The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

Loan program aims to attract Pasco jobs

By

Pasco County has earmarked $15 million for a revolving loan program ultimately aimed at creating more jobs.

The program seeks to encourage investors to prepare sites for development, or build shell buildings for office or industrial use, thus speeding the process for companies that want to set up shop in Pasco County.

The deadline for applications for this new loan program is Nov. 13.

The revolving loan program stems from a demonstrated need in the county, said John Hagen, president and CEO of the Pasco Economic Development Council Inc.

John Hagen
John Hagen

“We have kind of a product shortage here,” Hagen said. The lack of ready office or industrial space has resulted in missed opportunities for Pasco, he said.

“We’re getting these companies that are coming to us that are looking for a building, or they’re looking for a piece of land that they can go build something on immediately, and it’s not there,” Hagen said.

When there’s not something available in Pasco, they go looking elsewhere, he said.

“It’s really about speed to market,” Hagen said.

Investors may be willing to take the risk, but they have a hard time getting credit unless there are known tenants for the office or industrial space, Hagen said.

There also are sites that may be entitled for industrial uses, but they don’t have the proper infrastructure – such as a road leading to it, or proper utilities — to support it.

The revolving loan program is designed to offer terms that would encourage private investment.

Hagen believes there’s demand for this product, once it is demonstrated that inventory is available.

Ideally, as buildings go up or sites are prepared, new business ventures will step forward, which will allow the loans to be repaid and new loans to be issued, Hagen said

“We don’t know what the private sector ultimately will do, until somebody submits an application, but I think it’s a great tool for us. If we do a couple of them, it will hopefully stimulate other development, but also it will get revolved into other projects.”

The creation of the loan program is a result of combined efforts between Pasco County and the Pasco EDC’s Competitive Task Force.

Melanie Kendrick, acting program director for Pasco County’s Office of Economic Growth said the revolving loan program aims to set the stage for private investors to step forward.

“We know that the holding costs are going to be expensive for the property owners or the developers, and they don’t want to take the risks right now because they’re not sure whether or not that the market is going to support it, or they’re not going to be able to get somebody in there quickly enough to recoup their costs as quickly as they’d like to have a return on their own investment,” she said.

There are two parts to the county’s program.

The Pasco Accelerate Development Sites (PADS) program gets the site as close to development-ready as possible.

The PORS (Pasco Occupant Ready Shells) program provides buildings to shorten the time it takes for a company to set up in Pasco.

“They would build the building. It doesn’t have to be finished on the inside. It can be just the four walls and the roof. They can have a tenant build-out. It can be multi-tenant or single tenant,” Kendrick said.

Both programs have the same goal.

“They can get up and running quicker than if they had to start from scratch,” she said.

“The real end game here is that we want employers to move into a building and create some jobs,” Hagen said.

Pasco County officially distributes solicitation documents through the Florida Online Bid System. Solicitation documents may be downloaded at no cost.

Documents also may also be obtained from the county’s purchasing department in accordance with Florida Statutes that pertain to public records.

Published November 4, 2015

 

Wiregrass Sports Park on new path?

By

The future of the Wiregrass Sports Park is in play, again.

A new call for proposals will be issued within the next month seeking developers who want to partner with Pasco County in building and operating a field house for indoor sports such as basketball, wrestling and volleyball.

The project also envisions the potential for four or five outdoor ball fields. And, eventually there could be tourist attractions such as an indoor zipline, indoor skydiving, and a driving range.

But, even as the county puts the project out for bid, negotiations are under way on a new proposal from the Porter family, who have played a considerable role in influencing the development of the area.

The family previously owned the land now occupied by The Shops at Wiregrass, Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, as well as residential subdivisions and public schools.

The Porters donated more than 200 acres to Pasco County in 2012 with a stipulation that if a sports complex didn’t happen, then a park would be developed.

Since then, the county has sifted through one proposal after another, but none has panned out.

The family is eager to see work starting at the site.

It came down to one question for them.

“What can we do as a family to get this off the ground and make it a reality?” J.D. Porter asked.

