Local News

St. Petersburg gem offers a paradise for palm lovers

April 19, 2017 By B.C. Manion

Tom St. Peter, a volunteer at the Gizella Kopsick Palm Arboretum in downtown St. Petersburg, has always been attracted to plants and trees.

“My family always had a huge garden. I used to help my dad with a secondary small landscaping business, back in the small town I grew up in.

Phil Stager, a volunteer at the Gizella Kopsick Palm Arboretum in St. Petersburg, enjoys sharing his knowledge about palms and cycads with tour groups at the arboretum. He tailors the tours to suit the interest of the people taking the tour.
(B.C. Manion)

“When I was in the corporate world, my lunch breaks used to consist of running around to the local nurseries, picking up plants of my own,” St. Peter said.

The palm arboretum, at 901 North Shore Drive N.E., in St. Petersburg, is a special place, he said.

“The best way I can describe it is, it’s like my cathedral. There’s an aura about it,” he said.

“This is like a little hidden gem,” agreed Phil Stager, another volunteer.

The 2-acre park was once a city-owned miniature golf course. But, that was closed because of increasing maintenance costs.

The arboretum began in 1976, after Elva Rouse, a concerned resident, suggested the area would be ideal for a palm arboretum. The St. Petersburg City Council adopted the proposal, and Gizella Kopsick, a long-time palm admirer, contributed a gift of stock — which established the unique park.

The Gizella Kopsick Palm Arboretum, at 901 North Shore Drive, N.E., offers a pleasant way to spend a few hours, strolling along brick pathways and checking out hundreds of cycads and palms.

It began with 60 palms, representing 10 species. Now, there are more than 500 palms and cycads, representing about 200 species from all over the world.

Citizen volunteers and city workers deserve the credit for collaborating to make the arboretum the special place that it is, St. Peter said.

Stager said he’s not aware of another place like it in the western hemisphere.

Stager, who frequently leads free tours, is a font of knowledge about cycads and palms, and he rattles off facts as he shows off the collection.

“Palms are native to every continent, except the Antarctic,” Stager said. “Cycads are native to every continent, except Europe and the Antarctic.”

The park features about 100 species of palms and about 100 species of cycads.

Stager shares information he’s gleaned about the various species, while making his way around the park.

“Cycads are the oldest seed-bearing plants on the planet. They go back approximately 300 million years and have survived three major extinctions on the planet,” Stager said.

These lush, healthy leaves are shooting up from a cycad. The leaves on palms and cycads vary. Take a tour at the Gizella Kopsick Palm Arboretum in St. Petersburg, and you can learn about them.

Palms, on the other hand, “are about 60 to 65 million years old in the evolutionary scheme of things,” he added.

There’s an easy way to tell the difference between a palm and a cycad at the arboretum.

The cycads are labeled with bright green signs; the palms are labeled with gray signs.

The arboretum has every palm species that’s native to Florida, said Stager, who enjoys sharing his knowledge. He said he tailors the free tours he gives to match the interests of the groups he’s leading.

“If it’s for a Girl Scout troop, it’ll be one thing. If it is for a couple of dedicated plant nuts, it’ll be something else,” Stager said.

Not everyone who visits the arboretum is there for a tour.

Moms push baby strollers through. Some take exercise classes there. Others simply relax on one of the park’s benches.

The venue has been used as a backdrop for photo shoots.

And, Stager added: “There are two Segway groups downtown. They come through here with great regularity.”

When Stager moved to Florida, he said he recognized two types of palms: Coconut palms and all others.

But, then he planted a few palms at his house and wanted to find out more about them. So, he joined the International Palm Society, which has local chapters.

It was a good move, according to Stager.

“That’s the best way to learn about palms,” he said.

Gizella Kopsick Palm Arboretum
Where: 901 North Shore Drive, N.E., St. Petersburg, Florida
When: Open daily, sunrise to sunset for self-guided tours
Cost: Free admission
Details: The arboretum, which began with 60 palms, representing 10 species, now has more than 500 palms and cycads, representing more than 200 species.
For free tour information and times, call (727) 893-7441.

