Local News

School boundary committee meetings underway

September 21, 2016 By B.C. Manion

Pasco County Schools will be opening a new high school and middle school on the same campus next year, and will open a new elementary school, too.

As a result, existing school boundaries will need to be redrawn to assign students to the new schools.

It’s a process that tends to be controversial.

The boundary committee for High School GGG had its first meeting on Sept. 16.

Although initially planned as a high school only, High School GGG being built at 8701 Old Pasco Road will operate for sixth- through 11th-graders the first year. After that, it will serve sixth- through 12th-graders until the school district has the funds to build a middle school. (Photos courtesy of Pasco County Schools) — Although initially planned as a high school only, High School GGG being built at 8701 Old Pasco Road will operate for sixth- through 11th-graders the first year. After that, it will serve sixth- through 12th-graders until the school district has the funds to build a middle school.
(Photos courtesy of Pasco County Schools)

Its first goal was to develop a draft boundary for the combination high school and middle school campus, said Chris Williams, director of planning for Pasco County Schools.

During the committee meeting, two additional meetings were added to its schedule.

One gives the committee more time to work on its recommendations before they are presented at a community meeting for parents. The other meeting gives the committee an opportunity to recommend any potential changes after the parents’ meeting, but before the Pasco County School Board considers the boundary recommendations.

The role of a school boundary committee is to develop and recommend school attendance boundaries that best meet established guidelines, to provide advice and direction to the technical assistance subcommittee, to review and critique the work of the technical assistance subcommittee, and to represent students, parents, communities, schools and the district.

Boundary committee meetings are open to the public, but members of the public may attend only as observers.

High School GGG, being built at 8701 Old Pasco Road in Wesley Chapel, will open as a sixth- through 12th-grade school next August, but will only have grades six through 11 its initial year.

The district needs to relieve crowding at Wiregrass Ranch High and John Long Middle School, and cannot afford to build a middle school at this time.

Elementary School B, at 4380 Ballantrae Blvd., is under construction in Bexley Ranch. It will help reduce crowding at Oakstead and Odessa elementary schools when it opens in the 2017-2018 school year.

Another school boundary committee, for Elementary School B, being built at 4380 Ballantrae Blvd., will begin meeting on Sept. 26. The new elementary school, set to open next fall, will reduce crowding at Oakstead and Odessa elementary school.

Both school boundary committees are expected to complete their work by Feb. 1, and the Pasco County School Board will make the final decisions relating to boundaries for the new school.

In addition to drawing new boundaries, the Pasco County School Board will be naming the new schools. They are soliciting suggestions from the public. Anyone who wishes to submit a name can send a suggestion and a brief explanation for each school name by Oct. 1. Type Elementary B or High School GGG in the subject line, and email to .

Also, to keep abreast of information being considered by school boundary committees, visit PascoSchools.org and click on the Rezoning link on the right-hand side.

Boundary meeting schedule, High School GGG

Committee meeting, Sept. 29, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Committee meeting, Oct. 20, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Parent meeting, Nov. 29, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Committee meeting, Dec. 2, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

All meetings will be at Wesley Chapel High School, 30651 Wells Road, Wesley Chapel

Boundary meeting schedule, Elementary B

Committee meeting, Sept. 26, 10:30 a.m.
Committee meeting, Oct. 13, 10:30 a.m.
Parent meeting, Nov. 1, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

All meetings are at Oakstead Elementary, 19925 Lake Patience Road in Land O’ Lakes. The committee meetings will be in the media center, and the parent meeting will be in the cafeteria.

Published September 21, 2016

Zephyrhills considers two City Hall options

September 21, 2016 By Kevin Weiss

The Zephyrhills City Council is continuing to consider its options regarding a new City Hall.

Under one option, a new building would be erected at the existing City Hall site, 5335 Eighth St. Under the other, the SunTrust Bank building at at 5435 Gall Blvd., would be purchased and renovated.

Todd Vande Berg, city planning director, detailed the pros and cons of each option in a PowerPoint presentation during a special City Council meeting on Sept. 14.

This is the current City Hall building, at 5335 Eighth St.(File Photo)

The new City Hall building, at about 16,500 square feet, would cost about $7.7 million, while the purchase and renovation of the 44-year-old SunTrust Bank, which is about 21,500 square feet, would cost about $6.2 million, according to Vande Berg’s presentation.

Some challenged the accuracy of those projections.

City Manager Steve Spina reasoned that total costs between the two options would wind up being closer than the report shows.

