The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

Traffic woes may lessen at 41/54

By

Some relief may be coming in 2018 to reduce the daily traffic jams at U.S. 41 and State Road 54.

Frustrations at the intersection are common, as more than 100,000 motorists pass through the intersection every day.

Pasco County and state highway officials are now looking at a plan to lessen congestion.

The plan calls for lengthening turn lanes, providing more room in those lanes to improve the general flow in through lanes.

A long line of eastbound vehicles on State Road 54 wait to make it through the traffic signal, or reach the right turn lane to head south on U.S. 41.
(Kathy Steele)

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey talked about the turn-lane project during a recent Pasco County workshop.

Starkey said she’d learned of the project at a committee meeting for the county’s Metropolitan Planning Commission.

“I think that’s a huge step forward on our road projects,” Starkey said.

The project isn’t seen as a permanent solution, but as something that can be done in the near-term.

“It is a fix.” said Margaret Smith, Pasco’s engineering services director, adding she doesn’t know how long the fix will last.

Design work is expected to take about eight to 10 months, with construction likely in 2018. The county will spend about $300,000 on design, with money saved from other road projects, Smith said.

A funding source for the remainder of the project, estimated at around $1 million is being sought.

The redesign would include these changes, based on an email from the Florida Department of Transportation:

  • The right-turn lane eastbound on State Road 54 would increase from 215 feet to 1,050 feet. Eastbound dual left-turn lanes would increase from 350 feet to 750 feet. An additional 125 feet would be added to the outside left-turn lane for a total length of 875 feet.
  • Westbound on State Road 54, the right-turn lane at U.S. 41 would increase from 360 feet to 500 feet. The southbound dual left-turn lanes on State Road 54 already are at the maximum length.
  • Southbound on U.S. 41, the dual left-turn lane would increase from 430 feet to 475 feet. The southbound right-turn lane would increase from 320 feet to 475 feet.
  • No change is planned for the northbound U.S. 41 left- and right-turn lanes because they are at maximum length.

A permanent and more intense design change for the intersection remains uncertain.

Work will begin anew in March on the Vision 54/56 corridor study, which is looking at a range of road projects from U.S. 19 to Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.

A first phase of the study was completed in 2016.

This second phase will place emphasis on ideas to improve the intersections of State Road 54 and U.S. 41 in east Pasco, and State Road 54 and Little Road in west Pasco.

Meanwhile, the state transportation department put an earlier proposal on hold to build a $180 million flyover elevating State Road 54 over U.S. 41, and including toll lanes.

The road project met strong resistance from residents at a town hall meeting in 2015.

Published February 22, 2017

Zephyrhills plans to buy property next to City Hall

By

The conceptual plan of a new City Hall complex in Zephyrhills has taken another step forward.

The city council unanimously authorized city manager Steve Spina and city attorney Matt Maggard to negotiate the purchase of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) chapter building, at 5325 Eighth St. The .16-acre property, appraised at $71,200, sits on two lots measuring 50-by-140 feet.

The City of Zephyrhills plans to purchase the Disabled American Veterans property, shown on the left, to use as temporary office space once construction begins on the $6.2 million City Hall project. Post-construction, the DAV property will be used for additional parking and sidewalks, linking the City Hall with the city’s library and fire department.
(Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)

The action came at the council’s regular Feb. 13 meeting.

In November, the council authorized obtaining an appraisal to determine the value of the property after DAV Chapter 65 announced it was shutting operations.

The now-vacant property — which sits adjacent to the current City Hall along Sixth Avenue — includes a 924-square-foot main building, a 450-square-foot aluminum storage building and a 335-square-foot concrete block building.

Its planned usage is multi-layered.

Initially, it will provide temporary office space — likely for the city’s Building Department, when construction is underway on the new, $6.2 million City Hall complex.

The City Hall project is expected to be complete sometime in mid-2018.

After construction is completed, the main DAV building will be torn down to make way for additional parking and sidewalks along Sixth Avenue.

