The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

Overpass Road could be widened

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Residents can review a proposal for improvements to Overpass Road at a public hearing on Dec. 15 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the First Congregational Church of Zephyrhills, 7900 Fort King Road in Zephyrhills.

Pasco County, the Florida Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration will host the event. Maps and related documents will be available for review.

There will be a formal presentation at 6 p.m., as well as opportunities, before and after, to offer comments and ask questions about the project.

Final approval for the project is expected by spring 2017.

Overpass Road currently is an east/west, two-lane road from Old Pasco Road to slightly less than a mile east of Boyette Road, where it ends.

The approximately nine-mile project would expand Overpass to a minimum of four lanes from Old Pasco Road eastward to U.S. 301, in Zephyrhills. A redesign would realign Overpass and connect it with Kossik Road.

In addition, a new interchange would be built to connect Overpass with Interstate 75.

“We need another exit,” said Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore. “It’s that simple.”

Moore and other members of the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization received an update on the project during an MPO meeting on Dec. 8 in Dade City.

The interchange is the only portion of the project to have any funding. Construction costs for the interchange are about $64 million, but the county currently has about $32 million available.

Moore said about $15 million in state funding should be pursued to help make up the shortfall. And, Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano said federal funding also should be sought for road projects in light of President-elect Donald Trump’s pledge to support infrastructure improvements nationwide.

Published December 14, 2016

Costco primed for February opening

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Costco Wholesale is heading toward a Feb. 8 opening of its new location in front of Tampa Premium Outlets, off State Road 56 in Lutz.

But, motorists can expect to fill up their vehicles at Costco gas pumps as early as Jan. 11.

Applications to the membership-only warehouse giant will be available on Jan. 10. Eighty to 90 positions are expected to be filled in coming weeks, according to Rosina Yeo, the general manager for the new merchandise warehouse, at 2225 Grand Cypress Drive.

Construction is in the final stages on the Costco Wholesale warehouse in front of Tampa Premium Outlets, off State Road 56.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)

While those are the expected dates, they are tentative depending on construction, Yeo said, but she noted work on the 186,000 square-foot warehouse is in its final stages.

Landscaping will begin soon, and the parking lot is expected to be finished within the next two weeks, she said.

Yeo transferred from a Jacksonville Costco where she was assistant general manager. She worked for about two months at the Costco Wholesale in Brandon while waiting to relocate to the new store.

Yeo said shoppers in Brandon frequently asked about the opening date for the new store, and about jobs.

About 200 jobs will be filled in total, Yeo said, with about half from company-wide transfers and half from new hires.

Applications can be made online at Costco.com by clicking on the link for employment. Site visitors can type in their zip code to find details on available jobs and how to apply.

The first warehouse site with the Costco name opened in Seattle in 1983. The company later merged with Price Club, which had gotten its start in 1976 in San Diego.

The warehouse giant sells an eclectic mix of merchandise, including wine, clothes, gas, jewelry, electronics, tires, glasses, hearing aids, vacation packages, cars, home improvement services, hardware and pharmaceuticals.

Costco’s operating philosophy is to price low and sell in very high volumes. Shoppers also expect many items to rotate out weekly, giving them what Costco calls a “treasure hunt” experience for surprising and unexpected products showing up on store shelves.

 

Published December 14, 2016

Ron Oakley sworn in as Pasco County Commissioner

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Ron Oakley brings more than 50 years of business experience and a passion for public service to his new job as Pasco County District 1 commissioner.

Oakley was sworn into office on Nov. 29.

He replaced former Commissioner Ted Schrader who decided not to seek re-election and instead made an unsuccessful bid for property appraiser.

Ron Oakley received congratulations from Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano and Mary Lecznar, senior executive assistant for the Pasco County Board of Commissioners. Oakley was sworn in on Nov. 29 as commissioner for District 1.
(Photos courtesy of Richard K. Riley)

Though this is the first time Oakley has served as an elected official, he’s not new to public service.

He was appointed to serve on the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s board, and served as treasurer, vice chairman and chairman.

It was while serving on that board, Oakley said that he began “loving public service.”

Oakley, 71, is chairman of the Boys & Girls Club of Lacoochee. He also sponsors the annual John Anderson Benefit Concert in Dade City, with proceeds aiding local charities.

Oakley views elected office as a new way of serving, and he takes it seriously.

Before and after the election, he frequently could be found in the audience at commission meetings, listening and observing.

“I did that as preparation,” he said. “I’m very, very honored to be elected commissioner of District 1 and to serve the people of Pasco County.”

Oakley grew up in Dade City and worked in the family’s businesses, including cattle ranching, citrus growing and a truck transport business for liquid food products.
He sees his business experience as a plus in dealing with the county’s budgets.

