The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

Efforts are on again for Ridge Road extension

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Pasco County is trying again to obtain a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build an 8-mile extension of Ridge Road.

The project is a high priority for the county to provide an additional evacuation route during hurricanes or other emergencies.

Consultants with Washington D.C.-based Dawson & Associates briefed the Pasco Commission on April 14 on its analysis of road designs requested by the Corps of Engineers, including the county’s initial proposal and 17 alternatives. The federal agency rejected a prior application based on insufficient data.

County officials expressed frustration over the agency’s lack of information regarding its requirements prior to sending in its application.

“We would do what you want, if you’d just tell us what you want,” said Georgianne Ratliff, an urban planning consultant serving as project manager on the Ridge Road extension.

The rejected application eliminated without analysis 10 alternatives that the county considered not practical to build largely due to cost. Corps officials said detailed analysis of all options had to be provided.

“They wanted a full analysis, and we have done that,” said David Barrows, senior counselor with Dawson & Associates.

At issue are about 58 acres of the 6,000-acre Serenova Preserve, set aside years ago to mitigate the loss of wetlands during construction of the parkway.

County officials must come up with an option that will do the least damage to the environment. Efforts to secure the permit have been ongoing for nearly 15 years.

Critics of the extension have said the project will open up the area to more development.

The county has determined that four of the 17 alternatives are practical options.

Costs range from about $77 million to nearly $102 million. The most expensive road project would be four lanes and would be partially elevated. Barrows said that alternative would be the least damaging to the environment.

It would impact about 23 acres of wetlands and 86 acres of upland habitat.

For several years the county’s budget has included about $42 million for the first phase of the project.

Currently the road dead-ends at Moon Lake Road in New Port Richey.

The extension would link to U.S. 41 with a connection to the Suncoast Parkway in Land O’ Lakes.

The Corps of Engineers must issue a permit based on regulations within the Clean Water Act.

Before the matter is all settled, other agencies also will weigh in. Among them are Southwest Florida Water Management District and the Environmental Protection Agency

The next step in the process is awaiting a response from the Corps of Engineers to know if additional information will be required, Barrows said. He hopes a meeting will be scheduled within two months.

While a final decision is still months away, Barrows said there is a better understanding of what has to be done.

“I congratulate you on securing the goal posts,” said Commissioner Jack Mariano. “I’m very impressed.”

Published April 22, 2015

Business Digest 04-22-15

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Taste of Boston to relocate
Taste of Boston plans to relocate from 1944 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., in the Wiregrass area, to a shopping plaza at 1930 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., in Lutz.

The seafood restaurant will close its location on Bruce B. Downs on May 31, according to manager Ashley Walker. By mid-June Taste of Boston will reopen on Land O’ Lakes Boulevard with more space, an outdoor patio and live music on weekends.

Manufacturers job fair
The Pasco-Hernando State College TRADE Grant Office will host the Florida Manufacturing Career Fair on April 22 from 1 to 4 p.m., at the college’s Spring Hill Campus, 450 Beverly Court. The Career Source Pasco Hernando, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, the Manufacturers Association of Florida and the Upper Tampa Bay Manufacturing Association also are sponsors.

The fair will bring job seekers together with representatives of the manufacturing industry.

Employers and job seekers should contact (727) 816-3345 or to register for this free event.

For more information visit PHSC.edu/mfg-cf.

Awards
Pasco Economic Development Council’s Smart Start incubator program received honorable mention at the 23rd Annual Future of the Region Awards ceremony in St. Petersburg on March 27. The awards are hosted annually by the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council to single out achievements in the public and private sectors for resource planning and management in the Tampa Bay region.

The incubator program mentors emerging and startup companies. Pasco County also received first place awards in the categories of development and infrastructure and going green, and second place award in community service.

Economic briefing
The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce will host its monthly economic development briefing on April 23 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the Hoosier Grille, located within Heritage Isles Golf & Country Club, 10630 Plantation Bay Drive.

Guest speaker is Chris Alvarez, chief financial officer of the Florida Medical Clinic. He will discuss plans to open an 80,000-square-foot medical facility on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, next to the Florida Hospital.

The cost is $15 including lunch. Register online by 3 p.m., April 22. Guests should pay online, as no credit cards will be accepted at the door.

