Local News

Sunny times at SunWest Park

January 27, 2016 By Kathy Steele

Sandy white beaches and crystal clear water may not be what comes to mind when thinking of Pasco County.

But, SunWest Park is all about changing minds with a little fun in the sun.

These women take advantage of the recent warmer weather while they tan in a remote spot away from the splashing of the main swim area at the SunWest Park.
(Fred Bellet/Photos)

“I think it’s a phenomenal addition to the county’s tourism,” said Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano. “I think it could be considered the focal point. I see a lot of people come here, because everyone loves the white sand we have here.”

They might also love beach volleyball, wakeboarding, paddleboarding, sand soccer, kayaking or tumbling through floating inflatables in the aqua park.

SunWest opened on the Fourth of July weekend off U.S. 19, at 17362 Old Dixie Highway in Hudson.

Portions of the park remain under construction, and an official grand opening is anticipated in spring.

The county acquired the property in the mid-1980s when it was the site of a former limestone mine with a spring-fed lake. More than a decade of discussions and planning preceded the construction of SunWest.

A lifeguard sits atop the floating gym featured at the SunWest Park.

The park provides a beach experience without traveling a great distance, said Mariano, adding that it can be a “staycation” for local residents and a tourist destination for others.

“It’s a lot easier to get here from anywhere in the county, than going to Clearwater,” he said.

On a recent weekend the Ballard family, from Reston, Virginia, took a detour from Weeki Wachee to check out SunWest. Trent Ballard, 16, adapted his snowboarding skills for acrobatics on SunWest’s wakeboarding course.

Closer to home, the Bartosch clan, from Port Richey, took turns snapping family photos in a gigantic rainbow-colored beach chair.

Gianni Finley, 5, gets help from wakeboard instructor and general manager, Dusty Stone of New Port Richey. Finley, with her parents Jake and Jacki Finley, and brother Nathan Myers, 14, were visiting from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

In November, the park hosted the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament with teams from the Florida State University, Florida International University and Florida Atlantic University.

More tournaments are in the works.

About 20 volleyball courts are open, but Mariano said park operator Patrick Pakanos is adding more courts, as well as upgrading an aerial cable system for wakeboarding enthusiasts.

Pasco County broke records for tourism in 2015, and, as SunWest grows, the hope is that the park will be a major attraction.

“His (Pakanos) goal is to turn it into a destination with tournaments for wakeboarding, volleyball and soccer,” said Ed Caum, Pasco County’s tourism director. “The county supports that all the way.”

Published January 27, 2016

Hillsborough libraries seeking public input

January 27, 2016 By Kevin Weiss

The Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative wants to hear the thoughts of area residents to help it develop its five-year plan.

The cooperative has scheduled a series of evening open houses at nine regional libraries, where residents can voice their thoughts about improving the library system, as well as changes or additions they would like to see over the next few years.

The next two open houses will be at the Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library on Feb. 2 and the New Tampa Regional Library on Feb. 16. All open houses take place on Tuesdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative had an open house session at the Upper Tampa Bay Regional Public Library on Jan. 19. Approximately 45 residents attended to provide feedback on the county’s library system. (Courtesy of Hillsborough County Public Library) — The Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative had an open house session at the Upper Tampa Bay Regional Public Library on Jan. 19. Approximately 45 residents attended to provide feedback on the county’s library system.
(Courtesy of Hillsborough County Public Library)

“The way our open house works is that for each of our five major service programs of the library, there’s a station where we’re collecting input and interacting with folks to get some feedback specifically about how we’re doing stuff, and what they want,” said Andrew Breidenbaugh, director of library services for the Hillsborough County Public Library system. It’s a little too early to know what the overall picture is going to be, but the kind of things we’re trying to get information about is the things that are changing about libraries.”

Accessing more books and items in digital format appears to be one of the main changes in the habits of local library users, which includes 53 percent of all Hillsborough County residents.

From October of 2014 to October 2015, library visits decreased 11 percent, and the circulation of physical items decreased by 9 percent.

Conversely, the circulation of virtual items (e-books, e-audiobooks, magazines, streaming music/movies and full-text downloads) increased by 22 percent for the 20th largest library system in the country.

“Libraries have been going through rapid change,” Breidenbaugh said. “We are looking at those types of things to make sure the direction we’re going is what meets our customers’ needs.

“Our customers in Hillsborough County have been strong adopters of the digital format. This year, we circulated over 1 million e-books for the first time ever. So, there are some trends we’re looking at.”

In addition to possibly expanding the library system’s digital collection and other technologies, Breidenbaugh is also looking into how the library system can make a more meaningful impact in community building.

