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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

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Drug store work left lasting impressions

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Tom Touchton was only about 6 years old when he began working at Touchton Drug Store, in the heart of Dade City.

He went to work there because his brother, Charlie, who is 3 ½ years older, already was working there.

“I figured if he could work there, I could work there,” said Tom, who decades later would become a prime mover in the creation of the Tampa Bay History Center in downtown Tampa.

Charlie and Tom Touchton will share the experiences they had while working at Touchton Drug Store at a talk on Feb. 18 at 2 p.m., at the Pioneer Florida Museum & Village in Dade City.
(B.C. Manion)

When he started at the store, Tom was just tall enough to wash dishes.

“At some point, I was promoted to be permitted to clean tables. And then, at another point, I was promoted to be permitted to make sodas and sundaes,” he said.

Later on, he was given the privilege of making tuna salad, chicken salad and ham salad sandwiches, he said.

“Charlie had done all of these things before because he was older, and I was always trying to measure up to my older brother,” Tom said.

His brother, Charlie, has fond recollections of working in the store.

Both men will share their experiences, and what they gleaned from them, on Feb. 18 at 2 p.m., as part of a series of talks being offered by The Pioneer Florida Museum & Village. The talks coincide with the museum hosting a traveling Smithsonian Institution Exhibit called “The Way We Worked.”

Touchton Drug Store was a busy place, Charlie recalled.

Touchton Drug Store operated in the heart of Dade City, serving customers and providing valuable life lessons for Charlie and Tom Touchton, who worked there when they young.
(Courtesy of Madonna Wise)

At first, Charlie said, “I worked behind the soda fountain, and I washed dishes and I made cokes, and I made sundaes and I made sodas.

Coca-Colas were by far the most popular drink, he said.

“It was automatic, if it was Coca-Cola. You turned a handle. It fed the syrup. It fed the carbonated beverage,” he said. “If it was anything else, you had to squirt the syrup.”

People could buy cherry Cokes and lime Cokes, even ammonia Cokes, which were said to relieve headaches.

Charlie said he was taught early on not to mix ammonia with grape juice because that would create a poison.

Selling cosmetics was fun
“Not until I was about 12 or 13, did I really get on to the sundries and goods side,” Charlie added, noting he especially enjoyed selling cosmetics.

“It was a great place to flirt,” he explained. Revlon lipstick, at that time, sold for $2 a tube.

Both men credit their work at the drug store for teaching them important, lifelong lessons.

It taught them how to relate to people from all walks of life, and about the importance of customer service.

“The same things I learned in the drug store became relevant, whether you’re selling a product or you’re selling an idea,” Charlie said.

“In a small town, the customer is always right because your livelihood depended on those customers,” Tom said. “If they didn’t have a good experience at Touchton Drug Store, then they would go up the street to another drug store.”

He recalled a customer, named Mr. Ways, who refused to pay a newly instituted state sales tax.

“I went to my grandfather and said, ‘What do I do? Mr. Ways is going to leave if I charge him sales tax.’ My grandfather pulled two pennies out of his pocket and gave them to me, ‘You just ring up 52 cents, you take 50 cents from Mr. Ways and here’s the other two cents.’”

The store was learning how to deal with the new tax, and keeping that customer was important, Tom said.

Building relationships, in any kind of transactional business, is essential, said Charlie, noting that his drug store experiences came in handy when he worked for IBM.

Developing sales skills
At the drug store, Charlie learned about the art of subtle marketing and about the concept of upselling.

It was customary to keep items on the counter, such as toothbrushes and Whitman’s candy, within easy reach of customers, Charlie said. The idea was to give them a chance to see and touch items, he said.

Suggestive selling was a way to move products.

“When somebody was there to get something, (Charlie would say) ‘By the way, do you need a toothbrush?’

“If the person said, ‘As a matter of fact, I do,’” Charlie said, “you’d get out another one and say, ‘You’d better get two.’”

Or, he’d ask a customer: “Do you think you’d want a box of Whitman candy today?”

At that time, the candy was $2 a box, he said.

Customers could buy a Hershey bar or a single-scoop ice cream cone for a nickel, decades ago. Comic books were a dime. A pack of cigarettes went for 20 cents, Charlie said.

People would come to the drug store for prescriptions and nonprescription medicines. They’d pick up bandages, shoe polish, cosmetics and other personal needs items.

