Local News

Tea, murder highlight Women-n-Charge fundraiser

September 18, 2013 By Michael Hinman

The ladies of Women-n-Charge want to take you on a cruise, but this is one with a twist.

Can you find a killer in this group? You’ll need your detective skills for the upcoming Women-n-Charge tea Sept. 28, taking place at the Groves Golf & Country Club. (Photo courtesy of Amanda Wright)

Someone has been murdered, and it will be up to those booking passage to figure to whom among the Red Feather Ladies did it. And it’s all done with some of the best teas available in the area.

It’s part of the annual fundraiser for the professional women group taking place Sept. 28 at 2 p.m. at the Groves Golf & Country Club, 7924 Melogold Circle in Land O’ Lakes. For the second straight year, Women-n-Charge will entertain at its annual tea party with a murder mystery. In fact, this voyage — set on the S.S. Titanica — is a direct sequel of last year’s event.

“This is all a spoof that centers on a group of wealthy ladies, known as the Red Feather Ladies Investment Club,” said Anne Childers, a member of Women-n-Charge’s board of directors, and one of the organizers of the event. “There was this roving Romeo who was dating all of them under the radar under different names. He fleeced every one of them, and took their money and their morale. So one of the ladies shot him dead.”

That murder was solved last year. And now the Red Feather Ladies want to earn their money back, so they embark on this cruise that features an appearance from financial guru B.S. Sutton. Except, Sutton is no stranger to these ladies, and it isn’t long before he ends up dead, too.

Last year’s murder mystery tea, with many of the Women-n-Charge members in the cast, raised more than $4,000, which allowed the group to pay its annual expenses, and still have enough left over to fund two $1,000 scholarships to local businesswomen.

“We do it so they can further enrich the community,” Childers said. “They can use it for education, or for their business. Whatever will help them grow even stronger.”

Professional women apply for the scholarships in advance, and there are no requirements for membership with Women-n-Charge.

The mystery teas are a huge departure from how Women-n-Charge raised money when Childers first joined in 2005. Then it was a business expo, with the group earning money from booth rentals. But the economic recession changed that, and the tea parties were born.

First, the parties celebrated themes like fashion. But last year, the decision was made to go murder mystery, and it was a smashing success.

There is room for about 120 guests, and everyone is encouraged to wear a hat and dress as if they’re attending an old-fashioned summer tea. Tickets are $15 for individuals, and $25 for two.

Table sponsorships are also available, starting at $59. That package allows the sponsor to decorate the table, provide their own settings, and even their own tea. Women-n-Charge will provide the linen, cream, sugar and lemon.

“It’s hard work for those of us on the board, but in the end, it’s just a lot of fun,” Childers said. “Watching everyone enjoy it and try to figure out who did it makes it all worth it.”

For more information on the event, call Anne Childers at (813) 948-7484, or visit women-n-charge.com.

Church provides personal touch with concierge ministry

September 18, 2013 By B.C. Manion

It’s a mammoth church — with a 143-acre campus, a 444,000-square-foot building and 12,000 members.

Rich Walker, manager of campus safety at Exciting Idlewild Baptist Church, leads the concierge ministry at the church. The idea is to provide ‘an unexpected personal touch,’ he said. (Photo by B.C. Manion)

It’s so big that it uses five entrances on Sundays to allow members to stream into its 5,000-seat auditorium.

Despite the scale, Exciting Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz wants to extend a personal touch to its members, said Rich Walker.

He’s a church staff member who also leads Idlewild Concierge, a ministry with 30 volunteers. And more than eight years ago, when Idlewild was moving into its larger quarters off North Dale Mabry Highway and Van Dyke Road, Walker came up the idea of creating a concierge ministry.

“We’re still the only one that I know of, anywhere,” said Walker, a retired law enforcement officer who oversees campus safety.

The ministry helps visitors and church newcomers tend to details that are important to them. The idea came to Walker when a hotel concierge service helped him and his wife. They were traveling and wanted to go for dinner, but they didn’t want to have to drive to get there.

Walker’s wife suggested he ask the concierge for some recommendations. He did, and within 15 minutes they had a list of restaurant options, with different specialties and price points, along with directions for getting to them.

Idlewild’s concierge ministry strives to create a sense of hospitality, with the motto of “Providing the unexpected personal touch,” Walker said.

