The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

Randy Maggard wins District 38 seat

By

Voters have selected Randy Maggard to become their next representative in District 38 of the Florida House of Representatives.

Maggard, a Republican, received 9,615 votes, or 55.58 percent of the total in the Special Election held on June 18. His opponent Kelly Smith, a Democrat, received 7,684, or 44.42 percent of the vote.

The voter turnout in the contest was 15.24.

The district’s boundaries stretch roughly from East Pasco over to U.S. 41 in Central Pasco.

Maggard fills a vacancy that was created by former Rep. Danny Burgess, who accepted an offer from Gov. Ron DeSantis to become the executive director of the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

Maggard is a businessman and community leader. He’s served as vice president of Sonny’s Discount Appliances for 30 years, according to campaign materials.

He is a Pasco County native, attended Zephyrhills High School and holds an Associate of Arts degree from Pasco-Hernando Community College (now known as Pasco-Hernando State College).

He has served on the Southwest Water Management Governing Board since 2011, including a stint as  chairman, from 2016 to 2018.

He was chairman of the Republican Party of Pasco from 2006 to 2012.

He was a member of the Coastal River Basin Board, from 2004 to 2008, and was vice chairman on that board from 2008 to 2010.

Maggard lives in Dade City. He’s been married to his wife, Colleen, for 34 years, and they have three children.

In his free time, Maggard enjoys hunting, fishing, ranching and spending time with his family.

Maggard was endorsed by Burgess, whom he is replacing.

He also received endorsements from other widely known Pasco County public office holders, including Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco; Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano; Pasco County Commission Chairman Ron Oakley; Pasco County Commission Vice Chairman Mike Moore; Pasco Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning; and former Speaker of the House Richard Corcoran.

Published June 26, 2019

Lutz school hosts nationally recognized STEM camp

By

Lutz Preparatory School recently was the site for Camp Invention, a nationally recognized summer STEM camp, open to children in kindergarten through fifth grade. The camp is a program of the Nation Inventors Hall of Fame, in partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Campers learn about the importance of intellectual property. They also explore and design, and take part in hands-on activities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Each year, the camp features a new curriculum, which is inspired by inventors hall of fame inductees. At the end of the weeklong program, each camper took home a robot.

Using her remote-controlled ‘orbot’ robot, 10-year-old Madelyn Getchell, of Carrollwood, center, successfully knocks over a cardboard tower. Seventeen-year-old leadership intern Erika Hanzelka, of Lutz, left, and 9-year-old Tyler Jorgensen, of Lutz, look on. (Christine Holtzman)
Six-year-old Christopher Cruz, of Tampa, explains his blueprint plans for underwater scuba gear, to teacher Jenny Holden. Holden teaches the Deep Sea Mystery class at Camp Invention.
In the Innovation Force class, taught by Paige DeAngelis, 8-year-old Rachel Mendelsohn, of Wesley Chapel, shows off her completed projects, as well as her crazy hair design, that celebrates crazy hair day at the camp.

Pasco Sheriff’s Office gets forensics K-9

By

The Pasco Sheriff’s Office has added another K-9 to its unit of about two dozen — but it’s not the traditional search and seizure police dog frequently utilized by law enforcement agencies.

Instead, this dog, a 3-year-old yellow Labrador named Phi, is paired with a forensics investigator and trained to detect decomposing human remains.

Pasco Sheriff’s Office forensics investigator Heidi Sievers and K-9 partner Phi. Phi is the agency’s new human remains detection dog, believed to be the first of its kind in the Tampa Bay area. (Kevin Weiss)

More commonly known as a human remains detection dog, K-9 Phi ignores live human scent and animal scent as to indicate odors on human remains, whether it be related to crime scenes, old missing persons cases, or natural or man-made disaster events.

Phi is believed to be the only human remains detection/forensics K-9 employed by a law enforcement agency in the Tampa Bay area. He was purchased and trained through donations from service organization Phi Delta Kappa in Odessa.

Pasco Sheriff Cpl. Jimmy Hall heads up the agency’s new forensic K-9 unit.

The unit is modeled after the FBI’s dog scent program, and Hall said it takes the concept of cadaver dogs to a new level in identifying and solving crime scenes.