The property, too, encompasses the city’s vision of a courtyard plaza and walkway, linking the new City Hall and the city’s public library, and fire department on Eighth Street.

“We’re buying it for the big picture,” Spina said. “Part of the appeal of the area is it would be a government complex.”

Zephyrhills city manager Steven Spina
(File)

Council president Kenneth Compton agreed, saying the “location couldn’t really get any better.”

Spina said the DAV building is move-in ready, but additional funds will be set aside to make it a suitable workplace for city employees.

Funds are available to purchase the building in the city’s contingency budget. Likewise, expenses could be billed into the construction of the new City Hall.

Spina advised the council he plans to negotiate an offer several thousand dollars less than the appraised value.

Moreover, the city is eyeing another temporary quarters along Ninth Street and Sixth Avenue. One possibility, Spina said, is the former police station, at 5344 Ninth St.

Meantime, the design of the new City Hall is already in motion.

City staff members have met with engineers and architects to outline project goals and objectives, along with a construction timeline.

The project calls for a two-story building of 19,615 square feet, significantly larger than the current City Hall, which is 13,497 square feet.

With a modern stone and brick exterior, the new City Hall follows an architectural template similar to the Zephyrhills Public Library.

In other action, the council heard an update on the Pigz in Z’Hills BBQ & Blues Fest, from Melonie Monson, executive director of The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce.

Monson told council members that the event drew more than 11,000, its largest turnout ever.

That compares to about 6,000 the previous year.

She estimated the economic impact for the event at about $500,000.

She also shared a few statistics:

  • About 30 percent of attendees were regional; 20 percent were out-of-state.
  • There were 39 sponsors.
  • Fifty-four cook teams took part, and there were 73 judges.
  • There were 140 vendors and expo participants, and there were 180 volunteers who contributed more than 3,000 hours of service.

“With the overwhelming success of the new venue and this year’s barbecue, the economic impact will be felt in our community for some time,” she said.

The chamber’s annual Pay It Forward dinner is Feb. 23 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the Silverado Golf & Country Club. There, donations and scholarships will be dished out from money raised during the BBQ fest.

Published February 22, 2017

Nudist tourism needs more exposure

By

Pasco County is the nudist capital of Florida.

The state of Florida is the nudist capital of North America.

But, the clothing-optional lifestyle is an often overlooked tourism market that contributes $7.4 billion to the state’s economy annually, according to a report from the American Association of Nudist Recreation.

Monique Liliensiek, center, filmed a German documentary, ‘World of Nudism,’ at Lake Como Resort in 2014.
(File)

The association wants to put the spotlight on missed economic opportunities across the state, and in Pasco.

How about nudist days at Pasco’s beach parks? Should there be nudist beaches at Sand Island and Anclote Island, or at an undeveloped lake at SunWest Park?

Starkey Wilderness might yield opportunities for nude recreation activities, too.

Those were some of the ideas included in the AANR report, which was compiled by John Heather, a consultant for the organization and an instructor of international tourism & hospitality management at Saint Leo University.

Heather was guest speaker at the Feb. 14 general meeting of the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce.

Pasco could be a role model on how to build on the existing economic base of nudist recreation, Heather said.

“We don’t have the beaches of Clearwater or the vibrant culture of downtown St. Petersburg,” Heather said. “But, we are so fortunate to be on major (highway) arteries. A lot of these resorts are in rural areas. They are something to make your place unique.”

Pasco’s history with the nudist lifestyle began decades ago, with resorts, social clubs and residential communities. Lake Como Resort, for instance, celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2016.

Other locations for vacations and permanent residency are Caliente Resort & Spa and Lake Paradise Resort. The Oasis is a gated, upscale subdivision described as a hybrid nudist community.

Nudist communities and resorts are spread across the state.

According to the AANR report there are:

  • 34 nudist resorts, including eight in Pasco County
  • 30 naturist social clubs
  • 5,100 nudist resort rooms available
  • 2 million nudist room nights sold in 2016
  • 22 million visitor nights
  • Visitors on average stay 10 nights, with a high percentage staying a month or more
  • $4.3 billion a year in direct spending by nudist visitors.