Ron Oakley settled into his new office after being sworn in as Pasco County commissioner for District 1.

“I’m going to focus on everything as it comes up and try to do my best to come up with solutions,” Oakley said. “I’ll keep taxes down and be frugal with your money. It’s got to be used in the proper way.”

High on his list of priorities is road maintenance.

The county is about 13 years behind in addressing crumbling roads, he said. “It didn’t happen in one year or four years, but you have to start somewhere, and money is an issue.”

Expanding some two lanes roads to four lanes, and creating greater connectivity between east and west Pasco is important, Oakley added.

He supports extending Ridge Road, but also shares in the county’s frustrations over waiting years on a decision from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regarding permits for the project.

The 8-mile extension would provide an evacuation route during hurricanes or other emergencies, and would give the county another east-west connecting route.

The Connected City project also is on the commission’s agenda. In 2015 state legislators approved a 10-year pilot program which will focus on development of communities and new jobs utilizing cutting edge technology, including gigabit Internet speeds.

Ron Oakley took the oath of office as Pasco County District 1 commissioner from Matt Maggard, a Zephyrhills attorney and Oakley’s nephew.

Pasco County and Metro Development Group are partnering on initial projects within the boundaries of the Connected City. The total area covers about 7,800 acres in northeast Pasco, bordered by Interstate 75, State Road 52, Overpass Road and Curley Road.

Some residents within the Connected City have raised concerns that future developments will harm the rural character of their neighborhood.

Oakley said he supports the Connected City but, “I want to be very aware of what I’m voting on, make sure I study the issues.”

Flooding problems, which affects much of western Pasco, also need solutions. Oakley said he believes his service on Swiftmud’s board gives him a useful background in tackling the
matter.

The commission also faces tough decisions on solid waste, in particular the funding of an estimated $190 million expansion of waste-to-energy facility at Shady Hills. The facility burns trash to produce renewable energy.

Ultimately, everything comes back to the budget, and a conservative approach to what can be done, he said.

“We have budgetary restraints,” Oakley said. “Money is an issue.”

Published December 14, 2016

Learn about manatees, and maybe see some, too

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If you’re looking for something to do with out-of-town guests, want to take the family for a little getaway or simply would like to get close to nature — Tampa Electric Company’s Manatee Viewing Center may be just the place.

The center, now celebrating its 30th anniversary, is open each year from Nov. 1 through April 15.

Located at 6900 Dickman Road in Apollo Beach, the center attracts people from all over the world, said Yasmin McComber, an environmental specialist there.

“A lot of the locals love it. Then, the snowbirds come down, so they’ll be here, too. You have a lot of retirees — this is how they work out. They take our nature trail for an hour or two,” McComber said.

Manatee statues and informational signs help to guide visitors through the attraction.
(Fred Bellet/Photos)

Last year, the center drew 277,000 visitors during the peak season for manatees. It expects its 5 millionth visitor in January.

Kimmy Smith, from Riverview, was there on a recent day. She wanted to show off the center to her mom, Pam Fattic, who was visiting from Pendleton, Indiana.

Smith said she’s visited the center on numerous occasions.

“I come all of the time when manatees are in season,” she said, noting she’s been there 10 to 15 times.

“Seeing manatees is hit or miss,” Smith said, but she estimates she’s seen one during about 80 percent of her visits.

It doesn’t bother her if she doesn’t see a manatee because there are other things, such as butterflies and a nature walk, to enjoy, she said.

Smith’s mom, who was making her first visit to the center, liked what she saw.

“It’s really pretty. I love this. It’s just beautiful. I didn’t expect it to be so big,” she said.

No matter how many times a person visits, the experience is never quite the same, McComber said.

“Every day, things change. It’s nature,” she said.

“People sometimes complain: ‘There’s no manatees,’” McComber said. But, that’s beyond the electric company’s control. The manatees come and go as they please, she explained.

“They started coming here in the mid-1980s,” she said, because of the warm water near the plant.

The Manatee Viewing Center is celebrating 30 years of operation.

When Tampa Bay reaches 68 degrees or colder, the mammals seek out this refuge, McComber said.

The discharge canal is a state and federally designated manatee sanctuary that provides protection from the cold for the manatees.

“Cold water comes in from the outside. It cools down our machinery, then it is pumped back (warm) into the water,” she explained.

The ideal time to visit is when it is between 50 degrees and 60 degrees outdoors, McComber said. “The air temperature is cold, and the water’s cold. They’re looking for warmth. The first two weeks in November were perfect,” she said.

Spotting a manatee can be tricky, she said. “You have to keep your eyes on the water.”

But, even if you don’t see a manatee, there’s a good chance you’ll see other interesting wildlife.