“We’re looking at how we support entrepreneurs and startup businesses,” the library director said. “We’re also looking at how we support new Americans, and how we support school-age children — people who are advancing from one level to the next.

“I would love to do a promotion of reading as an activity. We’ve been focused on our technology side for the last few years, and we’ll continue to do that, but one of the things the library offers…is literacy, and the access to information and reading.”

On the whole, the strategic plan will be a “very customer-driven process,” so the county’s library system can best serve its users for the future.

“There’s lots of ideas of things I’d like to do, but we really do need to filter that by what our customers want, because we know that no matter what we put in place, we’re going to be most successful, if we’re doing what really matters to the residents,” Breidenbaugh added.

In addition to the open houses, the library cooperative will begin offering surveys for library users in the spring. Then in the summer, the cooperative plans to create focus groups for specific segments of the library user population — teenagers, seniors, Spanish speakers, and teachers — to ensure the library is meeting their needs.

Once all the data is compiled from the open houses, surveys and focus groups, the cooperative will team up with the Hillsborough County Public Library Board to craft its five-year plan, which they hope to have in place by October, which is the beginning of fiscal year 2017.

Hillsborough County Library Cooperative
What: Open houses at regional public libraries to seek input from residents
Where: Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library and New Tampa Regional Library
When: Tuesday, Feb. 2 (Jimmie B. Keel) and Tuesday, Feb. 16 (New Tampa) from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
For more information, visit hcplc.org.

Published January 27, 2016

Carolyn Forche shares her poetry at Saint Leo

January 27, 2016 By Kathy Steele

Poet and human rights advocate Carolyn Forche learned a lot about life and language from her paternal grandmother, Anna, an immigrant from the former Czechoslovakia.

Her grandmother spoke five languages, said Forche, but her English was inventive. She described a colander as “macaroni stop water go head.”

Forche paid attention.

“I thought, ‘Oh, you can play with language, make things up.’ It helped with my writing,” she said.

The poet was a scribe at an early age, composing her first poem at age 9.

She didn’t write her first serious poem until she was 20.

Her grandmother and relationships among family and friends often are reflected in her poetry.

Poet Carolyn Forche read her poetry to a crowd of about 100 people at Saint Leo University. She shared both new and old works. (Courtesy of Jonathan Shoemaker/Saint Leo University) — Poet Carolyn Forche read her poetry to a crowd of about 100 people at Saint Leo University. She shared both new and old works.
(Courtesy of Jonathan Shoemaker/Saint Leo University)

But, it was a second book of poems, drawing on her experiences in war-torn El Salvador in the 1980s, that first brought her renown.

“The Country Between Us” became a national bestseller, a rare occurrence for a book of poetry.

During her long career, Forche has garnered acclaim as a poet, a translator and a human rights advocate.

She gave a reading from her works on Jan. 21 for about 100 people at the Student Community Center at Saint Leo University. The university’s Daniel A. Cannon Memorial Library sponsored the event.

Forche currently is working on a new book of poetry, and a memoir about her personal experiences in El Salvador, Lebanon, South Africa and France.

Some of her poems are about witnesses or victims of the brutality suffered during wars, torture and imprisonment.

In her poem, “The Colonel,” she describes an encounter with a Salvadoran colonel who angrily dumps a bag of severed human ears onto a table – his trophies from people put to death during the civil war that began in the late 1970s.

Forche dedicated that poem to Oscar Romero, the Catholic priest who was assassinated during the Salvadoran civil war.

One week before his death, he helped Forche get safely out of the country.

Forche had gone there on a Guggenheim fellowship, as an observer for Amnesty International. She helped in efforts to find out what happened to people who had “disappeared” or who were imprisoned.

Some observers, she said, would go to “body dumps” to match faces of the dead with photos.

She recounted her visit to try and map the interior of a prison by visiting a prisoner she pretended to know.

She has been called at times a political poet, but Forche doesn’t accept that label.

Instead, she describes what she writes as a “poetry of witness,” regardless of whether the subject is political or not.

Her themes are personal ones reflecting on how events, memories or relationships shape and give context to how people live.

“I’ve never been a political person. I’ve never been in a political organization,” she said. “I think artists and writers tend to be too weird for political organizations.”

Responding to a question about how to make the world better, Forche said people can learn a skill that people need.

Doctors without Borders, for example, might need a dental hygienist.

Volunteer service in the community can help, too.

“Get a project,” she said. “Look at a small problem and solve it.”

Marketing student Amanda Topper, 19, asked about Forche’s creative process.

Forche said the creative process isn’t easy to define. She does keep a moleskin notebook handy. “I’m writing in it all the time.”

Inspiration can’t be forced, she said, noting she doesn’t choose a subject and then start writing.