Care for palms

Use a proper palm fertilizer. Phil Stager, a volunteer at the Gizella Kopsick Palm Arboretum, recommends an 8-0-12, plus 4 magnesium and minors.
Do not prune too much or too often. Stager offers this maxim: “Don’t trim them up too tight.” And, he adds, “If it’s brown, take it down. If it’s green leave it alone. I can teach that to a 5-year-old.”

Published April 19, 2017

‘Waste Not, Want Not’ – Reducing food waste

April 19, 2017 By Betsy Crisp

As we prepare to celebrate Earth Day — on April 22 —I thought I’d share some facts about how much food the average American family wastes each year, and then focus on how we can reduce food waste.

Depending on what figures you look at, the average family of four in the United States wastes from about $1,350 to $2,275 every year.

When broken down by components, it turns out that fresh fruits and vegetables are the food we waste most, making up 22 percent of the food we throw away.

Trying to cut down on that waste is not a new effort.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has been offering advice on this topic to consumers since World War 1.

One campaign poster offered these keys to making the most of our food:

Buy it with thought
Cook it with care
Serve just enough
Save what will keep
Eat what would spoil
Remember: homegrown is best
Don’t waste it

These principles still hold true today.

The Environmental Protection Agency also offers tips for reducing food waste on its website.

My personal favorite is “Be Creative: If safe and healthy, use the edible parts of food you normally would not eat.”

Looking to try a new kind of coleslaw? How about using watermelon rind in your recipe? (Courtesy of National Watermelon Promotion Board)

The EPA offers examples of using stale bread to make your own croutons and to sauté beet tops for a delicious side dish.

Besides avoiding waste, tips like that can help you stretch your food dollars.

When it comes to vegetables, for instance, most of us only consume the most common, or best known, part of the plant.

But, many vegetables have a secondary — usually lesser known and overlooked, but edible — part that I refer to as the “unusual edibles.”

If you buy your produce at the grocery store, these parts of the plant often have already been removed and discarded before packaging. But, if you grow your own produce, you can easily take advantage of these lesser-known options for consumption.

Although many of these secondary parts are edible, the flavor and texture may be an acquired taste.

For example, there are many species of cabbage and all the leaves are edible, but the leaves of some species are too strong for most people’s liking.

Edible leaves and stems of the sweet potato are eaten in many parts of the world, but some are very bitter.

Since there is such a great variety of plant species, the flavors of their parts also vary greatly. Some parts need to be cooked to improve their edibility, but some leaves may be eaten fresh. Use care: Some leaves can be mildly poisonous.

The rind from a watermelon can be used to make tasty pickles.

Here are just a few examples of the most common vegetables with edible parts that might surprise you: Besides eating the parts of the beets, carrots and radishes we are familiar with, the leaves of those plants are also edible.

We generally eat the flower parts of broccoli and cauliflower, but we can also eat the stems and leaves.

We commonly eat stalks of celery, but the lesser-known edible parts are the leaves and seeds.

And, as watermelon comes into season, I am reminded of my personal favorite – watermelon rinds can be made into pickles (see recipe).

My grandmother, like many who survived the Great Depression, did so by being “thrifty.” She was a great cook, and taught my mother and me to “waste not, want not” by saving all the vegetable scraps such as celery leaves, onion skins and so on, to make stock for soup. Soups are a great way to reduce food waste and stretch your food dollars.

It’s never too early to learn how to be better consumers of Mother Nature’s bounty.

At camp one summer, we taught Pasco County youth about “upcycling” and highlighted some of these principles by having a sampling of “unusual edibles” — including pickled watermelon rinds. They also learned how to plant and grow more produce from kitchen scraps, including fruit and vegetable tops and seeds.