For information, visit WesleyChapelChamber.com, or call (813) 994-8534.

Saint Leo University students
A class assignment with a new Tampa Bay area technology company, Entangle Media, became a real world experience for Saint Leo University students. Rae-Kwon Andrews, Tatiyana Cosme, Cedric Blatch and Elizabeth Schilling assisted the company in its app launch of DealMyBrand.com, a new social media management program.

Entangle Media offers a range of Internet services including web design and maintenance. Saint Leo professor Emma Brown collaborated with James Chittenden, consultant with the Small Business Development Center at University of South Florida, in placing the students at Entangle Media.

Learning center opens
Bricks4Kidz will host a ribbon cutting on April 23 from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., at the office of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce, 6013 Wesley Chapel Blvd.

The learning center will operate at the New Tampa YMCA Meadow Pointe clubhouse and Seven Oaks. It will provide a unique hands-on interactive curriculum focused on STEM concepts (science, technology, engineering and math). Technology and engineering-based camps will be available. More locations will be added.

For information, visit Bricks4Kidz.com/florida-wesleychapel/, or email .

Weight loss clinic
Come to the ribbon cutting for Florida Aesthetics and Medical Weight Loss on April 28 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., at 14945 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. Guests can meet the doctors and practitioners who offer a range of services including anti-aging Botox and fillers, laser skin and vein treatment, skin rejuvenation and medical weight loss.

For information, call (813) 345-4044, or visit FloridaAesthetics.com.

East Pasco Networking Group
The East Pasco Networking Group will meet April 28 at Rose’s Café at 38426 Fifth Ave., in Zephyrhills.

Networking begins at 8 a.m., with the meeting starting at 8:30 a.m.

Mike Wells Sr., Pasco County’s property appraiser, is the guest speaker.

For information, call Nils Lenz at (813) 782-9491, or email him at .

Networking breakfast
Calling all professionals. Join us for networking and a free continental breakfast on April 30 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., at The Commons on Pretty Pond, 38130 Pretty Pond Road, Zephyrhills.

For information, call (813) 779-4501, or email .

YMCA in New Tampa
The New Tampa Family YMCA will celebrate its grand opening on April 30 from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., at 16221 Compton Drive. Tour the facility and enjoy light refreshments. The facility features an outdoor conditioning area for strength training for adults, teens and children, who want to get active, fight the obesity epidemic and improve overall health. The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce will host the free event.

Non-members who mention the Wesley Chapel chamber ribbon cutting or the new outdoor conditioning area will not pay a join fee. This offer is valid from April 30 through May 7.

For information, call (813) 866-9622.

Business seminar
The Pasco-Hernando State College will host BizGROW2.0 on May 14 from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the college’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass. The half-day conference and entrepreneur exchange is for entrepreneurs, start-up business owners and established business owners, and will include panel discussions, advice and inspiration on growing your business and lots of networking.

The cost is $30 per person or $35 per person after May 12. Registration is required. For information, visit PascoEdc.com.

Business Link available monthly
Business Link, a monthly small business gathering hosted by the San Antonio Citizens Federal Credit Union, meets the second Wednesday of each month beginning at 7:30 a.m.

The meeting is designed to provide a networking and information-sharing platform for the business community.

For locations, details and to reserve a seat, email , or call (352) 588-2732, ext. 1237.

Wesley Chapel networking group
Networking for Your Success meets every Thursday at 8 a.m., at Lexington Oaks Country Club, 2615 Lexington Oaks Blvd., in Wesley Chapel.

Cost is $5, and annual membership to the group is $79.

State loan could pave way for four-lane State Road 56

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The money isn’t in anyone’s bank account yet, but a state loan program might be the solution to fund the widening of State Road 56 to four lanes from Wesley Chapel to Zephyrhills, according to a press release from State Rep. Danny Burgess and State Sen. John Legg.

The lawmakers, in consultation with the Florida Department of Transportation staffers, including Secretary Jim Boxold, are looking to the State Infrastructure Bank as a potential source for a low-interest loan.