While the nudist population in Pasco is sometimes pegged at about 10,000, Heather said it’s difficult to pin down exact numbers.

Some visitors are “snowbirds” who stay during the winter; others are international visitors who might stay 10 days; some are day-trippers from nearby counties; and others are permanent residents, he said.

Pasco clearly is a star in the nudist firmament.

In 2014, a German documentary, “World of Nudism,” was filmed at Lake Como. A TLC reality television show, “Buy Naked,” features local real estate agent, Jackie Youngblood, as she finds and sells homes in Pasco for her nudist clients.

A Bare Dare 5K is an annual event at Caliente and is probably the largest naked runners’ race in North America.

Pasco County’s website has an online link, “Naked People Vacation Here,” at VisitPasco.net.

“They recognize that it is very important to our tourism tax here,” said Heather.

But, much more could be done to promote nudist tourism, he added.

Six new hotels are under construction or newly opened in Pasco, but Heather said they often focus on the business traveler. More resorts and tourist hotels are needed, he said.

Statewide, cruise lines are adding more clothing-optional vacations.

Currently, the only officially sanctioned nudist beach is in Miami, on the northern end of Haulover Beach.

But, nudists are quietly accepted at a few other locations including Playlinda, at the federally owned Cape Canaveral National Seashore.

The AANR report highlighted Haulover’s economic benefits to Miami.

About $988,000 in parking fees from nude beach visitors were collected at the north parking lot in 2015-2016.

The annual expenditures from nudist tourism is pegged at about $1 billion.

“The nude beach is packed with people,” Heather said.

Still, there is acknowledgement that nude beaches would be a challenge. “It could be a political back and forth,” Heather said.

But, the payoff could be significant, he said.

Pasco County set a record last year by earning nearly $1 million from tourist tax revenues.

Overall, tourism has grown in Florida from about $87 billion in 2011 to about $109 billion in 2016.

“Your return on investment is just too great,” he said.

Published February 22, 2017

 

Zephyrhills police chief applauds award winners

By

The Zephyrhills Police Department has recognized its annual award recipients for 2016.

Police Chief David Shears recognized the department’s annual award recipients for 2016 Police Officer of the Year, Civilian of the Year and Volunteer of the Year during the City Council’s Feb. 13 meeting.

The department selected David Wainwright as the William R. Eiland Police Officer of the Year. Wainwright, a field training officer, has been with the department for 13 years.

From left: Mayor Gene Whitfield, Zephyrhills Police Department Field Training Officer David Wainwright and Zephyrhills Police Department Chief David Shears. Wainwright was awarded the department’s 2016 William R. Eiland Police Officer of the Year.
(Kevin Weiss)

Wainwright, who holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Saint Leo University, regularly performs as an acting sergeant.

“His decision-making skills are right on task,” Shears said.

The department also honored Building Maintenance Specialist Gene Rains as the department’s Civilian of the Year. Shears was especially complimentary of Rains, highlighting his “high level of professionalism, courtesy, efficiency and ability to perform his duties at ZPD.”

Shears added: “He brings a higher level of experience and work ethic to his position than would be normally be seen in his job classification, and is a great asset to the department. He is always willing to assist and handle any project, no matter how small or large the task.”

Eleanor Cooley, who’s been with the department since 2009, was selected as the department’s Volunteer of the Year. Cooley volunteered more than 105 hours “with a smile and positive attitude.”

“She interacts well with all age groups and enjoys helping others,” Shears said.

Department volunteers, the chief said, typically assist with fingerprinting, event supervision, public education, bicycle helmet fitting and literature distribution.

The nominations committee is chaired by Capt. Robert McKinney, and selections are signed off by Shears.

“I have to say this year my job was very easy,” Shears said.

Wainwright, Rains and Cooley also were recognized during the department’s annual award ceremony on Jan. 25 at the Elks Lodge.