Within the past two weeks, they presented county officials with a new vision for a town center-style community at Wiregrass with homes, hotels and retail. The proposal incorporates the field house, but also draws a grander vision for a wetlands area with trails, a convention center and/or performing arts center at PHSC’s Porter Campus, a public park and green space for Wiregrass residents.

It would all be pedestrian-friendly, interconnected space linking to Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, the college and a public park. The future Raymond James commercial site, with 1 million square feet of office space within six buildings, also is plugged into the plan.

The Porter’s proposal could lead to a land swap agreement returning a portion of the donated land to the family to accommodate their town-center project and also allow for a public park. The land could be split re-divided along several geographic patterns.

It was a lot to digest as county commissioners met on Oct. 27 in a public workshop with the Tourist Development Council.

Pasco County Strategic Policy Administrator Richard Gehring clicked through a slide show of changing scenarios on how development could proceed, and meet everyone’s expectations.

Discussion with the Porters is ongoing.

“There are moving parts,” said Gehring. “The geography is not fixed at this time. We’re trying to make it a win-win for as many people as possible.”

Gehring said it would take about three weeks to write a proposal for the field house. Bidders would have 60 days to submit their plans.

The recommendation to build a field house emerged from a study by Chicago-based Johnson Consulting Co.

The facility would be between 85,000 and 100,000 square feet, built on five to seven acres. There would be up to eight basketball courts, four to six multi-purpose rooms and lockers. It would operate under a private/public partnership agreement.

By the fifth year of operation, about 100,000 people a year would use the facility, said Charlie Johnson, the company’s president.

In future, outdoor ball fields could be added, he said.

“You can start with indoor, and grow from there,” Johnson said.

The field house and the Porter’s future development project is a sound one, said Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore.

“To me, we’re getting everything the (Johnson Consulting) report stated but above and beyond,” he said. “I’m excited…looking at it.”

Porter said the proposal allows the family to “control our destiny,” while also providing park space to county residents.

He anticipates consulting with Pasco parks and recreation officials to determine how to develop the park.

“We’ll ask them what they are lacking there,” Porter said.

If the land swap is done, he added, “We’d start immediately laying it out as amenities, not just for Wiregrass but everybody.”

Published November 4, 2015

Dade City chamber hosts business expo

By

Businesses have the chance to shine in the spotlight at the 2015 Annual Community & Business Expo, hosted by the Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce.

The annual event will be held Nov. 12 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the Dan Cannon Auditorium at the Pasco County Fairgrounds, at 36722 State Road 52 in Dade City.

More than 60 businesses to date have signed up to take part in the expo, which is open to the public free of charge.

People will have the chance to mingle with business owners and find out more about the goods and services the businesses offer. There will be door prizes, as well, and two grand prizes, valued at $250 each.

Local restaurants will offer food samples from their menus.

For instance, A Healthy Convenience will have samples of Amish foods, snacks, bread and granola, and will display the wines and beers that it sells at the store.

Participating businesses include Bay News 9, Mander Law Group, A Healthy Convenience, the Garden Café, Faithful Friends Pet Cremation, San Antonio Antiques, Pasco-Hernando State College, Dade City Woman’s Club, Pasco Shopper, Hair With Sass, American House Zephyrhills and Spivey Karate & Tai Chi.

Exhibitor booths will have giveaways and special door prizes, including an antique cut glass vase from San Antonio Antiques, a gas card from San Antonio Citizens Federal Credit Union, and a free custom Word Press website from Off The Chart Media.

Sponsors include Saint Leo University, The Laker/Lutz News, CenterState Bank, Florida Hospital Zephyrhills, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s, The Brass Tap Dade City, Core Care Benefit LLC, and Bright House Networks Business Solutions!

For information, call the Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce at (352) 567-3769 or visit DadeCityChamber.org.

Published November 4, 2015

 

Dade City gets its first Publix grocery

By

The grand opening of the first Publix in Dade City will be the launching pad for more retail coming soon to The Shoppes At Dade City.

