The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

First Baptist of Lutz to get a new look

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From left to right: retired Senior Pastor Charles White, Senior Pastor Scott Talley’ Senior Administrative Pastor Paul Vahue, Worship Pastor Steve Biles, Next Gen Pastor Tanner Biles, Chairman Campus Revitalization Committee member Kevin Sturgill, Rob Glisson, AIA of ROJO Architecture and Barry Henderson of Wilson & Co., hold a ceremonial groundbreaking at First Baptist Church of Lutz, at 18116 U.S. 41 North. The church, which was built in the 1940s, is getting a $3-million modern renovation, expected to be completed by May 2023. (Courtesy of Kim Seymour)

One of Lutz’s oldest buildings is getting a makeover.

The First Baptist Church of Lutz, originally built in 1944 (and rebuilt in the early 1960s after a fire), is set to get a $3 million renovation, expected to be completed around May 2023.

“This church was started in a member’s living room in the 1940s and it’s just been adding buildings over time,” Administrative Pastor Paul Vahue said. “The church is looking tired and old, so it’s getting a facelift. We’ll give the church a brand new modern glass entrance and we’re all really excited about it.”

An artist rendering of the $3 million update of the First Baptist Church of Lutz

With the renovation, the entire front of the church will be enclosed with an entirely new look.

The church also will add an atrium that will be the centerpiece and will connect the sanctuary to the fellowship hall.

The atrium will be a large open space for welcoming guests, checking in children to the children’s wing, and hosting events.

There also will be new, larger, handicap-accessible restrooms at the front of the fellowship hall, on both the first and second floors.

During the renovation, the main sanctuary will be unaffected, so services will remain there.

The construction work, however, will require several community groups, such as home-schooled students and Boy Scouts who meet at the church, to relocate their meetings to other buildings on the church campus.

So the upcoming year is expected to have a hectic look at the First Baptist Church of Lutz, but it will be a most welcome one.

“Many parents didn’t want to bring their kids to this aging building where it just looks like a blast from the past,” Vahue said. “People like stuff that is new and we want to get modern here. The church isn’t going anywhere — it’s just going to get modern and new.”

Published April 20, 2022

 

Proposal calls for modernizing county code

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Pasco County is considering updates to its landscaping code — and, while doing so, is contemplating how to deal with electric charging stations for cars and for carports within parking lots that have solar panels on top.

David Goldstein, chief assistant county attorney, asked county planners and the Pasco County Planning Commission to consider including the electric charging stations and solar-paneled carports, as the county amends its code.

He made the suggestion during the planning board’s April 7 meeting.

The attorney said he’d been out West recently, where he saw that in many parking lots, “they have these, what I’ll call solar car ports.”

They provide shade for the cars, while also generating solar energy for businesses, Goldstein said.

“As I saw them, I was thinking: ‘Is that even possible to do in Pasco and still comply with our landscape ordinance?” Goldstein said.

“What I noticed was where these solar panels were, the footers that were holding them up were basically where we would normally have these landscaped islands,” he added.

Patrick Dutter, a senior planner for the county, told Goldstein that the code amendments didn’t address those particulars.

But Dutter added: “The main goal of those trees (required in the landscape code) in those vehicle use areas is to provide shade, right. And, if those carport structures are doing that, it’s meeting the main intent. So, staff would probably be OK with approving an alternative standard.”

Goldstein, however, suggested adding the solar carports to the list of exceptions included in the proposed code.

“I’d just hate to see someone have to go through an alternative standards process for something that we probably would encourage, because it’s providing shade, it’s providing solar energy. Why not write it into the code, as opposed to saying, ‘You’ve got to go through an alternative standards process?’” Goldstein said.

He continued: “If it is providing just as much shade as the landscaping and it’s encouraging solar, I would think we want to encourage that.”

Brad Tippin, the county’s development review manager, responded: “I think that is something we could probably add to that list of exceptions, with a caveat that the county sees to what’s being proposed, to see if it actually meets that.

“We may also want to address things like electric charging stations,” Tippin said.

