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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

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‘Cow Palace’ attracted music greats

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The block structure was built in 1957, without heat or air conditioning, according to records kept by the Pasco County Property Appraiser’s Office.

It was located in Carver Heights, a predominantly black neighborhood where many people lived hard-scrabble lives.

Scott Place, left, and Al Brown are hoping planned restorations can save the historic Cow Palace in Dade City. (Courtesy of the Chitlin’ Circuit Preservation Society)

And, during the next 20 years, the building attracted performers who would become some of the biggest names in soul-blues and R&B music.

Each of those musicians would travel down Bull Road — still a dirt lane southeast of Dade City. They would go past Ferguson Lake to make their way to the stage, inside the block structure.

It was a venue with a spacious dance floor and ornate Spanish-tiled bar.

And, that’s where bar-goers, who could get rowdy, had the chance to see performances by B.B. King or Ray Charles.

More often than not, people could hear the loud music outside as they passed the open pastures, as they did on the night that James Brown played.

Despite its remote location and wild weekends, this block structure became a juke joint variously known as “Rabbit’s Place,” “Jake’s Lakeside Tavern” and the “Cow Palace.”

It was part of the so-called “Chitlin’ Circuit,” which the National Public Radio defines as “a touring circuit that provided employment for hundreds of black musicians and brought about the birth of Rock ’n’ Roll.”

Glenn Thompson, secretary of the Pasco County Historical Society, said the circuit’s name “derives from the soul food item chitterling” which is made from stewed pig intestines.

Thompson is a big fan of the local Chitlin’ Circuit Preservation Society, co-founded by Scott Place, which is seeking funding to restore and save one of Florida’s historic blues clubs.

“We want to be like the Bradfordville Blues Club in Tallahassee,” Place said. That juke joint was shuttered for nearly 20 years before it reopened in the 1990s.

The dance floor and bar at the Cow Palace as it looked in April 2016.

Place also points to other success stories on the old Chitlin’ Circuit, such as the Jackson House in Tampa, the Manhattan Casino in St. Petersburg and the Cotton Club in Gainesville.

Place, a Dade City blues musician who performs under the name “Howlin’ Buzz,” hopes future generations will have a chance to know more about the Cow Palace and its historic links to stars like King, a relatively unknown artist who brought a Chitlin’ Circuit tour to the Cow Palace in the late 1950s.

Buddy Guy played at the Cow Palace early in his career and was later inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Eric Clapton and B.B. King on March 14, 2005.

Writing on his Facebook page, Guy said: “The tone (B.B. King) got out of that guitar, the way he shook his left wrist, the way he squeezed the strings…Man, he came out with that, and it was all new to the whole guitar-playin’ world.”

The Cow Palace attracted stars and fans to a very poor neighborhood.

“There was nothing like that anywhere in Tampa Bay,” recalled George Romagnoli, in a news report published 25 years ago.

First subdivided in 1946 by Stanley Cochrane, the subdivision where the Cow Palace sits likely was named after the renowned botanist George Washington Carver, according to Bill Dayton, a member and former chairman of the Dade City Historic Preservation Advisory Board.

“Maybe he had an admiration for Carver,” Dayton told The St. Petersburg Times in 1998.  “Or maybe he just thought it was an appropriate name for a black subdivision,” Dayton added.

No regularly hosted events have been held at the Cow Palace since the mid-1970s, but a jam session there two years ago drew approximately 100 musicians and guests.

“We found out there was no commercial zoning, and that’s what we need for live entertainment in the future,” Place said.

Even with rezoning issues and the challenges of restoration, Place believes people would stand in line to enter the Cow Palace as they did 50 years ago.

“They would admit as many people as possible (back then). But, there was only one way in — or out,” Place said, with a smile.

To find out more about the Cow Palace and efforts to restore it, email .