The approximately 45,600-square-foot grocery store opened its doors on Oct. 22 as the anchor for the shopping plaza at U.S. 301 and Clinton Avenue.

More shops are on the way.

Lee Nails and China King are in the permitting process, said Tracy Worrell, leasing agent for Crossman Company, which handles leasing for Publix properties.

“They are working to get open as soon as possible, probably before the end of the year,” Worrell said.

A giant inflatable green bag stuffed with chicken tenders and vegetables is an eye-catching site outside the new Publix, along U.S. 301 in Dade City. (Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)
A giant inflatable green bag stuffed with chicken tenders and vegetables is an eye-catching site outside the new Publix, along U.S. 301 in Dade City.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)

Burger King is an anticipated tenant for an adjacent outparcel. A second outparcel also is available.

And a family-oriented restaurant is a hoped-for addition inside the plaza.

The Publix store is stocked with everyday pantry items, fresh produce, sushi and seafood, meats, bakery, deli and a self-service floral department.

A Publix Liquor store is next door.

More than 125 people work at the store, including employees who transferred from other stores and about 60 new hires, according to Publix officials.

The Shoppes at Dade City sits atop a hill overlooking U.S. 301, just outside of downtown Dade City. The Florida Department of Transportation recently completed repaving a stretch of highway running parallel to Publix.

The approximately $12.5 million project is resurfacing about 6 miles of roadway from Kossik Road to Bougainvillea Avenue. A multi-use trail also will extend along the west side of U.S. 301 north to a sidewalk at Dade Avenue. Completion is expected in spring 2016. Eventually the new trail segment will be linked with Hardy Trail in Dade City.

Published November 4, 2015

It’s a small world, after all

By

Richard and Juanita Wirth, of Lutz, have been traveling to Germany for years, to join in Oktoberfest festivities.

This year, though, when they stopped in Tutzing, Germany, they were surprised to find a butcher shop called Lutz, Metzgerie.

Juanita and Richard Wirth, at their comfortable home in Lutz, recount running across another place called Lutz during their recent visit to celebrate Oktoberfest in Germany. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Juanita and Richard Wirth, at their comfortable home in Lutz, recount running across another place called Lutz during their recent visit to celebrate Oktoberfest in Germany.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

“We stopped and shared that we lived in Lutz, Florida,” Juanita Wirth said. “They were delighted to find the name had made it all of the way to Florida,” she said.

The shop is a popular place to eat lunch, and that’s where the Wirths grabbed a bite on their final day there.

They thought it was fun to find a place so far away, which shares the same name as the place that they call home.

Their Lutz got its name from two brothers, William and Charles Lutz, who both had connections with railroads that met and joined at Lutz Junction, according to research done by Elizabeth Riegler MacManus and Susan A. MacManus, co-authors of two local history books detailing the early days of Lutz and Land O’ Lakes.

Richard Wirth poses with a sign for Lutz, Metzgerie, a butcher shop in Tutzing, Germany. The couple thought it was fun to come across a place that shares the same name as the place where they call home. The Germans they met there thought it was neat, too. (Courtesy of Juanita Wirth)
Richard Wirth poses with a sign for Lutz, Metzgerie, a butcher shop in Tutzing, Germany. The couple thought it was fun to come across a place that shares the same name as the place where they call home. The Germans they met there thought it was neat, too.
(Courtesy of Juanita Wirth)

And, the Oktoberfest that the couple so thoroughly enjoys has its roots in history, too.

The popular German festival traditionally starts in the third weekend of September. It began with the Royal Wedding, which took place on Oct. 12, 1810, when Crown Prince Ludwig, later to become King Ludwig I, was married to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen.

As for Juanita, a retired teacher and Richard, a retired postal worker and former plant nursery owner, visiting Germany is all about enjoying the festivities, admiring the country’s beauty, interacting with its people — and, of course, having some beer.