Published Feb. 22 2017

Escape life’s upheaval at familiar county fair

By

You don’t need a consumer confidence report to know that the economy is on a rebound trajectory. Instead, just open your eyes to what’s going on in Pasco County, where change, once more, is afoot.

You can scarcely swing a surveyor’s plumb bob without whacking evidence of our resurgence. Earth movers are moving earth. Grimy guys with signs are redirecting traffic. New construction is erupting like mushrooms after a summer thunderstorm.

Entire parts of the county are hardhat zones, and it’s all pretty much good, this investment in things that bring new jobs and opportunity.

Amid the flying dust, the big machines belching smoke and the sense of anticipation that attends it all, humans are naturally grateful for what is reliable and unchanging. It’s why we celebrate efforts to preserve vast swatches of virgin land and lovely old buildings. It’s also among the reasons to cheer the return this week of the Pasco County Fair.

Mckenna, left, and Brianna Childs, of Dade City, wait in the stall area at the 2016 Pasco County Fair, until they are called for their part in the Possom Trot club 4-H events.
(File)

The county fair is our annual Brigadoon, a touchstone that remains virtually the same one year to the next, despite all the change that swirls around it. And, we not only count on its constancy, we are reassured by it.

There may be a connected city — whatever that is — surrounding jaw-dropping manmade lagoons back up the road. Traffic engineers might be spellbound by the prospect of a “divergent diamond” interchange at State Road 56 and Interstate 75. Riders can access Wi-Fi on all county buses now. In short, we’re so cutting edge you could lose a finger.

But, just beyond the ticket-takers at the county fair, it might as well be … well, frankly, you can pick your year. Because, with the exception of a detail here or there, it never changes.

Pasco’s fair week — always the third week in February, always nestled between the Florida State Fair and the Plant City Strawberry Festival — is a comforting little slice of yesteryear, where the familiar abounds: Pig race, poultry preens, cities, towns and communities boast, young pageant princesses seek their first crowns, and performers with unusual talents bring fresh meaning to the term “side show.”

Where, besides a county fair, after all, are you likely to run across the self-proclaimed “only traveling ‘Lumber Jill’ show in North America?” Or, a psychologist who promises to “explore the hilarious side of hypnosis” in a “wacky show that rivals reality television”?

This year’s opening day event is history, of course, but as a past participant, I would be remiss if I did not throw some love in the direction of the goofy opening-day “Celebrity Milk-Off.”

Nevermind that the annual descent into bovine mayhem is that variety of celebrity events in which, as humorist Dave Barry observed, all the celebrities require name tags.

In truth, almost nobody comes to see Pasco hotshots ineptly yanking on poor heifers’ delicate faucets. They come, instead, to see which cow will relieve herself smack dab in the middle of a squeeze duel.

In this way, the milk-off is a lot like the Daytona 500.

What else? With the possible exception of a rickety rollercoaster, the county fair’s midway offers all the rough-and-tumble kinetic experiences sufficient to eliminate weak-stomached NASA astronaut applicants.

Speaking of stomachs, fairs are pretty much the originators of food trucks, although you aren’t likely to be able to find a barbecue sundae, corndogs or fried, well, everything at the Taste of New Tampa or those downtown Tampa food-on-wheels roundups Mayor Bob Buckhorn fancies.

And, a bellyful of fried-everything is exactly what is needed when you board a ride in which you will spend substantial moments suspended upside down.

Then again, you don’t have to eat fair fare. Up at the Madill Building, they’re grilling juicy hamburgers that will transport you to 1957. And, at the next window, you’ll find strawberry shortcake that’ll save you the trip to Plant City.

There’s also this to like: At 30-odd windswept acres atop a hill overlooking State Road 52, the Pasco County fairgrounds is contained. Compare that to the Florida State Fair, which sprawls across a daunting 330 acres.

The county fair is relentlessly doable, then, and that, also, is to its credit.