Doug Sanders has a penchant for unearthing interesting stories about local history. His sleuthing skills have been developed through his experiences in newspaper and government work. If you have an idea for a future history column, contact Doug at interstar1@juno.com.

Published May 24, 2017

Zephyrhills Police to have a changing of the guard

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Zephyrhills police chief David Shears is hanging up his uniform following 25 years of service.

His retirement, effective May 31, was announced during the Zephyrhills City Council May 8 meeting.

Zephyrhills police chief David Shears is retiring after 25 years of service. Shears has been the city’s police chief since 2008.
(Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)

The council then unanimously approved City Manager Steve Spina’s appointment of Zephyrhills police Capt. Derek Brewer to interim chief, effective June 1.

The city now will undergo a hiring process—expected to take several months—to fill the position permanently.

Shears, now 54, had 16 years on the force when he replaced former chief Russell Barnes in 2008.

Barnes resigned after accusations he created a “flex time” policy that allowed employees to receive time off instead of overtime pay for extra hours worked.

Brewer, like Shears, is a longtime member of the Zephyrhills Police Department. Hired as a patrol officer in 2002, Brewer served as a field training officer, patrol sergeant and lieutenant, before his promotion to patrol captain in 2014.

Brewer, 44, earned an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Hillsborough Community College, and attended the senior leadership training program at the Southern Police Institute in Louisville, Kentucky and the Florida Police Chiefs executive leadership training in 2014.
He also is slated to graduate from the Command Officer Management Program and obtain a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Saint Leo University this year.

Zephyrhills police Capt. Derek Brewer has been appointed interim chief, effective June 1. He’s been on the force since 2002. In 2015, Brewer won the City of Zephyrhills Employee of the Year award.
(Courtesy of Zephyrhills Police Department)

Besides regular law enforcement duties, Brewer is a member of several committees and organizations: Transportation Exception Plan Committee; Pasco-Hernando State College Technical Advisory Committee; Pasco County Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Task Force; Zephyrhills Code Enforcement Task Force; Zephyrhills Police Department Homeless Initiative; Zephyrhills Site Plan Review Committee; Florida Police Chiefs Association; and, Noon Rotary Club of Zephyrhills.

Additionally, Brewer has received numerous honors during his 15-year law enforcement career, including:

  • Pasco County Crisis Intervention Team Officer of the Year (2010)
  • William B. Eiland Officer of the Year Award (2012)
  • Tampa Police Department Appreciation Award (2013)
  • City of Zephyrhills Employee of the Year Award (2015)

In March, Brewer outlined the city’s 2016 crime statistics to the Zephyrhills city council.
The report — generated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation — found overall crime and arrests decreased in Zephyrhills last year, but violent crime and domestic offenses went up.
According to the report, the city’s total crime rate, which incorporates violent and property offenses, decreased 4.7 percent in 2016.

The city of Zephyrhills will undergo a hiring process to permanently fill the police chief vacancy. The search is expected to take several months.
(File)

Violent crimes rose 3 percent (a total of 51 offenses), while property crimes fell 5.2 percent (a total of 879 offenses).
The report also revealed a significant jump in citywide domestic-related offenses.

Those incidents, which include simple battery and assault, skyrocketed 27.6 percent, with 125 actual offenses in 2016.
Total arrests, however, decreased 12 percent (832 total) in 2016.

At that meeting, Brewer indicated that Zephyrhills Police is taking a more proactive approach toward narcotics arrests, using a special response team for surveillance and intelligence gathering “to attack the problem at a broader level.”

He also said the department is looking to take “a stronger approach to domestic violence cases.”

Brewer noted that addressing code enforcement and the homeless rate within Zephyrhills are some of the department’s other major focuses.

Published May 24, 2017

Decision delayed on Quail Hollow

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Pasco County commissioners, for a second time, pushed off a decision on the fate of the Quail Hollow Golf Course.

In a 3-2 vote, they opted to continue the issue until June 6 at 1:30 p.m. in Dade City.