Goldstein responded: “That was going to be my next question.

“A logical place to retrofit putting in an electric charging station is in the landscape islands, and I wouldn’t want us to preclude those,” Goldstein said.

“I think there should be some allowance for that,” the attorney said, providing the planning board approved that direction, which it did, later in the meeting.

Tippin said county staff will draft language to address those issues, before bringing the proposed landscaping update to the Pasco County Commission for a vote.

Goldstein said it makes sense to include the changes in the code update.

“We don’t amend the landscape code very often,” he said.

“This is probably the first time in 15 or 20 years. I just don’t want to have to wait another 15 or 20 years to amend the code, and allow for electric charging stations and solar facilities.

“We should anticipate the future that these things are probably coming, and we shouldn’t have our code preclude them,” he said.

Published April 20, 2022

Pasco’s emergency response times under fire

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It often takes too long in Pasco for responders to get to fires and medical emergencies, two men representing the county’s professional firefighters told the Pasco County Commission at its board meeting earlier this month.

Robert Fuerst and Dixon Phillips — spoke during the public comment portion of the board’s April 5 meeting, and they had plenty to say.

Fuerst told the county board that “41,365 calls for service in 2021 exceeded the 10-minute threshold to get the first unit on the scene.”

He continued: “That means it takes more than 10 minutes to get a fire engine on a scene in a day and age where houses can be fully engulfed in flames in less than 5 minutes.”

Additionally, nearly 10,000 of the 89,447 calls for service in Pasco County last year took 15 minutes to get the first paramedic on scene, Fuerst added.

“Imagine having to perform CPR or rescue breathing for one of your loved ones for that period of time and then having to possibly wait longer (for the ambulance to show up), while the fire engine does the same thing you did for the past 15 minutes,” he said.

Fuerst also told the board that between Jan. 1 and March 13, of this year, Pasco Fire Rescue declared Signal 40 — meaning no ambulance was available on one side of the county, or the other side, or both — for a grand total of 1,586 minutes.

That equates to a total of 26 hours in a period of roughly 100 days, he said.

“As staggering as this statistic is, it’s only the beginning. How many minutes was there only one ambulance, or two ambulances to send in Pasco County? How long was the response to the next 9-1-1 call for that ambulance. What was the preventable, negative effect on that person or that house that we were trying to protect from a fire?” he asked.

County’s rapid growth affecting response times
Normally, the annual increase in calls is around 5%, but Pasco’s was 16% in 2021, he said.

“We attribute it directly to the growth, the unfettered growth, in the county,” he said.

“We need more funding to perform essential services we are tasked with providing. We need this board to be the public safety advocates they claim to be and provide the funding we so desperately need,” he said.

Dixon Phillips, the District 3 representative of IAFF Local 4420, reminded board members that he and other union members had appeared before the board in July requesting an increase in the Municipal Services Taxing Unit to increase support for fire and rescue services.

“We told you that response times were longer than ever and we were experiencing an increase in call volume that this county has never seen.

“You ignored us,” he said.

He said the National Fire Protection Association has a standard that calls for an advanced life support unit to arrive on scene in less than 8 minutes, on 90% of all incidents.

He said Pasco isn’t meeting that standard.

“Earlier this year, a witnessed cardiac arrest occurred in Pasco County. It took 8 minutes after the 9-1-1 call was received to find units available to send. Ladder 37, which services the Sunlake area, came in service and was dispatched to the call. It took 14 minutes for Ladder 37 to arrive on scene, where unfortunately the patient was deemed dead on arrival.

“This is not the first time this has happened and, unfortunately, it won’t be the last for the foreseeable future,” Phillips said.

Besides the potential for a patient to die, there’s also the possibility of patients suffering brain damage if it takes too long for help to arrive, he noted.

Phillips also reminded the county board that County Administrator Dan Biles said that two new fire stations would be coming online and that a station that services New Port Richey would be getting another rescue.

“Well, commissioners, here we are, nine months later and we have no new stations in service, no new engines in service and no new rescues in service.

