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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

Five candidates vie for Pasco administrator

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Five candidates, out of a potential list of 11, made the cutoff and will be brought to Pasco County to interview as the replacement for outgoing County Administrator Michele Baker.

Baker is scheduled to leave office in July.

She notified county commissioners last year that she planned to retire and would not seek to renew her contract.

A group tour of Pasco, an invitation-only meet-and-greet, and interviews at a county commission meeting are anticipated in mid-March for the candidate finalists.

County commissioners got a preview of 11 candidates at the Feb. 21 meeting in New Port Richey from Mark Morien, vice president of Chicago-based GovHR USA.

Commissioners received packets on each candidate, including resumes and comments from references, and candidate interviews. They voted to select five of the 11 candidates to interview.

GovHR USA received a total of 54 resumes, from 18 states. Gabriel Papadopoulos, manager of Pasco County’s elderly nutrition program, was the lone internal candidate to apply.

Although Papadopoulos wasn’t among the recommended candidates, Morien said he wanted to identify him “so you are aware of who your future leaders are.”

Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano unexpectedly tossed in Kevin Guthrie’s name.

After a short pause, Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey said, “It’s a little late.”

Pasco hired Guthrie in 2016 as emergency management director and, soon after, revamped his role to director of emergency services.

Guthrie didn’t apply for the county administrator’s job.

Of the five selected candidates, one is from Florida; the others are from Illinois, Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina.

The job advertised an annual salary of $220,000. Baker currently receives about $192,000.

The finalists are:

  • Daniel F. Biles, deputy county manager of Jefferson County, Alabama, located in Birmingham.

Biles has a military background and has family living in Florida.

He has 10 years of experience in engineering, including work on stormwater issues.

Morien said Biles recently received an 18 percent salary boost to $207,500 a year.

“It’s a reflection of his performance and desire of the county to keep him,” said Morien.

  • Mark A. Cunningham, assistant county administrator in Sarasota County.

Cunningham previously served as executive director of planning and development in Denton, Texas; and, as director of land development in Polk County.

Morien said references described him as a good problem solver and a glass-half-full person.

“You don’t have to keep reading,” said Starkey. “I really like this one.”

  • David M. Ross, the first county administrator of Rock Island County, Illinois, which formed its government in 2015.

Ross also is a former police officer.

Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore and Starkey chimed in during Morien’s presentation to say, “I like him.”

  • Theodore L. Voorhees, the former city manager of Fayetteville, North Carolina.

A majority of city council members asked for his resignation in April 2016.

Morien said Voorhees initially was recruited to bring change to Fayetteville. He is credited with bringing a minor league baseball team to the city.

However, an election scrambled the makeup of the council members, and resulted in tensions between Voorhees and the

new council.

Since 1980, Fayetteville has fired six city managers, Morien said.

  • Dale M. Walker, county manager of the Macon-Bibb County government, which consolidated in 2014.

He previously served as chief administrative officer of the City of Macon. He also worked for 30 years in Cadillac, Michigan, as its director of finance and deputy city manager.

Published March 1, 2017

Pasco OKs medical marijuana dispensaries

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The Pasco County Commission has approved medical marijuana dispensaries, on a limited scale, to open for business in the county.

Commissioners approved an ordinance on Feb. 21 that permits two medical marijuana dispensaries.

The permits will be issued only for a low-level form of the product, known as Charlotte’s web.

The permits also will be issued to two separate applicants, who will be able to open locations within the county’s industrial districts.

And, the ordinance stipulates that if the number of qualified patients exceeds 1,200, a third dispensary can be permitted.

Qualified patients must be state residents who are added to the “compassionate use registry” by a physician licensed to receive the low-level marijuana from a dispensary.

Florida voters, in 2014, approved a referendum to allow Charlotte’s web as a medical marijuana option. It can be provided to patients who suffer from seizures. In some cases, late-stage cancer patients also can qualify.

State health officials didn’t approve guidelines for the program until last year. The first recipient was a resident of Hudson.

Now, Pasco and other counties are in waiting mode, again.

Last year, voters approved a new referendum that covers a broader range of medical conditions and allows for stronger potencies.

Dispensary permits for this expanded program are on hold until Florida legislators and state health officials craft new regulations and guidelines.

Pasco’s ordinance on Charlotte’s web had the support of Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco However, Chase Daniels, assistant executive director of the sheriff’s office, said, “We continue to (watch) what the legislature is going to do with Amendment 2.”

