldn’t sincerely ask God “to forgive” those who had trespassed against her, so she skipped that part of the prayer.

Eventually, though, she realized that the prayer was instituted by Jesus, so she had to find a way to forgive the people who brutally killed her family, friends and other members of the tribe.

That’s when she began praying for the ability to forgive.

She then realized that would require true surrender. So, she prayed for that.

The words that Jesus spoke, as he was dying on the cross, provided guidance, she said.

During his agony, he uttered, “Forgive them Father, they don’t know what they do,” she said.

And, it occurred to her that the people wielding machetes were like the people who killed Jesus.

“They have been blinded by hatred, selfishness, all of those things have taken over, blinded them,” she said.

And, it also reminded her that everyone is capable to choosing the wrong path.

“All of us we become blind, when we go into hatred, when we become selfish,” she said.

Forgiveness, however, frees those who have been harmed to move away from the hatred and to choose peace, she said.

Her change of heart did not come overnight and did not come easily, she said.

When she went into that bathroom, she said, she weighed 115 pounds and when she came out, she weighed 65 pounds.

“Every bone was out,” she said. “People were running away from me when I came out, ‘Look at her, she became a skeleton.’

But, that wasn’t her only or most important transformation.

“Inside my heart, I felt so beautiful. Inside my heart, I was smiling,” she said.

“I knew who I was. I’m a child of God. I’m not going to hate. I’m going to pray.”

February 3, 2016