A low-interest loan from the state may be a way to create a four-lane extension of State Road 56, which now ends in Wesley Chapel over to Zephyrhills. (File Photo)
A low-interest loan from the state may be a way to create a four-lane extension of State Road 56, which now ends in Wesley Chapel over to Zephyrhills.
(File Photo)

The loan could be made to Pasco County for the cost of building additional traffic lanes.

The infrastructure bank provides loans and other assistance to public or private entities for projects that qualify for aid under federal and state law.

To start the process moving, a letter of interest must be submitted by May 29 for the loan to be included in the bank’s 2016 cycle.

“This is a much needed project,” said Burgess. “It’s important for economic growth to our area, a benefit that affects all of Pasco and all of the region.”

County officials plan to meet with state officials on April 16 to get details on how the loan would work.

“We’re still in early stages of exploring this,” said David Goldstein, Pasco’s assistant county attorney.

To many, the four-lane extension is a decade-long unfulfilled promise.

“I’m afraid if we let this go by now, it will be another decade,” said Charles Proctor, president of the Zephyrhills City Council and a long-time Zephyrhills’ business owner.

Current plans are to extend State Road 56 from Meadow Pointe Boulevard in Wiregrass Ranch to U.S. 301 in Zephyrhills, as a two-lane road. Even for this two-lane project, money is an issue because land from adjacent landowners must be purchased for right-of-way.

If the state paid for four lanes, state highway officials said some other project on Pasco’s list likely would not get done.

The low-interest loan could be a way to avoid that scenario, but the effort to secure a loan faces hurdles including buy-in from the county and state, as well as from property owners and developers along the planned extension.

“This cannot get done unless the state, the county and the private sector come together for the benefit of our East Pasco county residents,” stated Legg in the press release.

The city of Zephyrhills is pressing its case.

As recently as mid-March, all five Zephyrhills’ council members, Mayor Gene Whitfield and City Manager Steve Spina headed to Tallahassee to lobby for four lanes as a priority for State Road 56.

This followed a February town hall meeting where area residents, elected officials and business owners met with Burgess, Legg and Goldstein to plead for construction of four lanes, not the current two lanes being planned. Legg raised the possibility of state funds being repaid with a loan but didn’t think the state had a mechanism for such a transaction.

Goldstein said he had some familiarity with the state bank, having explored its use for other county projects. He broached the subject at the meeting’s conclusion to Debbie Hunt, transportation development director for the Florida Department of Transportation. “She ran with it,” he said.

Since then the county has had ongoing discussions with developers and property owners whose land could bring thousands more homes as well as retail and industrial development to the area. Among the largest land tracts is the Two Rivers Ranch with about 3,500 acres. About half of the 6.7-mile extension would cut through the ranch.

“The county is not interested in putting a lot of money into this. It’s a state road,” Goldstein said. “There are a lot of other priorities. If there is a loan, we expect developers to pay it back. We might be a conduit.”

Before the Pasco commission can sign off on anything, Goldstein said there are a lot of details that must be worked out including how much money would be needed, terms of the loan and, most importantly, who would be responsible for the payback.

Spina applauded the new effort to find a solution.

“I think it’s pretty inventive of them to come up with an idea like this to find the money,” he said.

It makes more sense, Spina said, to do four lanes now and not wait five or more years when the project likely would be more costly.

Proctor envisions a major economic boost to the area’s commercial development if the four-lane road is built. He has heard from business owners who would like to locate in Zephyrhills and surrounding areas and from owners who would consider expanding operations, if there was an improved road for getting in and out of the city.

“I see nothing but positive,” Proctor said.

Published April 15, 2015

Industry audit proves our papers are well-read

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When you look down your street every Wednesday and see The Laker/Lutz News in its blue newspaper bag, our hope is that you’ll pick it up to find useful information, compelling photographs and interesting stories.

At the same time, we aim to deliver advertising that helps readers find out about local goods and services that help businesses in our community to thrive.

So, every year we look forward to the results of a report produced by the Circulation Verification Council, known in the industry as the CVC, to see how we’re doing.

This year’s results show that nearly four out of five households receiving our newspaper read it, and 78 percent of readers use the advertising to help plan their purchasing decisions.

Those findings are based on a statistically valid survey that CVC conducts to find out if The Laker/Lutz News is being delivered, what people think about their community paper, and how readers use it.