“You’re going to find fish. It can be a bull shark, a spinner shark or black-tip sharks. Then you have your black drum, your sheep head. You have your mangrove snappers, snook and tarpon,” McComber said.

And, there are fiddler crabs, mangrove snakes and other wildlife.

Visitors can get a closer look at Florida’s outdoors along the center’s nature trail, and they can hike the trail to gain access to the observation tower that is 50-feet tall.

Those wanting to visit the observation tower should be aware there are three flights of stairs and no bathrooms there.

But, there are benches, where visitors can rest, and those climbing the tower will be rewarded with a 360-degree view of the Apollo Beach area.

While the center has been open for decades, there have been some recent improvements, including the addition of a rays touch tank and additional restrooms.

Other highlights include an educational center, a gift shop, picnic areas and a butterfly garden.

Tampa Electric’s Manatee Viewing Center
When: Open from Nov. 1 through April 15. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The wildlife observation tower and habitat trails close at 4 p.m. daily. Closed at 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve and closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.
How much: Free admission and parking
Where: 6990 Dickman Road, Apollo Beach, 33572
Please note: Shoes and shirts required; service animals only. The center is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

For more information: Call (813) 228-4289, or visit TampaElectric.com/Manatee.

Manatee facts

  • Manatees have a thin layer of fat and can become cold stressed if they are in water colder than 68 degrees.
  • A manatee’s nostrils have valves that close while the animal is underwater. Manatees can hold their breath up to 20 minutes when resting.
  • Manatees are herbivores. Manatees eat up to 10 percent of their weight a day.
  • Manatees can travel up to 15 mph in short bursts. They can travel up to 50 miles in one day.

Published December 14, 2016

It’s beauty by design at Bella Home Market

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Bella Home Market — a new shop situated in Lutz — owes a lot to mother and daughter relationships.

Jennifer Wagner, owner of Bella Home Market, and her daughter, Sophia Wagner, the store’s assistant manager, are partners in a new Lutz store.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)

Growing up in Wisconsin, Jennifer Wagner soaked up her mother’s do-it-yourself approach to interior design. She took on home remodeling projects and did them with style.

“I got my taste and flair from her,” said Wagner.

Now, she and her daughter, Sophia Wagner, are putting their talents together at Bella Home Market, a shop that brims with

eye-catching home décor and artwork for any room in the house.

Bella’s vibe is eclectic, from vintage chic to brand new.

The shop is a treasure trove for gifts, candles, soaps and scents, and also is a dealer for the Dixie Belle Chalk Paint brand.

The shop opened in June at Tropical Village Plaza, 1532 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., next to The Breakfast Nook.

Jennifer Wagner opened the shop after years of encouragement from her friends to take the plunge into retail.

Bella Home Market has gifts as well as paintings, sculptures and other home accessories.
(Courtesy of Jennifer Wagner)

She has a background in homebuilding, but also experience in staging homes — for family and friends — to make them more appealing to potential buyers.

“They told me ‘you have a knack for this’,” she said.

Her friend and founder of the Dixie Belle Paint Company, Suzanne Fulford, alerted Wagner to the vacant storefront at Tropical Village. The paint company is across the way at 1641 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.

She immediately liked the “small town feel” of the plaza, with shops clustered around a courtyard.

“It was perfect,” Jennifer Wagner said. “I love this center.”

She brought her daughter, Sophia, into the venture as assistant manager.

Sophia Wagner is a sophomore at the University of South Florida, working toward a mass communications degree. Future plans might include film school or news broadcasting.

A table display at Bella Home Market is filled with eye catching colorful treasures for home decorating and gifts.
(Courtesy of Jennifer Wagner)

She took off a semester to help her mother open the store, but will be a full-time student again next year.

But, in her spare time, she will still be working at Bella Home Market.

One goal for the new year is to increase painting classes – featuring Dixie Belle Chalk Paint. Crafting enthusiasts can learn techniques to give furniture or other items a shabby chic look.

Bringing in new items to the shop is a year-round adventure.

Mother and daughter go on buying trips to Dallas, Atlanta and North Carolina, with an eye for one-of-a-kind items.

Tables, shelves and wall space are filled with mirrors, candle holders, railroad lanterns, jumbo-size Edison light bulbs, delicate metal butterflies, and replicas of farm tractors made from nuts, screws and bolts.

Among their finds also are paintings and sculptures by fair trade artists in places such as Haiti. But, national artists, including metal and 3-D vision sculptor Travis Burford, and local artist, Jessica Marcus, are represented, too.

“You support the community,” said Jennifer Wagner. But, she has another wish for the new year.

“I want to find more local artists.”

Holiday hours for the store in December are Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. The shop is open on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

To find out more, visit BellaHomeMarket.com.