Published November 4, 2015

Pasco County is seeking to fill teacher shortages

By

Pasco County Schools is hosting a job fair in an effort to fill teacher shortages in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The job fair will be on Nov. 12 from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., in the gymnasium at Wiregrass Ranch High School, 2909 Mansfield Blvd., in Wesley Chapel, according to a district news release.

The district is inviting college graduates and soon-to-be graduates to attend the job fair, and it also is extending the invitation not only to education majors, but also to people who have degrees or are seeking degrees in the shortage areas identified.

The district has a Professional Development Certification program, which allows individuals who possess a bachelor’s degree, and who qualify for a temporary certificate under Florida law, to receive professional preparation and experience required to earn the Florida Professional Certificate.

The district’s benefits and certification staff will be at the event to give candidates a better understanding of the process, the news release says.

To make the event even more enticing, those attending the job fair also will be eligible to win a pair of tickets for a Tampa Bay Buccaneers football game and an iPad Mini.

The district has cast a wide net, specifically inviting students from these universities:

  • Barry University
  • Bethune Cookman University
  • Florida A&M University
  • Florida Atlantic University
  • Florida Gulf Coast University
  • Florida International University
  • Florida Memorial University
  • Florida State University
  • Saint Leo University
  • St. Petersburg College
  • St. Thomas University
  • University of Central Florida
  • University of Florida
  • University of Miami
  • University of North Florida
  • University of South Florida
  • University of Tampa
  • University of West Florida

For more information, visit PascoSchools.org, and click on the job fair banner at the top.

Published November 4, 2015

They’re not ‘just pets.’ They’re family.

By

A woman sits inside a modest chapel in Zephyrhills, and her voice is shaking. She’s describing the loss of a loved one, and the guilt she feels about that loss.

A chaplain and a therapist sit with her and listen, then try to comfort her by sharing their own perspectives.

Mary Ann Polom attended a recent pet loss support group meeting to share her feelings after losing Annie, her toy poodle. Michael Murillo/Staff Photo
Mary Ann Polom attended a recent pet loss support group meeting to share her feelings after losing Annie, her toy poodle.
Michael Murillo/Staff Photo

Her grief is natural, they say, and a normal part of life. Beginning that afternoon, she takes important steps on her journey of mourning and healing.

It’s a scene that plays out all too often at Gulfside Hospice, 5760 Dean Dairy Road in Zephyrhills.

But this time it’s different.

Mary Ann Polom isn’t grieving over the loss of a human family member. It’s her beloved toy poodle, Annie, who was put to sleep just a few weeks before.

For Polom, and many others with pets, a dog or cat isn’t like family. They are family. And the loss they feel when their pet dies is just as real and valid as other losses.

Friends and family sometimes don’t see it the same way.

They will say things like “it’s just a dog,” not realizing the depth of the connection the two shared. That can leave a pet owners feeling confused, embarrassed, and guilty over their feelings, which compounds the grief.

Shelley Schneider, vice-president of counseling and advocacy services at Gulfside Hospice, said their reaction is actually a perfectly normal response to the death of a loved one.

“Sometimes people don’t quite understand why people are grieving so hard for losing an animal,” Schneider explained. “We just really want to validate that what they’re going through is appropriate, normal, and common.”

Gulf Hospice provides that validation with a free monthly pet loss support group, and the organization is hoping to reach anyone in the community mourning a pet’s death who needs to share and be heard by people who understand.

Word of the group reached Polom in her time of grief, and she attended a recent meeting.

‘My Little Partner’

Annie’s problems started about a year earlier, when she broke her hip. A heart murmur was also detected, and after hip surgery she never healed properly. She lost her appetite, and after a long struggle the veterinarian said it was time to put her down.

Chaplain Michael Merritt, left, and Gulfside's Shelley Schneider offer words of encouragement and a safe place to share feelings and memories for pet owners grieving a serious loss. Michael Murillo/Staff Photo
Chaplain Michael Merritt, left, and Gulfside’s Shelley Schneider offer words of encouragement and a safe place to share feelings and memories for pet owners grieving a serious loss.
Michael Murillo/Staff Photo

Polom made that tough decision, and a month later she still felt guilty.