The CVC is an independent, third-party reporting firm that verifies the number of papers we print and deliver each quarter, and breaks down our circulation by zip code. It also calculates the number of papers we deliver to homes compared to the number that are distributed via newspaper racks and businesses.

We do not pay for this audit — CVC is hired by newspaper associations to audit the circulation of their 3,000 member newspapers in the U.S. and Canada.

The audit covers printing, distribution, circulation, websites, digital editions, mobile, email, social media and readership studies to give an accurate picture of a publication’s reach and market penetration.

“We run our business the same way as financial auditors and auditors of all other media,” said CVC founder and president Tim Bingaman. “There’s no power of influence because publishers do not pay us directly for our services — we are totally impartial and just report the facts.”

So what did CVC report from this year’s audit of The Laker/Lutz News?

The report found that:

  • 80 percent of those responding said that they, or someone in their home, regularly read or look through our paper (compared to the CVC average of 74 percent).
  • Our average number of readers per paper (pass-along rate) is 1.95 (compared to the CVC average of 1.75).
  • 78 percent said they frequently purchase products or services from local business ads seen in our papers (compared to the CVC average of 74 percent).
  • 85 percent of our distribution is home delivery, and 15 percent is through news boxes and business outlets.

Our average circulation in 2014 was 42,600 divided among our four editions in Lutz, Land O’ Lakes, Wesley Chapel and East Pasco.

CVC’s Tim Bingaman said the most impressive aspect of our audit is that we’ve achieved these above-average results year-after-year in a highly competitive suburban market.

“Typically, when a newspaper scores so well, it’s in a rural market where it is the only paper in town. For your newspapers to be doing so well puts you at the elite status among all the papers we audit,” said Bingaman.

Bingaman also gave us kudos for increasing our readership scores every year since 2010. Back then, our readership score was 72 percent; today it is 80 percent.

“To increase your readership by 8 percent in such a short time frame is truly remarkable and indicative that you are doing a very good job listening to your readers and giving them the content they want to read,” said Bingaman.

These are impressive numbers, especially today when so many people falsely believe that nobody reads newspapers anymore. In fact, we know that they do, and are proud to be one of the best-read community papers in the country.

I know this column may seem boastful and self-serving, and I suppose in some ways it is. But I want you to know how good it feels to head up a business whose industry report card is far above average. I am incredibly proud of my staff and want you to know that.

I’m also very proud of our community, which consists of thousands of people just like you, who care so much about their neighbors and neighborhoods that they read their community paper every week.

Not all communities are so engaged, and it is gratifying to produce newspapers that so many of you rely on to help our local organizations and businesses to thrive.

These facts for The Laker/Lutz News that were unveiled by our audit are something our entire community can be proud of. After all, without the community supporting us through their readership and advertising dollars, there would not be a community newspaper in your driveway every Wednesday.

The words “thank you” do not suffice to express our gratitude for your continued readership and support, but I hope you realize that our appreciation is heartfelt.

Published April 15, 2015

No 90-foot sign for new outlet center

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Tampa Premium Outlets’ developers can order an array of decorative signs for the retail complex under construction off State Road 56, but at least for now, a 90-foot pylon sign won’t be one of them.

The Pasco County Commission approved a signage plan that excludes the 90-foot pylon sign.

Simon Property Group opted not to seek a 90-foot pylon sign near Interstate 75 that would have advertised the Tampa Premium Outlets, under construction on State Road 56. (Courtesy of FRCH Design Worldwide)
Simon Property Group opted not to seek a 90-foot pylon sign near Interstate 75 that would have advertised the Tampa Premium Outlets, under construction on State Road 56.
(Courtesy of FRCH Design Worldwide)

The Simon Property Group, the outlet mall’s developer, initially requested the 90-foot sign as part of its signage plan, but dropped that portion of the request after the county’s development review panel raised objections.

Simon Property Group has the option to try again later, with a new application.

The sign had been planned for installation along Interstate 75. The county’s regulations would limit the sign’s height to no higher than 30 feet.

David Goldstein, Pasco’s assistant county attorney, also indicated the sign wouldn’t meet regulations of the Florida Department of Transportation and could affect Pasco’s share of highway funds.

Outlet mall officials had wanted the taller height to help motorists searching for the mall, as they zipped down the interstate.