That’s because Phi and similarly trained dogs don’t just search for bodies. They also identify the presence of trace amounts of human bones, bodily fluids and decomposing material — whether buried underground, underwater, smeared on a car or elsewhere.

“We’re bringing these dogs to search these trace amounts, which is really the difference that’s not being done out there,” Hall said.

Phi has received roughly 12 weeks of in-house operational training. He also gets weekly maintenance training.

In learning to train forensics dogs, Hall and sheriff’s office personnel visited the FBI’s training academy in Virginia.

In essence, forensics dogs like Phi are trained like bomb or drug-sniffing dogs, where they’re rewarded for being able to identify a particular targeted odor, Hall said.

“We saw what they had and how they use the dogs, and got some great ideas from them,” Hall said.

Hall noted during that trip, trained forensics dogs were able to indicate odor on a pre-Civil War gravesite. “I not necessarily would’ve believed that if I wasn’t there watching it myself,” Hall said.

The greatest benefit of a forensics K-9, Hall said, is helping investigators to conduct more thorough evidence gathering outside the realm of a primary crime scene, or where the crime actually occurred.

K-9 Officer Phi undergoes a regular training session with his handler. The K-9 is trained to detect human remains related to crime scenes, old missing persons cases, natural or man-made disasters and more. (Courtesy of Pasco Sheriff’s Office)

The law enforcement explained: “If we’ve got a crime scene at a house, we can deploy the dog starting a block out if we want to, and it’s possible to find evidence for that crime…that we would’ve never come across.

“If you’re going to put 15 to 20 detectives and forensic investigators out to comb an area, they’re limited by sight. We can put this dog down and the odor is going to be much more powerful, and we can cover a larger area with that.”

Phi’s handler, forensics investigator Heidi Sievers, echoed that significance.

“We have only the ability of our sight and also some other technological tools that we have,” said Sievers, who has been partnered with Phi since March. “This is just one more check and balance to make sure that we’re covering the entirety of the scene.”

So far, Phi has been deployed about 20 times by the sheriff’s office and other agencies needing assistance. He’s done three deployments with Sievers.

The dog has been the sheriff’s office for about a year. He previously worked in different capacities with other handlers.

Besides assisting the forensics unit, Phi has also become a welcome addition to the Sievers’ household.

The forensics investigator had never owned a dog before, but Phi quickly developed a bond within her household.

“I have a daughter so she loves him, so it’s been really nice,” Sievers said. “He’s easy, he’s great, low maintenance. He’s very friendly. He just lives to run and work.”

Meanwhile, the sheriff’s office will soon add another human detection K-9 to its unit, for investigator Sue Miller. A third dog of its type is being utilized by an agency volunteer, as well.

As well as assisting with crime solving, the agency believes the forensic K-9 unit will eventually help in another area.

“This is something we know will also add to our recruitment,” Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco said. “The fact that people want this opportunity to say, ‘Hey, I’m going to be able to have a canine,’ that is very unique.”

Published June 19, 2019

Ease of 54/41 traffic congestion in progress

By

Nightly lane closures are now underway for a project aimed to improve traffic flow at the intersection of U.S. 41 and State Road 54, in Land O’ Lakes.

The lane closures began on June 16 and will last until June 21. They are being done from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., to minimize disruption.

Current construction to extend eastbound turning lanes on State Road 54 will smooth traffic flow and lessen wait times for motorists turning onto U.S. 41. (File)

Construction has been underway since April, to help ease congestion at an intersection used by about nearly 100,000 motorists daily.

The improvement aims to improve flow for motorists who are heading east on State Road 54, but who are not able to turn right or left onto U.S. 41 because the turn lanes are blocked by through traffic.

The development is extending the turning lane to enable them to accommodate more vehicles, thus reducing the wait times.

The lengthening of the left-turn lane has already begun with the installation of a lime rock base. It will be followed by new drainage features and finally new asphalt.

Construction work occurs at night from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., to avoid interfering with peak traffic hours.

However, some night lane closures, such as the current one, will be necessary at different times during the project.

The project also will alter the median opening where State Road 54 intersects with Hunt Road.

The modified median will have a separator in place, allowing eastbound traffic to turn left onto Hunt Road or make a U-turn. It will also grant motorists the option of turning left onto State Road 54 from Hunt Road.