Its midway, resembling a droopy barbell, is as organized as such things can be: big-kid rides in a big grassy plaza on the north end, little-kid rides on the south, and connecting them an avenue of games of — *cough-cough* — skill.

Just the way it’s always been. And, that’s just the way county fair-goers like it. Familiar. Comfortable. Traditional.

Something reliable to hang onto in this time of hurry-up upheaval. This is the week to lose yourself in yesteryear. Our changing world will be waiting when you get back.

Tom Jackson, a resident of New Tampa, is interested in your ideas. To reach him, email .

Published February 22, 2017

Lexus of Wesley Chapel brings new dealership to Pasco

By

A new dealer will tap into the luxury automobile market in Pasco County with its new showroom under construction near Wiregrass Ranch.

Lexus of Wesley Chapel is being built on about 8 acres, next to Wesley Chapel Toyota, at 5300 Eagleston Blvd., south of State Road 54 and west of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.

Owners of Williams Automotive Group competed against nearly 130 dealers nationwide who sought to win the coveted Lexus dealership.

Construction is underway on Lexus of Wesley Chapel. The luxury car dealership is expected to open by the end of 2017.
(Courtesy of Lexus of Wesley Chapel)

The new Lexus showroom is expected to open by the end of 2017 and employ about 100 people. Williams Automotive Group is the parent company for Wesley Chapel Toyota, Wesley Chapel Honda and Tampa Honda.

Lexus of Wesley Chapel will be the second to sell luxury, high-end vehicles in Pasco County.

In 2015, AutoNation opened Pasco County’s first Mercedes Benz dealership at the corner of State Road 56 and Interstate 75, also in Wesley Chapel. It is within the orbit of Tampa Premium Outlets, Cypress Creek Town Center and Florida Hospital Center Ice.

For Lexus fans, the nearest dealership is more than 20 miles away in Tampa.

A study and review of the area’s demographics found Wesley Chapel to be “a perfect fit for the luxury car buyer,” according to an email statement from John Williams, co-owner of Williams Automotive Group.

The market for Lexus of Wesley Chapel covers not only Pasco but northern Hillsborough County, Hernando County and beyond, Williams said in the email.

According to 2015 census data, the annual median income in Wesley Chapel is about $75,000. By comparison, the Pasco overall median income is about $45,000.

Average household income is even higher at more than $85,000 in Wesley Chapel, and $60,000 in Pasco.

With the ongoing growth in the county, Williams said the market can handle even more luxury dealerships in future.

The main Lexus showroom will be a two-story building with about 58,000 square feet. There also will be a double-tunnel car wash of about 3,800 square feet, and a covered outdoor pavilion of about 1,900 square feet.

The dealership will have nearly 500 parking spaces.

A 10-acre adjacent site has room for more than 600 additional parking spaces, and a future collision center. Williams said construction on the collision center probably will begin in 2018.

The indoor showroom will feature 12 Lexus vehicles while another 10 vehicles can be displayed outdoors. There will be 30 service bays, including eight detail bays, with room for expansion.

In addition, there will be several customer lounges, quiet rooms, business offices, a children’s play area, technology center, and an upscale cafe with coffee and cappuccino.

Published February 22, 2017

Festival may slither back to life

By

The San Antonio Rotary Club is considering four organizations that are interested in taking over the annual San Antonio Rattlesnake Festival & Run.

The club announced earlier this month that the 50th festival, held in October, would be its last.

Children enjoy riding around in a barrel train during a previous San Antonio Rattlesnake Festival. (File)

“We pulled out all the stops for the 50th annual festival to honor and celebrate this longstanding community fundraiser,” Betty Burke said, in the announcement.

“The sad fact is that it’s just too large of a project for our small club and the declining pool of community volunteers,” Burke added.

Since then, however, the club has heard from four organizations, and it will be discussing their offers to take over the event at its meeting Feb. 21.

Some of the organizations are for-profit organizations and some are not, Burke said, declining to identify them before the club meets.

Burke had a mixed reaction when organizations came forward expressing an interest in taking over the festival.