Betsy Crisp is a Professor Emeritus, UF/IFAS Extension – Family & Consumer Sciences

RECIPE #1

Easy-to-Make Watermelon Rind Refrigerator Pickles

Ingredients:
4 cups water
1 tablespoon coarse/kosher salt
2 cups peeled watermelon rind, cut into 1 x 1/2 x 2 inch pieces, leaving a thin layer of pink
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 allspice berry (whole allspice)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
4 peppercorns
4 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon pickling spice
1 long slice of fresh gingerroot, preferred (but 1 tsp ground ginger to a 1/2-inch piece of fresh)
1/4 teaspoon celery seeds

Instructions:

In large pot, bring water and salt to boil over medium high heat.
Add pieces of rind and boil until tender (about 5 minutes).
Place in colander to strain liquids from rinds.
Transfer rinds to a large metal bowl.
In saucepan, combine remaining ingredients.
Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
Simmer for 15 minutes, until slightly reduced.
Pour over watermelon rinds in bowl.
Place plate over top to keep rinds submerged in liquid.

Cover and refrigerate for one day to improve flavor.
Transfer to a glass canning jar (one quart or two pint jars) and keep sealed in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Makes 4 cups = 1 quart / 2 pints

Note: These are not processed in a boiling water bath canner and not intended to be stored on the shelf. They must be kept in the refrigerator.

RECIPE #2
Watermelon Rind Slaw

Ingredients:

Dressing
1/4 cup fat-free, plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup low-fat sour cream
1 1/2 tablespoons stone-ground mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
2 teaspoons olive oil
dash salt and pepper (to taste)

Slaw
4 cups grated watermelon rind (with fruit and green peel removed)
1 cup carrot, grated
1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple, diced

Instructions:

In a small bowl, blend dressing thoroughly and set aside.
Place watermelon rind on several layers of paper towels to soak up excess fluid.
In a medium-sized bowl, add dressing, rind, carrot and pineapple. Toss to thoroughly coat.

Makes 4 servings (1 cup each)

Watermelon facts
About 85 percent of watermelons are purchased in fresh form by consumers. Although there is some watermelon production in virtually all states, about three-fourths of all watermelons grown in the U.S. are grown in Florida, California, Texas, Georgia and Indiana. On an average, per person basis, we eat more than 15 pounds of fresh watermelon each year. While many people are just accustomed to eating the juicy flesh of the watermelon, both the seeds and the rind are edible, too.
For recipes, nutrition and other information, visit the National Watermelon Promotion Board at Watermelon.org.

Published April 19, 2017

Committee looking at ways to fund schools

April 12, 2017 By B.C. Manion

The Pasco County School Board is seeking to nearly double impact fees charged to new residential construction to help foot the bill for new schools, but a committee studying the issue wants to know about other possible sources of funding before making a recommendation.

There’s no doubt that Pasco County’s residential growth is generating increased enrollment, outpacing the school district’s ability to pay for new schools.

Bexley Elementary, which is scheduled to open in the fall, will alleviate crowding at Oakstead and Odessa elementary schools.
(B.C. Manion)

But, the 10-member School Infrastructure Funding Committee wants more information before making its recommendation to the Pasco County Commission on the school board’s proposed impact fee hikes.

The county commission, not the school board, has the authority to impose impact fees.

The school board justifies the need for an increase by pointing to an impact fee study it commissioned that was completed by Maryland-based consulting firm, Tischler Bise.

The impact fee study calls for increasing school impact fees on new homes from $4,828 to $9,174 for single-family detached; from $1,740 to $3,693 for single-family attached; from $2,843 to $5,634 for mobile homes; and, from $1,855 to $5,382 for multifamily.

Impact fees are expected to pay for new growth, and are assessed against new residential construction, excluding 55 and older communities.

Increased revenues from impact fees could be used to build new schools, add capacity to existing schools, purchase buses, furniture and fixtures.

Before deciding what it wants to do, the Pasco County Commission appointed the infrastructure funding committee to study the issue and bring back a recommendation.