The separator will no longer permit westbound traffic on State Road 54 to make U-turns.

The development is a part of Pasco County’s Long Range Transportation Plan, as well as the Vision 54/56 program – set to make long-term improvements along the corridor of State Road 54 and State Road 56.

It is estimated at $1.1 million in costs and is expected to be completed by fall of this year.

For further updates on closures, visit tinyurl.com/y2hvm7vr.

Published June 19, 2019

Zephyrhills plans for future industrial hub

By

The City of Zephyrhills is developing a master plan aimed at increasing high-wage industrial jobs and boosting the region’s economy.

Called the Zephyrhills Industrial Corridor Plan, it focuses on a large grouping of industrial properties and adjacent areas within the Chancey Road corridor, near the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport.

The City of Zephyrhills is developing a master plan aimed at increasing high-wage industrial jobs and benefits. The proposed Zephyrhills Industrial Corridor plan is long-range in nature, geared at guiding growth and development for the next 20 years or so. (Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)

The proposed master plan industrial project is long-range in nature, geared at guiding growth and development for the next 20 years or so.

Details of the preliminary plan were shared by urban planning consultant Tammy Vrana at a June 10 city council meeting.

The planning area is generally bound by Melrose Avenue to the north, the CSX Transportation railroad and U.S. 301 to the west, Pattie Road to the south, and Barry Road and the Upper Hillsborough Wildlife Management Area to the east.

It encompasses approximately 9.76 square miles (6,248 acres), including 33 percent within Zephyrhills and the remainder in unincorporated Pasco County, representing the largest aggregation of industrial lands in Pasco.

According to the draft plan, about 1,630 acres of that has already been designated for industrial land use, and another 215 acres for commercial. About 631 acres consists of existing residential property.

Two CSX mainline railroads traverse the area, the plan shows, accessible to Port Tampa Bay and the CSX Central Florida Intermodal Logistics Center.

The Zephyrhills Municipal Airport, a general aviation airport, also is located in the heart of the plan area, which can accommodate needs of business travelers.

In her presentation, Vrana underscored the need for Zephyrhills to begin planning now for industrial development, and finding ways to identify and recruit employment-generating manufacturing companies.

“There’s no better way to growing your middle class,” Vrana said, “than having good paying, industrial jobs.

“It diversifies your economy, so you’re not relying on just a couple of industries segments, and that way you’re better able to weather economic cycles,” she said.

Vrana explained an industrial corridor would help bring in dollars from outside the community, which she said in turn creates more business activity within local shops, restaurants and so on.

Shown here is the planning area for the Zephyrhills Industrial Corridor, generally bound by Melrose Avenue to the north, the CSX Transportation railroad and U.S. 301 to the west, Pattie Road to the south, and Barry Road and the Upper Hillsborough Wildlife Management Area to the east. It encompasses approximately 9.76 square miles (6,248 acres), including 33 percent within Zephyrhills and the remainder in unincorporated Pasco County.

“The revenues that you get from sales tax and property taxes…those things go to pay for your public services and amenities that are enjoyed by the entire community,” said Vrana.

Vrana stressed the need for the city to form partnerships with the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to create a “beltway” network of four-lane roads and more roadway connectivity to the interstate system. Investing in other infrastructure and operational improvements to reduce congestion and increase the efficiency of freight movement are needed, too, she said.

Quality of infrastructure is typically the top criteria for companies in deciding to relocate or move to a particular area, the consultant noted.

Vrana told the council: “You need to consider hard infrastructure, the things that you typically think about, but also those soft infrastructure assets such as education, public-private partnerships and just simple networking opportunities for community businesses.”

Vrana went on to identify potential opportunities for commercial development and placemaking around State Road 39 and Chancey Road.

She said that area could be utilized for retail, hotel, gas station and more. It also can incorporate some recreational accents, perhaps an extreme bike course and walking trails “to make the area a little bit nicer for walking, shopping, and as a workplace,” Vrana said.

“Just because it’s an industrial area doesn’t mean that it can’t look nice, that it can’t be spruced up, and have some nice trees and landscaping,” Vrana said.

The city’s industrial master plan is being funded through a technical assistance grant from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

The planning process for the master plan began in January. That included gathering relevant information and organizing a series of workshops, stakeholder’s meetings and open houses.