Tom said the strong work ethic he has subscribed to his entire life began when he was just 6, working in the drug store.

“I am 78 years old. If I have to work at night, or I need to come in here on Saturday to get things done because of other things that I did during the week, then you just do. There is no 9 to 5. “You stay up as late as you have to, to get it done, or you get to work as early as you have to, or you work on the weekends because it has to be done.

“You work when you need to, to get the job done,” Tom said.

Charlie said the lessons he learned at the drug store, about being trustworthy and having integrity, have stuck with him for life, too.

The Way We Worked lecture series
What: The Pioneer Florida Museum & Village, in conjunction with the Florida Humanities Council, is presenting a series of lectures, in conjunction with the museum’s display of the Smithsonian Institution’s traveling exhibit, “The Way We Worked.”
Where: Pioneer Florida Museum & Village, 15602 Pioneer Museum Road, Dade City
Cost: Admission to the museum is $8 for adults; $6 for seniors; $4 for students, 6 through 18; and free for age 5 and younger.
Details: The speaker schedule is as follows:

  • Imani Asukile, “The Odell Mickens Story,” Feb. 16, 6 p.m.
  • Tom & Charlie Touchton, “Touchton Drug Store,” Feb. 18, 2 p.m.
  • Madonna Wise, “Women and Work,” March 2, 6 p.m.
  • Dr. Steven Noll, “The Way We Worked, FL,” March 4, 2 p.m.
  • Nancy Massey Perkins, “Hometown Barber,” March 7, 2 p.m.
  • Scott Black, “All the Live Long Day (Railroad),” March 9, 6 p.m.

“The Way We Worked” exhibit will be at the museum through March 18. The museum’s regular hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Info: PioneerFloridaMuseum.org

Revised February 27, 2017

 

 

These kids want to help out

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None of these kids are old enough to go out and get a job.

They also have trouble finding places where they can volunteer.

So, they formed the “Helping Hands Club” to do something about that.

Twelve-year-old Caileigh Brown, a sixth-grader at Rushe Middle School, came up with the idea.

Members of the Helping Hands Club pose near the lake behind Heather Shisler’s home. Back row: Caileigh Brown, Kaylee Roy, Gavin Brown and Ella Neuffer. Front row: Isabella Steady and Alexis Hopper.
(B.C. Manion)

Other members of the club are 11-year-old Isabella Steady, a sixth-grader at Rushe; 11-year-old Alexis Hopper, a sixth-grader at Rushe; 13-year-old Kaylee Roy, an eighth-grader at Rushe; 10-year-old Ella Neuffer, a fifth-grader at Oakstead Elementary; and, 9-year-old Gavin Brown, Caileigh’s little brother, a fourth-grader at Oakstead.

The group formed shortly before the holidays.

The club meets on weekends at Heather Shisler’s home in Land O’ Lakes. Shisler is Gavin and Caileigh’s mom.

The meetings generally last about 90 minutes.

Early on, the kids focused on figuring out things they’d like to do.

So far, they helped at Sunrise of Pasco Inc., a domestic violence shelter, and at Zaksee’s Bird Sanctuary.

They sorted out a storage closet at the domestic violence shelter, and they helped do some cleaning and planted seeds at the bird sanctuary.

Club members said they’ve tried to get involved before, but have had trouble gaining momentum.

“In fourth and fifth grade, we would try to make these volunteer groups to help people. None of them were ever successful,” Steady said.

“A lot of the things that we actually wanted to do, we’re too young. You have to be 16,” Brown said.

Neuffer said she enjoys being in the club. “I love helping out people,” she said.

Brown’s little brother, Gavin, is first to admit he was drafted into the club. But, he said, he enjoys being part of it.

Shisler lets the club meet at her house, helps the kids with setting up volunteer opportunities and transporting them.

The group’s goal is to complete at least one — but hopefully more — volunteer activities each month.

The opportunities need to be within the general area, and need to be tasks that can be completed within a day or less.

The idea is to make a difference, the kids say.

“It’s a good thing to do in your free time, instead of watching TV,” Roy said.

The kids know there are a number of chores they can perform.

In some cases, they may be able to do chores for pay, such as babysitting or dog walking, in which case the money they earn would go for a charitable cause, they said.

Glenda Steady, who is Isabella’s mom, is grateful for Shisler’s willingness to open her home for club meetings, to help set volunteer appointments and to transport the kids.