“If you overthink it, you can screw up your inspiration,” she said. “But, you do have to sit down and work, even if you aren’t inspired,” Forche said.

The poet said she does at least 20 minutes a day of free writing.

While she read her poems with assurance, Forche said reading for an audience took practice.

“I’ve always been terrified of standing up and giving poetry readings,” she said. “I was a shy kid. I learned to do this. It wasn’t natural to me.”

Her poetry books include “The Angel of History,” “The Country Between Us” and “The Blue Hour.”

She also edited two anthologies, “Against Forgetting: Twentieth Century Poetry of Witness” and “Poetry of Witness: The Tradition in English, 1500-2001.”

Her translations include the late Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish’s “Unfortunately, It Was Paradise: Selected Poems,” and Central American poet Claribel Alegria’s “Flowers from the Volcano.”

She currently is director of the Lannan Center for Poetry and Social Practice at Georgetown University.

Published January 27, 2016

Recycling and fun are major themes at Learning Gate

January 27, 2016 By B.C. Manion

The seventh- and eighth-graders were so revved up, it seemed like they were competing for a big cash prize.

But, they were battling for something that has no price tag.

Plastic trays, garden hose, plate liners and tin molds are used to bring life to the side of a storage shed at Learning Gate Community School’s seventh- and eighth-grade campus. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photos) — Plastic trays, garden hose, plate liners and tin molds are used to bring life to the side of a storage shed at Learning Gate Community School’s seventh- and eighth-grade campus.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photos)

They were going after bragging rights during a physical challenge at Learning Gate Community School, at the school’s seventh- and eighth-grade campus at 207 W. Lutz Lake Fern Road.

The kids were clearly having a blast, as they crab walked, kangaroo hopped, buzzard circled, salamander slithered, inch walked and piggyback rode through a relay race in the school’s auditorium.

The place was rocking with cheers and laughter, as teams raced back and forth.

The relay race is just one of the challenges that students have participated in this year, said Principal Michelle Mason said.

The challenges vary. Sometimes they’re physical. Other times they’re academic or have another focus.

“We make sure everybody has a chance to be the star and use their natural gift,” Mason said.

The students are competitive, she said.

But, points can be earned in other ways, too, the principal said.

Teachers can reward students that they notice are going above and beyond — academically, socially or behaviorally.

“We try to make sure that we encourage them in all different ways,” she said.

Although the elementary school and the middle school are on two different campuses, the school makes it a point to build on the curriculum, to give students a seamless education, she said.

The school places a heavy emphasis on environmental education and has won national recognition.

It received a 2014 Best of Green Schools award from the U.S. Green Building Council for the annual EcoFest that the school organizes.

Originally held on the school’s campus in Lutz, the event became so popular that it was moved to Tampa’s Lowry Park.

The event brings together businesses, organizations and individuals from Tampa Bay dedicated to the principles of sustainability.

The elementary campus has a sizable garden, and the seventh- and eighth-grade campus will be adding one.

This is the first year that the seventh- and eighth-graders have been housed at the Lutz Lake Fern Road campus, in a building that previously housed Hand in Hand Academy.

The seventh- and eighth-graders had been attending classes in an office building on Florida Avenue, but that was always intended as a temporary location.

At Learning Gate Community School’s seventh- and eighth-grade campus, the words ‘upcycle’ and ‘recycle’ are part of the school’s daily life. They’re reusing an old building for their school and are using ingenuity to create outdoor décor. Spray paint and hubcaps can be transformed into outdoor whimsical décor.

The charter school had been seeking to build a school for grades six through 12 off U.S. 41, but those attempts were abandoned after community opposition to the proposed site.

The Lutz Lake Fern Road location gives the students what they need, Mason said.

“We spent all summer getting this in shape for the kids to come in. We made it work for us,” she said.

“We’ve kind of been using the whole theme of recycling,” she said. “We’ve recycled and reused this older building.”

Outside, spray-painted bicycle rims and old hubcaps have been transformed into flowers, and a shack is decked out with flowers, featuring recycled items and green garden hose.

This campus has 176 students and can accommodate up to 205.

The school originally wanted up to 250 students, but agreed to compromise with community representatives for a maximum of 205.

“I think it was a good compromise,” Mason said.

Published January 27, 2016

Pasco administrator set to retire in 2017

January 27, 2016 By Kathy Steele

Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker expects to be very busy over the next year and a half.

She’ll be crossing off a to-do list, one by one, before leaving in 2017 to go on a lengthy road trip with her husband.

The couple will hit the road with their recreational vehicle and their motorcycles, on a tour of as many baseball parks and national parks as they can squeeze into a year.

“That’s been our dream,” Baker said, so letting her contract lapse in July 2017 makes sense.