“The new construction (estimates) for the new building is too high, and the renovation of the SunTrust building is too low,” Spina said. “We need to balance those out a little bit, because we’re not going to build at almost $400 per square foot, and I don’t think you can do the (SunTrust) at $180 per square foot.”

Further, he said, contractor quotes on the SunTrust building can’t be taken at face value, due to the distinctions in municipal building codes.

“We operate under different rules. We can’t accept those (contractor) quotes to fix the roof, or fix the air, or fix the elevator,” Spina explained. “We have to go out to bid and follow certain financial requirements. That always changes things.”

He continued: “There are procedures that we follow required by our own ordinances and state law that will make things cost more.”

City council members, too, voiced their concerns about the aesthetics and exterior of the SunTrust building, and the practicality of purchasing a 44-year-old building.

“It’s not really the most attractive building,” councilman Ken Burgess said.

Councilman Lance Smith concurred: “I’m not sure we want a City Hall that looks like a 40-year old building.”

Smith added that purchasing the SunTrust building, too, might be a “lost opportunity” for private businesses in Zephyrhills.

“I think about the Kmart building that is up the street (on Market Square) and then lo and behold, Florida Medical comes into that building. I don’t know if the government had bought that building that we’d have Florida Medical,” Smith explained. “That being said, I’m concerned about this (City Hall) site as well.”

Council vice president Alan Knight said, for him, “it’s all about the money” in making a decision on whether to proceed with erecting a new city hall, or purchasing the bank building.

Knight agreed with the city manager, saying he believes the cost estimates for both options are actually closer than what was presented, and said he is leaning toward designing a new city hall.

“I said from the beginning that if we couldn’t save at least $2 million, I don’t see it,” Knight said about the option to purchase the SunTrust building. “I would venture to say…that we’re looking at $300,000 to $500,000 in unknown.”

Another point brought up during the nearly 90-minute meeting concentrated on the amount of additional investigation that should be made into the SunTrust option. It’s estimated that an initial structural assessment of the building may cost $15,000 to $30,000.

“How far do we want to take this? How much money do we want to invest in looking into it?” said councilman Charles Proctor.

Proctor added the choice will be “really, really tough,” but, said he “doesn’t see a major savings” with the SunTrust option.

“To me, I would rather have a brand-new building, but on the same hand, I would never approve a new building at that ($375 per square-foot) rate.”

During a regularly scheduled council meeting on Aug. 22, Spina said he was “adamantly against” the city purchasing the SunTrust building. During that meeting, Spina noted the city — if they purchased the building — would also lose its tax rolls, which total about $15,000 per year.

A final decision on the City Hall is expected at the council’s next meeting, slated for Sept. 26.

Dialogue aside, the wheels have been in motion to construct a new city hall on the existing site.

On July 11, the council approved a $590,900 contract with the architecture firm Harvard Jolly, to help design a new city hall.

In 2013, Harvard Jolly was hired to help design the Zephyrhills Public Library. The firm later faced scrutiny over the project’s escalating costs.

The City Hall design agreement includes a clause that requires the firm to provide a maximum price for the project.

Spina addressing the council, said they will be involved in the building process “every step of the way.”

“The things that are going to be proposed…are not going to be exorbitant,” Spina said. “They’re going to be tasteful, and they’re going to be reasonable. They’re going to suit the community and suit our needs, and we’re not going to build a Taj Mahal.”

In other business, the council approved first reading ordinances setting the millage rate and budget for fiscal year 2016-2016. The nearly $68.7 million budget is based on a 6.35 millage rate.

Build on existing City Hall site
Land Size

52,000 square feet, 1.19 acres

Building Size

16,500 square feet (proposed)
Projected cost: $7.7 million, according to the workshop presentation

Purchase and renovate SunTrust building site
Land Size

71, 800 square feet, 1.65 acres, plus additional outparcels owned by SunTrust

Building Size

21,500 square feet (existing)
Projected cost: $6.2 million, according to the workshop presentation

Published September 21, 2016

Zephyrhills’ finances solid, audit shows

September 21, 2016 By Kevin Weiss

An independent audit shows that Zephyrhills is in healthy financial shape.

The Zephyrhills City Council on Sept. 12 received and approved the audit of the city’s 2014-2015 financial statements, performed by Baggett, Reuitmann & Associates, and John E. Henson CPA.

The city’s assets exceeded its total liabilities by about $79.3 million, and the city’s total net position increased by 3.44 percent to about $2.6 million from 2014 to 2015, according to the financial report.

The 74-page audit also shows Zephyrhills’ ad valorem revenue increased for the first time in six years.