She thinks the kids will benefit immensely. “They want to do something for others. I think it is awesome.”

Justin Hopper, who is Alexis’s dad, is also glad his daughter is involved.

He believes belonging to the club will help teach the kids about the satisfaction that comes from being of service to others. “It will serve them well the rest of their lives,” he said.

He also said their desire to help is sincere.

“There’s a lot of stuff they’re willing to do,” he said. “There’s really no lack of heart in this group.”

The kids hope their club will set a good example for other kids, and might inspire others to start their own clubs.

Anyone who is interested in getting involved, or who needs the Helping Hands Club’s help should contact Shisler at .

Published February 15, 2017

Truflight expansion will add 100 jobs

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TRU Simulation + Training makes flying as real as it gets for pilots getting a virtual experience of soaring into the skies.

The company manufactures flight simulators, and provides the commercial and military markets with pilot training. The subsidiary of Textron Inc., also provides FAA-certified Part 142 OEM-supported pilot training.

TRU Simulation + Training manufactures full flight simulators and provides pilot training on-site. The simulators weigh between 25,000 and 40,000 pounds.
(Courtesy of TRU Simulation + Training)

TRU Simulation + Training celebrated the opening of a $30 million expansion of its Pilot Training Center in Lutz on Feb. 8. The facility opened nearly two years ago in a 15,000-square- foot facility at 1827 Northpointe Parkway, off State Road 54 at Suncoast Parkway.

The expansion is expected to add 100 jobs.

“This more than doubles the capacity of this facility,” said David Smith, vice president of TRU training centers.

The newest flight simulator resembles a large white capsule perched atop black stilts. The simulators can weigh between 25,000 to 40,000 pounds each, and cost $6 million to $10 million to build.

Another three simulators can fit into the expanded space.

In addition, the facility added classrooms and flight training devices, as well as a fitness room and lounge area.

TRU Simulation has contracts with companies such as King Air, Boeing and Cessna.

When Textron builds an aircraft, the purchase price includes flight training. Simulators are custom-built to meet each client’s needs.

TRU Simulation recently delivered a Bell helicopter simulator to a training academy in Valencia, Spain.

“We also have people who just bought a plane and want to join us,” said Chad Martin, TRU training center manager.

Others are pilots who need to meet annual insurance requirements.

With about 400 clients who come to the training center annually, Smith said the local economy also gets a boost.

They stay in hotels, dine at restaurants and visit tourist attractions.

In the future, Smith hopes to see more development within the Northpointe Village shopping and office complex where TRU Simulation is located.

New restaurants are on the wish list, but Smith said, “We want anything that supports the feel of a small, walkable community that is self-contained.”

Published February 15, 2017

Her career touched many lives

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Officially, Betsy Crisp’s last day of work was Feb. 3.

But, based on her track record, it seems unlikely that the Land O’ Lakes woman will merely kick back and relax.

Betsy Crisp and her friends, colleagues and family members celebrated her retirement with a buffet of finger foods and a beautifully decorated cake. The celebration was at the Land O’ Lakes Community Center, on Land O’ Lakes Boulevard.
(B.C. Manion)

Crisp retired after 29 years as the food and consumer sciences extension agent for the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences – Pasco Cooperative Extension.

She is the woman who crisscrossed Pasco County preaching the gospel of good nutrition. She helped people to navigate through bureaucratic systems. She used elbow grease when a job needed to be done.

Crisp helped nurses learn how to balance the demands of their work and daily home life.

She taught classes on cooking with herbs and spices.

She provided pointers for stretching a food dollar.

She helped launch Pasco County’s first residential recycling program, and was on the ground floor 20 years ago establishing the Suncoast Harvest Food Bank, which is now part of Feeding Tampa Bay.

Over the years, Crisp’s work drew attention.

She was named the southern region’s Continued Excellence Award winner in 2013 for her many accomplishments on the job.

Colleagues, friends and family members dropped by to celebrate with Betsy Crisp, as she leaves a career spanning nearly 30 years as food and consumer sciences extension agent for Pasco Cooperative Extension. Crisp, center, laughs with her friends, as her brother, K.C. Nayfield (right), listens.

The licensed dietitian was honored for the nearly 150 programs she presented each year in the areas of food, nutrition, health and safety.

Her Family Nutrition Program also secured grant funding to support several program assistants and many volunteers, helping more than 136,000 people improve their eating habits.