“I can’t seem to forgive myself,” she admitted. “She was like my little partner.”

One thing that sticks in her mind is how Annie seemed to be doing better right at the end of her life. It’s a common occurrence, even with humans, for the sick to experience a rally of sorts even as their condition worsens. Polom experienced the same thing with her father when he passed away.

But seeing Annie behave normally, even for a short time, makes her question if she did the right thing. And after losing her husband to cancer a decade ago, letting Annie go has left her alone.

The parallels between human and pet loss aren’t unique to Polom’s situation. According to Schneider, the grief and loss can be similar, so helping those in mourning can be similar as well.

“A lot of what we do in the pet group is what we do with families, because

we live in a society that really doesn’t educate, and doesn’t really like to talk about death and dying,” she said.

In the session, Schneider, a licensed clinical social worker, and Michael Merritt, a chaplain, offer advice and comfort. But they also do a lot of listening, from stories about Annie’s loving personality, to the guilt and grief Polom feels about losing her closest companion.

Just knowing that those feelings aren’t unusual, and being able to share their story can be extremely beneficial to those who have lost a pet. Especially when they know they’re talking to people who share that love of animals, like Schneider and Merritt, and understand the degree of closeness that owners feel.

Polom said attending the group was beneficial for her.

“I think it’s part of the journey. I think it’s a good part for me,” Polom said. “It makes me feel normal, like I’m in my element.”

Pet Peace of Mind

Schneider deals with issues related to pets outside the bereavement sessions. Gulfside Hospice received a grant for the Pet Peace of Mind program from Banfield Trust, which enables them to assist Hospice patients and their pets.

That assistance might include providing food, boarding assistance or basic veterinary care. It’s not unusual for patients to be concerned about the welfare of their pets, Schneider said, and the Pet Peace of Mind program helps alleviate those concerns. In less than two years they’ve cared for more than 80 animals, and found new homes for more than a dozen.

Knowing that Hospice will be there to assist them with anything from grooming to dog-walking to providing food and kitty litter lifts a burden from patients, and provides comfort with the knowledge that someone will step in and help care for a pet if and when an owner cannot do so anymore.

Again, Schneider notes the similarities in concern for pet welfare, and that of human family members.

“One of the great things about the Pet Peace of Mind program is that they want us to come up with an individual plan of care for the pet, just like we do for our patients,” she said.

Just like with humans, consistency of care is considered important. If a pet sees a certain veterinarian, efforts are made to ensure that relationship continues.

The pet loss support group is free, but they do accept donations to keep Pet Peace of Mind funded and active.

Whether it’s reading a pet-related poem, offering thoughts as a fellow animal-lover, or just listening to a grieving owner’s stories, Schneider wants the pet loss support group to be available for anyone in the area who needs to know that their feelings are normal, their sense of loss is valid, and they’re not alone in forging special relationships with their pets.

“It’s really to bring peace of mind and decrease their own emotional and spiritual pain and suffering,” Schneider said.

The next group is scheduled to meet Oct. 29 from 3 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. For more information about the pet loss support group, call Schneider at (727) 484-7995. For information about the Pet Peace of Mind program, call (800) 561-4883 or visit GHppc.org.

Published October 28, 2015

Electronic billboards coming to Pasco County

By

Pasco County officials want to weed out unsightly static billboards in favor of a more limited number of electronic billboards.

But, how to swap out one for the other and how quickly to do that are issues that are open for debate.

Pasco County commissioners discussed the matter at a workshop on Oct. 13 in New Port Richey.

County staff members in the coming months will compile an inventory of existing billboards and locations, get input from stakeholders — including business owners and residents— and draft an ordinance permitting electronic billboards.

The public would have an opportunity to weigh in before a new ordinance could be adopted.

Staff members estimate the process could take a year-and-a-half. Some commissioners want a much shorter time span, and a quick route to taking down static billboards.

Looking at how Hillsborough and Pinellas counties handle the matter would provide ready answers, said Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore.