That committee has met twice already and expects to have at least two more sessions before taking a vote on its recommendation.

While Pasco County Schools plans to open Bexley Elementary and Cypress Creek Middle High School in the fall, residential growth continues to outpace the school district’s ability to pay for new schools.

At its most recent meeting, on April 5, the committee sought additional information on what schools the district expects to build next, how much land the district owns for schools and whether any of it could be sold to raise revenue now, and whether the district could pursue other sources of revenue, such as general obligation bonds or real estate transfer taxes.

Committee member Scott Sheridan asked if the school district could sell some of the land it has banked for future school sites, to help raise money to build schools now.

The school district isn’t opposed to selling some of its land, but even if it did, it would fall far short of addressing its funding needs, said Chris Williams, director of planning.

But, Williams also noted: “Most of these sites are in future developments. It might be 10 or 15 years in the future, but if I don’t secure my school sites up front, they’re not there for me later on.”

The school district doesn’t oppose using general obligation bonds to build schools, but that would require approval by voters and a referendum couldn’t be put on the ballot until 2018, said Ray Gadd, deputy superintendent for Pasco County Schools.

A real estate transfer tax is another potential source of revenue, but the idea has been broached twice with members of the local legislative delegation and rejected both times, said David Goldstein, chief assistant county attorney.

Goldstein noted an impact fee increase could be adopted with the provision of reducing it, if revenue became available from a general obligation bond or another source.

Committee member Jennifer Motsinger said the committee needs to know what sources of revenue might be available beyond merely doubling impact fees.

“We’re trying to understand what the sources are, so we can help give you some ideas on recommendations on school funding or the capital plan,” she said.

Another committee member asked for a breakdown of how much a new residence must pay in impact fees.

That breakdown is among the items expected to be discussed at the group’s next meeting set for April 18, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The committee also has scheduled another meeting, April 26, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Both sessions are open to the public and will be at Rasmussen College, 18600 Fernview St., Rooms 102 and 103, in Land O’ Lakes.

Published April 12, 2017

Seeking input on road connections

April 12, 2017 By Kathy Steele

Pasco County will host an open house to find out if area residents in Wesley Chapel want to open up roads between Pasco and Hillsborough County.

The public is invited to Pasco-Hernando State College on April 18 to make comments and get answers on three potential road projects from members of the county’s Metropolitan Planning Organization.

The Wesley Chapel Roadways Connections Study wants to hear from the public regarding possible connections between:

Kinnan Street and Mansfield Boulevard
Meadow Pointe Boulevard to K-Bar Ranch Boulevard
Wyndfields Boulevard into K-Bar Ranch

“We are unbiased. We want to hear from residents, looking at the negatives and positives,” said Ali Atefi, transportation engineer for the county’s Metropolitan Planning Organization. “We’re getting information from both sides, connecting or not connecting,” he said.

A year-long study will look at connecting roadways between Pasco and Hillsborough counties in the Wesley Chapel area of southern Pasco. This barricade separates Kinnan Street in New Tampa’s K-Bar Ranch and Mansfield Boulevard in Pasco County’s Meadow Pointe subdivision.
(File)

A second meeting would be scheduled in the future to review feedback from the public.

An online survey also is being considered to gather additional views on whether to take on these projects, Atefi said.

The study could take up to a year to complete, he added.

Any decisions on moving forward on road projects would be made by the Pasco County Commission.

Currently, Mansfield Boulevard in the Meadow Pointe subdivision dead-ends at the Pasco County line. A barricade separates the boulevard from Kinnan Street, which dead-ends inside Tampa’s K-Bar Ranch in Hillsborough.

In 2016, Mike Moore, then a Pasco County commissioner, and Lisa Montelione, former Tampa city council member, met to discuss connecting the two roadways.

Moore is now chairman of the Pasco County Commission; Montelione is no longer on the city council.

The matter has been batted around for years between Pasco, Tampa officials, and developers of K-Bar, with no resolution.