But, don’t expect a lame duck administrator.

“There’s no kicking back here,” Baker said. “This isn’t me slowing down.”

Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker has much work to do before her planned retirement in 2017. (File Photo) — Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker has much work to do before her planned retirement in 2017.
(File Photo)

Baker has told Pasco County commissioners she won’t seek renewal of her current two-year contract, which makes her last day July 9, 2017.

By then, Baker will have worked 35 years in public service, 24 of those years with Pasco County.

Her to-do list, in short form, includes:

Completing master plans and updates for storm water, solid waste and tourism
Funding and building a diverging diamond road design to ease traffic congestion at State Road 56 and Interstate 75
Completing the State Road 56 extension
Nurturing SunWest Park, the county’s fledgling aqua park
Replacing and repairing aging infrastructure and roads damaged by the summer flooding
Making progress on the expansion of the jail and construction of new fire stations
Relocating more government offices to central Pasco

Baker also plans to fill vacancies for a few key leadership positions that remain, including an assistant county administrator for public safety and administration.

Progress has been made, Baker said, but government services still could be more customer-friendly.

A culture that was decades in the making is being changed, she said. “You don’t get to turn a canoe. You’re turning a ship.”

Public service wasn’t Baker’s first career choice.

Over the years she worked as a waitress, flight attendant and a theater manager. She also served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve.

Her undergraduate degree was in business administration.

It wasn’t until she accepted a secretarial position with Miami-Dade County’s emergency management office that she discovered her passion for public service.

“I see that it was the hand of God, a bit of destiny with doors I went through and doors I didn’t go through,” Baker said. “But, I fell in love. I am not a competitive, money-directed person by nature. Public service allowed me an opportunity to make a difference.”

She was an emergency operations officer in Miami when Hurricane Andrew devastated that city in 1992.

Pasco County Administrator John Gallagher hired her away the following year as Pasco’s emergency management director. She interviewed for the job the day before the “No-Name” storm (also known as the “Storm of the Century”) slammed Florida’s coast and flooded west Pasco.

Baker cut a vacation short to take on the new job.

Over the years, Gallagher showed his confidence in her, tapping Baker as program administrator for engineering, and for nearly six years as his chief assistant county administrator.

As head of engineering, she oversaw the launching of the county’s Environmental Land Acquisition and Management Program, which buys and manages environmentally sensitive land throughout the county.

She also got the Penny for Pasco program off the ground. Funds from a penny sales tax are shared with the county, cities and the school districts for building projects.

“We had a new program to seek stewardship of at its birth,” Baker said.

She took the helm as interim county administrator in 2013 when Gallagher retired after more than 30 years in the job. County commissioners initially offered the administrator’s job to a candidate from Texas who unexpectedly walked away during contract negotiations.

When Baker was appointed, she was the first woman to hold the county’s top administrative job.

She took over as the county struggled with deep budget cuts and staff layoffs, following the nation’s deepest recession in history.

Baker credits Gallagher for initially steering the county safely through a new era of leaner budgets and fewer staff members. Even as Gallagher prepared to retire, about half of the county’s departmental managers indicated they also planned to retire.

“He empowered me to begin the transition,” she said. “We saw the handwriting on the wall. There was going to be a substantial correction. We didn’t know how bad it was going to be. But, we knew our revenues would be tightening.”

Baker also shared with Gallagher a vision of reorganizing county government and putting an emphasis on customer service.

“You have to operate more efficiently and keep level of service residents want because government has less money,” Baker said.

Baker routinely provides county commissioners with a quarterly report updating them on her progress for the projects on that to-do list.

Discussions are expected to begin soon on how the board will search for a replacement. That typically takes about seven to nine months, Baker said.

She would like to have that person on board before she leaves to help with the transition.

“I am, by nature, an organized planner,” Baker said. “I want to hire and mentor that person. I will have been successful if my successor is successful.”

Once the ignition key is turned on the RV though, it’s a new adventure ahead.

Published January 27, 2016

A chance to see stars, and moon craters

January 27, 2016 By Kevin Weiss

Kevin Manning knows a thing or two about astronomy.

And, the former NASA consultant and college instructor shared his knowledge in a 90-minute presentation about the solar system at the Hugh Embry Library in Dade City on Jan. 20.

Manning’s “Look Up to the Stars” presentation provided a virtual journey through the sun, the planets and their moons, and debris left over from the earliest times of the solar system’s formation.

Manning, who’s given workshops at the Hugh Embry Library on four other occasions, gave viewers of all ages an in-depth, yet understandable, history lesson on outer space and the eight planets.