Published December 14, 2016

Commissioners study up on medical marijuana

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A 22-year-old patient with debilitating seizures proved to Dr. Ron Aung-Din that medical marijuana is a useful, plant-based treatment for a wide array of illnesses.

The active ingredients in the marijuana plant – known as cannabinoids – significantly reduced his patient’s seizures.

“That was the beginning of my era of enlightenment,” said Aung-Din, a neurologist in Sarasota.

Aung-Din was among a panel of experts to share his experiences with medical marijuana with Pasco County commissioners during a two-hour workshop on Dec. 6 in Dade City.

Other speakers were Megan Stone, owner of The High Road Design Studio in Arizona; Chris Dunn, owner of Global Operations for Covered 6; Mark Janotti, an architect who designs dispensaries; Kim Rivers, chief executive officer of Trulieve, which was the first to open a Florida dispensary; and Ben Atkins, operations manager of Trulieve.

Stone, Dunn and Rivers participated via phone calls.

County commissioners are grappling with how to implement local regulations on medical marijuana.

Voters statewide overwhelmingly approved a Nov. 8 referendum to expand an existing medical marijuana program. Currently, a low-level form of medical marijuana, known as Charlotte’s web, is available to some patients with seizure disorders or late-stage cancer.

Within six months, the Florida Department of Health is expected to issue regulations that will allow treatment for more illnesses, and also allow more potent strains.

County commissioners were scheduled to have public hearings, and final votes, on three ordinances related to medical marijuana on Dec. 13, before The Laker/Lutz News’ press deadline.

They would restrict dispensaries to industrially zoned districts; set operating regulations for dispensaries; and, extend by one year an existing moratorium on the cultivation, production and dispensing of cannabis, the product used to make medical marijuana.

The current moratorium expires Dec. 31.

The workshop was part of ongoing efforts by commissioners to be schooled on all aspects of the medical marijuana industry.

There is a lot of misinformation about the subject, Aung-Din said.

Until 1937 when marijuana became illegal, the neurologist said, “Cannabis was very much part of traditional American medicine.”

The difference now, he said, is that “people are not getting their needs met (with traditional medicine).”

Stone offered commissioners insight into how dispensaries are operated. Her company has designed dispensaries including The Healing Center in San Diego and Minerva Canna Group in Albuquerque.

The Healing Center is a small storefront inside a medical building. Minerva Canna Group is one of several retail shops.

Their designs are upscale, sophisticated and professional.

“People are just dispensing medicine,” Stone said. “There is none of the drug culture element. We are serving all demographics. The shelves are not lined with joints.”

Stone said employees at these dispensaries typically would earn $13, $14 or $15 an hour.

That seemed like a high wage to Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore.

“They are not going to pay $15 an hour for those jobs in Florida,” he said.

Dunn gave commissioners perspective on security at dispensaries. He is a former undercover narcotics officer.

“The cash is always an issue,” he said.

Because marijuana is illegal under federal law, most banks don’t want to run afoul of federal regulations and won’t open accounts or make loans to people working in the marijuana industry.

That means most dispensaries operate with cash-only, which raises concerns for some about robberies and increased crime.

But, Dunn said, “The biggest problem is mainly internal theft.”

Nine out of 10 times, theft comes from inside the business, he added.

Trulieve was the first company to open dispensaries in Florida with one each in Tallahassee and Clearwater. The first medical marijuana delivery went to a resident of Hudson.

Rivers said she anticipated Trulieve would open five additional locations in the next months. Medical marijuana is available in capsules, tinctures (in liquid form), oral syringes and two types of vaporizers.

A topical specifically for skin cancer patients might be added in the future, she said.

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey had concerns about people illegally obtaining identification cards to receive medical marijuana. She recounted stories from two people who visited California who said they were approached by strangers selling medical marijuana cards.

Atkins said Florida law makes it unlikely that could happen. The program is strictly regulated through the state’s electronic registry. Besides the doctor, only the dispensary and police officers can access the registry, he said.

Dosages expire after 45 days. Currently there are about 200 doctors who have qualified to approve medical marijuana, Atkins said.

“We don’t see that growing very much,” he added.

However, county commissioners expressed concerns about how to limit the number of dispensaries in Pasco.

“I’d hate to see these just everywhere,” said Pasco County Commissioner Ron Oakley.

Published December 14, 2016

Mock battle presents live history lesson

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Nearly 200 re-enactors from all over Florida take part in the mock battle that’s held every year.

With about 1,500 spectators watching from a hillside, the re-enacted battle  takes place a few hundred feet from the actual battleground inside the Dade Battle Historic State Park in Sumter County.