To prepare for medical marijuana within the county, Pasco county commissioners, in December, approved the framework for where and how dispensaries can operate.

Besides being restricted to industrial districts, the county also request a one-mile separation between the medicinal shops.  Dispensaries also must be at least 1,000 feet from such facilities as schools, day care centers and drug treatment centers. Buffering and adequate setbacks are required between a dispensary and any residential property.

Applicants must show they are licensed by the state to operate a dispensary and must meet the county’s zoning conditions for permitting.

Published March 1, 2017

Principal provides an overview for high school students, parents

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As future high school parents and students arrived at the Center for the Arts at Wesley Chapel, they were greeted by upbeat music and a slideshow featuring progress made so far on Cypress Creek Middle High School.

Parents and students had plenty of questions, and Principal Carin Hetzler-Nettles, who hosted the evening session on Feb. 15, was ready.

Before fielding the questions, though, Hetzler-Nettles took the audience on a pre-recorded virtual tour of the school, now under construction off Old Pasco Road.

Wearing a white construction hat, Nettles stepped through the school, offering details about the physical plant and future plans.

After the tour, she provided additional information through a power-point presentation, covering everything from what time school is expected to start, to what types of academic and athletic programs will be offered.

During the upcoming school year, there will be students in grades six through 11 on campus.

Projections show an estimated 840 middle school students in the coming school year, and 650 high school students, the principal said.

There are two large two-story classroom buildings on the campus, and an administration building with classroom space on the second floor, Hetzler-Nettles said.

The current plan is to house the middle schoolers in one of the large classroom buildings, with the overflow being on the second floor of the administration building, Hetzler-Nettles said.

The high school students will be housed in the other large, two-story classroom building, which is closer to the student parking lot.

A full array of academic and elective courses will be offered to high school students, and there will be three high school academy programs: Business Management, Criminal Justice, and Engineering and Robotics. Students in the academies will have the opportunity to earn certifications, too, the principal noted.

Courses offered will be dictated by student demand. If a course isn’t listed on a course card, students should write it in, the principal advised. If there’s enough demand, it will be added.

The high school athletics program will include the slate of sports available at other district high schools.

And, according to an update on the school’s website, it also will be offering lacrosse — for high school girls and boys. It will be a pay-for-play program, Nettles said.

The school will have four separate locker rooms. There will be one for high school girls and one for middle school girls. There will be one for high school boys and one for middle school boys.

The locker rooms will be separated by a coach’s office, the principal said.

The gym also will have a screen that can be pulled down to divide it so that high school and middle school physical education programs and practices can be held separately, she said.

The school also plans to have separate band programs for the high school and the middle school.

And, it plans to have a competitive marching band — an issue of apparent concern to some parents. They urged Hetzler-Nettles to hire a teacher who will not be afraid to seek out difficult competitions merely because the school will be in its first year of operation.

The principal said she got their message, loud and clear.

High school and middle school students will ride the bus together — something that already occurs at a number of district schools, the principal said. Middle school students will ride in the first 10 rows of the bus and high schoolers will ride in the back.

The school day will start and end at the same time for both middle and high school students, she said. Right now, it’s looking like school will start at 7:25 a.m. or 7:30 a.m., and will end at 1:50 p.m. or 1:55 p.m., but that is subject to change.

That concerns some parents who anticipate a traffic nightmare, as so many people arrive and depart from the campus at the same time.

The road has been widened near the school entrance, but Hetzler-Nettles said she’s not aware of any plan to widen Old Pasco Road beyond that point.

The principal also told the crowd that high school and middle school students also will eat in the same cafeteria and will use the same media center, but at different times, the principal said.

The principal has advertised half of the positions she expects to be able to fill, but can’t advertise the rest until she has firmer numbers — which likely won’t happen until at least sometime in April, she said.

While acknowledging that making the transition to high school can be difficult and that it can be tough to adjust to a new high school, too, Hetzler-Nettles told the audience that she’s excited about the new possibilities that Cypress Creek Middle High will offer. She also invited parents and students to get involved to help make the school all that it can be.

“Parents if you’re interested in volunteering, we’re going to need a lot of help. I would love it if you would reach out to me.

“Just let me know what you’re interested in helping with, or if you have no idea what you’re willing to help with, you’re just willing to help. I’m going create a list, I’m going to keep all that information, and then we’re going to be calling you up when we need help.”

She urged students to share their ideas with her.

She wants the school to be a place they enjoy and where they can thrive.