Vrana said next steps for the drafted plan include sketching up detailed conceptual layouts “and just look at the different things the city and its partners can do to increase business in this area.”

Additional opportunities for public input will be offered in late summer following development of plan illustrations and other refinements based on community feedback.

“I think that we all recognize the importance Zephyrhills of the industrial corridor brings us,” council president Ken Burgess said. “I’ve attended some of those workshops and meetings, and they’re very informative. And, there’s a lot of great discussion and feedback that I’ve seen, and I like the way the goals tie not into not just when you think about an industrial corridor, but the entire city and education, and all that.”

Councilman Lance Smith also voiced his approval of the industrial corridor initiative, but believes the city also must find ways to maintain its small-town vibe in the face of growth.

Smith put it like this: “I mean, I love going out to Wesley Chapel, but I would never live there, O.K. It’s a wonderful place to visit, but I like out downtown, I like our small town charm.”

Published June 19, 2019

Pioneer Museum gets new exhibits

By

Visitors to the Pioneer Florida Museum and Village now will be able to see an up-close look at how blacksmiths and woodworkers mastered their crafts as settlers back in the 1800s and 1900s.

Guests will be able to glimpse the tools used back then — whether the craftsmen were pulling forge bellows and shaping hot steel, or operating a foot-powered treadle lathe and turning wood.

The ribbon cutting ceremony and dedication took place outside the new Paul Rhinesmith Wood Wright shop. (Christine Holtzman)

The museum, located at 15602 Pioneer Museum Road in Dade City, recently added a full-fledged blacksmith shop and wood wright shop to its extensive collection of reenactment building exhibits.

The new shops were officially unveiled at a dedication ceremony last month at the museum property.

Materials and hand tools for both shops were donated by Paul Rhinesmith, a longtime museum demonstrator and trustee. Both exhibits were named for him.

The new additions took about a year to complete and furnish — as well as replicate something seen at the turn of the century, said Pioneer Museum board president Seth Mann.

Wood Wright Bill Holmes, of San Antonio, demonstrates how he uses a ripping saw to cut reclaimed lumber that will be used to make wood boxes. The wood for this project comes from the porch of a historic log cabin in Lacoochee, that will soon be moved to the museum property.

Previously, the museum didn’t have any actual working forge or wood wright shop, so smaller blacksmith and woodsmith demonstrations would take place at the museum’s Mabel Jordan Barn, which houses collections of early farm equipment, vintage buggies and carriages.

So, for Mann and other trustees, the new shops make for “a beautiful addition” to the 20-acre museum property that houses an old schoolhouse, a church, an original settler’s home, a general store, a shoe repair shop, a citrus packing house, a train depot and more.

The blacksmith shop measures 24-by-24 feet and the wood wright shop is 24-by-32 feet.

The museum acquired Dade City road bricks to put in the floor of the blacksmith shop, and used beams from one of the railroads, in the building.

Blacksmith Lewis Riggleman bangs on a piece of hot, mild steel, in order to shape it into a nail. The steel becomes malleable at 1,000 degrees, allowing Riggleman to pound it into shape.

The wood wright shop, meanwhile, contains cypress wood from the porch of a historic log cabin in Lacoochee, that soon will be moved to the museum property.

“We try to show people what the businesses looked like,” Mann said. “In historic Pasco, the carpentry shop and the blacksmith shop would’ve been major businesses downtown.”

The museum couldn’t survive without donations from community members, such as the Rhinesmith family, Mann said.

“Most of the buildings and exhibits we have here are contributed, even the land was contributed,” the museum board president said. “It takes the volunteers to come out here and work, the board members, the trustees — we all have to work to try to make the museum a success.”

Marilynn Ory, of Wesley Chapel, left, and her husband, Richard, admire the handmade wooden boxes and tools on display in the new wood wright shop. The Orys are both volunteers with the museum.

Rhinesmith, 86, suffers from a rare eye disease and lives in an assisted living facility in Zephyrhills.

But, he and his family were at the dedication ceremony.

His son, Phillip Rhinesmith, said the longtime volunteer dreamed of the museum having standalone blacksmith and woodworking shops when he did demonstrations in the 1990s and the 2000s, up until he began losing his eyesight.