Frank Laumer stands outside his hand-built home in Hernando County. He lives about 15 miles from the Dade Battlefield Historic State Park in Sumter County, where he first took his family for a picnic in 1962. Laumer has written three books about the history of Dade’s Massacre. The library in his home also serves as the headquarters for the Seminole Wars Foundation.
(Doug Sanders/Photos)

The real battle, that took place 181 years ago, started the Second Seminole War.

That war would last seven years, cost $40 million in historic dollars, and claim the lives of 1,500 U.S. soldiers.

Two months after what would come to be known as “Dade’s Massacre,” Gen. Edmund Gaines and 1,100 of his men would be the first U.S. soldiers to find the site that was still scattered with the remains of dead bodies, with buzzards circling overhead.

An eyewitness account by Seminole leader Halpatter Tustenuggee (Alligator, as the white man called him) later described how it all began:

“Micanopy fired the first rifle, the signal agreed upon, when every Indian arose and fired, which laid upon the ground, dead, more than half the white men.”

Dade’s Massacre is often overshadowed by other battles of the 19th century, including the fall of the Alamo in 1836 and Custer’s Last Stand in 1876, but it has been the subject of three books by local historian Frank Laumer.

Francis Langhorne Dade was born in King George County, Virginia.

He enlisted in the Army in 1813, and was elevated to major in 1828.

On the morning of Dec. 23, 1835, Laumer says Major Dade departed from Fort Brooke (currently the site of the Tampa Convention Center in downtown Tampa) to lead his men through 100 miles of wilderness and open territory.

Reconstructed log breastworks stand where Major Dade’s men fought a losing battle with Seminole Indian warriors on a cold December afternoon. The artillery blasts from Dade’s cannon had halted the fighting in the morning, giving soldiers enough time to build the original fortifications in 1835. Archaeologists have found piles of flattened rifle balls at the site that is now part of the 80-acre Dade Battlefield State Park in Bushnell.

As an officer of the 4th Infantry, he was to reinforce the troops at Fort King (present-day Ocala), who were being threatened by the Seminole Indian Chief Osceola.

They would have to cross four rivers and slowly pull a 6-pounder cannon with a team of horses.

After five days on the rugged Fort King Road, Dade told his men, “Have a good heart,” based on historical records of the massacre.

Laumer is certain that Dade felt the most dangerous part of their journey was behind them once they had reached present-day Bushnell.

Dade had told his men: “As soon as we arrive at Fort King, you’ll have three days to rest and keep Christmas gaily.”

But, Seminole scouts in the scrub forest had followed the long column of 108 men under the command of Dade.

As Laumer points out, Dade was an easy target while riding in front of his men.

While crouching at the edge of the piney woods, Seminole Chief Micanopy had plenty of time to aim his rifle at the chest of Major Dade.

Dade was 42 when he became the first casualty in Dade’s Massacre.

His heart was pierced by a bullet fired by Chief Micanopy.

Laumer writes: “Francis Dade, broad shoulders erect, slumped gently in his saddle like a bag of grain cut in the middle.”

The Seminoles clearly had the element of surprise, Laumer writes. Only a few of Dade’s men managed to get their flintlock muskets from beneath their heavy winter coats in order to return fire.

“The cannon was discharged several times, but the men who loaded it were shot down as soon as the smoke cleared away…,” Alligator later reported.

Dade’s soldiers, dressed in blue wool uniforms, found themselves fighting against a fierce band of 180 Seminole warriors camouflaged in brown shirts or tunics, with winter leggings for warmth.

By the end of the day, just three U.S. soldiers remained alive.

Major Dade and his command would have travelled this section of the old Fort King Road — that is about 20 feet wide. It is still maintained at the Dade Battlefield State Park in Sumter County.

News of the massacre was reported in the Daily National Intelligencer up north in Washington D.C.

A report in the Jan. 27, 1836 edition noted “…three soldiers, horribly mangled, came into camp, and brought the melancholy tidings that Major Dade, and every officer and man, except themselves, were murdered and terribly mangled.”

President Andrew Jackson called for volunteers from Florida, Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina. He also ordered Gen. Winfield Scott to assume command of all U.S. forces in the area.

The Seminoles fighters who had won a major victory that day, left the battlefield after carrying off weapons from the soldiers they had killed.

After spending more than half of his life researching and writing about Dade’s Massacre, Laumer will narrate the annual re-enactment on Jan. 7.

It’s a familiar role for him, as he’s carried it out for more than 30 years.

Although the first Seminole War had been fought to remove Indian tribes west of the Mississippi River, there was always growing political pressure to send more troops to fight in Florida.

Laumer points out the frustration on the part of Southern plantation owners who were tired of their slaves escaping to Florida and granted refuge by the Seminole Indians.