That award was among numerous honors she picked up over the years.

She deserved the recognition because her work got results, said friends and colleagues who attended her retirement reception at the Land O’ Lakes Community Center on Land O’ Lakes Boulevard.

“Betsy has always gone above and beyond. She set high standards for herself and carried a very full workload,” said Mary Chernesky, former director of the Hillsborough County Cooperative Extension Office.

A proposal Crisp co-wrote in 2007 for the USDA SnapEd Family Nutrition Program received funding for $160,000 a year, and the funding has since escalated to almost $400,000 a year, said Chernesky, who is now retired.

“Betsy has helped people, counseled them, shared her knowledge, made a difference in people’s lives in the county and state,” Chernesky added.

Crisp paid attention to what her peers were doing, and when she recognized a program of excellence, she nominated it for an award.

“Many extension agents across the state have received recognition and awards, over the years … because when Betsy found programs that were good enough to be considered for nomination, she did it. Sometimes we didn’t even know it had been sent in,” Chernesky said.

Kurt Conover, who spoke at Crisp’s party, said he met Betsy about 30 years ago.

That’s when Crisp suggested that Land O’ Lakes get involved in the Coastal and Waterway Cleanup, Conover said.

He said Crisp told him: “Land O’ Lakes should get involved in that. We’ve got lots of lakes here.”

So, the pair became co-captains, and they organized the largest volunteer effort of any site in Pasco County, Conover said.

Conover said he handled the easy part: Getting donations of supplies and food for the cleanup crews.

Crisp took care of the logistics. She made sure that cleanup teams weren’t duplicating efforts.

Besides cleaning up the community, the annual effort has encouraged community involvement, Conover said.

It has had a generational impact, too, he said.

“There were children who came to this event that grew up to be adults, and they had their children there, participating,” Conover said.

He also noted that Crisp’s husband, Paul, and the couple’s children, Megan and Michael, were always there to pitch in.

Besides delivering at the professional level, Crisp is known for her personal touch, friends and colleagues said.

She remembers birthdays.

She asks about sick relatives.

She celebrates her colleagues’ joys and helps them shoulder their sorrows.

Crisp said her achievements came because of the people she was able to work with throughout her career.

At her reception, she made it a point to go around the room calling out people by name and publicly thanking them for their help. She had a kind word for practically everyone — if not everyone — in the room.

Crisp said she loved every minute of her career — except when she had to cut her staff because of budget reductions.

“I cried,” she said.

But, Crisp managed to keep her emotions in check at her retirement party.

One colleague, however, could not.

Her voice broke, as she bid farewell to Crisp — her trusted mentor and friend, someone she knows she will dearly miss.

Published February 15, 2017

Commissioners approve Connected City

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A champagne toast and tethered hot-air balloon rides heralded the groundbreaking for a 7-acre manmade Crystal Lagoon that — when finished — will be large enough for six football fields, end to end.

In the background, construction workers stirred dust and hammered nails into model homes for the first master-planned community in Epperson Ranch, along the Connected City corridor. The Crystal Lagoon is the splashy jewel at the center of Epperson.

Connected City, if successful, could become Pasco’s economic jewel.

Pasco County commissioners voted unanimously on Feb. 7 to approve the framework to establish the Connected City, as a state-approved 10-year pilot program to foster a technology-based “city of the future.”

Dignitaries picked up shovels and tossed dirt at a ceremonial groundbreaking for Crystal Lagoon, a 7-acre, manmade lagoon at Epperson Ranch.
(Courtesy of Cole Media Productions)

At its 50-year build out, the Connected City is expected to have more than 96,000 residents within multiple neighborhoods; 37,000 homes and apartments; as many as 7.2 million square feet of employment facilities; and, a role-model reputation for technology innovation.

But, for now, all eyes are on Epperson and the Crystal Lagoon in northeastern Pasco, at Curley and Overpass roads. The mammoth swimming pool, with clear blue, see-through waters, is a global phenomenon, with locations in Chile and Cabo San Lucas in Mexico. Pasco’s Crystal Lagoon will be the first in the nation.

“It’s like swimming in a bottle of Zephyrhills water,” said Greg Singleton, president of Metro Development Group. “It’s so incredibly clear.”

It took more than two years of planning, workshops and negotiations to reach the groundbreaking at Epperson on Feb. 2, followed by the Connected City vote nearly a week later.