“On the one hand, we kind of felt that the 50th (festival) was a good one to finish it with,” she said.

On the other hand, after news broke that the club would no longer organize the festival, most people were sad to see it go, she said.

There’s a possibility the festival could move, depending on which organization is selected to take it over, she said. Or, the new organizers would need to work with the City of San Antonio, if the festival stays at the park.

Burke said she’ll present the information to the club, and they’ll discuss which organization would seem to match up with the festival’s original purpose.

Burke recapped the event’s history, when she announced it would be ending.

The festival originally was conceived a half-century ago, 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, according to Burke’s recap.

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

That event continued for nearly a decade, with few changes, until the Jaycees gave up their chapter.

The gopher tortoise races, as seen during last year’s San Antonio Rattlesnake Festival & Run, use wooden mechanical tortoises, instead of live ones.
(File)

That prompted Herrmann and other members of the community to form the Rattlesnake and Gopher Enthusiasts (R.A.G.E.) group to carry on the tradition, Burke adds. That group incorporated as a nonprofit in 1996.

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 for the festival, under the banner of East Pasco Rotary Charities, the recap added.

“The East Side Rotaries did an outstanding job with the festival in 2013,” San Antonio Rotary president Winnie Burke, said in the club’s announcement.

“In the face of losing the festival entirely that year, it was heartwarming to see

our larger community pull together to keep the tradition alive,” Winnie Burke added.

When that group stepped down, saying they wouldn’t manage the festival in 2014, the San Antonio club took over as the sole organizers.

The celebration marking the event’s half-century mark was a two-day event, featuring a 5-mile and 1-mile run, a family bike ride, musical entertainment, a snake show, a cowboy show, crocodile demonstrations, mechanical gopher tortoise races, food booths, children’s rides and a pumpkin patch.

Now, it appears that a new chapter is about to be written for the San Antonio Rattlesnake Festival & Run.

Published February 22, 2017

Make your heart happy: Eat healthy

By

Here’s the bad news: Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States.

Every year, one in four deaths results from heart disease.

Here’s the good news: Heart disease often can be prevented.

To keep your heart happy, it’s important to make healthy lifestyle choices and also essential to manage your health conditions.

Communities, health professionals and families can work together to create opportunities for people to make healthier choices.

Here are just a few ideas from the American Heart Association, to help you get started:

  • Encourage your family members and other families to make small changes, such as using spices to season food, instead of using salt.
  • Motivate teachers and administrators at your children’s schools to make physical activity a part of the school day, and to never use physical activity as a punishment. This can help students start good habits early.
  • Ask doctors and nurses to be leaders in their communities by speaking out about ways to prevent heart disease.

Here’s a recipe to help you start off your day in a heart-healthy way.

You can be healthy and enjoy delicious foods, such as a nice heart-healthy waffle with fruit.
(Betsy Crisp)

Heart-Healthy Pecan Waffles (or Pancakes)

Ingredients:
1 cup whole-wheat flour (If this is too heavy for your taste, use one-half cup all-purpose flour and one-half cup whole wheat flour)

½ cup quick-cooking oats

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon sugar

¼ cup unsalted pecans, chopped

2 large eggs, separated (For pancakes, see note)

1 ½ cups fat-free (skim) milk

1 tablespoon canola oil

For fruit topping:
2 cups fresh strawberries, rinsed, stems removed, and cut in half (You can substitute frozen strawberries, thawed)
1 cup fresh blackberries, rinsed (You can substitute frozen blackberries, thawed)
1 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed (You can substitute frozen blueberries, thawed)
1 teaspoon powdered sugar

Tip: If you don’t happen to have fresh/frozen fruits on hand, just use unsweetened applesauce, instead.