Students will help determine the school’s traditions, she said.

“The most important thing at a school is the student voice. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. School is what you make it, just as life is what you make it. I want to hear your thoughts and your opinions. You can tell me the things you want to see at your school and the things you’d really like to have,” the principal said.

Cypress Creek Middle High School
Mascot: The Coyotes
School colors: Green and yellow
For information: Visit CCMHS.pascok12.fl.us
If you have questions, suggestions or want to volunteer, call Principal Carin Hetzler-Nettles at (813) 346-4401 or email her at .

Published March 1, 2017

DQ Grill & Chill comes to Ballantrae Village Shoppes

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DQ Grill & Chill is nearly ready for its debut at Ballantrae Village Shoppes. By mid-March, franchise owner Carlos Saenz plans to host a grand opening.

Meanwhile, Saenz has had to watch hopeful customers slowly steer their vehicles into the drive-through lane on a daily basis.

It’s disappointing not to at least have a Blizzard or an ice cream cone to hand out, said Saenz.

But, he isn’t surprised at the response from people eager to try a new restaurant.

Franchise owner Carlos Saenz plans to open his DQ Grill & Chill at Ballantrae Village Shoppes by mid-March.
(Kathy Steele)

DQ Grill & Chill is located at 17826 Aprile Drive, off Ballantrae Boulevard and State Road 54.

More than 50,000 vehicles travel up and down the state road. Ballantrae Village Shoppes sits at the entrance to the master-planned community of Ballantrae, north of U.S. 41.

Further north, Bexley Ranch and Asturia are among new subdivisions populating the state highway. To the south, Long Lake Ranch homes are for sale. More retail and commercial are popping up where cows once grazed.

At Ballantrae Village, Circle K is nearly built. In addition to Dairy Queen, the approximately 17,000-square-foot shopping plaza will have T-Mobile, Taco Bell and Dunkin’ Donuts. Other parcels are available.

The activity up and down State Road 54 is a prime reason that Saenz, and his wife Pam, took a deep dive into a new venture – as fast-food restaurant owners.

“We think we’re in a great spot,” said Saenz. “Three years ago, this area was probably a five or six (on a scale of 10). I think we’re at a nine or 10, with the amount of homes and traffic.”

The Saenz’s live in the Oakstead subdivision with their 14-year-old daughter, Madison. Pam Saenz is a Pasco County teacher.

Carlos Saenz is stepping away from a long career in the insurance industry to open his first Dairy Queen. A second franchise in Hudson is possible.

When Saenz researched restaurant franchises, he zeroed in on Dairy Queen for a personal reason. He grew up in Puerto Rico, but as a middle school student moved to Kissimmee, Florida.

His first fast-food meal was at a Dairy Queen on U.S. 192. “It’s still there,” Saenz said.

He feels many others also feel nostalgic about a restaurant that began in 1940. Back then, it sold burgers, hot dogs, fries, Peanut Buster parfaits, Dilly bars and ice cream cones.

Dairy Queen celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2015. The company boasts of more than 1,560 DQ Grill & Chill restaurants in 46 states.

Saenz said Dairy Queen, in recent years, has kept its traditional menu items, but also modernized to keep up with the times. The DQ Grill & Chill concept started nearly two decades ago.

The old favorites are still there, but chicken strip baskets and sandwiches and honey-flavored barbecue have been added. DQ rotates some items in and out, including a recent Kansas-style pork sandwich on pretzel bread and a Philly cheesesteak.

Customers are now described as “fans.”

Dairy Queen supports community-based charitable events. Saenz said the company supports a national campaign to collect donations for the Miracle Children’s Network. However, money collected locally stays in the community, he said.

He anticipates sponsoring special “spirit night” events for area schools, with a portion of proceeds benefiting each school.

A grassy area near the outdoor patio could be gated off as a kind of dog park. Saenz said he expects foot traffic from nearby Ballantrae homes, and people will want to bring their pets.

“We’re going to be partners with the community and engaging with schools,” Saenz said.

Published March 1, 2017

Fair offers a full slate of fun

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Kathy DeVane, performing as Sadie Mae, and Kristin Jenkins, performing as Sara Jane, strolled among the fairgoers playing country music. The pair is from Polk County.
(Richard Riley)

The Pasco County Fair has provided fun to fair-goers for seven decades, and it just wrapped up this year’s event, which delivered on the theme of “70 years of Homespun Fun.”