Ministry volunteers work at the church’s welcome center to greet people who are visiting the campus. Sometimes they help people find their way around campus. Other times they provide individual tours to help potential members learn about the church’s ministries and ways to meet their specific needs.

“There’s not a line out the door, but every week, somebody will come and they want to look at the church,” Walker said. “They’ll just show up on their own.”

The concierge will get a bit of information about the visitor and will let them know about various ministries that may suit their interests, Walker said. The idea is to help them plug in and feel at home, he said.

“There are some people on a real fact-finding tour, is this the church for me? That can take a couple of hours,” Walker said.

That’s what happened when Margery Cordova recently visited the church, Walker recalled.

“She told me right up front, ‘I am looking for a church home.’ That told me, ‘We kind of want to dive deep here and see if this is a good fit,’” he said.

Cordova was impressed.

“I got the deluxe grand tour of the whole facility,” said the woman who moved to Lutz in late July from Sacramento, Calif., after her husband’s death.

Besides discussing ministries that may be of interest and showing off the facilities, Walker enjoys giving visitors a look at “backstage” Idlewild.

The walk-through involves traveling through corridors decked with framed photographs taken through the years during big church events. Visitors can duck into the choir and orchestra rooms and check out the staging area where props are kept for church productions.

They can even walk down a passageway that leads from the orchestra room to the raised stage in the worship center.

Besides helping newcomers and visitors, the ministry also pitches in on special events. Team members drive trams at the church’s Fourth of July event, for instance, and give airport shuttle rides to special guests.

The team once arranged airport pickups for 65 missionaries visiting Idlewild. They met the missionaries at the airport, took them to their hotels, transported them to the church each day and ferried them around on errands.

One volunteer helped organize the logistics by creating an Excel spreadsheet detailing the airline and arrival time of each missionary.

The concierge ministry at Idlewild pays attention to details. And that makes a difference for both members and visitors alike.

“Everyone there is just super welcoming and genuine,” Cordova said. “It’s not a phony thing. You really feel it’s sincere. I feel like I was led there.”

PEDC honors Shops at Wiregrass, Wesley Chapel hospital

September 18, 2013 By B.C. Manion

One hosts community events, supports charity causes and offers a wide selection of shopping and eating choices.

Another created 600 new jobs during its first year of operation and offers leading-edge health care.

Both — The Shops at Wiregrass and Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel — are among eight recipients of honor during the Pasco Economic Development Council’s 27^th annual Industry of the Year awards celebration.

The Shops at Wiregrass received this year’s Special Recognition Award, while Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel received the council’s Special Contribution Award.

“It is such an honor to be recognized by the PEDC for our continuous efforts and dedication to establish The Shops at Wiregrass as an effective and successful centerpiece to our local community as well as Pasco County,” Greg Lenners, general manager for the shopping center, said in a release.

“The Shops at Wiregrass have had a major impact on the growth of the Wesley Chapel area,” Skip Miller, senior vice president of SunTrust Bank and chair of the Pasco EDC Banquet Award Committee, said in a release. “It has become a gathering place for Pasco County and the Tampa Bay region and has served as a catalyst for continued growth in the area.”

Hospital officials were delighted by their recognition, too.

“Of course we’re humbled, but very excited to be chosen,” said Tracy Clouser, director of marketing for Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel. “The community has really embraced us, and we’re really excited being part and really affecting the health and wellness of the people who live here.”

The shopping mall and hospital received their awards on Sept. 4 at a banquet and trade show that drew more than 600 people to Wesley Chapel’s Saddlebrook Resort Tampa.

The trade show, which preceded the banquet, attracted 48 companies and organizations from across Tampa Bay.

Other 2013 Industry Award winners were:

• Technology Award: Caresync, a Wesley Chapel company that can aggregate all of a patient’s data into a single record

• Service/Distribution, Category 1: Goin’ Postal Franchise Corp., a franchise shipping service in Zephyrhills

• Service/Distribution, Category 2: Meares Plumbing, a commercial and residential plumbing business based in Hudson

• Manufacturer of the Year, Category 1: Sign-A-Rama of New Tampa, a sign company in Wesley Chapel

• Manufacturer of the Year, Category 2: Adams Arms Inc., a firearms manufacturing company in Odessa

• New Business Award: J.T.D. Enterprises Inc., a flagpole company in Lutz.