“He knew he wouldn’t be able to demonstrate but still wanted to be able to show his support and donate to the museum,” Phillip Rhinesmith said.

Phillip Rhinesmith said boxes upon boxes of hand tools donated were collected or handmade by his father over many decades.

That includes an extensive collection of rare, vintage Stanley woodworking planes the elder Rhinesmith crafted himself for various projects.

The Paul Rhinesmith Wood Wright Shop

“Everything he built, there were no power tools, no sandpaper, no nails. Everything was friction fit together,” Phillip Rhinesmith said. “He knew if he needed a specific tool for a job, he would copy old designs out of old books and build the planes himself. It’s pretty incredible.”

The son added, “The legacy that he leaves with his tools here, most his collection, it means a lot to the family to be a part of this community.”

Bill Holmes is a new volunteer docent at the wood wright shop and a veteran carpenter.

The Paul Rhinesmith Blacksmith Shop

He said many of Rhinesmith’s donated tools, like a foot-powered treadle lathe, are so rare that he’s only seen them in books or on television.

“The guy was such a craftsman to get this together, to be able to use this stuff,” Holmes said. “All these tools, they’re still in impeccable shape. I can still use them today. A lot of times when you see these tools they’re so beat up, but these are impeccable working pieces.”

Fellow volunteer docent Steve Melton, who helps operate the blacksmith shop, was likewise impressed with Rhinesmith’s collection of donated hand tools, calling them “the real deal.”

Melton added both shops — and the many the items in them — are important for educating schoolchildren that visit the museum each year.

“This introduces to them a lot of the heritage arts,” Melton said, “and so it is just a remarkable addition to this community.”

To learn more about the Pioneer Florida Museum and Village, visit PioneerFloridaMuseum.org.

Published June 19, 2019

New charter school under construction in Wesley Chapel

By

Pinecrest Academy Wesley Chapel is under construction in the Avalon Park West community, off State Road 54.

Officials for Pinecrest and Avalon Park West invited the community to a groundbreaking ceremony, held mostly indoors at Trinity Church of Wesley Chapel, which is next door.

The new charter school, expected to open in the fall of 2020, will eventually serve kindergarten through eighth grade, and possibly older students.

Fernando Barroso, of Academica, offered some remarks during a groundbreaking ceremony for Pinecrest Academy Wesley Chapel. Academica is the education services provider for Pinecrest Academy. (B.C. Manion)

The opening will coincide with the completion of the widening of State Road 54, which runs in front of the school.

Pinecrest Academy Wesley Chapel will provide all students with a core curriculum of English/language arts, mathematics, social science, science, and electives, such as performing and fine arts, world languages, Project Lead the Way and other offerings, according to the school’s website. Parents who are interested in the school can go to the website (PinecrestWesleyChapel.com) to fill out an interest form.

Melissa Farmer, who attended the groundbreaking with her 5-year-old son, Mason, is one of those people who is interested in learning more about the school.

Even though the charter school won’t open for a year, she’s attracted to the possibility because she believes that charter schools tend to have smaller class sizes and usually offer a higher general quality of education.

So, when the Lake Bernadette resident learned that the new school was coming, she was eager to find out more.

The Pasco County School Board approved Pinecrest’s charter application in 2017. Academica is the education service provider for all of the Pinecrest schools.

Fernando Barroso,  a representative of Academica, expressed gratitude for the support that Pinecrest has received from the Pasco County school district’s staff, and from the school board.

“I’d like to thank our partners in Avalon Park,” Barroso added. “Avalon Park group is a great entity. This isn’t our first school that we’ve built with them and it’s not going to be our last.”

Barroso added: “It’s been a tremendous amount of work, just to get here today. Yet, it’s just the beginning. The tough, heavy lifting, is in front of us.”

Judith Marty, founding board chair for Pinecrest charter schools, said ‘once we commit to a community, we’re not going to let you down.’

Pastor Dave Huff, of Trinity Church of Wesley Chapel, said he’s pleased that a new school is being built in the community.

“For the longest time, there was nothing but trees. The school coming in, is awesome,” Huff said.

Judith Marty, founding board chair of Pinecrest, is enthusiastic about bringing Pinecrest’s brand of education to a new locale.