“Rescue 230, which has a station waiting for it, has sat outside of Wesley parked for months.

“Until Fire Rescue is given what it needs, civilians, both young and old, will continue to die unnecessarily. Maybe one day soon, we’ll be able to call Pasco County safe,” Phillips said.

Biles told board members that Rescue 230 is waiting for trainees to get through their training.

He also said that “Station 3 will go out to bid and start construction here, shortly, within the next quarter.”

Biles said the county is working on the next budget.

He also noted that Station 2 and Station 4 are both bond-funded fire stations and will be under construction in the next 18 months, which would include two new rescue units.

“There is a lot of stuff going on. Over the past five years, the board has increased the rescue piece of the budget almost 120%, which dwarfs just about any other increase in the county. So, there is a lot going on,” he said.

He also noted that during COVID, a lot of fire schools shut down, so the county is playing catch up.

“For a while, we had more vacancies than we had applications for. I think we have on the order of 20 to 30 firefighters going through our current training program and onboarding, in the training center, and then there’s another group after that, which should get us close to about the 20 vacancies that are planned for Station 3. They’re budgeted but won’t be filled until we’re ready to permit that station,” Biles said.

Published April 20, 2022

Starkey Ranch event features ‘a little night music’

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The outdoor basketball courts on the edge of the physical education field at Starkey Ranch K-8 provided a place for the audience to watch the performance. (Fred Bellet)

The Starkey Ranch K-8 School teamed up with Michael Francis, music director for The Florida Orchestra, to present the Starkey Symphony Spectacular.

The outdoor concert featured performances by Starkey K-8 musicians, community members, and members of The Florida Orchestra, under the direction of Maestro Francis.

The event was held outdoors on the physical education fields at Starkey Ranch K-8, in Odessa.

Attendees were encouraged to bring a blanket or lawn chairs, and purchase food from the food trucks there.

The event was free, but the school received a portion of the food truck proceeds and donations, to support the school’s music programs.

Conductor Mariah Walukonis led the orchestra with Maestro Michael Francis during the Starkey Symphony Spectacular.
Violinist Jeffrey Mutter, of The Florida Orchestra, performs a piece for the audience.
Scott Carlson’s phone captures the performance by the Starkey Ranch K-8 Chorus. Carlson, of Odessa, is the school’s physical education teacher; his wife, Megan Carlson, teaches kindergarten. The video of the day was of their son, 11-year-old Lucas Carlson, who sang in the chorus.
From left: 5-year-old Guga Alvarenga, 6-year-old Duda Alvarenga, 9-year-old Brianna Semsedin, 6-year-old Liam Semsedin and 9-year-old Lilly Labruzzo watch the concert from the VIP section.

 

 

Michael Francis leads an orchestra comprised of sixth- and seventh-grade students from Starkey Ranch K-8; high school students from Mitchell, Gulf and River Ridge; community members; and musicians from The Florida Orchestra. That brought the total size of the group to 75.
Ray Gadd, deputy superintendent of Pasco County Schools, offers remarks about the musically talented students at Starkey Ranch K-8.

Honoring this public servant’s service

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From left: Commissioner Curtis Dwyer; Commissioner Donna DeWitt, O.S.B.; Mayor Richard Christmas; Mayor Pro Tem James Hallett, O.S.B.; and Commissioner Mike D’Ambrosio. (Courtesy of Andrea Calvert)

Mayor Richard Christmas was honored during the April 12 St. Leo Town Commission meeting. He received a proclamation and a plaque, commemorating his 27 years of service on the Town Commission, including 13 as mayor. He did not seek reelection this year.

During his tenure, St. Leo underwent many projects and improvements, including the expansion of Saint Leo University, relocation of Holy Name Monastery, revision of the Land Development Code and Comprehensive Plan, development and contraction of the portion of Lake Jovita subdivision that was in the Town, and improvement of streets throughout St. Leo, according to information provided by the town.

The countywide Penny for Pasco initiative also was implemented, as was the Municipal Association of Pasco.