The intent is to give the golf course owner and Quail Hollow homeowners more time to settle differences.

But, there is a wide gulf between an owner who wants to redevelop his unprofitable golf course, and homeowners who want to preserve their golf course community.

A sign advertises meal specials at the clubhouse for Quail Hollow Golf Course.
(Kathy Steele)

“They want to stop the project,” said Barbara Wilhite, a land use attorney representing the golf course owner.

Andre Carollo, of Pasco Office Park LLC, wants to close the golf course and build up to 400 single-family houses, 30,000 square feet of office/retail and 10,000 square feet of day care.

Quail Hollow homeowners packed the boardroom at the Historic Pasco County Courthouse to again plead their case on May 9.

The outcome of the meeting was the same as it was at the April meeting — without a vote on the project, and with a continuance.

Homeowners are challenging the project and the impacts of construction.

“The runoff from construction will affect the water, the wetlands and the basin to the Hillsborough River,” said Anna Spencely.

Homeowners also worry about a loss of property values, and increased traffic along inadequate roadways.

Homeowners also say they bought their homes based on long-ago sales pitches that they were buying into a golf course community.

Wilhite disputes that, saying the golf course was built prior to the subdivision.

Maureen Jones, a Sarasota-based attorney, is representing the Quail Hollow Neighborhood Citizens Group Inc. She raised questions about homeowners’ property rights in Quail Hollow, but also in an adjacent subdivision.

She sparred repeatedly with Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore and with Pasco County Attorney Jeff Steinsnyder, who told Jones not to stray from allowed topics of discussion.

Moore and Steinsnyder told speakers that comments had to strictly deal with the four additional conditions that had been added to the project’s site plan since the previous public hearing.

The new conditions include designing a stormwater management plan for 25-year and 100-year storm events of 24-hour duration, and hiring an inspector to oversee activity before and during construction.

Pasco County Commissioners Ron Oakley and Kathryn Starkey expressed support for the project, and voted against the continuance.

“These golf courses are going defunct everywhere,” Starkey said. “Something has to be done with them. This gentleman has property rights. I am definitely a property rights person.”

Oakley agreed that Carollo, under county codes, has the right to rezone his property.

But, Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano responded, “These other people (homeowners) have property rights, too.”

Mariano also had a compliment for Wilhite.

“You’ve done a phenomenal job,” Mariano said. “I think I’d like to give you and the (homeowners) association one last chance, and bring it back.”

If the project is approved and a lawsuit is filed against the developer and the county, one stipulation is the applicant, not the county, would pay legal fees.

No additional public comment is expected on June 6.

Published May 17, 2017

New chapter begins in The Edwinola’s storied history

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Most people who know anything about Dade City have heard a thing or two about The Edwinola.

After all, the building has been around for more than a century, and has had its glory days and dark chapters during its history.

The Edwinola opened originally in 1912 to replace the Dade City Hotel, which had burned in 1907.

This is an exterior view of The Edwinola, which has been remodeled and is reopening as a senior living community.
(B.C. Manion)

The hotel was built by Edwin and Lola Gasque, who came up with the name Edwinola, by combining their first names, according to an account provided by Madonna Wise, a local historian.

For years, the structure — with its wrap-around veranda, Doric columns and Mansard roof — was a popular destination for businessmen and travelers.

“The Edwinola is an icon in the community,” said Darcielle Gray, executive director of the senior living community, which has closed and reopened more than once through the years.

After ceasing operations as a hotel, it became a private residence, a university, a boarding house, a restaurant and an assisted living facility, according to various historic accounts. It closed most recently after two violent deaths and reported care violations, according to media reports.

“I think it was a loss for the community when it closed. Even though it had gone through some hard times, I think it was a big loss,” Gray said. “There was a lot of sadness about it closing.”