The city’s ad valorem revenue was about $3.6 million in 2015, an increase of more than $110,000 from 2014. But, the report notes that ad valorem taxes remain about 2.8 percent less than collected in fiscal year 2010 (about $3.7 million), the second year of the Great Recession.

The audit summarizes that “city administration took a conservative approach to balancing the 2016 fiscal year budget.”

During the council meeting, John Henson, a Zephyrhills-based accountant, said the city is in a “very good financial position.”

“I really thought there were going to be a lot of municipalities with a minus balance, but the City of Zephyrhills has taken very good care of itself,” Henson said.

Jeff Baggett, of Baggett, Reuitmann & Associates, added the city remained very financially stable from 2008 through 2015.

“It’s weathered the recession,” Baggett said about the city’s finances. “During the recession, a lot of governments had financial troubles. …(Zephyrhills) never even came close to that.”

Council president Kenneth Compton said the city’s encouraging financial footing “was a function of good leadership from the council, the mayor and the city manager.”

“We all stuck together,” he said.

City Manager Steve Spina concurred, saying the city’s financial situation was a “real team effort” among the city’s various department heads.

“They’ve been great partners in recognizing the differences between needs and wants,” Spina said.

“We met with them individually, and they all agreed to cut back where needed,” Spina added.

The audit does include a critique involving the city’s record-keeping of federal grants it has received.

The audit says “personnel overseeing the grants were unable to provide an accurate schedule of grants that…reconciled to the city’s underlying financial records.”

In the report, both accounting firms recommend the city to appoint a specific individual to oversee grants, and have the designated individual undergo specific training for Federal and State Single Audit Acts requirement.

As for other bookkeeping concerns, Henson said there was “nothing major.”

In other business, the council unanimously approved the Zephyrhills Community Redevelopment Agency’s $315,000 budget for fiscal year 2016-2017.

The redevelopment agency, known as the CRA, adopted budget for the 2015-2016 fiscal was about $465,000, but Gail Hamilton, CRA director, said about $100,000 will roll over to the 2016-2017 fiscal year.

Hamilton told the council she’s continually working on creating incentives to bring in new businesses to Zephyrhills through renovations of vacant building spaces, and by offering façade and signage grants programs.

The objective, she said, is to increase property values within the CRA district, a 520-acre defined area that essentially encompasses the center spine of the city, generally between Hercules Park to C Avenue, and from Zephyr Park to 17th Street.

“It looks like we’ve had a couple of pockets where property values rose this year,” she said, addressing the council.

“Hopefully, what the CRA is doing in cleaning up the neighborhoods and working with the businesses, and some of the things that are happening in the marketplace, the…valuations will rise,” Hamilton said.

Published September 21, 2016

Local civil air patrol soars to success

September 21, 2016 By B.C. Manion

Motorists zip down Interstate 75, at the edge of Tampa North Aero Park — oblivious to what goes on at the airport on a typical Wednesday evening.

That’s when members of the Wesley Chapel Civil Air Patrol Squadron gather to expand their aerospace knowledge; receive search and rescue training; and take part in cadet programs that emphasize drills, discipline and character building.

The Florida State flag catches a breeze and waves over the Wesley Chapel Cadet Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol’s color guard. (File Photo) — The Florida State flag catches a breeze and waves over the Wesley Chapel Cadet Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol’s color guard.
(File Photo)

The Wesley Chapel Civil Air Patrol Squadron, known as Wesley Chapel CAP for short, includes 43 cadets ranging from ages 12 to 21, and the 15 senior members who are 18 and older.

Most squadron members live in Wesley Chapel, but some live in other communities, including Land O’ Lakes, Spring Hill and Brooksville.

The squadron has earned some bragging rights.

Squadron Commander Daia Jung received the Squadron Commander of the Year Award for 2015. And, the squadron itself was named Squadron of the Year for the Florida Wing for 2015, and went on to be named Squadron of the Year for the Southeast Region. Those awards are in addition to scores of others the chapter has earned over the past several years.

Jung is the squadron’s third commander. She follows Steve Lampasona, who established the squadron, and his wife, Joyce, who became the chapter’s second commander.

“We’re a cadet program. Pretty much everything here is run and taught by cadets, with senior members being their guides,” Daia said.

Cadet Capt. Austen King is the squadron’s cadet commander.

There are essentially three components in the CAP, said Daia, who was introduced to the program by her husband, who oversees the emergency services program. He is a veteran of the first Gulf War and is 21-year veteran of the Tampa Fire Department.