(Courtesy of the City of Dade City)

Going out on a high note
Before the Dade City Commission meeting began on April 12, Mayor Camille Hernandez was honored for 16 years of service to the community. Hernandez is retiring from her position as mayor, effective April 26. She was a commissioner for six years and then served as mayor for 10. From left: Commissioner Normita ‘Angel’ Woodard, Hernandez, Commissioner Knute Nathe, Commissioner and Mayor Pro Tem James Shive and Commissioner Scott Black.

Published April 20, 2022

A spring cleaning was in order

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Keep Pasco Beautiful once again encouraged volunteers to scour 43 locations in Pasco County for debris pickup, during its annual 2022 Great American Cleanup.

More than 750 volunteers logged 2,244 hours to help to clear public spaces, roadsides and waterways in Dade City, Holiday, Hudson, New Port Richey, Port Richey and Wesley Chapel.

Zephyrhills Public Works’ employees were on hand to assist with cleanup and drop-offs during the city’s annual Neighborhood Clean-Up. (Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills Public Information Office)

The effort yielded 45,300 pounds of collected trash throughout Pasco County.

For information on how to reduce litter, promote waste reduction and encourage beautification, call 727-834-3611, ext. 1072, or email Keep Pasco Beautiful coordinator Kristen King at .

The City of Zephyrhills also hosted its seasonal “Neighborhood Clean-Up,” targeting Gall Boulevard to 12th Street and 12th Avenue to Fifth Avenue.

Fifteen Zephyrhills Public Works employees were on hand to assist with check-ins and roving cleanup in alleyways, and to facilitate the drop-off site at Zephyrhills City Hall, according to a news release.

Numerous items were disposed of, including tires, electronics, appliances, yard debris, mattresses and more.

Collection totals in Zephyrhills were: 150 cubic yards of mixed-debris; four appliances; seven TVs/electronics; 35 tires; and 17 drive-up drop-offs.

The idea of the city’s clean-up program is to help alleviate various Code Enforcement issues in certain areas, and the municipality at-large.

Published April 20, 2022

Voters decide outcome in municipal races

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There will be mostly familiar faces on elected city government boards in East Pasco, following the April 12 municipal elections.

Dade City Commissioner Scott Black held onto his seat by defeating challenger Kelly Smith. Black received 471 votes to Smith’s 259.

Joining Black on that board will be Ann Cosentino, who was elected to fill an opening created by Mayor Camille Hernandez, who retired from her seat on the board.

Commission Group 2 winner Ann Cosentino and her supporters wave to passing cars on Meridian Avenue on April 12, as the newly elected official defeated opponent Keeley Karatinos. (Mike Camunas)

Cosentino received 432 votes; Keeley Karatinos received 285.

Cosentino was impressed by the turnout.

“There was a rolling amount of people coming in and it felt like record numbers to me,” she said.

The candidate had placed signs up and down Meridian Avenue and pitched a tent with her supporters at 6:30 a.m., in front of Precinct OO1, at the First Baptist Church of Dade City, at 37511 Church Ave.

Karatinos did the same thing.

Commission Group 1 winner Scott Black retained his seat by receiving 64% of 730 votes over opponent Kelly Smith on April 12.

Both candidates were out waving as drivers passed — with some motorists responding by honking their horns.

Before the votes were tallied, Cosentino was ready for whatever the outcome would be.

“I’ve always been surrounded by people and a team that really support me and believe in me, and that has made running really worth it,” Cosentino said. “I’ve done all the hard work and I’ve worked as hard as I possibly can, so I’ve been at peace no matter what the result will be.”

Incumbent Black also was at Precinct 001, waving to passersby, on Election Day.

Precinct 001 Supervisor Robert McConathy said the enthusiastic voter turnout is a sign of the pivotal time that Dade City is experiencing.

“Lots of things have been taking place in the city and a lot of people want to see change.

“When that happens, you see high voter turnout.”

The Town of St. Leo also had a contested seat, where voters selected William Hamilton to fill Seat 5 on its commission. Hamilton secured 30 votes; opponent Susan Lashlee received 9.