He also explains that the outcome of Dade’s Massacre helped the white man to settle and develop Florida.

With more than 30,000 soldiers fighting in the longest and costliest Indian conflict in American history, many stayed in Florida after the Second Seminole War to raise their families on free land –so long as they were prepared to defend themselves from further Indian attacks.

A total of 1,317 land grants, with approximately 210,720 acres, were registered between 1842 and 1843.

While the massacre has largely faded from public memory, Dade is the namesake for several places. They include Miami-Dade County, Dade County, Georgia; Dade County, Missouri; Dadeville, Alabama; and, of course, Dade City, Florida.

There also is a decommissioned fort in Egmont Key State Park in Hillsborough County that is named after Dade.

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 .

Stitching together a life’s big moments

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Perhaps it was how she was brought up, or maybe it’s just in her genes, but Sherry Lee Steiert never was interested in being a poster child for polio.

Never mind that she’d have made a good one. Struck when she was just 7 years old and paralyzed for a time from the waist down, Steiert survived to create a life that was exceptionally normal — a marriage, four lively children, a career or three — despite having to get along on uncooperative Mutt & Jeff legs that she herself calls “the shriveled one,” with the brace and the boot, and “the heavy one.”

And dance? Oh, yes, she danced. “I did my share,” she says, triumphantly. More on that in a moment.

Betty Burke, left, and her friend, Sherry Lee Steiert, show off the quilt that Steiert made that will help raise money to battle polio. (Tom Jackson/Photo)
Betty Burke, left, and her friend, Sherry Lee Steiert, show off the quilt that Steiert made that will help raise money to battle polio.
(Tom Jackson/Photo)

Life turns on moments. A handful of fateful seconds here. A chance encounter there. Early on, Steiert’s life pivoted on at least a couple.

There was that Saturday morning in 1949. She was 7, hurrying down one of the side streets by Rodney B. Cox Elementary on her way to a dance recital in which her friend, Suzanne Williams (of the downtown Dade City department store family), was performing, when she was sideswiped by a boy on a bicycle.

He struck her, and she went down. Within a day or so, she ached powerfully in her lower joints, and a fever came on. Then, “My leg just gave way,” she says. Soon she was at Tampa General Hospital being treated for polio.

The collision and the onset of the disease are most likely pure coincidence, she concedes; polio was not transmitted by random acts of two-wheeler mayhem. But, it stands as one of those incalculable before-and-after episodes.

Steiert also remembers a brother enduring a bout of fever and aches only a week or so earlier, then bouncing back like nothing happened. Suppose the boy on the bike missed her. Did the crash somehow weaken her at a crucial passage?

That’s how it was with polio in the fear-soaked days before Jonas Salk’s miraculous vaccine stopped it cold in 1955. Some got fevers and aches, and were back playing in a week. Others got fevers and aches, and wound up in massive iron lungs.

“That’s what I remember from being in the hospital,” Steiert says. “The boy in the iron lung. That made an impression on me. No matter how bad it was for me, I was lucky. There were others worse off.”

Doctors recommended exercise, which is how the family moved from its San Antonio acreage to Sarasota, so Sherry could attend a school with a pool.

“I became a duck,” she says. “Third and fourth grade, swimming is what I did.”

Eventually, they returned to the family’s ranch land east of town, where Lake Jovita — the golf course and gated community — sprawls now. Then, it was 1,800 acres of citrus and wildlife, and more than enough to keep the second family of a locally legendary frontiersman busy. Alas, William E. Lee died when they were young, leaving not much money and absolutely no time for feeling sorry for themselves.

Which is how 14-year-old Sherry Lee found herself zipped into a gown of her mother’s design and stitching, on the elbow of her younger brother, practically shoved through the door of the Dade City Garden Club hall for a soirée remembered as the “sub-deb ball of 1956.”

She didn’t want to be there; she especially didn’t want her brother for a date. But, never leaving the house means missing the moments on which life changes, and if she’d stayed home, she’d have missed this one:

Phil Williams, Suzanne’s brother, future proprietor of Williams Lunch on Limoges, striding across the floor and asking her to dance.

“He was so good looking!” Steiert says.

“I remember it well,” Williams says. “Suzanne was Sherry’s champion. I’m sure she encouraged me. But, I probably would have done it anyway. It was the right thing to do.”

Today, the episode decorates Steiert’s memory like a flower pressed in a book: delicate and precious, a reminder of a moment that was full of life and beauty.

On a recent morning on the porch of Betty Burke’s antiques shop, these two events stood out from a lifetime when sometimes just getting out of bed was a major accomplishment.

Add a marriage — to a lumber mill worker and house builder, long since deceased — the rearing of four children, careers with Saint Leo University and the University of Florida/Pasco County Extension Office (where, self-taught, she designed the web page), and you have plenty of life for someone with two good legs.