Those attending the event also heard an update on Pasco County’s economic development progress.

Trey Starkey, chairman of the economic development’s board, reported that 583 new jobs had been created in Pasco County, according to a news release issued by the PEDC.

The organization also helped in efforts to achieve $40.2 million capital investment, 287,000 square feet occupied and $22.5 million in annual payroll, Starkey said.

The economic development seeks nominations each year for companies that exhibit exemplary growth in technology, innovation, job creation, capital investment and community service.

An awards committee then interviews the nominees to select the winners.

Swiftmud promotes Beltran to executive director

September 18, 2013 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Robert Beltran has been promoted to executive director of the Southwest Florida Water Management District, more commonly known as Swiftmud.

Beltran replaces Blake Guillory, who will take on the executive director role at the South Florida Water Management District.

“The board is confident in Robert’s abilities to lead this organization as we continue to focus on our core mission of managing water and related natural resources throughout our 16-county region,” said Carlos Beruff, Swiftmud’s governing board chairman, in a statement.

Beltran moves up from the assistant executive director position, which he has held since March 2012. There he oversaw several divisions including regulation, resource management, operations, maintenance and construction. Beltran also led the solutions team for the Central Florida Water Initiative, a multi-jurisdictional effort to ensure an adequate water supply in a five-county region.

Beltran is a professional engineer with nearly two decades of experience in helping clients design and permit services for their water and wastewater needs. He has worked throughout Florida helping municipalities and private companies on water-related initiatives including stormwater, wastewater, reclaimed water, drinking water and alternative water supply projects.

Beltran holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a master’s degree in environmental engineering from Tulane University in New Orleans. He is a member of various professional associations, and is a past president of the Florida Engineering Society’s Ridge chapter.

This barber prefers straight razors, clippers over perms

September 18, 2013 By B.C. Manion

Pamela DeHaven didn’t set out to become a female barber. But after doing thousands of haircuts and giving straight-razor shaves, the 51-year-old can’t picture herself in any other role.

Pamela DeHaven didn’t set out to become a female barber, but enjoys being able to express her artistic creativity with clippers. Here DeHaven is giving customer Chris Berger a haircut. It’s his first visit to DeHaven’s shop, and she’s determined it won’t be his last. (Photo by B.C. Manion)

Initially, she thought she’d be a cosmetologist, a more traditional path for a woman. But a trip to the emergency room changed that plan.

“When I was going to (cosmetology) school, I had an allergic reaction to a perm,” DeHaven said. “It closed up my airways. I was heartbroken. I didn’t know what I was going to do because I’d been cutting hair since I was 14 years old.”

But the emergency room doctor had a suggestion: Become a barber, adding, “I don’t know a barber that does perms.”

So DeHaven started barber school. However, it wasn’t the easiest road to take.

“It wasn’t something women did back then,” she said. “It was difficult because the guys all made fun of me.”

They told her she was going into the wrong field and wouldn’t be able to make a living.

But she persisted.

“I didn’t have a choice. I wanted to do hair but I didn’t want to do chemicals,” DeHaven said. “You have to believe in yourself. So, I just kept on going.”

DeHaven would find jobs at barber shops on military bases in Nebraska and Alaska before coming to Tampa in the 1990s to work at MacDill Air Force Base. There she would do as many as 40 haircuts a day, at prices as low as $5 each.

When she went to work for private shops in Brandon, Apollo Beach and Land O’ Lakes, DeHaven was able to be more artistic and make better money, too. Then she opened Tops N Taper Barber Shop at 1907 Collier Parkway in Lutz.

At the moment, DeHaven is her shop’s only full-time barber. There’s also a part-time cosmetologist, who also adds some barbering services as well.

She’s looking for a full-time barber, who specializes in fades. Future plans call for adding someone to do manicures and pedicures for men, and a masseuse.

The shop specializes for services for men and boys, DeHaven said. “There won’t be any chemicals or perms.”

Chris Berger, a 35-yeaer-old Land O’ Lakes resident, recently gave the shop a try.

“I like the fact that you come from a military background,” Berger told DeHaven. “A military haircut, that’s what I’m working for.”

Afterward, taking a look at DeHaven’s handiwork, he was pleased with the results. “I’ll be back.”