The CAP’s focus is on leadership development, aerospace education and emergency services, including search and rescue missions, she said.

Many squadron members have an interest in aviation and aerospace, and some get their first taste of flying, too.

“We have two types of orientation flights. One is in powered aircraft and one is in glider,” Daia said.

Some members want to do more than ride in a plane. They want to take the controls.

Seventeen-year-old Cadet Commander King is one of those. He made his first solo flight on Aug. 28.

“It was exciting,” King said, and, it was always part of the plan. “That was a goal of mine, to learn how to fly. That was one of the reasons I joined,” he said.

King thinks there are some common misconceptions about CAP.

For one thing, he said, “Not everyone who goes in CAP has to go into the military.”

Some members are interested in cybersecurity or careers related to mathematics, science, robotics and other fields, he said.

For example, Daia’s child Nick, another squadron member, wants to become a herpetologist and to study reptiles.

At the same time, the 15-year-old is in the midst of pursuing a pilot’s license.

The Wesley Chapel Civil Air Patrol Squadron has garnered numerous awards during the past few years. Squadron Commander Daia Jung received the Squadron Commander of the Year Award for 2015. The squadron was named Squadron of the Year for the Florida Wing for 2015 and Squadron of the Year for the Southeast Region. (Courtesy of Wesley Chapel Civil Air Patrol Squadron) — The Wesley Chapel Civil Air Patrol Squadron has garnered numerous awards during the past few years. Squadron Commander Daia Jung received the Squadron Commander of the Year Award for 2015. The squadron was named Squadron of the Year for the Florida Wing for 2015 and Squadron of the Year for the Southeast Region.
(Courtesy of Wesley Chapel Civil Air Patrol Squadron)

“For the past two summers, I’ve attended national glider academy. I’m just about to get my pilot’s license. I have my learner’s license now. I’m really close to receiving my glider pilot’s license. I wouldn’t have ever been able to do that, if I had not joined this program,” the Wiregrass Ranch High School student said.

Belonging to CAP has provided a chance to meet people from all over the world and to develop leadership skills that have come in handy in Wiregrass Ranch’s marching band, Nick said.

Fourteen-year-old Christopher Cuozzo, a student at Land O’ Lakes High School, said he enjoys running through drills and developing the ability to move from one place to another, in an orderly fashion. The orientation flights are cool, too, he said.

Cadet Master Sgt. Cassie Ramer and her brother, Matthew, a tech sergeant, both enjoy being part of the squadron.

Cassie said she is shy by nature, but belonging to the group has helped her to break out of her shell.

“I like the way our squadron functions. The military bearing, the military standards, thing like that. I admire that,” she said. “I like being a part of color guard.”

She said she also enjoys serving in the color guard not so much for the personal attention it brings to her, but because it gives her a chance to bring honor to the squadron.

Her brother said he hopes to become an aerospace engineer and to design new aircraft.

The squadron commander said she welcomes new members.

“My door is open to anybody that wants to come in,” Daia said.

But, anyone who wants to join should take the commitment seriously, she said.

A potential member must attend three meetings and appear before a membership review board before being accepted as a squadron member. There’s also a meeting with their parents.

“We’re all volunteers here, so we want to make sure that it’s worth everybody’s time,” the squadron commander said.

Once in the program, members can pursue all sorts of opportunities.

Squadron members are involved in community events and take part in training programs available through CAP. Cadets also can compete for a slot in special CAP training activities that include powered flight academies, glider academies, hawk mountain ranger school and the National Blue Beret, an air show in Wisconsin.

The programming is geared for a wide range of ages.

“The 18-year-olds are not learning what the 12-year-olds are learning,” Daia said, and, in many cases, the older members are teaching the younger cadets.

“We try to make it fresh and interesting every week,” she said.

Membership is $45 for cadets and $67 for senior members, but it also has other costs, including those associated with uniforms and various activities.

No one is turned away because of financial need, Daia said. To help cover some expenses, the squadron holds an annual gift-wrapping fundraiser every year on Christmas Eve at The Shops at Wiregrass.

For more information
Want to learn more about the Wesley Chapel Civil Air Patrol Squadron? Email Squadron Commander Daia Jung at .
To learn more about CAP’s aerospace education programs, products, and other resources available to our members, go to CapMembers.com/ae. For information about joining as an aerospace education member (AEM) and to join online, go to CapMembers.com/joinaem.

Published September 21, 2016

Commission on Status of Women approved

September 21, 2016 By Kathy Steele

The Pasco County Commissioners has approved an ordinance to establish a Commission on the Status of Women.