Some Meadow Pointe residents previously expressed concerns to county officials about the prospect of increased area traffic, if the connection were made.

The subdivision is off State Road 56 in Wesley Chapel, near The Shops at Wiregrass.

Mansfield winds past Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch. There also is an elementary school, a middle school and a high school on the boulevard.

Other issues center around costs, and who would pay for such items as traffic calming devices and traffic signals.

Negotiations on other improvements to street grids in the area also fell short — including engineering better circulation via Beardsley Drive and Meadow Pointe Boulevard.

Pasco recently began repaving and re-striping Beardsley from Mansfield east to Meadow Pointe. The project is expected to take 60 days.

For information, visit the county’s website at PascoCountyFl.net.

What: Wesley Chapel Roadways Connections Study meeting
Where: Pasco-Hernando State College, 2727 Mansfield Blvd., Wesley Chapel
When: April 18 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Published April 12, 2017

Emergency medical help coming to Central Pasco

April 12, 2017 By B.C. Manion

Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel is again expanding its services, this time setting up a freestanding emergency department in Land O’ Lakes.

This is what Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel’s new emergency facility, being built off State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes, will look like.
(Courtesy of Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel)

The facility, which is expected to be completed by January of 2018, will bring emergency medical assistance closer to residents of Central Pasco County. The new 18,000-square-foot center will be near the entrance to Bexley, a new community being built off of State Road 54, just east of the Suncoast Parkway in Pasco County.

The facility will offer full-service emergency care, 24 hours a day, and will be staffed by board-certified emergency medicine physicians and nurses that are highly trained in emergency care.

The 24-bed facility also will have state-of-the-art on-site imaging services such as X-ray, ultrasound, CT scans and laboratory services.

Dignitaries gathered at the site for an April 6 formal groundbreaking ceremony.

Speakers included Denyse Bales-Chubb, president and CEO of Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore and Pasco County Fire Chief Timothy Reardon.

From left, Timothy Reardon, Mike Moore and Mike Schultz, were among the speakers at the formal groundbreaking ceremony for a new freestanding emergency room being built in Land O’ Lakes.

“Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel is committed to our mission of extending the healing ministry of Christ,” Bales-Chubb said. “With that mission, we need to make sure that we have emergency services that are convenient to where our community lives and works.

“This facility will provide the same quality care that our patients receive at our main campus,” she said.

Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore enthusiastically welcomed the addition of the new facility to Central Pasco.

“It seems like yesterday that we were just breaking ground at the expansion of the Wesley Chapel Florida Hospital facility,” Moore said. “Here we grow again.”

He called Florida Hospital an extraordinary community partner for residents of Pasco County, a true leader in health and wellness, and a great job creator for the county.

Dignitaries prepare to throw a shovel of dirt to signify the beginning of construction for a new freestanding emergency room for Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, expected to open in Land O’ Lakes in January 2018.

“We’re happy that you decided on Central Pasco at this location,” Moore said. “These off-site emergency rooms, they’re the future. We’re seeing them pop up around the nation.”

The location of the facility allows quality medical care to be within better reach of residents, Moore added.

“I’m excited about the freestanding ERs. It’s something that’s been working throughout the country,” Reardon said.

The new facility gives first responders another avenue of help for patients requiring emergency care.

He also noted the county’s growing needs, as its population increases in general, and there are more Baby Boomers, in particular.

The freestanding emergency room is being constructed by Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, which is off of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, north of State Road 56.

That hospital, which opened in October 2012, recently completed a massive expansion which involved 111, 993 square feet of new construction and 10,834 square feet of renovation.

Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel is part of the Adventist Health System, a not-for-profit health network comprised of 26 hospitals throughout the state.

To find out more about the hospital, visit FHWesleyChapel.org.