Fair-goers could watch acts ranging from the Axe Women Loggers of Maine, to Robinson’s Racing Pigs to a Barnyard Review to Lizzy the Dream Girl’s Hypnosis Show.

There were plenty of livestock shows, a celebrity milk-off and hay bale creations on display.

And, there were rides.

Five-year-old Maddie Samanka, of Blanton, and 7-year-old Lily Briscoe, of San Antonio, show off their rabbits.
 

People could amuse themselves by going on rides that spun them high in the air, or just gave them a great view of the fairgrounds.

They also could step right up to try to win prizes at various games on the midway.

There were musical acts, including “Matt’s Family Jam,” “The Triumphant Quartet and The Rob Mills Family Gospel Music,” and entertainers who strolled through the fairgrounds.

And, of course, corn dogs, boiled peanuts, fresh lemonade and other fair foods.

Published March 1, 2017

Rattlesnake fest not hiss-tory after all

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New organizers have stepped forward to take over the management of the San Antonio Rattlesnake Festival & Run, an event that had appeared to be headed toward extinction.

The Thomas Promise Foundation will be taking over reins of running the festival, that has been a mainstay in the City of San Antonio for a half-century.

A Bay News 9 reporter gets a first-hand feel for this creature at the Croc Encounters’ alligator pen, a popular attraction at the San Antonio Rattlesnake Festival & Run.
(File)

The San Antonio Rotary Club had been the festival’s primary organizer and had announced on Feb. 1 that 50th festival, which was held in October, would be its last.

In announcing that decision, Betty Burke, festival chair, said the club decided to step away from the festival because it was too much for the small club to handle.

After that announcement, however, five organizations stepped forward, expressing interest in taking over the event.

Club members talked about those willing to take over the festival during the club’s Feb. 21 meeting, and after discussing the various pros and cons of each of the interested groups, they reached a consensus, deciding that Thomas Promise would be the best fit for the festival’s original mission.

Burke then headed to the San Antonio City Commission meeting to share the news.

This isn’t the first time the festival has had a new organizer.

Burke recapped the festival’s history, in her announcement about the festival’s demise.

The festival originally was conceived by founders Eddie Herrmann and Willy Post, as a rattlesnake roundup — to replace the San Antonio Junior Chamber of Commerce’s Fun Day, which was being discontinued.

The Jaycees presented the first Rattlesnake Roundup on Nov. 4, 1967, in City Park, in San Antonio, according to a history compiled by Burke. Its aim was to entertain and to give funds back to the community.

The event continued for nearly a decade with few changes, until the Jaycees, gave up their chapter. That prompted Herrmann and other members to form the Rattlesnake and Gopher Enthusiasts (R.A.G.E.) group to carry on the tradition.

In 2013, R.A.G.E. announced it could no longer manage the event due to a lack of new volunteers to help.

That’s when the San Antonio, Dade City Sunrise, Wesley Chapel, Wesley Chapel Sunrise, Zephyrhills and Zephyrhills Daybreak Rotary clubs stepped in and assumed leadership, under the banner of the East Pasco Rotary Charities.

After that, the San Antonio Rotary Club took over in 2014, assuming full leadership for the festival.

In choosing to hand the festival off to Thomas Promise Foundation, club members noted that the organization seems in line with the original intent, to help the local community.

Thomas Promise Foundation provides backpacks full of food complete with three meals and snacks for underprivileged children in Pasco County. The meals help feed children through the weekend when they would otherwise go without.

The charity’s Operation Backpack began after Brooke Thomas gave her lunch money to classmates she saw going hungry. When she asked her mom for more lunch money, her mom asked why, and Brooke said she just wanted to help.

Thomas Promise Foundation began with that young girl’s compassion.

Now, the organization will bring new life to the Rattlesnake Festival & Run.

Published March 1, 2017

Principal offers overview for middle school parents, students

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The vibe was upbeat as music played and a slideshow offered images of Cypress Creek Middle High, a new school under construction off Old Pasco Road.

This aerial shows the progress being made on construction of Cypress Creek Middle High, which is scheduled to open this fall for students in grades six through 11. A senior class will be added the second year of operation.
(Courtesy of Carin Hetzler-Nettles)

Parents and students filed into the Center for the Arts at Wesley Chapel High School, filling much of the auditorium.

They were there to find out what to expect for middle schoolers at the new school, and Principal Carin Hetzler-Nettles was ready.

The principal held back-to-back information sessions on the evening of Feb. 15. One was tailored to middle school students and their parents; the other, for high school students and their parents.