Darcielle Gray, executive director of The Edwinola, relaxes on one of several rocking chairs on the wide verandah at the senior living community. She’s excited about helping future residents there to create a vibrant residence. (B.C. Manion)

Now, the building has been refreshed, and residents have begun moving in, she said. “We have people who are slated to move in, almost daily, for the next several weeks.”

The eight-story senior living facility offers a variety of models, Gray said, noting “we’re pretty much able to accommodate anyone.”

The building has the capacity for about 160 residents, and the types of units will depend on demand.

“We’re going to have two floors of independent to start with. We are applying for our assisted living license. So, we’ll have assisted living. Then, a few months after that, we’ll be offering memory care,” Gray said.

A grand opening celebration has been set for May 23, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., at 14235 Edwinola Way. There will be refreshments, tours and a ribbon cutting.

The Edwinola’s reopening is creating a buzz in the community.

The Alpha Sorosis Club was a women’s club that was organized in 1909 and continued meeting until 1968. The club met regularly for intellectual pursuits, and the group — like many other organizations — often met at The Edwinola.
(Courtesy of Madonna Wise)

“Everybody is pretty excited about it,” said Gray.  “When we talk to store owners in the Dade City area, different churches in the area, everybody seems to be quite happy because it gives a place for the seniors of Dade City to be able to stay in Dade City.

“For them to be able to do that, that’s a pretty big thing,” she said.

“Dade Citians are Dade Citians,” she explained. “They like their town. They like their banking here and their restaurants here, and their friends are here.

“So, when they get to stay here – especially at The Edwinola — they’re right in the middle of town,” she said.

Area merchants have already provided discount coupons, and because The Edwinola is pet friendly, Gray expects the nearby pet shop to be a popular place with residents.

Seniors also will be able to take advantage of nearby restaurants and beauty shops, and be able to mix with people they’ve known for years.

That’s a benefit for the seniors, but also a benefit for the community, Gray said.

The Hotel Edwinola was the focal point for social life for residents and visitors to Dade City.(Courtesy of Madonna Wise)

She expects most of The Edwinola’s residents will come from the Dade City and the surrounding communities, but she also suspects that some snowbirds may decide to settle in there, too.

There is no buy-in or long-term commitment, Gray said.

“There’s a basic community fee for entering. And then, you pay your check monthly,” she said. There’s a 30-day notice, in order to leave.

The services provided for independent residents will include a light housekeeping service and a continental breakfast and lunch. Those wishing three hot meals a day can purchase a meal ticket.

The residence also will provide transportation, to take residents out shopping, to doctors, to events, to movies and so on, Gray said. That service is important to seniors because many of them find it frightening to drive in heavy traffic, she said.

The executive director said her goal, and the goal of her staff, will be to create an environment where residents set the course for the kinds of activities they do.

“We will meet monthly to determine what next month’s calendar looks like.

“We really want the residents determining their schedule, so they will drive a lot of the activities we do, based on what the group wants to do,” she said.

She’s already been talking to some of the new residents.

“Some of the ladies are like, ‘Can we have happy hour?’” Gray said, to which she responded: “Yes. We can have happy hour as many times a week as you want.”

There will be standard activities, such as movies and popcorn, arts and crafts, and bingo. There also will be weekly speakers.

“One of our goals is to make sure that the residents here know any providers that are available to them.

“If a resident here ends up going to the hospital for some reason, we don’t want them to meet the hospital social worker the first time they’re lying in bed,” Gray said.

“We’ll bring in wheelchair clinics. We’ll bring in walker clinics. We’ll bring in nutritionists and chefs,” she said.

The idea is for residents to venture out into the community and for people from the community to drop in, too, Gray said.

Along those lines, she has issued an invitation to the Dade City Police to “come in and partake in any meal that we have here,” she said. She plans to invite the fire department to do the same.

“Sometimes our world gets smaller, as we get senior. We want to make sure that it stays wide,” Gray said.

The executive director is upbeat about The Edwinola’s future.