Berger is not the only one who gives DeHaven high marks. A couple of customers followed her to her new shop.

Land O’ Lakes resident Harry Cooper, 70, said he prefers having a woman give him his haircuts.

“I used my wife’s hairdressers for years,” Cooper said. “They’d just come to the house. Then, I came across Pam. I’ve been dedicated to her for eight years.”

“She’s very good at what she does,” he said, adding he likes her personality, too. “The older guys, they line up for her.”

Jim Hoskins, another regular, has been seeing DeHaven for haircuts for four years.

“In my case, there’s not much to work with,” said Hoskins, who was poking fun at himself, despite having a healthy head of hair.

Apparently, Hoskins likes DeHaven’s style because he keeps coming back.

“She does a wonderful job on your hair,” Hoskins said.

Retired Dade City teacher born for Peace Corps

September 18, 2013 By Michael Hinman

Barbara Colson was a freshman in college when she first heard of the Peace Corps.

Barbara Colson joins some of the Armenian students she taught English to visit a rebuilt 10th century church. Armenia, where the Dade City women spent two years as part of the Peace Corps, was the first full country to accept Christianity in A.D. 301. (Photo courtesy of Barbara Colson)

It was 1966, and another girl in her dorm had just received a phone call and found out she had been accepted.

“I had no idea what she was talking about, so I decided to learn more about it,” the retired Dade City teacher said. “I thought it sounded good, like something I wanted to do, but life got in the way.”

And it was a lot of life. Colson would raise her family, excel in her career with the Hillsborough County school system, and travel when she could. It wasn’t until she turned 59, after her retirement, that Colson finally applied for the Peace Corps.

“This was something I always wanted to do, and I was finally doing it,” Colson said.

She was one of thousands of people vying for just 8,000 slots that are available each year in the Peace Corps, but Colson’s education background and community service made her a perfect fit to teach English as a second language. She found out quickly that her home for the next two years would be Armenia, a former Soviet Union republic that was still struggling to get back on its feet.

“They loved the Russians,” Colson said. “Back then, everybody worked, and everybody had a house. But then the Russians just packed up everything and left, and they left these countries without the resources to continue.”

Factories closed and jobs dried up. Many Armenians now look for a better life in Russia, or even the United States. That has refocused attention on education, working to help the country become more self-sufficient, and more involved in worldwide economics.

“Many of them follow learning methods originally written by the Russians,” Colson said. “We started a Girl Scout group there, and one of the things we realized was that no one there knew how to brainstorm. That was a skill we had to teach them.”

That is what helps make the Peace Corps necessary in countries like Armenia, said Alethea Parker, public affairs specialist for Peace Corps in Atlanta.

“It’s is a large commitment to be away from your family and friends for two years,” she said. “But from our perspective, it’s very rewarding and impactful … and it is important work.”

The only requirements to become a Peace Corps volunteer is being at least 18 years old, and a U.S. citizen. But getting selected, that is a much more daunting process.

“Our application process is quite competitive,” Parker said. “Most of our programs do require at least a bachelor’s degree, and we are typically looking at several years of full-time professional work experience.”

Yet, being a Peace Corps volunteer has its advantages beyond just helping out overseas. Medical expenses are covered at 100 percent, and a decent stipend is offered to cover day-to-day living expenses.

Colson lived in Kapan, a small city of just 45,000 people in southern Armenia. That worked out great for Colson, who struggled to learn Armenian. Unlike more rural areas, the cities in Armenia tend to have a more international feel.

“A lot of people speak English as it’s an international language,” she said. “They want to be a part of the world, and to get along in the world. And they’re working hard to achieve those goals.”

Even if Colson was in a bind, where she couldn’t just point to something on a store shelf she wanted, it seemed there was always someone willing to help. It’s the kind of neighborly actions she wishes existed more back home.

“The things that Americans get upset about, it’s beyond me,” Colson said. “Try really being in survivor mode, and you’ll find out there’s a lot more we can do for our own people back home, too.”

The Peace Corps currently has 36 volunteers from the Tampa Bay area serving overseas, and have joined more than 850 volunteers from the region who have participated since President John F. Kennedy founded the program in 1961.

Right now, however, the Peace Corps needs 1,000 volunteers, and are recruiting. Details can be found online at www.PeaceCorps.gov.