“Thank you for being here and thank you for believing in us,” Marty told those gathered. Then, she offered a brief recap of Pinecrest’s history.

When Pinecrest began its first school, the construction was delayed, she said.

“So, we opened in a banquet hall with a hundred students.”

As the school’s operations went on, parents of fourth- and fifth-graders asked for a middle school, and then they wanted a high school, Marty said.

Now, Pinecrest has 16 schools and is opening more. Most of its schools operate in South Florida, but it also has four charter schools in Nevada and will be opening another one in August.

All of the schools are high performing, Marty said.

For instance, “Pinecrest Prep High School is graduating 99 percent, with a population that is predominantly Hispanic. We also are placing 97 percent of those students in college,” she said.

“Once we commit to a community, we’re not going to let you down,” Marty promised.

Beat Kahli, president and CEO of Avalon Park Group, told the gathering that in the mid-1980s he invited two dozen real estate agents in Orlando to ask them for recommendations of what would be good to offer the people of east Orlando, at what would become Avalon Park East.

Kahli suspected they would tell him to build golf courses, or a waterpark.

Instead, they told him: “We want good schools.”

From that, he learned, “If you have a good school, everything else follows.”

Now, Kahli is involved in creating Avalon Park West, which, when completed, is expected to have 4,400 residential units, 560,000 square feet of commercial space and 120,000 square feet of office space.

Avalon Park West kicked off the development of its downtown with a ribbon cutting last fall.

When the project is completed, Kahli said, it “will be a town, where you never have to leave if you don’t want because you will be able to satisfy all of your needs.”

“It’s great to be here in Wesley Chapel,” he said. “Let’s build this downtown. Let’s start with the most important — the school.”

Published June 19, 2019

‘Hop’ing to attract some attention

By

In The Loop Brewing Company, at 3338 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., is hoping a new mural covering an entire wall will catch the eyes of the thousands of motorists who pass by the brewery on a nearly daily basis. The colorful artwork was created by Vanessa and Juan Parra, of Capco LLC, and their assistants, Ashley Cantera and Cassie Seckman. Peter Abreut, of the brewery, said the stars in the mural are part of the company’s logo, and the hops are used in making beer — something they hold close to their heart.

Vanessa and Juan Parra, of Capco LLC, use their artistic skills to create a lively, colorful mural on an exterior wall of In The Loop, a brewery at 3338 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes. (B.C. Manion)
Vanessa Parra, of Capco LLC, grew up in Land O’ Lakes, and the company she shares with her husband, Juan, has been involved in a variety of artistic projects in the community — including this work at In The Loop, and also projects at Sunlake and Land O’ Lakes high schools.

New brewery coming to Wesley Chapel

By

A new brewery, restaurant and beer garden will be setting up shop at a former fitness facility in Wesley Chapel — with an expected opening in the first quarter of 2020.

Anthony Derby, CEO of Brew Bus Brewing and the Florida Avenue Brewing Co., located in Tampa’s Seminole Heights, said the planned additional location for his company is ideal for its needs.

Derby said the brewery is one company, but owns two different brands: Brew Bus Brewing and Florida Avenue Brewing Co.

Anthony Derber, CEO of Brew Bus Brewing and Florida Avenue Brewing Co., said his company was attracted to Wesley Chapel because of its growth. The company plans to open a brewery, beer garden and restaurant, off State Road 56, in the first quarter of 2020. (Courtesy of Brew Bus Brewing)

“We’re not sure which brand we’re going to put up there (in Wesley Chapel) yet,” Derby said.

If it hadn’t been for a relative, Derby said he may not have become aware of Wesley Chapel’s potential.

“My mother-in-law lives up there. I’ve been visiting up there, probably for the past three years, on and off, on weekends,” he explained.

During those visits, he noticed the area’s rapid growth and was attracted to it.

The new brewery will operate out of a 34,000-square-foot building at 2029 Arrowgrass Drive.

The building, previously Sports + Field, is off State Road 56 and near Interstate 75.

“We were working with a few other county economic development companies to be able to look at sites,” Derby said.

“Finding a property that big, that was well-suited, that was close to the interstate, was a challenge, as well,” said Derby, who had been looking in other parts of the state.

So, when they saw the Wesley Chapel site, it “kind of screamed at us,” he said.