She envisions it as becoming a vibrant new place for seniors to call home, and she finds that prospect to be exciting.

“It’s a brand-new start,” Gray said.

The Edwinola’s grand opening
Where: The Edwinola, 14235 Edwinola Way, Dade City
When: May 23, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. (Ribbon cutting at 5:30 p.m.)
Details: Drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be served to mark the grand opening of The Edwinola, an iconic building that has been remodeled to serve as a senior living community. Tours will be given.
Information: Call (352) 567-6500, or visit TheEdwinola.com.

Published May 17, 2017

Age 55-and-older community gets private road

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Developers and residents often clash when it comes to land issues.

But, on two issues involving roads relating to a proposed 55-and-older, gated community — there was a rare moment when both sides agreed.

And, the developers and residents got the response they wanted from Pasco County commissioners, too.

One issue involved eliminating the extension of Five Farms Avenue, that would connect Country Walk subdivision to the adult community planned in adjacent Wiregrass Ranch.

The other issue involves privatizing a public collector road to be gated and privatized, within the 55-and-older community.

Commissioners sided with the developer and residents on both issues.

In doing so, they voted 4-1 to overrule the county’s Development Review Committee recommendation regarding both roads.

The review committee wanted to allow the extension of Five Farms Avenue, which dead-ends in Country Walk, into the proposed Wiregrass neighborhood.

The committee also wanted to prevent the privatizing of a public collector road in the active adult neighborhood.

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey was the only commissioner who sided with the development review committee’s recommendations.

“I have always been supportive of our planning process to connect neighborhoods to each other,” Starkey said. “I just think it’s Planning 101 to connect neighborhoods.”

But, not in this case, said Bill Merrill, a Sarasota attorney representing Locust Branch LLC, the developer for the 55-and- older community.

Opening up Five Farms would create connections to Country Pointe Boulevard and then to Meadow Pointe Boulevard, Merrill said.

“This is going to be a speedway through the residential portion of the neighborhood,” Merrill said. “I think we need to pull back sometimes. What makes sense here?”

But, Kris Hughes, the county’s planning and development director, said the county seeks to increase connections between neighborhoods. Such connections help “to get people efficiently out of their homes” for public health and safety reasons, and reduce traffic on major roadways, Hughes said.

“The idea is to create some semblance of a grid pattern in these neighborhoods to provide inner movement internal to the system at appropriate scales and for significant relief from arterial (roads),” Hughes said.

County staff also has to look not only at neighborhood streets but the larger picture of how they impact the entire road system, he added.

Most county commissioners said they want to encourage more 55-and-older communities. And, Starkey said she isn’t opposed to gated communities.

“You’re not going to get one that’s not gated,” said Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore. “They want their privacy.”

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Wells said the Wiregrass project is a good one.

“Folks like to have gated communities,” Wells said.

Published May 17, 2017

 

Land O’ Lakes gets a bus circulator route

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Local buses will begin making stops along the first circulator route to serve Land O’ Lakes.

For the first week, from May 22 to May 27, rides will be free.

A ribbon cutting ceremony at the Land O’ Lakes Community Park at 5104 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., will take place May 18 at 9 a.m. Ceremonies will be in the pavilion by the southwest corner of the parking lot.

Riders can try out the first Land O’ Lakes circulator route for free, from May 22 through May 27.
(Courtesy of Pasco County)

Buses will run hourly, but service to a few stops, such as the Florida Hospital at Connerton and the Land O’ Lakes Detention Center, will be intermittent.

The route will circulate from County Line Road to Central Boulevard, and will follow State Road 54 to Collier Parkway. Passengers can transfer to the Pasco County Public Transit buses on Route 54 to reach other parts of the county.

Pasco County commissioners are committed to a strong transportation system that connects people with government agencies, parks, schools, shopping and jobs, said Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore, in a press release from the county.

“The new Route 41 is another example of that commitment,” Moore said.