Pasco County commissioners agreed to establish a Commission on the Status of Women. Following the vote, several women who worked to have the commission approved marked the occasion with a photo. From left, in front row, Stefanie Pontlitz, Minnie Diaz, Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey, Rosie Paulsen, Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker, Shawn Roetschke, and Nikki Alvarez-Sowles, of the Pasco County Circuit Court. Back row, Assistant County Administrator Heather Grimes, Assistant County Administrator Cathy Pearson and Assistant County Attorney Elizabeth Blair. (Photos courtesy of Richard K. Riley) — Pasco County commissioners agreed to establish a Commission on the Status of Women. Following the vote, several women who worked to have the commission approved marked the occasion with a photo. From left, in front row, Stefanie Pontlitz, Minnie Diaz, Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey, Rosie Paulsen, Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker, Shawn Roetschke, and Nikki Alvarez-Sowles, of the Pasco County Circuit Court. Back row, Assistant County Administrator Heather Grimes, Assistant County Administrator Cathy Pearson and Assistant County Attorney Elizabeth Blair.
(Photos courtesy of Richard K. Riley)

It also has approved a resolution naming 10 organizations that will participate in the 15-member commission.

Rosie Paulsen, president-elect of the Hispanic Professional Women’s Association, described the commission’s creation as “a historic moment” during the public comment portion of the county commission’s Sept. 13 meeting.

Paulsen hopes the women’s commission will create a Pasco County Women’s Hall of Fame. “We need one here,” she said.

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey noted a recent study showing that women still receive unequal pay for the same work done by men.

“So, get ready,” Starkey declared.

The range of topics is wide open, but similar women’s commissions have addressed equal pay for women, affordable housing, women’s health care, and human trafficking.

Starkey and attorney Michele Hintson began a conversation about establishing the commission about two years ago. Since then, several other women have joined in the discussion.

Rosie Paulsen, president-elect of the Hispanic Professional Women’s Association, spoke to Pasco County commissioners about the need for a Commission on the Status of Women and a local Women’s Hall of Fame.

Nearly two decades ago, the Pasco County Commission approved a women’s commission, but there is little known about what happened after that.

The new ordinance and resolution are updates of those past efforts.

The Pasco County Commission’s five members each will appoint one member to the women’s commission.

The designated organizations also will nominate members that must then be approved by the county commissioners.

Each member will serve three-year terms, but can serve no more than eight years.

The following organizations will nominate commission members:

African American Club of Pasco County Inc.
Hispanic Professional Women’s Association Inc.
Metropolitan Ministries
Pasco Economic Development Council
Pasco-Hernando State College
Premier Community Healthcare Group Inc.
Saint Leo University
Sunrise of Pasco County Inc.
United Way of Pasco County Inc.
Women Lawyers of Pasco Inc.

Published September 21, 2016

Fly-in features model Golden Era airplanes

September 21, 2016 By B.C. Manion

Members of the Bay City Flyers and their spectators enjoyed sunny and warm weather during the club’s annual Golden Era fly-in on Sept. 10, at the flying field in Land O’ Lakes.

Edward Pasick, of Windermere, gets his PT-19 ready for takeoff. It took Pasick about 120 hours to build his airplane, which he did completely by hand. (Joseph Spena/Photos) — Edward Pasick, of Windermere, gets his PT-19 ready for takeoff. It took Pasick about 120 hours to build his airplane, which he did completely by hand.
(Joseph Spena/Photos)

Members of the club took to the sky with their radio control scale models of full-size aircraft that was active from 1919 to 1939.

Club members are obviously passionate about their pastime, based on the meticulous attention to detail they pay to the radio control model airplanes they operate.

Bay City Flyers is a club that is sanctioned by the Academy of Model Aeronautics.

The flying cub operates a flying field it affectionately calls Area 52. The field is about 8 miles north of Land O’ Lakes.

Bay City Flyers is one of the largest radio control flying clubs in Florida. It caters to all types of flying models, including scale and aerobatic airplanes, helicopters and multi-rotor aircraft.

A one-third scale model Sopwith sits at the ready, within clear view of the American flag.

The club does not allow turbine-powered jets, but does permit electric ducted fan jets, according to the club’s website.

The Area 52 field features grass runways, each about 800 feet long and 80 feet wide, running nearly perpendicular to each other in the north-south and east-west directions, respectively, so that cross-winds are rarely a problem for the pilots.

Two 100-foot-long shelters parallel the runways, and protect pilots and equipment from the sun, as well as passing summer rains.