Directions:

  • Preheat waffle iron.
  • Combine flour, oats, baking powder, sugar and pecans in large bowl.
  • Combine egg yolks, milk and canola oil in a separate bowl. Mix well.
  • Add liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and stir together. Do not overmix. Mixture should be a bit lumpy.
  • Whip egg whites to medium peaks. Gently fold egg whites into batter (for pancakes, see note below).
  • Pour batter into preheated waffle iron. Cook waffle until iron light signals it is done (or steam stops coming out sides). Waffles are considered perfectly done when they are crisp and well-browned on both sides with a light, fluffy inside.
  • Add fresh fruit to each waffle (or pancake stack), and dust lightly with powdered sugar before serving.

Note: For pancakes, do not separate eggs. Just mix the whole eggs with milk and oil (eliminate steps 4 & 5).

Betsy Crisp recently retired from a 29-year career as an Extension Family & Consumer Sciences agent and a licensed dietitian for the University of Florida/IFAS.

Published February 22, 2017

Construction to extend State Road 56

By

Contractors on the State Road 56 extension are cleared to begin turning dirt.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a permit for the roadwork on Feb. 2.

The extension is considered an important project by residents, commercial interests and government officials, because it provides an important link for motorists traveling east and west across Pasco County.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has granted a permit to allow construction to begin on the widening of State Road 56 between Wiregrass Ranch and Zephyrhills. The project provides an important link for motorists.
(File)

“I’m excited,” said Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore. “It will bring traffic relief…and economic development all along the corridor.”

An official groundbreaking is in the planning stages but Moore said Cone & Graham Inc., would begin work as soon as possible. “We don’t want to hold them up,” he added.

A previous groundbreaking had been targeted for late January, but it took longer than expected for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to review additional information that had been requested.

The road project will provide a four-lane extension of State Road 56 from Meadow Pointe Boulevard in Wiregrass Ranch to U.S. 301 in Zephyrhills.

Initial plans called for a two-lane extension.

However, nearly two years ago residents lobbied hard during a town hall meeting in Zephyrhills for an expanded project.

Area residents and Zephyrhills’ officials see the road as a major factor in easing traffic bottlenecks and supporting greater economic development.

Money became an issue.

But, Pasco County qualified in 2016 for a state loan of nearly $23 million to finance the project.

A loan repayment schedule allows the county to collect funds from developers and landowners along the corridor through mobility surcharge fees, or special assessments, if needed.

Property owners and developers along the route provided rights of way to Pasco County.

About half of the 6.7-mile extension runs through Two Rivers Ranch.

Cone & Graham is expected to cover any shortfall in expenses, with the county and the city of Zephyrhills as fall back in the event the contractor is fired or a new contractor hired.

In that scenario, estimates peg the county’s responsibility at about $1.5 million with Zephyrhills contributing 10 percent, or $150,000 to that amount.

Published February 15, 2017

 

Managing challenges faced by teens

By

From social media to social pressures, the challenges of a teen are unlikely to go away anytime soon.

The stresses aren’t going away for parents, either.

To help navigate those issues, the Steinbrenner High Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) hosted its fifth annual “World of a Teen” program on Feb. 7, inside the school’s auditorium.

An estimated crowd of more than 250 people attended, according to Laura Lopresti, vice president of programs for Steinbrenner High PTSA.

Those attending came from numerous areas public high schools, middle schools, as well as a public elementary, a private school and a public charter school.

The fifth annual ‘World of a Teen’ program took place Feb. 7 at Steinbrenner High School. More than 250 parents and children attended. In 2016, the program received the ‘Department of Education Family and Community Involvement Exemplary Program Award’ from Hillsborough County Schools.
(Kevin Weiss)

The award-winning program featured a panel of eight experts, who discussed topics ranging from drug usage and social media habits, to picking the right college.

During the 90-minute event, parents and guardians filled out questions on notecards, which then were read anonymously to the panel.

The answers were forthright, and panelists had plenty of advice.

“I think that a lot of people left here with a lot of questions answered — parents and children— and I think it gave them a lot of content to talk about at home,” said Edgar Guzman, a Tampa-based attorney, one of the panelists.

Drug usage, especially marijuana, was a frequently broached topic.

The panelists’ message to the audience: Stay away.