Stops along the way will include Walmart, the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce, the post office and Land O’ Lakes High School. A stop at the Target Super Store on North Dale Mabry Highway will allow passengers to transfer to buses operated by the Hillsborough County Area Regional Transit system, known as HART.

The Land O’ Lakes circular route is the third new route in 2017. Estimated costs were about $300,000 for annual operating costs, and a one-time purchase of a bus for about $110,000.

Two other new routes along State Road 54 and in the Moon Lake area of New Port Richey already are operating.

Published May 17, 2017

Moore-Mickens center may get new life

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Two years of negotiations, with a lot of hope and persistence from the community, appears to be paying off for the Moore-Mickens Education Center.

The center —historically tied to the first school for black students in Pasco County — was closed in 2015.

But, Pasco County School District officials and the nonprofit Moore-Mickens Education Center & Vocational Center Inc., are almost ready to sign a lease agreement to reopen the school’s campus, according to Keith Babb, the nonprofit’s chairman.

A nonprofit coalition of residents, community leaders and organizational representatives hope to begin leasing the Moore-Mickens Education Center from the Pasco County School Board.
(File)

The lease would be for $10 a year for 30 years, Babb said.

“We are extremely excited,” he said.

He anticipates the matter will be on the June 6 school board agenda.

Babb said a private donor made a significant contribution to the nonprofit. But, additional funds are needed.

A breakfast fundraiser is scheduled for May 20. The goal is to raise at least $5,000, Babb said.

Prior to its closing, the campus on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard offered classes for adults, teen parents and special-needs children.

School officials initially announced the school’s closing in 2014, but backed off when the community pleaded to keep it open.

That decision was reversed the next year, based on costly repair expenses.

The goal is to partner with other nonprofits and agencies to bring multiple programs to the community, possibly including a food bank, afterschool programs, and voluntary prekindergarten classes.

“That doesn’t mean we’re going to start programs right away,” Babb said.

The first step is to get buildings open and ready for use, he said.

Plans are to use the administrative building, the building that formerly housed the Cyesis teen parent program, and a building where the Dade City City Commission once held its meetings.

A walk-through and inventory check was planned this week with Ray Gadd, deputy superintendent for Pasco County Schools, Babb said.

Gadd was not available for comment prior to The Laker/Lutz News’ deadline for publication.

Published May 17, 2017

Wildfires in Pasco cause hassles, heavy smoke

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Wildfires burning in Pasco County have produced heavy smoke — causing inconvenience for motorists, disrupting schools and posing potential health hazards.

Pasco County officials have responded to the wildfires by issuing warnings to motorists to use care when driving through areas surrounding Starkey Park.

Flames in Starkey Park on May 6.
(Courtesy of Pasco County Emergency Management/Emergency Services)

Motorists should expect periods of heavy smoke on the road for 30 days to 45 days, according to county emergency staff.

Signs have been posted along State Road 52, State Road 54 and State Road 589 (Suncoast Parkway), to alert motorists of the latest conditions.

Motorists are advised to slow down when driving through smoke and to use their headlights, not their hazards.

Parents also are advised to check the Pasco County Schools website for the latest information on schools that may be affected by the smoky conditions.

Pasco County Schools and the Pasco County Emergency Management staff decided to continue the late start time for River Ridge Middle School and River Ridge High School on May 15, and planned to decide that day whether it would be safe to resume the schools’ regular schedule beginning May 16.

“We hope we will be able to resume the regular schedule beginning on Tuesday (May 16), but the weather forecast will dictate what we do moving forward,” Superintendent of Schools Kurt Browning said, in a news release.

River Ridge Middle, River Ridge High and Cypress Elementary Schools were closed on May 8, because heavy smoke from the Starkey Park wildfire had permeated the schools’ classrooms.