A covered pavilion offers a place for meetings and relaxed lunches, while observing models flying nearby.

In most cases, a uniquely crafted model pilot mans the model airplane’s controls, adding to an even greater sense of realism to the already meticulously detailed airplanes.

The club welcomes people who are interested in model building, flying, related competitions and general advancements of the hobby, the website says.

Its members, ranging from teenagers to over 80-year olds, share a mutual enthusiasm about manmade things that fly.

For additional details about the club, visit BayCityFlyers.org.

Or, call Jim Slaughter at (813) 966-7529, or email him at .

Published September 21, 2016

Roger Niolet, of Sarasota, stands behind his one-fourth scale Piper Cub L4 plane. The Piper Cub L4 performed in the roles of aircraft observation, liaison and aerial reconnaissance during World War II.

Two brothers from Hudson, Jett and James Strahan who are ages 3 and 6, appear to be enjoying the air show. The event was open to all, and people of all ages appeared to be having fun watching the planes.

Local ombudsman receives district honor

September 21, 2016 By B.C. Manion

Ron Thiltgen spent nearly half of his life working in the nursing home industry, so when he retired and was looking for something to do — he naturally gravitated to an avenue where he thought he could do some good.

He decided to volunteer for the Florida Ombudsman Program.

Ron Thiltgen, of Lutz, spent 30 years working in the nursing home industry before becoming a volunteer for the Florida Ombudsman Program, which advocates for quality long-term care. (Courtesy of Florida Ombudsman Program) — Ron Thiltgen, of Lutz, spent 30 years working in the nursing home industry before becoming a volunteer for the Florida Ombudsman Program, which advocates for quality long-term care.
(Courtesy of Florida Ombudsman Program)

Thiltgen, who lives in Lutz, has devoted the past three years as a volunteer advocating for quality long-term care for people living in assisted living facilities and nursing homes throughout Hillsborough County.

Recently, he was declared winner of the West Central Council Ombudsman of the Year.

In making the selection, the council noted the 66-year-old’s patience and care for residents, and his ability to get results, according to a news release. He was also lauded for being an excellent mentor for fellow volunteers.

Thiltgen was delighted by the honor.

“It’s nice to be recognized. It feels good when someone appreciates you,” Thiltgen said. He also likes the work. “It’s enjoyable,” he said.

He worked in maintenance for decades, taking care of assorted chores and repairing sinks, toilets and other things.

“I had a lot of contact with people. They had problems. They didn’t know how to get solutions to them,” Thiltgen said.

He likes being able to help people who live in assisted care facilities or nursing homes who feel isolated and need help. He generally spends a couple of hours a week volunteering, but sometimes more, depending on the problem he’s trying to get resolved.

Many people living in assisted living and nursing facilities don’t have family nearby, he observed. “They don’t have anybody to turn to,” he said.

“Ombudsmen, we’re able to make contact with them and try to guide them to wherever they can find resolutions,” Thiltgen said.

In one instance, he helped a resident when her wheelchair broke and she was unable to get around.

“We were able to resolve that,” he said.

Many problems can be solved by better communication, he said. But, some problems are more serious, in which case, the resident is referred to other organizations or agencies that can help, he said.

While a resident’s problem may seem small to an outsider, it can become a source of frustration, he said.

“The seniors, they get stressed out,” the former maintenance worker said.

There are about 20 volunteers providing ombudsman services in Hillsborough County, he said, including those from all walks of life. There are retirees, like himself, but also people who still hold paying jobs.

It’s a satisfying feeling to help those living in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, he said.

“Everybody ends up happy. It feels great,” he said.

Published September 21, 2016

Dreaming of a golf league of their own

September 21, 2016 By Tom Jackson

WESLEY CHAPEL — As a self-proclaimed “range rat,” it doesn’t take much to keep Ron Nelson happy. Give him a bucket of balls, room on the practice tee and a game on the radio for company, and he’s set.

“It’s golf heaven,” he says.

It is insufficient to call the 69-year-old Nelson a regular at Pasadena Hills Golf Driving Range; he is, more accurately, a devotee to this little patch of paradise off Handcart Road.

It might be the range’s proximity to his home in Zephyrhills. It might be the ease of using an electronic key to retrieve a practice bucket from the ball dispenser. Location and convenience are always big sellers.

Most likely, however, it has to do with the red sign affixed to the entrance gate that declares the range home to the Florida Veterans Golf Association, and also that half the ownership team — PGA teaching professional Fred Bender — served, as Nelson did, in Vietnam.