Both sessions were well-attended.

Some of the information was the same for both, but some was tailored to the specific age group.

In both presentations, members of the audience were taken on a pre-recorded virtual tour of the new school, with Nettles leading the way.

Wearing a white construction hat during the video, Nettles stepped through the school, offering details about the physical plant and future plans.

During the virtual tour and in her live presentation, Hetzler-Nettles provided a detailed account of how many students are expected, where they will be housed, and what types of academic and athletic programs will be offered.

During the upcoming school year, there will be students in grades six through 11 on campus.

Projections show an estimated 840 middle school students in the coming school year, and 650 high school students, she said.

There are two large two-story classroom buildings on the campus, and an administration building with classroom space on the second floor, Hetzler-Nettles said.

The current plan is to house the middle schoolers in one of the large classroom buildings, with the overflow being on the second floor of the administration building, Hetzler-Nettles said.

The high school students are expected to be housed in the other large, two-story classroom building, which is closer to the student parking lot, she said.

On the academic side for middle schoolers, there will be a full array of academic and elective courses. There also will three Middle School Academy Programs: Business Management, Criminal Justice, and Engineering and Robotics.

Courses offered will be dictated by student demand, she said. So, if a course isn’t listed on a course card, students should write it in.

Students entering the new Cypress Creek Middle High School, being built off Old Pasco Road, have chosen The Coyotes, as their mascot.
(Courtesy of Carin Hetzler-Nettles)

If there’s enough demand, it will be added, she said.

Regarding athletics, the middle school will offer the same athletics as offered by other middle schools, she said.

The school will have four separate locker rooms. There will be one for high school girls and one for middle school girls. There will be one for high school boys and one for middle school boys.

The locker rooms will be separated by a coach’s office, she said.

The gym also will have a screen that can be pulled down to divide it so that high school and middle school physical education programs, and practices, can be held separately, she said.

The school also plans to have separate band programs for the high school and the middle school.

From a logistics point of view, the high school and middle school students will ride the bus together, which is something that already occurs at a number of district schools, the principal said. Middle school students will ride in the first 10 rows of the bus and high schoolers will ride in the back, she said.

The school day will start and end at the same time for both middle and high school students, she said. Right now, it’s looking like school will start at 7:25 a.m. or 7:30 a.m., and will end at 1:50 p.m. or 1:55 p.m., but that is subject to change.

High school and middle school students also will eat in the same cafeteria and use the same media center, but at different times, the principal said.

The principal said she’s not sure how many positions she will be able to fill because she won’t have that information until around April. For now, she has advertised half of the position she expects to be able to fill.

The principal also fielded numerous questions from the audience, ranging from why the school will not offer self-contained gifted classes, to whether there will be uniforms, to whether the school will have agri-science classes.

The school will not have self-contained classes for gifted students, but instead will have an inclusion model, Hetzler-Nettles said.

As a high school principal, she said she’s seen students in self-contained gifted classes have trouble making the transition to high school, where there are no self-contained gifted classes.

As far as requiring uniforms for students, Nettles had this answer: “No way!” — prompting laughter from the audience.

The answer to the agri-science question was less clear. The school doesn’t plan to start out with it, but if enough students want it, it could add it, the principal said.

The principal also emphasized that although middle school and high school students will share the same campus, they will be in separate buildings and will be using common facilities at different times.

Hetzler-Nettles also assured the crowd that she understands that making the transition from elementary to middle school, and from middle school to high school, is challenging.

Fifth-graders who are anxious about coming to middle school don’t need to worry, she said.

“We’re going to help you out. It’s going to be fine. You’re going to love it,” she said.

She also noted that making the transition to a new school can be difficult, too, and she and her staff are committed to making it a positive transition for students and their parents.

She told the audience that she’s excited about the new possibilities that Cypress Creek Middle High will offer, and she encouraged parents and students to get involved to help make the school all that it can be.

“Parents, if you’re interested in volunteering, we’re going to need a lot of help. I would love it if you would reach out to me. I’m it, right now.

“Just let me know what you’re interested in helping with, or if you have no idea what you’re willing to help with, you’re just willing to help. I’m going create a list, I’m going to keep all that information, and then we’re going to be calling you up when we need help,” she said.

She also urged students to share their ideas with her.

She wants the school to be a place they enjoy and where they can thrive.

“The most important thing at a school is the student voice. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. School is what you make it, just as life is what you make it. I want to hear your thoughts and your opinions. You can tell me the things you want to see at your school and the things you’d really like to have,” the principal said.