This Smokey Bear sign off State Road 52 approaching Dade City alerted passersby to a high risk of fires. Dry conditions have contributed to several wildfires in Pasco County, which have caused inconvenience and posed hazards.
(B.C. Manion)

Beginning May 9, River Ridge Middle and River Ridge High have operated on a 10:45 a.m. to 5:10 p.m. schedule.

The Starkey Park wildfire also posed an inconvenience for those planning to camp at the park during Mother’s Day weekend.

The county cancelled all camping in Starkey Park through May 14.

The county also banned campfires, barbecues or any other kind of open flames in county parks until further notice.

There is a burn ban in effect, until further notice, in Pasco County that prohibits burning of garbage, trash or yard debris.

Bike and hiking trails also are closed in Starkey Park until further notice because of safety concerns, and to provide access for firefighters.

On May 9, the Florida Forest Service reported that the Jay B. Starkey Wilderness fire was 70 percent contained, at 2,275 acres.

During a recent update for the Pasco County Commission, county emergency staff reported that 15 miles of bike trail have been damaged in Starkey Park. Of that, about 2 miles of trail were damaged by bulldozers that had to create breaks to keep the fire from spreading.

Staff also reported that all of the signs in Starkey Park will need to be replaced.

The county estimates that between 600 and 700 people visit Starkey Park daily during the week, and about 1,000 visit daily on weekends.

The Florida Department of Health in Pasco County has issued an alert to remind citizens that wildfire smoke is a respiratory irritant that causes a scratchy throat or irritated eyes and nose. It also can worse conditions such as asthma and other chronic respiratory or lung conditions.

Dust generated from increased wildfire response activity on dirt roads also may worsen these conditions.

And, while it may seem like an obvious piece of advice, Pasco County Commission Mike Moore warned people that they need to stay away from the wildfires.

“Let’s not do sightseeing in the area,” Moore said. “Boots were melting when you walked in some of those areas. It’s important that the public stay out of there. It’s not time for sightseeing.”

The Florida Department of Health in Pasco County has issued these tips to help protect you and your family from the ill effects of smoke:

  • Pay attention to local air quality reports, local news and health warnings related to smoke.
  • Use common sense when you are outside and the conditions are smoky.
  • Avoid prolonged outdoor activities.
  • Those with existing medical conditions should avoid going into smoky areas.
  • If smoke persists, stay indoors and run your air conditioner, if you have one. Also, keep the fresh air intake closed and be sure the filter is clean. For best results, run the air conditioner with recirculated air.
  • If you have asthma or another lung disease, be sure to follow your doctor’s advice about taking your medications, and call your doctor if conditions worsen.

Published May 17, 2017

Marking a milestone, embarking on new paths

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Thousands of members of the class of 2017 will take part in ceremonies across The Laker/Lutz News’ coverage area this graduation season — to celebrate a rite of passage and embark on the next adventure.

Some will head out from Lutz, Odessa, Land O’ Lakes, New Tampa, Wesley Chapel, Zephyrhills, San Antonio and St. Leo to continue their studies in other locales.

Some will go to far off places; others will stick closer to home.

The list of their declared colleges includes the University of Florida, Georgia Institute of Technology, Saint Leo University, Pensacola Christian College, University of South Florida, New York University, Princeton University, Stanford University, Cornell University, Florida State University, Rasmussen College, Pasco-Hernando State College and Hillsborough Community College.

Their aspirations run the gamut, too.

One wants to study culinary nutrition. Another, finance and actuarial science. One plans to study music education; another, microbiology.

There are members of the class of 2017 interested in pursuing careers in all sorts of engineering — including electrical, computer and chemical engineering,

Other majors include advertising and finance, pre-dentistry and biomedical sciences.

The list goes on and on.

Before heading to that new chapter in their lives, however, these students and their families will pause to celebrate the Class of 2017’s accomplishments so far.

Some graduates will take part in small, intimate ceremonies. Others will march into huge auditoriums.

