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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

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Fair offers a full slate of fun

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

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

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

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

And, there were rides.

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

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

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

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

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

Published March 1, 2017

Rattlesnake fest not hiss-tory after all

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Published March 1, 2017

Principal offers overview for middle school parents, students

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

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

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

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

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

Both sessions were well-attended.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She also urged students to share their ideas with her.

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

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

Cypress Creek Middle High School

Mascot: The Coyotes

School colors: Green and yellow

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

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

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

Published February 22, 2017

 

Ice arena offers plenty of room, action

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Published February 22, 2017

Remembering the legacy of Odell Mickens

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mickens is a particular favorite.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He also was a founder of the Negro Civic Association.

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

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

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

Published February 22, 2017

 

 

 

Heroes for Hire playing the right tunes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chambers knows how those dreams can sometimes happen.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mittens thinks he’s found his niche.

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

Published February 22, 2017

Traffic woes may lessen at 41/54

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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

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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

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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

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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