Residents weigh in on Pasco’s quality of life

September 11, 2013 By B.C. Manion

Pasco County residents like to express themselves at the polls, but aren’t all that interested in attending public meetings.

When they need to go to work, chances are they’ll hop in their car and drive themselves there.

And, when it comes to ranking efforts to create jobs and grow the economy — they see plenty of room for improvement.

These are just a few of the findings from the National Citizen Survey, which offers a glimpse of how Pasco residents view the quality of life in the county and provides a basic report card on government services.

The survey is a collaborative effort between the National Research Center Inc. and the International City/County Management Association.

The survey was developed by the National Research Center to provide a statistically valid survey of resident opinions about the services provided by local government.

The survey was distributed to 1,200 randomly selected addresses, and of those, 243 were returned for a return rate of 23 percent. The survey has a plus or minus 6 percent margin of error.

According to the survey, 91 percent of those responding said they are registered to vote and 81 percent said they made it to the polls on Election Day.

Far fewer seemed interested in making their opinions known at public meetings. Just 21 percent of the survey takers said they attended a meeting of local elected officials or other local public meeting in the last year.

When it comes to getting around, 76 percent reported that they drive alone in their car to get the work, and just 7 percent said they’d been on a bus in the county during the past year. Fewer than a third gave good or excellent marks to ease of biking or walking around the county.

Overall, 68 percent of those surveyed gave Pasco County a good or excellent mark for its quality of life. But just 34 percent gave good or excellent marks to economic development, and a whopping 85 percent said job growth is too slow.

Opportunities to attend cultural events also scored poorly, with just 30 percent giving good or excellent marks in that category.

On a brighter note, however, 79 percent gave excellent or good marks for the county’s public library services.

The survey rated a number of county services, which were compared to a benchmark database. Of the 40 services for which comparison was available, none exceeded the benchmark, 15 were similar and 25 were ranked below.

Despite that outcome, though, 81 percent of those surveyed said they would be somewhat or very likely to recommend living in Pasco County, and 83 percent said they planned to remain in Pasco for the next five years.

The county has made gains in some areas.

The availability of affordable health care, for instance, was rated as good or excellent by 60 percent of the survey takers, compared to 46 percent last year and 44 percent in 2009.

Health services, overall, also scored a higher mark — with good or excellent ratings by 64 percent, compared to 57 percent last year and 49 percent in 2009.

Parks and recreation also picked up a few points, with 50 percent of those surveyed rating recreational opportunities as good or excellent, compared to 45 percent last year.

On the public safety front, 93 percent of the respondents reported feeling safe or somewhat safe in their homes during the day.

Five percent of those surveyed said they or someone in their household had been a victim of crime — compared to 14 percent the previous year.

However, just 72 percent said they reported the crime to police, compared with 84 percent reporting it the year before.

The Pasco County Commission is expected to hear a report on the survey when they meet Sept. 4. The item had been on the commission’s Aug. 27 agenda, but was delayed because of long discussions on other issues.

Radio-controlled planes go back in time at fly-in

September 11, 2013 By Michael Hinman

Larry Utt spent a year painstakingly creating his replica of an S.E.5a plane, popular with both American and British forces during World War I.

His plane is a fraction of the size of the original Scout Experimental 5, which was nearly 21 feet long, more than 9 feet high, and weighed 1,410 pounds when empty. But when it’s in the air, it’s hard to believe it’s only radio-controlled.

Joe Barzyz of Spring Hill fuels up his Cub radio-controlled airplane, preparing it for flight on Connerton Preserve. This hand-built Cub is one of many planes that visitors can see at the Golden Era Fly-In on Sept. 14 at Connerton’s Area 52 field. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

“It’s just a model, until it flies,” Utt said. “After that, it’s an airplane.”

The S.E.5a is one of more than a couple dozen radio-controlled planes from the “Downton Abbey” era scheduled to dazzle aviation fans Sept. 14 at the Golden Era Fly-In. The event, presented by Bay City Flyers of Land O’ Lakes, is open to spectators and pilots alike at Connerton Preserve’s Area 52 field just off SR 52.

“You pay a small fee to fly, which is a fundraiser for the club,” Utt said. Spectators are also welcome beginning at 9 a.m. for a modest $3 donation at the gate.