Cypress Creek Middle High School

Mascot: The Coyotes

School colors: Green and yellow

For information: Visit CCMHS.pasco.k12.fl.us

If you have questions, suggestions, or want to volunteer, call Principal Carin Hetzler-Nettles at (813) 346-4401, or email her at .

Next week, we’ll present the principal’s session for high school parents and students.

Published February 22, 2017

 

Ice arena offers plenty of room, action

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There’s no shortage of activities — or room— at the newly minted Florida Hospital Center Ice.

From learning to skate, to playing hockey and curling, there’s plenty to do at the much-ballyhooed facility, which measures 150,500 square feet.

On Jan. 28, during the facility’s opening weekend, hundreds of youth and adults packed into what has been described as “the largest ice sports facility in the Southeastern United States.”

During a water break, Mason Cessna, 9, of Valrico, gets a quick swig during the 9- and 10-year-old session. Coaches were watching the individual abilities of each participant in the ‘Squirts’ division.
(Fred Bellet)

Patrons came from as far away Brooksville, Valrico and Lithia to check out the complex, at 3173 Cypress Ridge Blvd., which is off Interstate 75 at the State Road 56 interchange in Wesley Chapel.

Others visited from nearby Lutz, Land O’ Lakes and New Tampa.

And, while two of the complex’s five rinks remain under construction, there were plenty of options to accommodate ice enthusiasts of all kinds.

The Olympic rink, which measures 200 feet by 100 feet, was fully occupied with public skaters and learn-to-skate participants.

Two NHL-sized rinks (200 feet by 85 feet), meanwhile, were teeming with hours of youth recreational hockey evaluations and adult pickup games.

During breaks in ice action, spectators marveled at the fully stocked pro shop and other amenities at the two-story facility.

Gordie Zimmermann, managing partner of Florida Hospital Center Ice, is one contented man.

“We’ve exceeded our expectations from the get-go,” Zimmermann said. “Like participation for the Learn to Skate, everything’s almost double of what we thought it would be coming out of the starting block, so it’s been terrific.”

That, too, applies to registration figures for the center’s adult hockey leagues.

Florida Hospital Center Ice has attracted a large number of skaters, taking to the ice.
(Fred Bellet)

The initial eight-week “reduced” session has 25 teams signed up, consisting of beginner, intermediate and advanced leagues.

“We thought we would maybe get 10 teams in the first adult (league),” Zimmermann said. He’s elated with the current registration figures.

Additionally, more teams are anticipated to sign up once 12-week sessions commence.

Besides recreation league offerings, the center also will be home base for several other area-based teams and organizations.

The Wiregrass Ranch and Freedom high school club teams have signed up. The same goes for the University of South Florida Ice Bulls, of the American Collegiate Hockey Association.

The Tampa Bay Junior Hockey Club, an elite training development program, also has jumped aboard.

Consequently, a bevy of regional and international tournaments and camps are in the works, Zimmermann said.

One of the more intriguing on the docket is the World V-Red Prospect Advanced Camp, from July 16 through July 21.

Labeled as Canada’s No. 1 hockey program, it’s the first time ever the weeklong event will be hosted in the United States.

“The biggest thing that we’re doing,” Zimmermann said, “is that we’re bringing in major tournaments through the summer, and we’re going to bring in another one that’s going to be huge for the area for hockey.”

Rob Passante, left, of Wesley Chapel, has the duty of tying ice skates for 10-year-old Tucker McKinney, of Seffner, as Tucker’s brother, Luke McKinney, 4, looks on. Tucker is friends with Passante’s son, Dominic.
(Fred Bellet)

The complex, too, has drawn the eyes of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who’ve signed on as program rink sponsors.

No plans are in the works for the Lightning to relocate their practices from the Ice Sports Forum in Brandon, however.

Other visiting NHL teams, though, may practice at the Wesley Chapel complex during their road trips to Florida; multiple NHL organizations have already expressed interest in doing so, Zimmermann said.

Still, there will be ample ice time for everyone — even the average skater or recreational hockey player.

“We can do a lot more…and still keep our public skate and our learn-to-skate program going; we don’t have to cancel it,” Zimmermann explained.

Other key features of the complex, interestingly, don’t even require ice.

Rinks can be converted to accommodate large corporate events and dry floor sports, such as basketball, volleyball and box lacrosse.