Some municipal leaders were reelected without challenge.

Winning their seats unopposed were Alison R. Cagle, Sarah E. Schrader and John T. Vogel, in the City of San Antonio; Donna H. DeWitt and James E. Hallett, in the Town of St. Leo; and, Lance Smith and Ken Burgess, in the City of Zephyrhills.

Dade City Commission

Group 1 results
Scott Black: 471
Kelly Smith: 259

Group 2 results
Ann Cosentino: 432
Keeley Karatinos: 285

St. Leo Town Commission
Seat 5
William Hamilton: 30
Susan Lashlee: 9

UNOPPOSED CANDIDATES

San Antonio City Commission
Alison R. Cable
Sarah E. Schrader
John T. Vogel

Saint Leo Town Commission
Seat 1: Donna H. DeWitt
Seat 3: James E. Hallett

Zephyrhills City Council
Seat 1: Lance Smith
Seat 4: Ken Burgess

Published April 20, 2022

Traffic alert released for County Line Road

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A Pasco County news release issued April 15 alerts drivers that a part of County Line Road, just east of Northwood Palms Boulevard, will be reduced to one lane of traffic on April 18 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Crews will need to close part of the road to perform work on the County Line Road Multi-Use Trail project.

Details, according to the release:

  • Closure is set to begin Monday at 9 a.m. and wrap up by 3 p.m., barring any weather delays
  • Message boards and signs will direct drivers
  • Flaggers will provide traffic control

To see a map of the affected area, visit bit.ly/3OnShcC.

Cone & Graham Inc., is the contractor for this Pasco County Engineering Services project.

This high school will open doors to new possibilities

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This has been a long time coming.

Since 2018, to be exact.

Ever since Wendell Krinn Technical High opened in New Port Richey — replacing Ridgewood High — there’s been a need for a technical school on Pasco County’s east side.

Soon, that need will be served.

Pasco County Schools is spending $70 million on Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation, a school that will feature leading-edge programs on an ultra-modern campus.

Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation, at 32555 Innovation Drive in Wesley Chapel, is a state-of-the-art $70-million high school set to open in August. It will provide an array of technical program options for students. (Mike Camunas)

Being built in the rapidly growing community of Wesley Chapel, the new high school is set to open this August, for the 2022-2023 school year.

The STEM (science, technical, engineering and mathematics) high school will feature a curriculum that allows students to earn a standard diploma, while having the opportunity to earn industry certifications.

Dee Dee Johnson, Kirkland Ranch’s inaugural principal, said this type of school has been needed on the east side of the county for a long time.

The campus gives students a chance to attain a well-rounded education, while also exploring programs that might not be their exact focus.

Students will have access to trade and technical programs such as automotive maintenance and repair, including diesel; biomedical sciences; building trades and construction technology; cybersecurity; digital media and multimedia design; engineering and robotics, welding; electricity; and, patient care technology.

Kirkland Ranch is opening with freshmen and sophomores, but will be adding junior and senior classes.

Both school and district leaders are enthused about the new opportunities that Kirkland will provide.

“We’re excited about the whole experience for those students,” said Dr. Kim Moore, assistant superintendent for Career and Innovative Programs.

The school’s STEM focus “is integrated into everything because STEM is a mindset. The programs will all have interconnection,” Moore said.

Kirkland Ranch has been designed to foster collaboration among students.

Several programs are deliberately located close to each other to make it easier for students from various programs to bring their work together.

“Engineering needs to understand the trades of building and construction, just like electrical needs to, as well,” Johnson said. “Honestly, we’re excited about how all of the programs can collaborate and work together. I think that’s really cool because that’s how it will work in the real world. We’re excited to see what every program can build and create.”

The school district also is excited to have a diesel automotive program, one that can and will work on its school buses.

A construction welder works on the campus of Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation, a $70-million project to bring a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) high school to the east side of Pasco County.

“They’ll be able to service our own vehicles — which is just about one of the coolest things the school system will have,” Moore said.