The field itself was a grazing area for cattle just a decade ago, and now consists of two pavilions and grassy runways on land now owned by the Southwest Florida Water Management District. Club members built the field and maintain it. It has become a popular daily stop for many of the local club’s more than 200 members.

During the week, some flyers could be out as early as sunrise, and many stay until after lunch. On the weekends, many of the clubs’ younger members stop by, many times father and son teams enjoying the open sky.

Area 52 is one of three fields Bay City uses, but each one is special, said one of the group’s leaders, Mike Diesu. Despite the use of mufflers, and flying when few other people are around, the hobby of radio-controlled planes is not something usually well-accepted in neighborhoods.

“Clubs usually lose locations because of development,” said Joe Barzyz, who moved to the area from New Jersey in 2005. “People who have an interest in all this think it’s nice, but the problem is that once you put a house on the other side of the road, and they start hearing the mufflers, you have a problem.”

Area 52 is good because it’s a preserve, and there isn’t a house for miles. The only thing interfering with flying there, besides bad weather, are sandhill cranes. If one of those protected birds shows up on a runway, everything stops until they make their way elsewhere on the land.

Flyers at Area 52 respect the birds, and the land they use. They are careful to not spill fuel on the grass, and keep the whole area maintained, including grass mowing.

Bay City Flyers also stay active in the community, helping with food drives, and teaching aviation students. Flying a radio-controlled plane is not as easy as it looks, and getting good at it could take as long as becoming an actual pilot.

Sometimes, new flyers will spend thousands of dollars on equipment, and go out feeling like they’re ready to go. But after their first crash — and there are many crashes in radio-controlled flying — they can become discouraged easily.

“It’s only as expensive as you want it to be,” Utt said. While some planes can cost upward of $3,000, many good ones can be found for less than $300.

In fact, Bay City encourages people to join before they even buy a plane, to learn how to fly, use some of the club’s equipment, and then use that experience in buying their own plane.

And fly-ins, like the one next week, are great tools to add more pilots to the ranks.

The Golden Era Fly-In will run from 9 a.m. through 2 p.m., and features planes from 1919 to 1939. Landing fees for pilots are $10, and free lunch will be offered to all Academy of Model Aeronautics members who are flying.

Lunch will be available for spectators for a small price.

For more information, visit BayCityFlyers.org.

For Lutz man, it’s not junk … it’s art

September 11, 2013 By B.C. Manion

When Andy Hamilton goes rummaging around at a swap meet or flea market, he’s always on the lookout for the makings of his metal works of art.

Andy Hamilton of Twisted Mind Rusty Metal, stands next to a robot he built. (Photo by B.C. Manion)

What might look like a colander to most instead looks like a turtle shell to Hamilton. Pot lids and air-conditioning gauges are eyes. Hedge clippers and rakes make good wings. Rusty pipe wrenches bounce back to life as grasshoppers.

Hamilton sees possibilities everywhere.

“These two bikes here, they came from a flea market,” said Hamilton, 62, outside his workshop in Lutz. “The guy was just trying to get rid of them. Five dollars a piece. I’ll take the front forks off of them, use them for legs. Chains, I’ll use for manes on a horse.

The satellite dish arm? “This is the neck of a horse.” And the post-hole diggers? “These are the heads for alligators,” he said.

“Potato forks are usually tail feathers for a bird.”

Hamilton is a Lutz-based artist with Twisted Mind Rusty Metal, a company that specializes in recycling old metal and other objects into art. Where other people see obsolete car parts, rusted garden implements, empty bottles and old tools, Hamilton envisions whimsical works of art.

“Somehow, I can see something,” Hamilton said. “People have asked me, ‘What kind of drug do you take? Do you drink a lot?’ It seems like the crazier I make stuff, the more people like it.”

Bins and shelves in his workshop are chock-full of the raw materials of his artworks. He has another collection of salvaged goods that he plans to recycle outside next to his shop.

“You’ve got to have a stockpile,” Hamilton said.

As he surveys his shop, there is stuff everywhere. “It’s a disorganized, organized mess,” he said.

Hamilton hunts regularly for old golf clubs, and often finds them for a dollar each at thrift stores.

“I just cut all of these off the shafts,” he said, motioning to a stack of club heads. The steel pieces become ears for dogs and feet for pigs.