As many as 80 percent of the outlet mall’s customers are expected to be coming from outside the area and will be unfamiliar with the local road system, they said.

While the tall sign was not part of the approved signage plans, the mall developer is enthusiastic about Tampa Premium Outlets.

“We’re excited,” said John Dionis, senior director of development for New Jersey-based Simon Property Group, who made only brief remarks before the commission’s April 8 vote.

“It’s been a great experience. We look forward to opening in October,” Dionis said.

The 441,000-square-foot retail complex is expected to have more than 100 shops on State Road 56, near I-75. To date, the only announced tenant is the anchor, Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th.

Following the vote, Dionis said he was not authorized to make comments. He referred questions about the sign to Les Morris, director of company public relations.

Published April 15, 2015

Compromise settles dispute over racetracks

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Dirt bike champion Chad Reed agreed to give up two hours of practice time on Saturdays, and the Pasco County Commission agreed to let him have a new permit for his dirt bike training compound on Duck Lake Canal Road.

The Saturday restrictions are part of a negotiated agreement that also requires Reed to maintain recording equipment for time-stamped videos of racetrack activities. He must keep the videos for 30 days for potential county review. Other rules spell out additional riding hours during the week, the number of riders at any given time, and a ban on any public uses for the tracks.

Reed and neighbors on the rural road in east Pasco have been battling for several years over the use of motorcycle racing tracks that Reed says are essential to his professional career as a racer in Motocross and Supercross competitions. The Australian native is a multiple American Motorcyclist Association Supercross champion.

Some of his neighbors say Reed’s dirt bikes roaring around and around the tracks create excessive noise at all hours.

“We’d prefer to have crickets and cows …. but we understand property rights,” said Dade City attorney Len Johnson. He represents the Larkin family — neighbors to the Reeds — and supported the compromise. “We’ve been working diligently to come up with something that works on all sides.”

The county sued Reed in 2013 and won an injunction to block use of most of the racetracks. One track approved in 2004 was excluded from the ban. The lawsuit alleged that Reed built additional tracks that didn’t have county approval.

The commission voted on April 8 to approve a new permit as well as a settlement agreement to end the litigation. A special magistrate will have authority to mediate future disputes between Reed and his neighbors.

“We think this is a great solution, so we won’t keep having these problems,” said attorney Barbara Wilhite, who represents Reed and his wife Ellie Jo Reed. The Reeds are trustees for the Reed Children Trust, the property’s owner of record.

The total property is about 63 acres, with about 24 acres developed as a racing compound. All tracks are outdoors but include two replicas of indoor tracks as well as two buildings and a go-kart track.

Not every neighbor is happy with the outcome.

Karol Klein brought a petition with 150 signatures of people asking commissioners to deny the permit. He said about 40 of those people lived in proximity to the Reed’s property.

Daniel Cox, the attorney for Klein and his wife, told commissioners the tracks are not compatible with the “little gentleman farms” within the rural setting.

Duck Lake Canal resident Ken Keith is among those who opposed the permit. “He (Reed) just comes there to cause a loud disturbance with his motorcycles,” he said.

But Darwin Croft said he lives within 800 feet of the Reeds and has no problem with the couple. A property owner should be able to do most anything he wants on his property, Croft said.

“If I stop and think about motorcycles…I can hear them,” he said. “It’s not an obnoxious sound. It’s motorcycles.”

Published April 15, 2015

 

PHSC provides disabled students ‘Access to Success’

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College students who are disabled often require special accommodations in order to get through their coursework in the pursuit of a degree. It seems like a given that they’d receive those accommodations.

And they do, if they have the proper documentation. Normally that means assessment testing from a specialist in the field of their disability, which can be an expensive process.

Students with disabilities can participate in study groups and succeed in their classes, but they might need special accommodations. The upcoming 5K will help pay for assessment testing at Pasco-Hernando State College. (Courtesy of Pasco-Hernando State College)
Students with disabilities can participate in study groups and succeed in their classes, but they might need special accommodations. The upcoming 5K will help pay for assessment testing at Pasco-Hernando State College.
(Courtesy of Pasco-Hernando State College)

“It’s very rarely covered by insurance. It’s a big chunk of change for students going to school,” said Sarah Brunet, assistant coordinator of disability services at Pasco-Hernando State College. That chunk of change can run several hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

That’s why PHSC established Access to Success, a grant program that provides assistance to students with disabilities who have trouble paying for their assessment testing, which is required under the Americans With Disabilities Act. And with a growing disabled student population, the department is trying a new fundraiser to provide resources for that grant.