People who attended the presentation were able to use Manning’s homemade telescope to gaze at stars and look at craters on the moon. (Kevin Weiss/Staff Photo) — People who attended the presentation were able to use Manning’s homemade telescope to gaze at stars and look at craters on the moon.
(Kevin Weiss/Staff Photo)

“I like how he was able to condense everything into an hour-and-a-half presentation,” said Karyn Moses, who teaches science at R.B. Stewart Middle School in Zephyrhills. “It’s something that would take months to try to teach.”

Moses, who also operates an astronomy club at the school, plans on passing along a few of Manning’s factoids to her class.

“I’ve never been able to figure out the difference between a meteoroid and an asteroid,” she remarked. “I’m very thankful that he cleared that up, because I’ve searched and searched for that.

“Also, the exoplanets that we’re looking for around red dwarf stars is interesting to me — about how we’re finding them and why they’re easiest to find,” she said.

Jennifer Croteau of Dade City particularly enjoyed the visual aspect of Manning’s interactive presentation.

“I really enjoyed the photographs; just making it real,” Croteau said. “The actual 3-D and 360-degree views — I just found it awe-inspiring.

“It was just incredible how much has been going on for so long. It was a really neat opportunity to have someone at his level speak to where everyone could understand,” Croteau said.

With news of the possibility of a ninth planet existing, Manning was firm in in his assertion that Pluto never should have lost its planetary status in 2006. He believes Pluto should currently be the ninth planet.

“It’s really a captivating world because it has five moons; that’s four more than we have (on Earth),” Manning explained.

“There was concern about (Pluto) not sweeping out the area around it of the loose debris — that is one of the things that defines planets today. It was found that if Earth was where Pluto is, it wouldn’t have successfully sweeped the area around it either, so does that mean we should can Earth as a planet?

“I wish people would reconsider putting it back as a planet, and grandfather it in,” he said.

Furthermore, he noted that “Planet Nine” is located in the Kuiper Belt, which was another case made dismissing Pluto as a planet.

“The irony of the thing is that the guy who pushed originally for Pluto’s demotion as a planet, (Caltech professor) Mike Brown, is also the same guy who is purporting the presence of “Planet Nine” which is way out in the Kuiper Belt,” Manning said. “For this very distant object…to be even provisional called “Planet Nine” puzzles me, because of the argument against Pluto.”

Manning said that it’s “way too soon” to determine whether or not the so-called “Planet Nine” should be deserving of planetary status.

“We’re always being surprised, we’re always finding differences, so that’s why we need to keep an open mind about what is and what is not a planet,” he said.

Manning, who presents workshops at libraries, schools, universities and conventions throughout the United States, became interested in astronomy as a youth, when he used a childhood friend’s telescope to see the craters on the moon and Saturn’s plane of rings.

“I love the universe, and I love exploring the universe,” said Manning, who lives in New York, but refers to Tampa as his second home.

“There’s so much more out there that we don’t know. …Four percent of the entire universe is what we really know. Ninety-six percent is yet unknown…comprised of dark matter and dark energy.”

Despite the vast majority of the universe being unknown, Manning believes that may change over the next few decades, due to recent technological advances.

“There’s detectors aboard the ISS (International Space Station) that are getting a lot of data about dark matter and dark energy,” Manning said. “There’s different probes that are acquiring data, but it’s still a little nebulous.”

Published January 27, 2016

Band has big dreams and bold ambitions

January 27, 2016 By B.C. Manion

They haven’t had many big gigs yet, but the band that calls itself Beyond Chaotic hopes that will change soon.

In fact, the six-member band is planning to travel to Orlando next month to audition for “America’s Got Talent.”

Alex Karafilis plays violin during a rehearsal of Beyond Chaotic. She hopes the group will tour and do a record deal some day. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photos) — Alex Karafilis plays violin during a rehearsal of Beyond Chaotic. She hopes the group will tour and do a record deal some day.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photos)

Band members say they know it’s a big stage, and they admit they’re a bit nervous, but they want to go for it.

After all, they’re trying to build their fan base.

That sounds like a lot of the acts that appear on the popular television program.

But, Beyond Chaotic is not exactly a typical band.

It’s a rock group, and its six members are all age 12 or younger.

The members are Max Karafilis and his sister, Alex; Colin Mendoza and his sister, Kayla; Devon Bilek and Dominic Fusco.

They live in Land O’ Lakes and Wesley Chapel.

Two are homeschooled, two go to Seven Oaks Elementary, one attends Lutz Preparatory School, and the other attends John Long Middle School.

All of them love music, and they’re willing to work hard to improve their musical chops.

Max is the band’s lead singer. Alex plays violin and keyboard, and sings, mostly backup, too. Devon is the bass player. Dominic plays leader guitar. Colin is the drummer, and Kayla is on keyboard.