“Talk to them. Figure it out. Get it done in a week,” he said. “We’re going to sit here and talk about this for a year? Come on, guys.”

Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, and Tampa negotiated agreements with billboard companies to swap out multiple numbers of the old billboards in return for new, but lower numbers of permits for electronic billboards.

The electronic billboards, with two sides, rotate digital advertisements every few seconds. These are becoming standard fare along busy interstates. The fees for these digital messages are more expensive than those for standard, one-sided billboards.

“These are so much cleaner than regular billboards,” Moore said. “They look so much better.”

Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano suggested letting the billboard industry provide data and recommend a swap-out ratio to take some of the research burden off county staff members. At minimum, he would anticipate an industry recommendation to remove five static billboards for each single electronic billboard.

“Let them do their own homework and what signs they want to take down,” he said.

Commissioners then can look at the proposal and decide if it works for the county, Mariano added.

Staff members have met with four companies that each has 10 or more static billboards in Pasco: Clear Channel, Champion Outdoor Advertising, Outfront Media and Logan Outdoor Advertising. They plan to continue with these discussions, as well as talking with small business owners.

In 1999, the county adopted a moratorium on new billboards. The inventory at the time showed 537 registered billboards in the county. Those numbers are somewhat lower now, said Pat Wallace, a county senior development review technician.

The moratorium should remain in effect, said Pasco County Chairman Ted Schrader. “I don’t want to see a bunch of new signs going up,” he said. “I’m absolutely opposed to that.”

It is not clear, even with a new ordinance allowing electronic billboards, just when Pasco would see them popping up. The county’s population isn’t considered dense enough to warrant them as yet.

“It will be years before they actually do it,” said Elizabeth Blair, Pasco County assistant attorney. “It’s not financially productive to them.”

Exactly where the flashier billboards would go also could raise concerns with residents, especially those living near commercial corridors, said Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey.

“I can’t think of very many people in our county for whom an electronic billboard won’t be disruptive,” she said.

Published October 28, 2015

Cutting a path toward development

By

At 128 feet tall and 26 feet around, a bald cypress tree in Pasco County is the eighth tallest of its kind in Florida.

The Ehren Cypress Tree was photographed on Aug. 27, 1989, on property owned by the Southwest Florida Water Management District, near Ehren Cutoff Road. Jack Vogel, Patsy Herrmann and Eddie Herrmann, all of San Antonio, are standing with outstretched arms, leaning against the tree’s estimated circumference of 27 feet. The tree was spared from being cut down decades before because it had a split in its trunk. Courtesy of Eddie Herrmann
The Ehren Cypress Tree was photographed on Aug. 27, 1989, on property owned by the Southwest Florida Water Management District, near Ehren Cutoff Road. Jack Vogel, Patsy Herrmann and Eddie Herrmann, all of San Antonio, are standing with outstretched arms, leaning against the tree’s estimated circumference of 27 feet. The tree was spared from being cut down decades before because it had a split in its trunk.
Courtesy of Eddie Herrmann

And, it will always be protected in the Upper Pithlachascotee River Preserve, 1 mile east of the Suncoast Parkway. The land was purchased from the proceeds of the Penny for Pasco 1-cent sales tax approved by Pasco County voters.

That is good news for future generations.

Because it only took 37 years for the Cummer Sons Cypress Company to log the centuries-old cypress trees for the company’s logging operations.

Loggers like Jacob Cummer, who harvested much of the old-growth cypress in east and central Pasco County, probably skipped over this tree because of a large scar on its western side, presumably from a lightning strike.

Cummer had bought land for timber in Virginia, North Carolina, and Louisiana.

In 1922, the Cummer operation acquired a 100-acre site in Lacoochee to construct the largest sawmill and box factory in the South.

A railroad was built in the Green Swamp to transport cypress trees from land that totaled more than 50 square miles in east Pasco and west Polk Counties.

Many of the cypress trees were cut with an ax before the chainsaw was invented.

Using a sophisticated network of levers and racks, cypress logs as large as 6 feet in diameter were lifted out of the swamps and, at one point, produced more than 100,000 citrus crates each day.