Fred Bender is seated with, from left, Robert Jones, Melvin Blair, Ron Nelson and Jim Murphy standing behind him. (Tom Jackson/Photo) — Fred Bender is seated with, from left, Robert Jones, Melvin Blair, Ron Nelson and Jim Murphy standing behind him.
(Tom Jackson/Photo)

Bender, a Marine, endured in 1968 the four-month siege of Khe Sanh, a U.S. stronghold in the northwest corner of South Vietnam near Laos. Whatever else he took from the experience — bitterly, as people back home turned against the war, U.S. forces abandoned Khe Sanh within months after winning the battle — Bender knew then he always would be the brother of anyone who wore an American military uniform.

On a recent Monday in an air-conditioned corner of the golf center, Bender was surrounded by military kin, fellows such as Nelson who remember vividly their days as young soldiers, sailors and Marines.

Here was Robert Jones, 65, a 24-year Navy man who experienced Vietnam as a 19-year-old orderly transporting other 19-year-olds, amputee patients, between air transports and the U.S. Naval Hospital in Philadelphia.

And here was Jim Murphy, 74, a Marine machinist who spent six years in the Pacific just as Vietnam was beginning to heat up. And here, too, was Melvin Blair, 69, who learned to hit golf balls as a 12-year-old in the north Florida citrus groves where his father picked for a living, then earned four Purple Hearts as an infantryman during a two-year tour in Vietnam.

And, even if those wartime experiences aren’t the sum of who they are, they still shape how they think and how they form their happiest associations.

Put him in a room with 60 random strangers, Bender was saying, and he’ll look for the nearest escape route. But last year, when he screwed up the courage to attend a reunion of Khe Sanh Marines in Savannah, the welcome felt like being surrounded by 300 family members.

Even as he began making plans for the next Marine gathering, “It got me thinking, about what I could do to help get veterans together here,” Bender says.

He thinks, at last, he’s onto something: a veterans’ golf league that tours area courses on a regular schedule, then gathers in the clubhouse to share a meal and whatever is on their minds.

The inaugural event is set, appropriately, for Veterans Day at Silverado Golf and Country Club, off Eiland Boulevard in Zephyrhills. “I just think it would be great to get the guys together on a regular basis,” Bender says, “somewhere other than their usual watering holes.”

Not that there’s anything wrong with watering holes, he says, and here Nelson interjects, “But, you never get to know someone like you do when you play golf.

“It’s four hours together, alone in the outdoors. It’s quiet. You’re playing a game that makes you think. And, you start talking about things that would never come up anywhere else. Stories you’ve never told anyone.”

Nelson, himself, isn’t one to tell stories, even though the one he has to tell is as plain as the scar on his face: a jagged disruption working its way across the bridge of his nose to just below his right eye.

“I picked it up in the A Shau Valley,” he shrugs.

“A Shau?” says the often-wounded Blair. “Man, I get scared just hearing the name.”

Rightly so. A Shau served as a conduit for soldiers and supplies flowing from North Vietnam, and attempts to thwart Hanoi’s operations were costly and largely ineffective. The most infamous of these, in May 1969, involved the taking of an insignificant nob survivors dubbed “Hamburger Hill.”

Nelson, a member of the Army’s 101st Airborne Division, came in on a helicopter and left on a stretcher. He survived, but kept the shrapnel in his sinuses; now it rarely comes up in conversation unless the X-ray tech at the dentist’s office is new.

Then, inevitably, it’s, “What the hell is that?!” And, Nelson patiently explains how he came by his souvenir from the Viet Cong.

Jones told of the courage of lads his age, fresh “out of country,” getting used to the idea of facing life without a limb or two, “and not one of them said, ‘I can’t.’ ”

Blair recalled sitting by the mess hall door nearest the bunker after the Tet Offensive, because you never knew when a rocket would come flying through the window. “If that seat was taken,” he says, “I didn’t eat.”

The conscientious Murphy, who’d already given blood that Monday morning, spoke with pride about looking after machine guns that never broke down on his watch.

All that and much, much more, came out of an hour spent in the vicinity of a golf practice range. Imagine an entire day on actual links.

Area veterans don’t have to imagine. They can hook up with Fred Bender and turn a dream of ball-striking camaraderie into a tale-spinning reality. You can visit his web site — PasadenaHillsGolf.com — or catch him at (813) 857-5430.

The same contacts work for potential sponsors. Ring up the man. Send him an email. He survived a siege to make this happen. But, even a Marine capable of creating golf heaven can’t take this hill alone.