Lynn Posyton, community relations specialist for Drug-Free World, said she’s noticed the substance being abused “more and more.”

It’s also becoming more hazardous, she said.

Posyton noted the levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) have increased over the past several decades. That’s the chemical that’s responsible for most of marijuana’s psychological effects.

Bob LeVine, former chairman of the Harvard Schools Committee for the West Coast of Florida, was one of the panelists during the ‘World of a Teen’ program. He is the founder of Selective College Consulting, which assists families in the college admissions process.

“It’s not the weed of the ’60s, ’70s or ’80s,” she said. “THC in 1981 was 2 percent. Now, it’s 17 percent.”

That sharp level, she said, affects individuals differently.

“It’s getting crazier and crazier, and harder for a child to understand what’s right and what’s wrong in terms of drugs,” Posyton said. “The most important thing is education of what drugs are. If you’re going to do something, you should find out about it before you’re going to do it.

She added: “Don’t listen to the people that say it’s not affecting them; do you look inside and see what’s happening to your liver?”

Guzman, meanwhile, said he’s seen marijuana’s harsh effects from a legal standpoint.

“It’s very dangerous,” he said. “It’s not worth experimenting; it’s really for nothing.”

Deputy Bill Sanders, a school resource officer at Martinez Middle School, warned parents about vaporizers and e-cigarettes, where cannabis oil can be added and sometimes go unnoticed.

“There’s a lot of sneaky stuff out there, and unfortunately a lot of our kids know how to get them,” Sanders said.

He also has noticed that kids are trying things at younger ages.

“Our kids are experimenting and doing things every year at a younger and younger age,” Sanders said. “Things we might’ve done when we were younger—but not as young — they are doing at a younger age.”

The proliferation of smart devices and popular apps — Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram — doesn’t help.

Social media makes youth more vulnerable than ever, panelists agreed.

Michelle Gonzalez, a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said her office is seeing a rise in online sexual exploitation and cyber bullying amongst teens.

Those matters are becoming tougher to monitor, as new apps and devices come online, she said.

Teens ought to think twice before sending an inappropriate photo, Gonzalez advised.

“It can get away from you,” she said. “Once you take a picture and send it, it’s out there.”

To combat problems, Gonzalez said parents must better supervise their children’s app usage and Internet activity.

That includes access to all passwords and encrypted information.

“There should be no privacy—they’re not adults,” she said.

Students, meanwhile, must be cautious with whom they’re interacting with online.

“There’s nothing to monitor how old the kids are, and there’s nothing to monitor how old people are that they’re talking to,” Gonzalez explained. “Don’t give out personal details.

“If you haven’t met them in real life, you don’t know who they’re talking to,” she said.

Deputy Sanders’ rule of thumb for teens: Only converse online with somebody you’ve met face-to-face, and have had a daily conversation with for a school year’s length of time.

“You really need to know who you’re talking to,” Sanders said. “Really know who you’re dealing with online.”

On a softer note, post-secondary education was another point of discussion, during the event.

Several questions were posed about the admissions process, along with the transition to higher learning.

Bob LeVine, former chairman of the Harvard Schools Committee for the West Coast of Florida, said it’s an important to find an environment where each student can flourish.

He pointed out students learn in different ways, from auditory and visual learning, to interactive learning.

Finding available offerings at targeted institutions is paramount, LeVine said.

“It’s not about getting into a school; it’s about succeeding when you get there,” he said.

LeVine later instructed parents to stop worrying about what schools want, and focus instead on what “inspires and develops” children in the “best possible way.”

Additionally, overstressing about grade point average or exclusively taking advanced courses can be counterproductive, he said.

“The academics is important, but they will also weight things differently—sports, volunteering, family activities,” LeVine said. “Colleges want to see students undertake challenges, but not all the challenges.”

Panelist agreed it’s essential for parents and teens to maintain open lines of communication.

“Hiding, being quiet, or walking way isn’t the answer,” Guzman said.

Published February 15, 2017