“It was worth the time. I say congratulations to everybody,” said Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore. “I think we’ll see great things for our neighborhoods. All eyes are going to be upon us now. People will be coming to Pasco County, to follow suit.”

State lawmakers carved out about 7,800 acres in northeastern Pasco, in 2015, for a special development district. The boundaries are Interstate 75, State Road 52, and Curley and Overpass roads.

State law, and now county approval, set in motion a 10-year pilot program to encourage mixed-use development projects and master-planned communities built from the ground up with cutting edge technology.

“At the end of the day, I feel it’s the right thing for the county,” said Pasco County Commissioner Mike Wells. “It comes down to job creation for me.”

Still, the excitement level created by Connected City isn’t shared by everyone.

Resident Jennifer McCarthy has been a frequent critic of Connected City at prior meetings. She and her husband, Chris McCarthy, attended the final hearing on Feb. 2, but neither spoke during public comment.

They both remain worried about property rights of residents who have lived in the area for decades. Increased traffic is another issue, especially on Kenton Road where they live.

They also aren’t convinced that the area can become another technology-heavy Silicon Valley.

“This isn’t California,” said Jennifer McCarthy.

Resident Nancy Hazelwood worries about preserving the rural character of the area.

She objected when county commissioners voted to carve out a portion of the Villages of Pasadena Hills, and to add it into Connected City boundaries.

County commissioners said that made sense because the state-drawn boundaries overlapped into one of the Villages’ neighborhoods.

It was the third time, Hazelwood said, that the county gave up rural land to accommodate urban development.

“You keep taking things from what we were given at one time,” she said.

Change is coming.

Metro Development Group anticipates completion of the lagoon in 2017, with the opening of model homes in late 2017 or early 2018.

Metro Development Group is working in a public-private partnership with Pasco County on the initial development within Connected City. The development company controls about 35 percent of the targeted area.

A second community – known as Mirada – is planned by Metro Development Group, along with a second Crystal Lagoon of more than 10 acres.

In return for meeting more than 50 development criteria, the county is offering mobility fee credits and a faster-than-usual review process to Connected City projects.

Technology is the premier feature in what is expected to entice high-paying jobs to Pasco.

The vision is for the entire area to become a northern gateway into the Tampa Bay region, with links to commerce and education centers to the south, including the research-oriented University of South Florida.

“I am doing everything I can to hook them up with tech companies,” said Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey.

Published February 15, 2017

Ranch Days offered many ways to have fun

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Ranch Days offered a weekend of entertainment at the Little Everglades Ranch.

Wayne Waxing performs in the band Hymn for Her, at Ranch Days at Little Everglades Ranch.
(RIchard K. Riley)

There were tethered hot air balloon rides, tours of the ranch, a high-wire act, a snake show, live music, a petting zoo and other ways to have fun.

People could grab a bite to eat, and sit back and relax, or they could be more adventurous.

They could watch a chainsaw artist turn a piece of wood into a work of art, they could learn about birds of prey, and they could stick around to see a hot air balloon glow.

Over the years, people have visited the 2,100-acre ranch, owned by Bob and Sharon Blanchard, for all sorts of events, including Savage Races, Steeplechase Races, equine events, track meets and other activities.

This was first time that tours were offered of the property, at 17951 Hamilton Road in Dade City.

Published February 15, 2017

Tino Wallenda performed on the high-wire for four shows during the weekend. He reported that most of his family that were in the Sarasota Circus accident last week are in good shape, but some are still hospitalized.
A Hot Air Balloon Ride Co. of Orlando (yellow/blue balloon) and American Balloons of Wesley Chapel (red/white/blue balloon) provided tethered balloon views from the Ranch Day site on the Little Everglades Ranch.

 

Appreciating life, one moment at a time

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Roslyn Franken doesn’t take life for granted.

She understands its precarious nature.

Her father was a prisoner of war in Japan, surviving the Nagasaki atomic bombing.

Her mother was a Holocaust survivor, and later, a cancer survivor.

And, in 1994, the then 29-year-old Franken also survived cancer.

Roslyn Franken, the author of ‘Meant To Be: A True Story of Might, Miracles and Triumph of the Human Spirit,’ spoke at the Hugh Embry Library on Jan. 24.
(Courtesy of The Mitchell Group)

She shares what she has learned through her book, “Meant to Be: A True Story of Might, Miracles and Triumph of the Human Spirit,” and through inspirational talks.