“We have a sub-floor that goes over the ice,” Zimmermann said, “and a sport court goes on top of one of the NHL rinks. We can put it on any one, and we can also do it on the mini-rink.”

There’s also a six-lane, 90-yard running track, and a 2,600-square-foot fitness facility.

All those features, Zimmermann said, set the facility apart from other complexes.

Kim Payne, communications director at Florida Hospital Center Ice, watches a practice session from an observation area on the second-floor.
(Fred Bellet)

“Really, there’s nothing comparable to this south of New York all the way through the West Coast,” Zimmermann said. “It’s pretty amazing.”

Shari Klutz, skating the center’s program director, agrees.

“I love this facility,” said Klutz, who previously served as figure skating director at the Ashburn Ice House in Virginia. “They thought of a lot of key things, and made it unique. It has every training aspect you could need.”

The ice complex has been a long time coming for the area.

Previously, many Pasco and north Hillsborough residents would trek to Brandon to get their hockey and skating fix. Others may have used the Clearwater Ice Arena or the Tampa Bay Skating Academy in Oldsmar.

Florida Hospital Center Ice was expected to open in October 2015. However, various permitting and technological setbacks stalled the $28 million capital investment project.

Zimmermann pointed to a lengthy commissioning period, balancing of the building and “other things out of our control.”

“I wouldn’t say they were necessarily delays,” Zimmermann said. “It’s a very complicated building.”

He added: “We would have loved to be open before the (Christmas) holiday, but we’re going to be here a long time, so we wanted to do it right.”

With a relative dearth of ice complexes in the Bay Area, Center Ice is forecasted as an economic driver for both Wesley Chapel and Pasco County.

The county already has five hotels in development, including two directly adjacent to the complex.

Officials believe the massive facility will attract 1.5 million to 2 million visitors annually, with 40 percent coming from outside Tampa Bay.

Though open and operable, the entire complex is still not fully complete.

Finishing touches are still being made to the fitness center and two rinks. The full-service restaurant, Top Shelf Sports Lounge, is slated to open sometime this month.

Published February 22, 2017

Remembering the legacy of Odell Mickens

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Odell Kingston Mickens’ legacy as a Dade City educator and civil rights activist endures more than three decades after his death in 1980.

When racism and Jim Crow laws denied blacks access to public education during the 1930s, Mickens expanded the outreach of education to black students in Pasco County.

When white school boards eventually included black schools into a separate, but underfunded system, Mickens continued to expand opportunities for black students, including the right in 1940 to receive high school diplomas.

Mickens championed the economic and civil rights of the black community until he died in 1980.

He was the first black elected to public office in Pasco County, winning two terms on the City Commission of Dade City.

“I find Odell Mickens to be just a giant,” said Imani Asukile, director of global and multicultural awareness, and special assistant to the president of Pasco-Hernando State College.

Asukile was guest speaker on Feb. 16 at the Pioneer Florida Museum and Village in Dade City.

The museum is sponsoring a series of lectures in conjunction with its Smithsonian exhibit, “The Way We Worked.”

Asukile also is author of “Black Americans of Hernando County, Florida.”

Asukile said he is not formally trained as a historian, but has a deep interest in history.

“Somewhere I just caught the bug,” he said. “One of my goals is to unearth stories about local African-Americans.”

Mickens is a particular favorite.

In his research, Asukile learned that Mickens was mentored by Mary McLeod Bethune, founder of the Bethune-Cookman University.

Bethune was internationally recognized as an educator, human rights activist and advisor to several United States presidents.

“She found him to be an outstanding student,” Asukile said.

Mickens was the descendent of Colbert and Nancy Mickens, former slaves from South Carolina.

Mickens’ paternal grandparents were later sold and sent to Marion County, where they raised seven children in the small hamlet of Flemington that Asukile described as “way back in the woods.”

Odell Mickens was born in 1904, the only child of Isaac Mickens and his wife, Anna. At a time when there were no public schools for blacks, they sent him to privately operated black academies.

“His parents invested in him to get an education,” Asukile said.

In 1933, at age 29, as a graduate of then Bethune-Cookman Junior College, Mickens became principal of Moore Academy, the first permanent school open to blacks in Pasco County. It was named for the Rev. Junias D. Moore, who served as its first principal.

Mickens’ wife, Christine, taught at Moore Academy and also coached the Panthers’ basketball team.

“This really turned out to be a wonderful and beautiful partnership,” said Asukile of the Mickens’ marriage.