Five of the band members met during the Bigel Music Rock Band Camp last summer.

They’ve all been playing instruments longer, and they practice together two to three times a week — in addition to their private lessons.

Dominic Fusco plays lead guitar, in the foreground, while Kayla Mendoza plays keyboard in the background. Fusco said he enjoys performing in front of crowds, once he gets past the stage fright.

Like many bands, they’ve already had one player drop out. She had a conflict with church and Sunday school.

Colin’s sister stepped up to fill the gap, because the 8-year-old has been playing keyboard since she was around 4.

So far, their biggest crowd was during shows they played at The Shops at Wiregrass during the holidays.

They played three sets, of 40 minutes each, to hundreds of people, according to Cindy Karafilis, Max and Alex’s mom.

They have a play list of roughly 20 songs, ranging from “The Phoenix” by Fall Out Boy to “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragon to “Seven Nation Army” by White Stripes.

They’re also beginning to write their own music.

Being in a band has its demands and its rewards, they said.

“It’s hard, but it’s fun,” said Alex, who handles the vocals.

Twelve-year-old Devon put it like this: “It makes me feel accomplished that I can play music really well, when I hear the crowd getting excited when we’re playing.”

They may be young, but they have big dreams.

Alex wants to go on tour and wouldn’t mind getting a record deal.

Devon wants to build the band’s fan base.

Max wants to play a bigger venue, so more people can see them and spread the word about the band.

They have some gigs lined up.

Max Karafilis is the lead singer in a rock band called Beyond Chaotic. The kids are all 12 or younger, but they have bold ambitions and big dreams.

They’re on the schedule for Feb. 5 at the Carrollwood Cultural Center, they’ll do a few numbers at the Valentine’s Dance at Seven Oaks Elementary School, and they’re scheduled to play April 16 at Journey for a Cure 5k at Al Lopez Park to benefit St. Joseph’s Children Hospital.

They’re also open to playing for private parties, Cindy Karafilis said.

But, they’re so new to the game that they haven’t quite figured out what to charge when they do get a paying gig, she said.

Regardless of the venue, the kids seem to love it.

“It’s hard work, of course. It’s really fun,” Colin said. “I think it’s pretty exciting.”

Dominic agreed: “It’s really fun to perform. Once you get over that little hump of being afraid to go onstage, it’s a blast.”

Some day, fame may come. But, for now, they’re just working hard — and turning up the volume.

Published January 27, 2016

In a disaster, she’ll know what to do

January 20, 2016 By Kevin Weiss

Vicki Buchanan is a woman who likes to be prepared.

In fact, her inherent interest in being one step ahead led the Florida Hospital Zephyrhills nurse supervisor and emergency responder to take part in training offered by the Center for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston, Alabama.

The center, which is operated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency, is the only federally chartered Weapons of Mass Destruction training facility in the nation.

Buchanan, an employee at Florida Hospital Zephyrhills for 23 years, said the experience was amazing.

“People from all across the world came there for training,” Buchanan said.

The interactive training allowed her to use skills she had, and to acquire new ones, she said.

It helped her to “gain a new appreciation for how multiple organizations work together during a mass casualty incident,” she said.

Vicki Buchanan participates in an emergency training drill for first responders at the Center for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston, Alabama. (Courtesy of Florida Hospital Zephyrhills) — Vicki Buchanan participates in an emergency training drill for first responders at the Center for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston, Alabama.
(Courtesy of Florida Hospital Zephyrhills)

During the training, she and 40 others were placed in realistic scenarios that simulated a wide range of emergencies or disasters, forcing the trainees to effectively handle stressful situations for hours on end.

One exercise focused on what to do when a bomb is attached to someone’s body.

“While we knew it was an exercise in training, you kept thinking in your mind, ‘Is it? Is it really?’” she said. “The pressure was on, and it was absolutely intense.”

Before transitioning into the nursing field, Buchanan was the director of the Pasco County Sheriff’s communication office for 15 years. Prior to that, she spent time in the U.S. Air Force.

As the daughter of a family practice physician, Buchanan decided to seek a new challenge and obtained her nursing degree.

Over the years, she worked her way up from being a registered nurse to becoming a nurse supervisor.

“It’s the best job in the hospital,” Buchanan said. “I’m in every area of the hospital all day long, making rounds. In case of an emergency, or if something were to happen, it would be no problem if I had to get things in order.”

During her time at the Weapons of Mass Destruction Training Center, Buchanan gained a comprehensive understanding of how chemical and biological agents are used as weapons of mass destruction, and how to handle a disastrous situation, if one arises.