She spoke on Jan. 24, in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, at the Hugh Embry Library in Dade City.

Franken, who lives in St. Petersburg, delivered a clear message: Take life as it comes, and be grateful for every blessing received.

“As we’re going through our lives, it’s so easy to just coast along,” Franken said.

“A lot of us are on automatic pilot, just so busy trying to get everything done on our to-do list that we neglect things that are most important and meaningful.”

She offered guidelines to members of the audience, to help them live fulfilling lives. She advised them:

  • Choose to be happy now
  • Stop being a victim of past events and circumstances
  • Be grateful for what you have
  • Make the best choices you can everyday

Her personal battle with cancer, along with her parents’ experiences in captivity, give her perspective regarding the challenges of daily life.

“Things happen,” she said, “but, we can all find a way to keep going.”

Perhaps the most remarkable element of Franken’s presentation was the retelling of the story of her mother’s survival of the Holocaust in Nazi-occupied Europe.

Franken’s mother, Sonja, was 15 years old when she was forced from her family’s home in the Netherlands and taken to the first of 11 different concentration camps.

One of those camps was Auschwitz, arguably the most notorious extermination camp built and operated by the Third Reich.

It was there where Sonja was tattooed on her left arm. The numbers read “78491.”

“The living conditions were brutal,” Franken told the audience. “For people who weren’t killed in the gas chambers, they would die of starvation, malnutrition, infectious diseases, individual executions, or horrific medical experiments.

“It was one of the most streamlined, mass-killing centers ever created in human history,” Franken said.

Yet, Sonja survived Auschwitz.

She, too, survived the poisonous gas chambers — three separate times.

“There was either a malfunction in the gas supply, or, they had put so many people through that day that they had run out of gas,” Franken explained. “Every time, before they fixed the problem, she was being shipped to another camp.

“It’s a miracle that she survived.”

In 1945, Sonja was liberated by the Swedish Red Cross.

The adversity didn’t stop there, however.

More than four decades later, Sonja was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer – primary peritoneal carcinoma, which affects the lining of the abdomen.

Her physician gave her two years to live.

Sonja made it 31, despite her cancer coming back five times.

“It would have been so easy for her to play the victim and feel sorry for herself, and to want to give up,” Franken said. “Not my mother.”

The story of Franken’s father is inspiring, too.

John Franken was 18 when he was conscripted to the Dutch Navy Air Force in 1940.

Just months later, he became a Japanese prisoner of war. He was held captive for 3½ years in Makassar, Indonesia and Nagasaki, Japan.

He experienced torture, starvation and brutal winters, Franken said. He saw death and murders of fellow POWs.

Yet, he found ways to survive. He applied his trade skills, like welding, to become an asset as a slave laborer.

One day, he volunteered to work in the Japanese coal mines.

It ended up saving his life.

During the Nagasaki bombing attack, he was mining coal several hundred meters underground.

Franken’s father was liberated in 1945, by the United States.

Like Franken’s mother, her father’s adversity didn’t end with the war.

He underwent a quintuple bypass surgery in 1981, following a massive heart attack.

One surgeon predicted he might live another 15 years. But, he nearly doubled that, living for another 27 years before dying in 2016.

Franken said her father’s secret to longevity was “appreciating every moment.”

Having an optimistic outlook on life, the author said, also helped her to overcome her own bout with cancer.

She drew strength from her parents’ example.

“As I started the treatments and the ugly side effects of it, I started to think about my parents and everything they went through.

“They didn’t just sit around, and wait for and pray for a miracle. They believed they had their own active role to play in their fate,” Franken said.

Franken said her parents’ experiences, and her own survival, serve as a constant reminder.

“Never forget how precious life really is, and how things can change on a dime,” Franken said.

To learn more about the author, visit RoslynFranken.com.

Published February 8, 2017

Middle/high school offers new possibilities

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Principal Carin Hetzler-Nettles sees countless possibilities for students who will be taught at Cypress Creek Middle/High School, now under construction off State Road 52.

Students aren’t the only ones who will have new opportunities, Hetzler-Nettles said. She believes the experience will be invigorating for her faculty and staff, too.

The school is slated to begin operation in the fall, beginning with students in grade six through 11, and adding a senior class the following year.