Their Run, Walk, Roll 5K will take place April 26 at the college’s Porter Campus, 2727 Mansfield Blvd., in Wesley Chapel. They’re hoping for 100 participants in its first year, and the money raised will make a big difference to disabled students trying to further their college career.

“This gives them those accommodations to kind of level the playing field, to be as successful as their peers would be,” Brunet explained. The accommodations are specific to the disability, such as large-print course materials for the visually-impaired, an FM transmitter for the hearing-impaired, or a quiet environment and/or more time to take a test.

But class and graduation requirements don’t change. Disabled students need to complete their coursework like anyone else. The accommodations simply allow them to do so without their disability getting in the way of a diploma.

Without those accommodations, or the required assessment testing that allows them, students with disabilities face a tougher challenge. And it’s one they might not be able to overcome.

Access to Success has already helped a handful of students with their assessment testing, Brunet said, but there weren’t enough funds to help everybody. And unlike high school, college students have to take a more hands-on approach to getting special accommodations. And while there are community programs to help with testing, if they don’t qualify for them and there are no funds available in the grant, they have to then find a way to pay for it. Or, they’ll have to do their best without them and hope it’s enough.

One of the frustrating parts of her job, Brunet explained, is not being able to help everyone, knowing it can have an effect on their future.

“It makes you wonder, what happens to that student? I wonder if they were able to get through that class or finish up,” she said.

The Office of Disabilities Services hopes to make the 5K an annual event, and keep funds in the grant’s coffers. The college already has hundreds of students with disabilities on its rolls, and will add more as enrollment continues to grow. Brunet hopes the assessment testing assistance provided by Access to Success can have a positive impact on their academic career.

“It can make the difference of them graduating, to be able to complete a class,” Brunet said. “It can make the ultimate difference in what their career path is going to be.”

The Run, Walk, Roll 5K starts at 8 a.m., with a one-mile Fun Run starting at 8:45 a.m. The cost for the 5K race is $25, or $15 for PHSC students. The Fun Run cost is $15. For more information, call (727) 816-3473.

Published April 15, 2015

Hearing officer approves Lutz charter school

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A proposed charter school in Lutz has received approval, despite objections from nearby residents, homeowner associations and community organizations.

Land use hearing officer James Scarola approved a special use permit for the Tampa Academy of Math and Science, a charter school for up to 870 kindergarteners through eighth-graders.

In his April 6 decision, Scarola found that the request complies with the county’s land development code and the Hillsborough County’s comprehensive plan.

The ruling will stand, unless an appeal is filed with the county’s Appeals Board.

Plans call for the charter school to occupy 7.46 acres of an 8.45-acre tract, on the west side of Sunlake Boulevard, just south of Lutz Lake Fern Road.

The remaining acre is being reserved for a future development.

Besides clearing the way for the school, Scarola also approved a request to waive buffer requirements between the school and the remnant 1-acre parcel.

The applicants — Charter Schools Properties Inc., and Charter Schools Associates Inc. — scaled down their original request for a school for more than 1,000 students. They also agreed to numerous conditions addressing transportation issues, building height, buffering, phasing of development, placement of the school buildings, and the outdoor play area. They also must turn off outdoor lights by 9 p.m.

Phase one plans call for a two-story classroom building, with 33 classrooms for a maximum of 670 students.

Phase two, which is contingent upon an additional traffic analysis, would serve 200 students, in 11 classrooms, in another two-story building.

Both classroom buildings will be situated near Sunlake Boulevard.

Access to the site will be from one driveway on Lutz Lake Fern Road, which will be a right in/right out only, and two driveways on Sunlake Boulevard. One of those driveways would be right in/right out only, and the other would be right out only.

The applicant has agreed to build new right-turn lanes and a new U-turn lane in conjunction with the project.