With a heightened focus and concern about terrorism nationally and abroad, Buchanan said it’s critical to always be prepared, even in a smaller city like Zephyrhills.

She pointed out the hospital is just 3 miles away from a railroad track that consistently is loaded with trains carrying hydrous ammonia and chlorine gas —two chemicals that can cause a lot of damage if exposed to the public.

Buchanan said it’s impossible to predict if a terror attack would occur in or near Zephyrhills.

“You never know,” she said. “It behooves us all to be ready in a calm, predetermined manner. You have to be cognizant of what (chemical) agents can do and how quickly they act, and how many people are affected.”

If a calamity occurs nearby, Buchanan would lead the hospital’s eight-member Emergency Response Team (ERT) and would be in charge of setting up a triage point outside the 139-bed regional medical center.

“The whole purpose for the hospital ERT is to ‘protect the house.’ That’s the big mantra,” Buchanan said about the hospital. “While it’s a hospital, we have to take care of everybody who comes to the doors, and we have to be prepared to screen the people who show up — ones that are scared or exposed or not exposed. ERT gives us a way to set up a triage point before people get into the building; if someone’s contaminated, we’d do some decontamination before it spreads.”

When tasked with choosing people to serve on her response team, Buchanan said she looked for certain qualities and personality traits suited for dealing with a catastrophe.

“We needed people that I felt were calm in a crisis,” she stated. “Underneath that veneer, they may be going, ‘Oh my gosh, now what?’ but, at least they can maintain their composure and say, ‘OK, this is what’s going on, and this is what we have to do.’

“People I’ve selected on my team in the hospital are people who are amongst their peers viewed as leaders, because you tend to listen to your peers and emulate the actions that they do,” she said.

While the specialized training was grueling and stressful, Buchanan said it was a great learning experience. She thinks more agencies should take advantage of the opportunity.

“Homeland Security provides everything — the training, the housing and the meals. …I would encourage everybody from law enforcement, first responders, health care officials, anybody, to check it out,” she said.

Published January 20, 2016

Development is heating up in Land O’ Lakes

January 20, 2016 By Kathy Steele

Recent rezoning applications suggest that Land O’ Lakes is on the radar for new development.

Potential projects on tap are a craft brewery, new retail and townhomes —all along a single stretch of Land O’ Lakes Boulevard, north of State Road 54.

Each project received a recommendation of approval on Jan. 13, from the Pasco County Planning Commission, a voluntary group that advises the Pasco County Commission, after reviewing recommendations from the county’s planning staff.

The Pasco County Commission is scheduled to consider the three proposals at its Jan. 26 meeting.

Imperial Buffet is applying for a license to sell beer and wine at its location in the Village Lakes Shopping Center, off State Road 54, in Land O’ Lakes. (Kathy Steele/Staff Photos) — Imperial Buffet is applying for a license to sell beer and wine at its location in the Village Lakes Shopping Center, off State Road 54, in Land O’ Lakes.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photos)

Representatives of Interior Elegance Inc., and In the Loop Brewing have applied for a beer and wine license at a building located at 3338 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.

County records show plans call for a 540-square-foot brewery, a 2,800-square-foot tap and tasting room, and an outdoor beer garden of nearly 6,800 square feet.

Just south of the proposed brewery, owners of E List Properties are proposing to build about 7,500 square feet of retail, and five townhomes with a boat dock fronting Lake Padgett.

That nearly two-acre site is at 3300 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., north of Stiverson Road.

Real estate broker Jim O’ Brien represented E List Properties at the planning commission meeting.

O’ Brien told planning commissioners that no decisions had been made yet on the type of retail the project would include.

E List Properties is seeking to rezone a vacant lot on Land O’ Lakes Boulevard for townhomes and retail development.

After the meeting, O’ Brien said it is not surprising to see new interest in the Land O’ Lakes area based on residential development on U.S. 41, given the county’s new growth spurt. “It’s going to create more opportunities,” O’ Brien said. “People want to work where they live.”

He doesn’t anticipate a quick start to construction by E List, but he said, “Everything north of State Road 54 is booming.”

Brother Investments Inc., rounded out the three proposals, with a plan to build a contractor’s office, with storage, at 3228 Land O’ Lakes Blvd. The zoning, if approved, would change from residential to commercial and light manufacturing.

In other rezoning requests in Land O’ Lakes, Imperial Buffet in the Village Lakes Shopping Center, off State Road 54, is seeking a beer and wine license. The restaurant opened Jan. 15 at the former location of Ichiban Buffet.

In another request, John D. Jones is seeking to rezone property at 7329 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., north of Gator Lane, from general commercial to commercial and light manufacturing. He proposes to remodel an existing building as a contractor’s office, with storage space.