Mickens oversaw the expansion of Moore Academy. Over the years the campus, in various locations, became Moore Elementary School and Mickens High School.

In 1940, Lillian Arnold, Mozell Thompson and Lila Thompson became the first blacks in Pasco to graduate and receive diplomas.

The school became Moore-Mickens Middle School in the early 1980s, and was later repurposed as an education center in 1987.

The Pasco County School Board closed the education center in 2015. A group of community activists are seeking to reopen the center, but have yet to finalize a plan with the school district.

But, Mickens’ contributions to the county extended beyond education.

He served on the building committee for the Dade City Civic Center which opened in 1963.

He also was a founder of the Negro Civic Association.

Association members lobbied city officials to open up land formerly used as a prisoner-of-war camp in World War II. The city platted the land and, over time, black residents bought lots and built homes in the Moore-Harper subdivision.

Mickens served on the board of the Pasco County Housing Authority; as assistant trustee for the Bethune-Cookman University; and, as president of the Bethune-Cookman National Alumni Association.

In 1980, he was named Citizen of the Year by the Dade City Chamber of Commerce.

Published February 22, 2017

 

 

 

Heroes for Hire playing the right tunes

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Being a boy band with a first release on iTunes is heady stuff.

But, Heroes for Hire is getting used to the attention, playing their brand of edgy, alternative rock at venues such as Skipper’s Smokehouse, New World Brewery and Buckets.

Louis Mittens, 15; Ben Hense, 13; Ryan Romero, 15; Corey Fox, 15; and, Josh Morin, 14, came together as a band at Jim Chambers Music Box.

Heroes for Hire celebrated their first iTunes release with a performance at the Orpheum in Ybor City.
(Courtesy of Marlene Fox Photography)

Chambers is the maestro who orchestrates and fine tunes young musicians at his “school of rock” in Carrollwood. He puts bands together with that right mix of personal chemistry and musical chops.

“In six weeks, they’re expected to play a show,” Chambers said.

Heroes for Hire started playing gigs more than a year ago.

On Feb. 4, the band had a release party for its first iTunes’ song, “The Wanted One,” at The Orpheum in Ybor City.

Romero is the group’s songwriter. He also came up with the band’s name which salutes the military.

“You think of soldiers. They’re always heroes,” said Romero.

He started writing songs in seventh grade. “I like emotional topics that have a moral meaning, that are inspirational.”

Some band members knew one another before coming to “the box,” but mostly they’ve become fast friends because of the music. They attend Blake High School, Buchanan Middle School and Gaither High School, and live in Carrollwood and Lutz.

Fox’s mother started him on bass guitar when he was age 10.

“I was super into it,” he said, adding that a long career in music “would be a dream.”

Chambers knows how those dreams can sometimes happen.

He is a former music executive who earned Grammy awards with Maroon 5 and Loudon Wainwright III.

Chambers got his start in the mailroom at Sky Records, which was co-owned by Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls. Ray got him a job promotion after a chatty encounter one day at work.

In a podcast interview with Cigar City Radio First, Chambers recalled Ray asking afterward, “Who’s that kid in the mailroom who won’t shut up? Put him on the phones.”

From there, marketing and promotion became his way up the music industry ladder.

In nearly three decades, Chambers built a long resume. His jobs included merchandise representative for Sony Records in Miami and national sales representative for a division of Sire Records in New York.

Along the way, he watched Maroon 5 break into the outer stratosphere of the music world.

The economic crash in 2009 cost him his job. He flirted with moving to Belize, but ended up back home in Carrollwood, with his parents.

He taught drum lessons for awhile. Then, he ran a home-based music academy, until the homeowner’s association objected.

In July 2015, he opened Jim Chambers Music Box in a small shopping plaza, at 4312 Gunn Highway. Creative Loafing magazine recognized his school as “Best of the Bay” band incubator.

His band protégés include the all-girl band, Extra Celestial, and Inkblot.

Musical influences on Heroes for Hire are the Foo Fighters, Jack White and Jimi Hendrix.

Morin admires instrumental rock guitarist Joe Satriana. “He lets the guitar be his melody,” he said.

Rehearsals at Chamber’s studio are free-wheeling, get-it-on rock shows. But, live performances are the best.

“This is a way of getting feedback,” said Hense, who plays the drums.
It also builds a fan base that gets to know their music.

Mittens thinks he’s found his niche.

“Pretty much all I want to do is play guitar, in and out of school,” he said.

Published February 22, 2017