And, while the world around them gets noisier by the day — with partisan politics and increasing international turmoil — these ceremonies likely will be marked by time-honored traditions.

Whether the gathering is large or small, there likely will be music and speeches.

Each graduate’s name will be announced.

There will be photos and applause, and friends and family members will gather for parties, too.

And, there are plenty of reasons to celebrate.

Many members of the class of 2017 have distinguished themselves by embracing academically rigorous courses, and acing them.

This crop of students has experienced a technological revolution during their lifetimes.

They’ve mastered such social media channels as Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.

They have become experts at posting to Facebook and YouTube.

They feel lost without their Smartphones, and texting comes second-nature to them.

The Digital Age has left its mark on their learning, too. Traditional lectures and textbooks are often enhanced by a world of information, available through the Internet, just a few keystrokes away.

While many graduates plan to pursue higher education, others will be heading to the workforce.

Some don’t know what kind of work they’ll pursue, and others will likely end up in careers that do not yet exist.

Some receiving diplomas this year, far exceeded the requirements for graduation, while others barely squeaked by.

But, regardless of how they arrived, each has accomplished a milestone and has reason to be proud.

The Laker/Lutz News salutes members of the Class of 2017.

Published May 17, 2017

Efforts continue for Ridge Road permit

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The long process of winning approval for a permit to build an 8-mile extension of Ridge Road could yield a decision from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers within 14 months or less, according to a consulting firm hired by Pasco County.

The Army Corps identified one of 17 proposed routes as “the least environmentally damaging practicable alternative,” as stated in an April 27 letter to county officials and the Florida Department of Transportation.

Ridge Road dead-ends in west Pasco County at the intersection with Moon Lake Road and Decubellis Road. The county wants to extend Ridge Road from west Pasco to U.S. 41 for an evacuation route.
(Kathy Steele)

“That’s very important,” said Dwight Beranek, senior advisor at Washington D.C.-based Dawson & Associates. “(It) allows the county to focus all of its attention and energy on one project as opposed to 17.”

Beranek gave Pasco County commissioners an update on the status of the county’s permit application at the May 9 meeting in Dade City.

The proposed route would be a four-lane, partially elevated road cutting through a portion of the Serenova Preserve. It would link Ridge Road, which dead-ends at Moon Lake Road and Decubellis Road in New Port Richey, to U.S. 41 in Land O’ Lakes. The eastern portion would come out opposite Connerton Boulevard, the main entrance into the master-planned community of Connerton. An interchange at Suncoast Parkway also would be built.

Pasco County officials give high priority to the road extension as an evacuation route during hurricanes and other emergencies. But, a permit has eluded them for nearly 19 years at a cost of at least $15 million.

County commissioners on May 2 approved an additional $404,000 for a month-to-month contract with Dawson & Associates.

Environmentalists vehemently oppose the Ridge Road extension, citing potential harm to a conservation area, as well as flooding and water pollution worries. They also say the project is more about opening the Serenova to development than about providing an evacuation route.

A Facebook page, Save the Serenova Preserve from the Road to Nowhere, is a rallying site for opponents who have been meeting on the matter for the past months.

“We will fight this with every legal option at our disposal,” said Tim Martin, chairman of the conservation committee for the Suncoast Sierra Club. “We’re trying to organize resistance. I think a lot of people are frustrated and upset by the developments.”

Dawson & Associates will aid the county in the next months on documents that detail construction and environmental impacts to the route identified by the Army Corps. At the same time, a modification also is needed on a prior permit from the Southwest Florida Water Management District, known as Swiftmud.

“There’s a lot of different activities left to be done,” said Beranek. But, he added, that the county is “well-positioned” to move forward to what hopefully will be a favorable decision.

Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore pushed for a commitment sooner than 14 months to get an updated permit from Swiftmud and construction permit from the Army Corps.

“I don’t see it taking that long,” Moore said.

Published May 17, 2017