There’s more. Not a closing chapter, by any means, but, deep into her story, a plot twist. Sherry Lee Steiert has become a quilter. She does it to fill up her days, she says, and they go to family and friends. As gifts. You simply can’t buy one.

But, you could win one. As Steiert says, she never has been one much for the cause of eradicating polio. “I contracted it so early, it’s part of who I am,” she says. Maybe she simply doesn’t want to be reminded that her timing was bad.

Still, her friend Betty is a Rotarian, and persistent, and Rotary International is bent on stamping out polio where it still lurks in the world. Bad stuff travels in this modern world, she notes, and if an infected someone from a Third World country comes in contact with one of the thousands of American children unvaccinated on their parents’ say-so, what then?

Like Rotarians everywhere, then, the San Antonio chapter is raising money for the cause. And next week, at the club’s Dec. 13 meeting, two of Sherry Lee Steiert’s quilts will be raffled off. See them at RotarySanAntonioFL.org, ask a club member, or call (352) 588-4444 to obtain tickets.

Maybe this, too, will be a moment: a simple act of selflessness that changes everything. Buying a ticket wouldn’t just affirm this late-coming poster child’s decision to join the fray. In the words of Phil Williams, it would be the right thing to do.

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

Published December 7, 2016

 

If you enjoy pottery, this tour is for you

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People who are drawn to pottery are naturally attracted to the Tampa Tour De Clay, said Kim Wellman, of Wellman & Welsch Pottery in Lutz.

This tour offers so much more than the chance to add some unique pottery pieces to your collection, said Wellman, whose studio is one of four stops on the tour.

It also offers provides a closer look at what goes into the creation of ceramic art.

Adrienne Welsch peers into the center shelf of the large kiln where the work of her father, Harry Welsch, cools after being fired the evening before. (Fred Bellet/Photos)
Adrienne Welsch peers into the center shelf of the large kiln where the work of her father, Harry Welsch, cools after being fired the evening before.
(Fred Bellet/Photos)

Tour-goers can talk to nationally known ceramic artists, can see demonstrations, and can get a better idea of the techniques and processes used.

Taking the tour tends to deepen participants’ appreciation of pottery, said Wellman, who has been creating ceramic pieces since the mid-1970s.

“There’s all this stuff going on behind the scenes that you didn’t know was going on. When they realize how much is involved, then you begin to appreciate it more,” she said.

This year’s Tampa Tour De Clay features 24 nationally acclaimed ceramic artists.

Other highlights include pottery demonstrations, kiln openings, charity chance drawings, refreshments, and the opportunity to meet the artists and purchase handmade works.

“This tour is modeled after several artists’ tours around the country,” said Harry Welsch, who is Wellman’s husband.

Harry Welsch begins to form the clay, after it has been flattened with a press.
Harry Welsch begins to form the clay, after it has been flattened with a press.

“The four stops are what’s convenient for people to get to in one day,” Welsch said. “If they follow the schedule and spend a couple of hours at each, it just seems to be a good number.”

Wellman added: “We each have a few guest artists. So we tend to bring in people who are different from anything that you might have seen before.”

The kiln openings are one of the tour’s high points.

Each studio is planning a kiln opening on Dec. 10. The first will be at 9 a.m., at Pottery Boys Studio, 30 Bogie Lane in Largo. The next will be at noon, at Hidden Lake Pottery, 16705 Hutchison Road in Odessa. The third will be at the Wellman & Welsch Studio, at 17202 Whirley Road in Lutz, at 2 p.m. And, the last will be at San Antonio Pottery, at 11903 Curley St., in San Antonio, at 4 p.m.

As the kiln is emptied, Wellman said, those taking the tour will get a chance to hold a piece of warm pottery, and to learn more about the pieces.

Kiln openings are the time when ceramic artists get to see the results of their handiwork.

“You pull them out — and there are these beautiful colors,” Wellman said.

It can be a time of delightful surprises — or not.

Beautiful ceramic works fashioned by Harry Welsch and Kim Wellman have their start in a block of clay.
Beautiful ceramic works fashioned by Harry Welsch and Kim Wellman have their start in a block of clay.

Sometimes there are imperfections that need to be addressed before a piece can be sold. Other times, the flaws can’t be fixed.

“The way you stack a kiln matters,” said Welsch, who has a background in physics and chemistry, as well as a master’s in fine art. “It can affect the way the work comes out.

“In this kiln, it’s about a 16-hour cycle, from cold start, room temperature, to about 2,400 degrees,” Welsch said, describing the kiln at his studio.

“We control the amount of fuel and the amount of air. We prefer most of the time to have the atmosphere neutral, or not too much oxygen, not too much fuel.