Opponents have objected for months about the traffic the school would generate. They also have expressed concerns about potential flooding, fumes from vehicle exhausts and noise from outdoor activities.

County planners recommended approval of the request, with conditions, and staff from the Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission did not object.

During the hearing, Tom Hiznay, a county planner, told Scarola that the site’s design, along with conditions for approval, provides “sensitivity to surrounding uses.”

But Jay Bockisch, a traffic engineer, speaking on behalf of the opponents, characterized the proposed use as “an intense traffic generator” that would have the same kind of traffic impacts as a regional mall, four Publix shopping centers, or the tallest office building in downtown Tampa.

“This is not a transitional land use,” Bockisch said. “We have safety concerns.”

Pat and Joe Serio, who live directly behind the proposed school, voiced strenuous objections to the hearing officer’s decision.

“We were very disappointed, but hardly surprised,” Pat Serio said, in an email.

“It was a totally uphill battle on our part, the most immediate and most impacted residents, neighbors and citizens of Lutz and Hillsborough County and others who will have to live with the consequences of this ill-conceived project and deal with the traffic issues on a daily basis whether commuting or delivering children to and from the numerous already existing area schools,” she wrote.

She also noted that she and her husband were disappointed that county commissioners did not respond when they reached out to them regarding concerns about the school.

“Once again, the Lutz Comprehensive Plan was ignored and the decades’ long efforts by the residents to keep Lutz quasi-rural have been for naught,” she added.

Joe Serio, also via email, said the hearing officer ignored testimony by a traffic expert representing the opponents.

The hearing officer also disregarded testimony at the hearing that “clearly showed the violation of the Lutz Community Plan,” he added.

A brochure for the Tampa Academy of Math and Science says the school is planning to open in the 2016 school year. It plans to focus on science, technology, engineering and math and will use hands-on learning and a solid foundation in core disciplines.

To find out more about the school or for early enrollment inquiries, email , or visit CharterSchoolAssociates.com.

Published April 15, 2015

 

Hospital CEO details expansion plans

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It’s less than three years old, but Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel is already experiencing growing pains.

Denyse Bales-Chubb, president/CEO of Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel shared details of the hospital’s $78 million expansion plans at the April 7 breakfast of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce meeting.

Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel is expanding to meet the needs of a growing community. This rendering shows what the hospital will look like, after expansion. (Courtesy of Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel)
Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel is expanding to meet the needs of a growing community. This rendering shows what the hospital will look like, after expansion.
(Courtesy of Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel)

Wesley Chapel’s growth is fueling the need for the hospital’s expansion, Bales-Chubb told the gathering at the conference center at Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch. About 90 people were registered for the breakfast.

The hospital executive cited six new housing developments going in, totaling more than 5,000 houses.

“I’m hearing that Raymond James is going to be building here,” she added.

She continued ticking down the list.

“We had the Super Walmart that went in, since I’ve been here. The outlet mall is coming. The ice and sports complex — which we are a part of — the Mercedes Benz dealer, several hotels, some assisted living (facilities) that are coming in; there’s tremendous growth in the community.

“We need to make sure that we are growing and meeting the needs of this community,” Bales-Chubb added.

To prepare for increased demand, the hospital began last November to start developing plans for expansion.

The project that is set to begin construction in August will add 62 new private patient rooms, 17 emergency rooms, four surgical suites, 16 prep and observation rooms, and ancillary services to support patient care.

The hospital’s current three-story center wing will grow taller — becoming a six-floor building when the expansion work is done. A new three-story building will be constructed, to connect the hospital’s two existing wings.

When finished, the expansion will add nearly 112,000 square feet of new construction and nearly 11,000 square feet of renovated space to the hospital at 2600 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., in Wesley Chapel.

“We expect to have actual ground crews here in August, and we will be doing a groundbreaking Aug. 5,” Bales-Chubb said. “We hope to get their certificate of occupancy in November 2016, with a grand opening of December 2016,” she said.

The hospital also plans to add 160 parking spaces for employees and staff.

The larger hospital will need more staff, too. Bales-Chubb predicts the hospital will hire the equivalent of 300 full-time employees.

The larger quarters and increased staff will enable the hospital to handle the growing demand for hospital beds and increased emergency visits.