Published April 12, 2017

Task force on traffic issues starts up again

April 12, 2017 By Kathy Steele

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Published April 12, 2017

Gaither High wind ensemble to perform at Carnegie Hall

April 12, 2017 By Kevin Weiss

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“The kids are incredibly gifted,” Alvarez said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Published April 12, 2017

New start times for some schools

April 12, 2017 By B.C. Manion

The Pasco County School Board has approved school bell times for the 2017-2018, and those times include some changes for schools within The Laker/Lutz News coverage area.

Here’s a look at which schools are getting new starting times, along with an explanation that was provided in a news release from Pasco County Schools.

Bexley Elementary, 4380 Ballantrae Blvd., a new school, will begin its school day at 9:40 a.m. and finish the day at 3:50 p.m.
Cypress Creek Middle/High School, 8701 Old Pasco Road, also a new school, will begin its school day at 7:25 a.m. and finish it at 1:50 p.m.
Land O’ Lakes High School, 20325 Gator Lane, will begin its day at 7:25 a.m. and end it at 1:55 p.m. The school’s starting time is five minutes earlier to provide additional time for passing between classes. The additional time is needed because the school will be undergoing a large construction project.
Charles S. Rushe Middle School, 18654 Mentmore Blvd., will begin its school day at 7:25 a.m. and finish it at 1:40 p.m. Rushe’s school day previously started at 8:40 a.m. and ended at 2:50 p.m. The new starting and ending times are needed to balance routes associated with the opening of the district’s new transportation garage and compressed natural gas (CNG) filling station in Odessa.
Wiregrass Ranch High School, 2909 Mansfield Blvd., will have a starting time of 7:25 a.m. and ending time of 1:56 p.m. for all students. The school had been using dual bell times associated with a 10-period day, but the school will resume a normal schedule with the opening of Cypress Creek Middle/High School in August.

Published April 12, 2017

Nominations needed for 2017 Industry Awards

April 12, 2017 By Kathy Steele

Nominations are being accepted for the 2017 Pasco Economic Development Council Industry of the Year Awards.

The deadline for submitting nominations is close of business on April 28.

The awards recognize top companies in Pasco County that excel in technology, innovation job creation, growth, capital investment and community involvement.

Finalists will be interviewed prior to the awards ceremony on a range of topics related to their businesses and the community.

Nominees should be “for profit” business to business service, manufacturing or technology companies operating in Pasco County. Municipalities or affiliates, as well as previous winners in the past five years, are not eligible.

The awards will be separated into divisions based on the number of employees. Evaluations are based on job creation, increased capital investment and contributions to the community through civic involvement between January 2016 and June 2017.

Industry awards are given in the following categories:

Small (1 – 20 employees)
Medium (21 – 100 employees)
Large (101 or more employees)
Startup/New within past 24 months

Pasco EDC has partnered with Pasco County government for more than three decades to attract businesses and create jobs in Pasco.

The annual awards banquet is at Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel. It is attended each year by more than 600 business and community leaders in Tampa Bay and Pasco County, including state legislators, county commissioners and city officials.

To submit a nomination online, visit tinyurl.com/kku4stc.

For information, call Pasco EDC at (813) 926-0827, or visit PascoEDC.com.

Published April 12, 2017

Festival features egg hunts, Easter Bunny and fun

April 12, 2017 By B.C. Manion

Michelle Guast’s family recently moved to the area from Long Island. Her sons, Justin, 7, and Christopher, 8, showed off their collection. (Richard K. Riley)

A giant Easter Bunny roamed the grounds, kids scoured fields for Easter Eggs, and there was lots of time to take train rides, eat treats and visit the petting zoo during the Jelly Bean Fling.

The event made its debut this year at the Pioneer Florida Museum & Village, at 15602 Pioneer Museum Road in Dade City.

Visitors could start out the day by having a pancake breakfast with the Easter Bunny, with $3 meals sold by the Kiwanis Club of Dade City.

The day also featured opportunities to have photographs taken with the Easter Bunny and a chance to check out model trains or take part in one of four Easter Egg hunts.

Kids could also wear bunny ears, have their face painted, play in a bounce house or partake in other activities.