With 700 employees and the largest payroll in Pasco County, coupons could be used as part of workers’ paychecks in the prospering downtown of Lacoochee.

In the years after the Cummer sawmills opened, a two-story, 30-room hotel was built.

The new growth in the town also included four churches, two bakeries, two drug stores, two service stations, three barbershops, two train depots and a constable.

Over in central Pasco, all was not lost when the stage line stopped running around 1856. The area was surrounded by vast stands of virgin timber.

Established along what is now County Road 583, 100 people found work at the Ehren Pine Sawmill.

By 1910, a community called Ehren had a hotel and school, along with the sawmill.

The first permanent settlers such as George Riegler, of Lutz, needed lumber from the local sawmill to build homes for their families.

Greer’s Mill was used by Jim Greer to “sawmill a new town site” as a retirement area for Union veterans of the Civil War.

Lumber magnate and former Zephyrhills Mayor I.A. Krusen built The Home Theatre in downtown Zephyrhills. Opening in 1948, it was billed “as one of the most modern movie theaters in the South, with comfortable seats, a wide stage and a glass-enclosed ‘crying room’ for cranky babies.” Courtesy of Henry Fletcher
Lumber magnate and former Zephyrhills Mayor I.A. Krusen built The Home Theatre in downtown Zephyrhills. Opening in 1948, it was billed “as one of the most modern movie theaters in the South, with comfortable seats, a wide stage and a glass-enclosed ‘crying room’ for cranky babies.”
Courtesy of Henry Fletcher

Called the Zephyrhills Colony, Harold B. Jeffries, a captain who served in Pennsylvania’s 28th Cavalry, started it with lumber from Greer’s Mill.

Even the railroad cross ties came from Greer, transported by a team of oxen owned by Brantley Smith, a great-grandfather of Lance Smith, a future developer and a member of the Zephyrhills City Council.

Greer had plenty of competition.

James L. Geiger and I. A. Krusen, to name just a couple.

Geiger’s sawmill was located south of Greer’s Mill. He was one of the five signers of the Town of Zephyrhills charter, granted by the Florida Legislature in 1915 and ratified in a special election a year later.

“At the height of his business,” Madonna Wise wrote for the Zephyrhills News on March 3, 1994, “Krusen employed 300 men, turning out a million feet of lumber per month.”

Krusen’s mill was part of the Krusen Land and Timber Company that once owned 13,000 acres, extending as far south as present-day Tampa Palms and Pebble Creek.

Despite cypress exteriors exposed to harsh winters and hot summers, many old buildings in New York City have a rooftop water tank that is hardly considered outdated.

Local sawmills were familiar with the term “tank cypress.”

Also known as “The Wood Eternal,” the heart of old cypress trees was valuable for marquee customers including the Atlantic Tank Company of New York.

And, the majority remain in use due to the unique benefits that cypress shells provide for water tanks, brewer’s tanks, oil tanks and tanks for canneries.

Cypress trees, which took centuries to grow, were felled in great numbers by logging operations.

It took only 37 years for the Cummer Sons Cypress Company to close its doors and move farther south.

In 1959, the company relocated to the Everglades to harvest a stand of bald cypress as “pond timber.”

Some of the company’s land holdings in the Green Swamp were sold to Agri-Timber, and, in 1992, that area was set aside for water resource protection and conservation by the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

Totaling 37,500 acres as the Green Swamp-West Tract, the area shares a boundary with Pasco County’s regional park that is operated along a section of the Withlacoochee River east of Dade City.

Local Sources

Elizabeth Riegler MacManus and Susan MacManus: “Citrus, Sawmills, Critters and Crackers: Life in Early Lutz & Central Pasco” (1998) University of Tampa Press.

Rosemary W. Trottman: “The History of Zephyrhills, 1821-1921” (1978) Vantage Press.

Pasco County Environmental Lands Division

Doug Sanders has a penchant for history and has developed his sleuthing skills through experience in newspaper and government work. For more information, or to submit your ideas for a local history column, please contact Doug Sanders at .