Pasco County Schools is taking full advantage of the county’s unprecedented growth, especially in the Wesley Chapel area.

With the abundance of nearby construction projects — on buildings, roadways and other infrastructure — there’s plenty of opportunity for technical jobs. Those are the kinds of jobs that will be easily accessible to students who receive training and can become certified before leaving high school.

“Think about it,” Moore said. “Large employers like the hospitals coming in right there in Wesley Chapel will need everything from doctors to nurses to biomedical to technicians. But those large businesses will need buildings; jobs that will go to welders and construction and engineers. Those businesses might have vehicles, in which our students will be prepared to work on those mechanically.

“A lot of strategy went into selecting career fields and programs at Kirkland Ranch — that way it would meet the needs locally,” Moore said.

“We took a comprehensive local needs assessment that focused on the jobs needed in Pasco, especially right nearby in Wesley Chapel. We’ll have ready a pool of employees right here in Pasco County that will attract even more businesses.”

Kirkland Ranch is set to be completed this summer, with students expected to have a chance to tour the building sometime in July, Johnson said.

“Everything is on track, which is amazing in what we’re facing (with supply chains) at this time,” Johnson added.

Anticipation is growing and the excitement is palpable, as school and district leaders prepare to welcome the first students to Kirkland Ranch.

“If I was in high school again, I would have gone to this school,” Moore said, with a laugh. “I would have loved to have gone to a school like Kirkland Ranch.”

Interested in enrolling?
The Pasco County Pathways second enrollment period runs through April 18. For more information on Kirkland Ranch, its programs and enrollment, visit KRAI.pasco.k12.fl.us/.

Published April 13, 2022

New Kirkland Ranch principal described as ‘a blessing’

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It surprised Dee Dee Johnson.

The longtime Pasco County Schools teacher and administrator was named 2021 Principal of the Year in November and all of it came as a shock, especially when Superintendent Kurt Browning showed up with a bouquet of flowers.

Dee Dee Johnson was named Pasco County School District’s 2021 Principal of the Year and is now principal of Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation. The new high school is set to open in August. (Mike Camunas)

“Oh, it was very unexpected,” said Johnson, who has been with Pasco County Schools for 18 years. “It was pretty cool that my peers nominated and voted for me. There are so many great leaders in the area and so many great leaders that I’ve learned from and still reach out to. I felt great that everyone recognized that I worked hard and want to do what is best for the kids.

“I was very surprised to get the award.”

Those who know Johnson and her work, however, weren’t as surprised. As someone who worked her way up from math teacher to principal of the soon-to-be-opening Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation, it was a long time coming. Especially to one of those leaders who has witnessed Johnson’s career firsthand.

“We are just blessed beyond blessings to have her,” said Dr. Kim Moore, assistant superintendent for Career and Innovative Programs. “She is a phenomenal leader with a proven track record. Every school she has gone to has improved because she is that phenomenal leader.”

Johnson is a product of the school system where she works. She attended Quail Hollow Elementary, Weightman Middle and Zephyrhills High.

At Zephyrhills High, she was a soccer star — earning a scholarship to Florida Atlantic University, where she graduated in 2000.

“She is from the community and knows the community,” Moore said. “So everyone knows her and she’s earned that trust as a person from the community.”

Johnson began her career as a mathematics teacher at Centennial Middle and then moved on to her alma mater, Zephyrhills High. Next, she became assistant principal at Wesley Chapel High, where she was named principal in 2017.

In the 2018-2019 school year, she became principal at Pasco Middle.

Superintendent Browning named her Kirkland Ranch’s first principal in September.

“I couldn’t think of a better person to be that school’s principal,” Moore added.

Johnson’s ties run even deeper with Pasco County’s school system, as her husband, Mike, is the football coach at Cypress Creek High in Wesley Chapel.

Now, Johnson’s days are filled with planning to open Kirkland Ranch, which includes visits to the construction site until the work is finished this summer.

“I’m ready for August,” Johnson said.

“But the kids will come and tour it in July, so I really just can’t wait until then,” she said.

Published April 13, 2022