“We’re extremely happy with the building,” he said, noting the brick building was built in 2005 and has modern features that are needed, including fire sprinklers.

“The building is awesome from a utilities standpoint. It has plenty of power.

“Being a gym, with showers and saunas in its previous use — the water line is massive. All of the drainage and stuff is great. And, usually, that’s the biggest issue for a brewery —  the utility aspect of things,” Derby explained.

“We looked at some vacant land, as well. But, to build something, like what is already there, would be kind of out of our budget,” Derby said.

Some modifications will be needed.

“We will have to cut up the floors and put some drainage in,” he said.

An interior look at the tasting room at the brewery’s Seminole Heights location.

Some more paved driveways will be needed. A chiller will be installed and air conditioners repaired, he added.

“We want to change the façade, maybe add some more glass. We’re really big on getting as much natural light into the building as possible,” he added.

A landscaping crew already has been at the site.

“It took them six days to cut back all of (the) brush and overgrown trees,” Derby said.

When the brewery opens, it will have a production space, offices, a full kitchen, a beer garden, and bar.

“In the restaurant, there will be a mixture of seated, served meals; and, we’ll have community tables,” he said.

The beer garden will have open-air and covered seating.

The company expects to have at least 46 to 50 employees to start, Derby said.

“We’re probably going to add more after that, once we’re able to judge the demand for the retail component,” he said.

“We’re in our design phase right now, with our architect. Once we have that nailed down, we’ll see what kind of equipment will fit. The size of the equipment is going to determine how much labor we would need.

“A lot of the jobs we would be bringing up there would be high-paying. We’ll have a full-blown lab up there, which will require a master’s in biology,” he said.

The company has been working with the Pasco Economic Development Council Inc., and expects to qualify for some economic incentives from Pasco County.

The company has received support from the Pasco EDC, from the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce, from government officials and from the brewery’s vendors.

While the Seminole Heights location operates buses that travel to breweries throughout the Tampa Bay area, there are no plans to house buses at the Wesley Chapel location, Derby said. However, it will be possible to make arrangements to use buses that operate out of the Seminole Heights location, to make it convenient for people who would want to enjoy the bus experience, he added.

The Wesley Chapel operation represents more than $8.7 million in new capital investment in Pasco County, according to a news release from the Pasco EDC. The location will be used for brewing, canning and distribution of the company’s craft beers.

“It’s great to reactivate a dormant property with high-paying manufacturing jobs in a unique industry,” Bill Cronin, president/CEO of Pasco EDC, said, in the release.

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore also shared his thoughts, in the release.

“Not only are they creating jobs, but their new tasting room and restaurant will be a great destination for residents and tourists alike. Breweries are a huge part of the tourism market,” said Moore, whose district includes the site.

For more information about Brew Bus Brewing Inc., visit BrewBusUSA.com.

Published June 12, 2019

Weekly recycling coming soon to Pasco County

By

The Pasco County Commission has approved weekly curbside recycling, with haulers having 90 days to make the transition to the once-a-week recycling pickups.

Recycling previously was picked up twice a month.

Community Development Districts and Homeowner Associations can continue on their current recycling contract until their individual contracts with haulers expire, but once that happens, they will be required to meet the once-a-week recycling pickup standard, according to the board’s action.

In a separate item, commissioners improved a rate increase — capping the charge that haulers can collect at $16.81 a month. Previously, the maximum rate was $12.44.

The monthly charge is for both trash and recycling, and the maximum monthly charge had not been increased since 2009.

The weekly pickup schedule is expected to boost the county’s recycling tonnage, according to county officials. Customers also will be able to toss their recyclables into one bin.

However, they no longer will be able to recycle glass.

The county decided to drop glass recycling because there’s not a resale market for it in Florida, and broken glass contaminates the recycling stream, officials say.

County statistics reveal that Pasco residents recycle about 8,000 tons a year, while producing 379,000 tons of trash.

Officials expect the additional recycling pickups will capitalize on recycling that wasn’t being captured.

For more information on recycling schedules or to order a recycling cart, call your trash hauler.  A list of local trash haulers can be found at bit.ly/GarbagePickUp.

For more information on what can and can’t be recycled, visit bit.ly/PascoRecycling; call (727) 856-4539; or email .

Published June 12, 2019