Carin Hetzler-Nettles, former principal at Wesley Chapel High, will lead Cypress Creek Middle/High School. She has experience at both the middle and high school levels.
(B.C. Manion)

Attendance boundaries for the school were adopted on Jan. 17 by the Pasco County School Board, but the boundaries are being challenged.

The Pasco County School Board and Superintendent Kurt Browning were scheduled to meet in a closed session with school board attorneys to discuss pending litigation regarding those boundaries. That meeting was set for the morning of Feb. 7, or as soon thereafter as possible.

Meanwhile, construction continues at Cypress Creek Middle/High School.

The physical setup keeps middle school and high school students in separate areas, Hetzler-Nettles said. There will be separate physical education classes, with separate locker rooms for the age levels and genders.

There’s also a screen in the gym that will descend, to separate middle school and high school physical education classes.

Students will ride the bus together, but there will be rules, Hetzler-Nettles said.

“Middle school students will sit in the front. High school students can sit in the last 10 rows,” she said.

That practice is already being used on buses carrying middle school and high school students to other district schools, she said.

Cypress Creek Middle/High will have a high school band and a middle school band, as well as a high school orchestra and middle school orchestra.

“There might be some performances together. That will be the beauty of that school,” Nettles said.

“There is going to be a lot of awesome possibilities in terms of student mentoring,” Hetzler-Nettles said. “I can easily see ninth-graders mentoring in sixth-grader classes.

“Collaboration amongst the teachers is going to be amazing,” she added.

The school is planning to have academies in Criminal Justice, Entrepreneurship, and Engineering and Robotics.

There also will be opportunities for middle school students who have advanced skills to take academic courses at the high school level, Hetzler-Nettles said.

The principal said she has heard some concerns regarding the impact that the lack of a senior class could have on athletic programs.

She thinks it will serve as an advantage for some underclassmen.

“Your juniors will be your leaders. That’s definitely going to offer up some opportunities,” Hetzler-Nettles said.

The principal is looking forward to being able to give tours of the new school.

“The campus is just beautiful,” she said.

She also noted the quest to secure funding for a performing arts center on the campus.

“It’s a collaborative effort between Pasco County School Board and PHSC (Pasco-Hernando State College),” Hetzler-Nettles said.

The middle/high school will open with offerings in dance, theater, orchestra, band and chorus, she said.

“I think those programs will just explode, with the building of that performing arts center,” Nettles said. “PHSC is going to have classes there. It’s going to give our kids an opportunity for dual enrollment within the area of fine arts. That’s exciting.

“It’s going to be a community theater, maybe even renting it out for events,” Hetzler-Nettles said.

The principal began her teaching career as a middle school teacher at River Ridge. She has been at the helm of Wesley Chapel High School for several years.

She’s looking forward to working with both middle and high school students.

“I know that parents are worried about that combination of middle school and high schoolers, but I really see it as such a benefit,” Hetzler-Nettles said.

“Kids are kids. They’re awesome. They’re fun. I’m excited to translate what we do here at Wesley Chapel High School down into a middle school arena,” she said.

She also wants to alleviate worries that parents may have.

“I’m available for questions at any time. If they have concerns, they certainly can reach out to me,” Hetzler-Nettles said.

She can be reached at .

Published February 8, 2017

Efforts continue to extend Ridge Road

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It’s been two decades and Pasco County is still waiting on a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to extend Ridge Road — but, a push is on to try to speed things up.

U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis is seeking to take advantage of President Donald Trump’s recent executive order to accelerate reviews of “high priority” infrastructure projects.

Gus Bilirakis

The extension of Ridge Road, which would create another east/west evacuation route, has long been considered essential by Pasco County government officials.

In an effort to help move things along, Bilirakis sent a letter on Jan. 25 asking President Trump and the Chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality to grant priority status to the project.

The congressman also plans to reach out to Gov. Rick Scott, who has strong ties with Trump. While no formal meeting is scheduled, Bilirakis anticipates a personal appeal, as well, to Trump on Ridge Road. He counts Reince Priebus, Trump’s chief of staff, as another potential contact on the matter.

Pasco County commissioners are pressing the issue through Washington D.C.-based lobbyists. They also sent a letter to the governor requesting his support for the project.

“This is a priority for me because it’s a priority for our community,” said Bilirakis. “It’s really a nonpartisan issue. We’re talking about public safety.”