“If you take out some of the oxygen, you get an incomplete burn. What happens is that the flame gets so hot, you’ve got to get oxygen somewhere. And, it comes out of the chemicals in the glaze,” he said.

“You can look in there and see it (the fire), kind of dancing around the work,” he said.

The shelves inside the kiln can be adjusted, and the number of pieces placed inside the kiln varies, Welsch said.

Generally, it takes about two weeks of work to fill the kiln for a firing, he said.

But, numerous steps precede the final firing.

“To make this body of the mug, without the handle, it’s less than a minute. And then, to make the handle, is less than a minute,” Welsch said. “The actual making of this thing is probably less than 5 minutes.”

But, then it has to air dry, then go into an electric kiln, at around 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit. Then the piece is glazed before it is fired in the hotter kiln, at about 2,400 degrees Fahrenheit, he said.

The couple’s involvement with pottery began when Wellman enrolled in a pottery class.

Welsch recounted: “It’s all her fault. She thought she might want to try it out. She was way too good.

“There are few people who are naturals. They sit down at that wheel and they center,” he said.

“She did.

“What was happening is that she was making work way faster than the lady that ran the class could fire it.

“I built our first wheel and kiln before I knew how to make pots. That’s what husbands do,” he said.

Wellman added: “This is what I was supposed to be doing. Every day, I want to come out to the studio. I still do, after 40 years.”

They began making pottery in Bradenton in 1975 and moved their studio to Lutz in 1991.

Their daughter, Adrienne Welsch, is also involved.

She grew up around pottery making.

She said she does prep work, creates some pieces and helps organize the work flow in the studio.

By doing that, she said, she saves her parents time, so they can focus on pieces that require a greater degree of mastery.

The arrangement seems to suit the trio just fine.

Tour De Clay
A self-guided tour of four local pottery studios, featuring 24 nationally known artists.
When: Dec. 10 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Dec. 11 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
What: The tour’s highlights include kiln openings, pottery demonstrations, entertainment, charity chance drawings, refreshments, the opportunity to meet the artists and to purchase unique handmade works.
How much: The tour is free. Those visiting all four pottery studios will have a free chance to win prizes.
Where: The tour stops are:

  • Pottery Boys Studio, 30 Bogle Lane, Palm Harbor, 34683 (Kiln opening Dec. 10, 9 a.m.)
  • Hidden Lake Pottery, 16705 Hutchinson Road, Odessa, 33556 (Kiln opening, Dec. 10, noon)
  • Wellman & Welsch Pottery, 17202 Whirley Road, Lutz, 33558 (Kiln opening, Dec. 10, 2 p.m.)
  • San Antonio Pottery, 11903 Curley St., San Antonio, 33576 (Kiln opening, Dec. 10, 4 p.m.) Please note: The San Antonio Pottery will be open until 8 p.m. on Dec. 10.

For more information: Visit TampaTourDeClay.com.

Published December 7, 2016

Pasco drops idea of animal abuse registry

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By Kathy Steele

Pasco County commissioners are poised to approve a new ordinance meant to make it harder for people to adopt or buy animals if they have been convicted of animal abuse.
But, if approved, the new regulations won’t be as tough as an early draft of the ordinance that would have created an animal abuser registry.
County commissioners got a preview of the weakened ordinance on Nov. 29 at the commissioners’ meeting in Dade City.
Commissioners are expected to vote on the matter at a public hearing on Jan. 10 at 1:30 p.m., also in Dade City.
“This provides an additional way we can protect and keep animals out of the hands of people convicted of certain animal violations,” said Kristi Sims, an assistant county attorney.
If approved, the ordinance would take effect March 1.
It would ban anyone from knowingly “transferring” an animal to an animal abuser.
Pasco County Clerk of Court and Comptroller Paula O’Neill has offered to post a link to her website, with local conviction data, as a resource to the public.
Individuals, retailers or organizations that sell or adopt animals must document that they checked the link to confirm that a potential owner isn’t a convicted animal abuser. Records would be maintained for five years and would be subject to examination upon request.
County staff members told commissioners there would be problems in creating a local registry in part because information on statewide animal abuse convictions isn’t publicly available. Also, they said clerical and IT capabilities to handle a registry aren’t available.
While some jurisdictions, including Hillsborough County, have approved registries, Pasco County staff members determined that the best option would be a statewide registry. However, in 2012, a bill in the Florida legislature to create such a registry failed.
Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore said a sponsor for a new registry bill is being sought for the upcoming legislative session.
“I think this is still a good solution,” he said of the website link. “Ultimately we’d like to use a statewide database. We need to be involved in the process. I’m comfortable with this.”

Revised on Dec. 9, 2016 to correct previous version.