Published January 20, 2016

Blind golfer inspires Saint Leo crowd

January 20, 2016 By Kevin Weiss

Being legally blind won’t stop 26-year-old Jeremy Poincenot from enjoying life.

Poincenot, a blind golfing champion and inspirational speaker, presented life lessons to a group of college students at Saint Leo University on Jan. 13.

Throughout his hour-long speech, Poincenot reinforced positive thinking and the importance of displaying kindness and being selfless.

The speech was well received from several attendees, who noted they weren’t sure how they would manage to go through life if they were legally blind.

“I thought it was a really good story,” said Leo Jurcak, a freshman at Saint Leo. “It was really inspiring.”

Poincenot’s advice was thought-provoking for Liam O’ Brien, another freshman at the university.

Jeremy Poincenot’s father, Lionel, serves as his caddie, helping to explain where to place shots. (Courtesy of Jeremy Poincenot) — Jeremy Poincenot’s father, Lionel, serves as his caddie, helping to explain where to place shots.
(Courtesy of Jeremy Poincenot)

“I think it opens a perspective that most people don’t see on a regular basis,” O’ Brien said. “What stood out was the idea…that someone may look perfectly fine, but you have no idea what’s going on in a person’s head. I learned to not take anything for granted and to not take life too seriously sometimes.”

Poincenot lost his central vision in 2008, then a 19-year-old college student at San Diego State University. The cause of blindness was a result of a rare genetic disorder called Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy, which affects only about 100 people per year.

The disease is mostly prevalent among young males. It has no treatment or cure. It caused Poincenot to gradually lose his vision over a period of two months.

“I was on campus one day, and noticed I had to squint to read a sign and never had to do that before, so I was like, ‘All right, I just need glasses. Whatever. It is what it is,’” he detailed. “Then, all of a sudden it kept getting progressively worse and worse. … It started in my right eye, and then in two months went to my left eye…now I’m legally blind with no central vision.”

It was a shock for Poincenot, who was initially unsure of what he would do or how he would cope for the rest of his life.

“I had no idea what I could do,” he said. “I thought I was going to have to start playing the piano and be like Ray Charles or Stevie Wonder.

“Everything was an adjustment. It was a total adjustment to a new way of life.”

As he deliberated his next move in life, his mother Lissa, told him about the United States Blind Golf Association. The idea seemed far-fetched to Poincenot, who spent three years on his high school’s varsity golf team.

“Golf is a very visual sport, so I didn’t think golf could ever be a possibility,” said Poincenot, adding that he thought his mom was kidding when she told him. “I didn’t like slow players (in high school), so the idea to blind golf was the epitome of slow play. I was like, ‘There’s no way; even if I could play, I don’t want to slow people up.’”

After going through a period of grief and hopelessness, Poincenot opted to try the sport again after receiving support from his family and friends.

For Poincenot, the toughest part about getting back into the game he loved so much was managing his expectations.

“The first time I went out, I shot a 99, and I was happy to break 100, but was like: ‘That’s so bad.’ I would’ve curled up in a ball in high school if I shot that number,” said Poincenot, who consistently shot in the 70s in high school.

“Now that I’ve lost my sight…you’ve got to realize it’s not that bad, and just try to get better from there.”

With the help of his father, Lionel, who serves as his caddie, Poincenot regularly shoots in the low 80s, with career lows of 74 and 77. His game improved so much that he became the 2013 U.S. National Blind Golf Champion in the B-2 (visually impaired golfers, but not fully blind) category.

“My dad is my eyes, my guide, my caddie on the course,” said Poincenot, deflecting the credit for his accomplishments. “He does all the work, and I just execute the shots.”

While golf is a “glorified hobby” for Poincenot, he consistently uses it as a frame of reference for his speaking engagements, which he does in front of both university and corporate audiences across the country.

“He’s turned his adversity into something that can help people change their perspective whenever they face whatever trials or tribulations that they have,” said Patrick Gallagher, a college friend of Poincenot’s since they were both in the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity at San Diego State University. “I think he really spends a lot of time to intentionally care about people and get to know them. It’s a lot easier to pick up life lessons when you have somebody that puts in the effort to build a relationship.”

For those going through personal struggles, Poincenot said the key to overcoming those problems is to be surrounded by people who are “dreamers and believers.”

“Surround yourself with good people,” Poincenot said. “Like, I didn’t think I could play golf, but my mom, dad and family pushed me into it. …It’s about just getting out and trying things and being resourceful, because I really do think we set our own limitations. I didn’t let anyone else tell me what I could or could not do for a living.

“If a blind guy can go out and play golf, and get his way out to Florida on his own, anybody can do whatever they put their mind to for sure,” he said.

Published January 20, 2016