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

Published September 21, 2016

Local students in running for national scholarships

September 21, 2016 By B.C. Manion

Normally, a summons by the principal doesn’t involve cake and flowers — but that’s exactly what Lauren Payne and her parents encountered at Wiregrass Ranch High School on Sept. 14.

From left, Janet Payne, Lauren Payne and Greg Payne, stand in a conference room at Wiregrass Ranch High School, after Lauren found out she had been named a semifinalist in the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo) — From left, Janet Payne, Lauren Payne and Greg Payne, stand in a conference room at Wiregrass Ranch High School, after Lauren found out she had been named a semifinalist in the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

Principal Robyn White and Assistant Principal Cindy M. Jack wanted to share good news with the student and her parents because the high school senior is on the list of semifinalists in the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program.

She’s one of 16,000 scholars across the country that are semifinalists in the 62nd annual National Merit Scholarship Program.

Semifinalists have an opportunity to compete for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships which are worth about $33 million.

Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level. About 90 percent of the semifinalists are expected to attain a finalist standing, and about half of the finalists are expected to win a National Merit Scholarship.

Payne’s parents, Janet and Greg, were pleased by the school’s gesture.

“It’s a very nice surprise. It’s very exciting. It’s really nice that they put this together,” Janet Payne said.

“It’s exciting,” Lauren agreed.

Her dad is proud of her accomplishments. “It is a lot of hard work that she’s putting into it and hopefully, it will turn out well for her.”

Here’s a list of other local National Merit semifinalists:

Land O’ Lakes

Anmol Warman, Academy at the Lakes
Nathaniel W. Edgar, homeschool
Carter J. Bright, Land O’ Lakes High
Michael Gendreau, Land O’ Lakes High
Navya Jampani, Land O’ Lakes High
Nicholas R. Riley, Land O’ Lakes High
Maxwell Keenan, Land O’ Lakes High
Karina N. Armas, Sunlake High

Lutz

Elle D. Hazlett, homeschool
Joaquin Borggio, Steinbrenner High
Bailey M. Zinckgraf, Steinbrenner High

Tampa

Riley L. Troyer, Carrollwood Day School
Kaley A. Raabe, Gaither High School
Jordyn E. Bizzell, Sickles High
Henry M. Noell, Sickles High
Samuel L. Unger, Sickles High
April E. Olson, Wharton High

Published September 21, 2016

The Laker/Lutz News brings home five awards

September 21, 2016 By B.C. Manion

Work published in The Laker and in the Lutz News brought home five awards from the Florida Press Association 2015 Better Weekly Newspaper Contest.

Eight-year-old Will Pena prepares his scissors to begin cutting paper hearts in his classroom at Academy at the Lakes. (Fred Bellet/Photos) — Eight-year-old Will Pena prepares his scissors to begin cutting paper hearts in his classroom at Academy at the Lakes.
(Fred Bellet/Photos)

The honors were presented on Sept. 16 during an awards luncheon at The Ritz-Carlton Sarasota.

The contest drew a total of 1,670 entries from 65 weekly newspapers across Florida. The work was judged by experienced editors and publishers from Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and New York.

Photographs taken by Fred Bellet for The Laker received accolades in two categories.

Bellet was recognized for a photograph he captured for The Laker, of a young boy working on a Valentine at Academy at the Lakes in Land O’ Lakes. That image captured third place in the photo feature category for newspapers with circulations exceeding 15,000.

Bellet’s work also was acknowledged for photographs he captured of the Watoto Children’s Choir performing at Van Dyke Church in Lutz. He won third place for a photo series in one issue, competing against newspapers with circulations exceeding 15,000.

The beat of the drums brings out dancers during a segment of the Watoto Children’s Choir performance at the Van Dyke Church.

Staff writer Kathy Steele won second place in the community history writing category, for her story about Lutz Cemetery — an account that weaved together stories of people who are buried there, along with efforts to maintain the final resting place. Her award was for work published in the Lutz News, which competed with newspapers with circulations under 7,000.

B.C. Manion, editor of The Laker/Lutz News, received second place honors for a story about Rotarian Nick Hall’s mission to battle polio — chronicling his cross-country bicycle trek across America to heighten awareness about polio and raise money in the battle to eradicate it. Her entry was in the health, medical and science reporting category for newspapers with circulations under 7,000.

Manion also won third place in the faith and family reporting category for a story she did about Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Land O’ Lakes, which is accommodating its gluten-sensitive parishioners by giving them an option for gluten-free communion hosts.

That entry was in the faith and family category for newspapers with circulations exceeding 15,000.

Published September 21, 2016