Even with the current demand, “if you came and tried to find a bed, you’re going to have a wait before that bed is available,” Bales-Chubb said.

“We really do have patients that are literally waiting in our ED (emergency department) to get into an inpatient bed, because not everybody checks out at 11 o’clock, like you do at a hotel. It is a constant moving of patients, in and out,” she said.

The hospital’s emergency room is busy, too.

The emergency room has 18 beds, and as of December, year to date, each of those beds had 1,880 visits.

“So, that’s busy,” Bales-Chubb said. “We have a lot of patients going through our ED.”

Stan Giannet, provost at the Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, said the college already enjoys a solid relationship with the hospital, and the expansion will likely provide even more opportunities for students at his campus.

The hospital donates to the college’s scholarship fund for students in health occupations, he said. It also provides opportunities for clinical placements.

“Clinical placements are incredibly important for our students to apply the theoretical classroom knowledge to the real world,” Giannet said. “Having clinical placements already at Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel has been very fruitful for students, and we’re grateful for that.”

The hospital’s expansion bodes well for graduates from Porter Campus, Giannet added, because it creates more employment opportunities for students graduating from its nursing, surgical technology and pharmacy technician programs.

Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel is part of the Adventist Health System, a nonprofit health network that has 23 hospitals throughout the state.

Published April 15, 2015

Zephyrhills author is a natural at telling stories

By

Some readers like religious stories.

Others enjoy a good mystery.

Still others might be drawn to a tale of light romance.

All of them would find something in Dede Hammond’s newest book.

Dede Hammond has filing cabinets full of stories, but many of them can now be found in her books, including ‘Open the Door to One Short Story After Another,’ which came out last December. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
Dede Hammond has filing cabinets full of stories, but many of them can now be found in her books, including ‘Open the Door to One Short Story After Another,’ which came out last December.
(Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)

The Zephyrhills’ resident published “Open the Door to One Short Story After Another” late last year.

The book is a collection of diverse stories. Instead of picking one genre and filling the pages with a collection of similar stories, she has allowed different types of tales to be part of her latest work.

For Hammond, 76, writing has been a way to be creative since she was 10 years old.

“My dad said I had a vast imagination, so I figured I’d better use it,” she said.

That imagination led to her short story collection, as well as her first book, 2013’s “With the Best of Intentions.”

Neither book was done to fill a need to be a published author. Hammond was a feature writer for a newspaper in New York, before she retired to Florida.

She wrote the book because she wanted to put her stories in one place for her children, rather than them having to dig through her filing cabinets to read them.

“Julie (her daughter) always wanted to have the stories, and she thought I’d just put it on a disk,” Hammond explained. “I thought, she doesn’t want that file in there full of stories when I pass on. And so I thought I’d just put them in a book.”

As a result, she self-published “With the Best of Intentions” on Amazon, where it’s available as a physical book and in their Kindle e-book format. “Open the Door” is also available on Amazon in physical book format. And, there’s enough unpublished material for at least one more book.

And that’s even if she didn’t write anything else.

But she’s still writing.

In fact, Hammond runs a regular writing group that includes people who are working on biographies and other types of stories.

One of the regulars is her husband of 28 years, Gordon. He’s published his own collection of essays that blend humor and political views. He’s a fan of his wife’s stories, and prefers one genre in particular.

“I like the mystery stories that she writes. They have an ‘O. Henry’ ending,” he said, referring to the turn-of-the-century author known for his surprise endings.

Although “Open the Door” contains different types of stories, they do have some things in common: None of them have cursing or explicit adult content. Hammond likes to create what she calls “safe” stories that keep the reader engaged with interesting plots and perhaps an unexpected twist at the end, but are safe for just about anyone to read.

Many of the stories were originally printed in magazines, and many are a testament to the author’s persistence.

“I sent 23 to Woman’s World before the 24th one was accepted,” she recalls.

Now there are plenty of “safe” stories for the Hammonds and their four children, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren to enjoy. And with a growing collection of stories and several still unpublished, there should be more to come.

“I like to share the stories with people, to tell you the truth,” Hammond said. “I never thought about making money. That wasn’t the point.”

For more information about “Open the Door to One Short Story After Another” and “With the Best of Intentions,” visit Amazon.com and search “Dede Hammond.”

Published April 15, 2015