In his letter, Bilirakis cited Hurricane Hermine, which damaged 2,672 homes in Pasco County and, in total, caused $89 million in damages to Pasco County.

A favorable decision on the permit could come from U.S. Army Corps in mid-March, Bilirakis said.

But, if the permit is denied or delayed further, Bilirakis said, “The executive order overrides that.”

Trump’s executive order cites infrastructure projects that “have been routinely and excessively delayed by agency processes and procedures.”

A decision on a project’s priority shall be made within 30 days by the chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, according to the executive order.

However, the council, which was created by President Richard Nixon, currently doesn’t have a chairperson. It’s not known when the Trump administration will appoint someone to fill that position.

Pasco County submitted its application for an 8-mile extension of Ridge Road in 1998. The road dead-ends at Moon Lake Road in New Port Richey. The extension would link to U.S. 41, with a connection to Suncoast Parkway in Land O’ Lakes.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issues permits based on regulations within the Clean Water Act.

About 58 acres of the 6,000-acre Serenova Preserve are at issue. The land was set aside years ago to mitigate wetlands lost during construction of the parkway. For permit approval, federal law requires a minimum of damage to the environment.

Pasco County had one application rejected for insufficient data.

Dawson & Associates helped county officials with a second application, which is awaiting a final decision.

The county’s budget, for several years, has included about $42 million for the first phase of the project, if approved.

“The good people of Pasco County deserve for this (project) to happen,” Bilirakis said.

Published February 8, 2017

Business community buoyed by Trump administration

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The business community is mostly bullish about the Trump administration and Trump’s plans to cut taxes and roll back regulations, according to Mark Vitner, managing director and senior economic advisor for Wells Fargo.

The Pasco Economic Development Council featured Vitner as guest speaker at its annual Economic Forecast Luncheon at the Florida Hospital Center Ice on Feb. 3.

President Donald Trump is shaking up the old way of doing business, Vitner said. “It’s a 180 degrees from policies we’ve been following and not what most people expected to be following.”

But, Vitner said the business community generally likes Trump’s rapid-fire issuance of executive orders that are delivering on his campaign promises.

Bill Cronin, president of the Pasco EDC, agreed.

There has been an uncertain climate in past years with road blocks in getting loans to invest, particularly to build on speculation, he said.

“The president said a lot of things during the campaign, and now he’s starting to do those things,” Cronin said. “Now it gives predictability and certainty in the market place. Whether you agree with him or not, you want certainty before you invest.”

Vitner said tax cuts, fewer regulations and better trade agreements are “very, very good for growth.”

He expects the Gross Domestic Product to rise 2.3 percent in 2017. The GDP is based on the total value of goods produced and services provided nationwide in one year.

Some cities, such as San Francisco and Houston, are outpacing the nation’s growth, increasing their local GDP faster than the rest of the country.

Florida also has a growing economy “from Pensacola to Key West,” Vitner said.

He anticipates about 4 percent job growth in Pasco County, up from about 3.6 percent in 2016.

But, Vitner also cautioned against expecting too much, too soon.

“It takes time to formulate policies,” he said. “It takes time to impact the economy.”

One of Trump’s campaign promises was to spend $1 trillion over the next decade on infrastructure. But, Vitner said, “I don’t think dirt will move for two to three years.”

He anticipates court challenges that could delay those types of projects.

The economy likely will see more immediate results from deregulation, he added.

“The thing I’m most positive of is rolling back regulations,” Vitner said. “And, regulations are strangling small businesses.”

Unemployment ticked up slightly from 4.7 percent to 4.8 percent. That’s technically full employment, but Vitner said employment remains a problem.

“There are a whole lot of people not fully employed,” he said.

Some people may only work a few hours at an online job, or drive for Uber part-time, but still are counted in employment data, he said.

But, some people have dropped out of the labor market or maybe don’t feel secure in the jobs they have, he added.

The recent holiday season also was telling.

Vitner said brick-and-mortar retailers hired fewer seasonal workers “because they knew they were getting strangled by online.”

Technology and energy will be economic drivers for the country, Vitner said.

He also expects reforms to the Dodd-Frank law, which enacted financial reform following the economic meltdown in 2008. Vitner said changes likely will make it easier for people to qualify for loans.

“Regulations are well-intentioned,” he said. “But, there are unintended consequences.”

February 8, 2017