By Doug Sanders

Published October 28, 2015

Creating art from life

By

Land O’ Lakes watercolorist Bob McAnespie doesn’t like to refer to himself as an artist.

He calls himself a painter.

In his view, an artist is to a painter, what a chef is to a cook.

Bob McAnespie
Bob McAnespie

The Land O’ Lakes man teaches a watercolor class for beginners at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex. The three-hour sessions are held Thursdays and cost $10 each. Supplies for the class cost about $50.

McAnespie encourages anyone who is interested in creating watercolor paintings to give it a try.

“The only way you can fail in watercolor is if you quit. If you stick with it and have any talent at all, you’re going to get somewhere,” said McAnespie, who is a signature member of the National Watercolor Society and the Florida Watercolor Society.

He enjoys painting landscapes or cityscapes, particularly with people in them.

“A lot of painters, especially beginners, they avoid people because they’re afraid of them. I tell them: ‘Don’t be afraid. People aren’t hard, once you learn a few tricks.’

“You know, when you put a person in a painting, that becomes the center of interest,” said McAnespie, who is primarily self-taught.

Over the years, he’s honed his skills by taking classes and workshops, reading books and watching instructional art programs on television.

Bob McAnespie has spent decades refining his watercolor painting skills. He says the best results come from painting on location, at the right time of day. Courtesy of Bob McAnespie
Bob McAnespie has spent decades refining his watercolor painting skills. He says the best results come from painting on location, at the right time of day.
Courtesy of Bob McAnespie

“I own 126 books on watercolor. I’ve read some of them two or three times,” said McAnespie, the former president of the Brandon League of Fine Arts and a former member of the Zephyrhills Art Club.

After painting for decades, McAnespie decided to begin teaching several years ago. He said he saw that as a way to deepen his knowledge.

Creating watercolor paintings requires both patience and courage, he said.

It’s also good to relax a little, he said.

He said he tells his students: “Don’t try too hard.”

Being too obsessed about results can yield paintings that are tight and have hard edges, he explained.

He teaches his courses indoors, but he recommends going out on location to get superior results.

“Mother Nature is the best teacher of all,” he said.

“The light is better.

“If you paint from a photograph, there are a lot places on photographs, in fact, they look black. But inside that black, there are a lot of colors that you don’t see. But when you are on location, you can see them.”

Time of day is important, too.

“The best time is 10 in the morning, or 3 o’clock in the afternoon because the shadows are better. If you go at noontime, there’s not much shadow at all. The sun is right above your head,” he said.

Bob McAnespie has art works hanging in his home studio and in his living room. He enjoys creating landscapes and cityscapes, particularly scenes that feature people. Courtesy of Bob McAnespie
Bob McAnespie has art works hanging in his home studio and in his living room. He enjoys creating landscapes and cityscapes, particularly scenes that feature people.
Courtesy of Bob McAnespie

Developing a trained eye takes practice, he added.

“You have to work on your observation technique. There’s a difference between looking and observing,” he said.

During his classes, McAnespie brings in five paintings and students vote on which one they’d like to create.

He demonstrates, while students observe. Then they paint and he observes.

The back-and-forth process seems to work well, said McAnespie, who has shown at many local art shows and will have works on display at the upcoming Lutz Arts & Crafts Festival at Lake Park and at the Suncoast Arts Fest at The Shops at Wiregrass.

McAnespie said he typically paints for an hour, or a bit longer, each day. Then he relaxes by playing piano.

Music and art have many similarities, he said.

“They both contain the principles of design and composition — like repetition and variation, balance, contrast, gradation, harmony and unity,” McAnespie said.

 

Watercolor lessons

When: Thursdays, from 9 a.m. until noon

Where: Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, 3032 Collier Parkway, Land O’ Lakes

How much: Classes are $10

Who: Bob McAnespie, a signature member of the National Watercolor Society and the Florida Watercolor Society, teaches the class. Beginners are welcome.

For information: Call (813) 388-2766.

Published October 28, 2015