“A lot of people throw these away,” Hamilton said, pointing to some empty helium tanks. “They end up in the trash and when I see ‘em, I grab ‘em.”

The tanks become the bodies of pigs and other animals.

Hamilton, who has spent more than four decades working in masonry, started his metal art business more than two years ago. It started when he decided to make a couple of things for his wife’s garden.

“A friend of hers had sold plants at plant shows,” he said. “She told me to bring some along and see if they would sell.”

They did sell, and the company was born — using a name his wife, Sheila, created.

Over the past couple of years, he has sold 700 to 800 pieces, ranging in price from $35 to $400.

He now spends nearly every evening out in the workshop behind his house, where he sandblasts rusted parts, welds pieces together and paints to create Chihuahuas, pigs, robots, weather vanes, sunflowers, birds and all sorts of critters.

On weekends, one can find Hamilton making the rounds — either to events where he’s selling his art, or at swap meets, garage sales and flea markets where he’s picking up materials he can recycle.

“Starting September through basically March, that’s the busy season,” Hamilton said.

Over Labor Day weekend, for instance, he had a booth at the 13th annual Gulfport Geckofest on Saturday. By Sunday, he was at a swap meet in Bushnell. Monday, he hit the flea market in Webster.

During the off-season, typically November through March, Hamilton spends Saturday mornings in Dunedin at the Green Market. And the third Friday of each month, he’s in Safety Harbor between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. He also does three shows a year in Lakeland.

He also attends the Lutz Arts & Crafts Festival Christmas show.

“Last year we sold like 26 pieces on Saturday, and at least 10 or 12 on Sunday,” Hamilton said, adding he sells even more during the town’s Fourth of July celebration.

Hamilton’s wife is a big supporter of his artistic pursuits.

“She wants me to quit masonry for this,” said Hamilton, who believes someday he will.

Pasco could have state’s first private toll road

September 11, 2013 By B.C. Manion

Gerald Stanley wants to build the first private toll road in the state. And he wants to build it across Pasco County.

Stanley, a retired road builder from Lutz who is a partner with International Infrastructure Partners LLC, submitted an unsolicited proposal June 11 to the state Department of Transportation proposing a toll road be built along the SR 54/SR 56 corridor. That would link Wesley Chapel to New Port Richey, with the possible addition of Wesley Chapel to US 301 in Zephyrhills.

The partnership proposes to lease the right-of-way from the state and both build and operate a 33-mile toll road. Much of the road would be elevated, but portions would be at ground level where necessary. It would be constructed in phases, with the first leg planned for SR 54/56 from Bruce B. Downs Boulevard to the Suncoast Parkway.

The second phase would go from the Suncoast Parkway to US 19 in New Port Richey. A possible third phase would extend the road from Bruce B. Downs to Zephyrhills. It’s possible, however, that phases one and two would be combined immediately for cost efficiency.

Stanley touted the benefits of the proposed project in a letter addressed to Anath Prasad, the secretary of the state roads department.

“This will be the first of its kind, privately funded, designed, built, operated and maintained elevated expressway in the state of Florida,” Stanley wrote. “It will create thousands of jobs for Floridians, further economic development in Pasco County, improve traffic flow, and promote use of existing and future transportation facilities.”

International Infrastructure Partners was formed specifically to manage the project and consists of engineers, accountants and financial professionals, according to Stanley’s proposal.

The construction would be done by PCL, a company that is currently working on the Interstate 4 connector project. The company also has completed work for the toll-funded Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway.

Guggenheim Securities LLC would be the capital partner for the project, Stanley said, soliciting investments through a fund called “FL54Xpressway.”

Kris Carson, spokeswoman for District 7 of the DOT, said it is too early to tell if any project like this would come to fruition.

“It could be that nothing ever happens,” Carson said. “There are a lot of questions to be answered.”

In response to Stanley’s proposal, the state roads department issued a request for proposals to encourage a competitive process, and set a date of Oct. 23 for opening those proposals.

John Hagen, president and CEO of the Pasco Economic Development Council Inc., said when the idea of a toll road was initially raised, there were questions about who would pay for it, and its financial feasibility.

The fact that a private group has stepped forward and is willing to pay for it, gives legitimacy to the concept, he said.

Like Carson, Hagan said it is too early to tell if a project will materialize.

“There are a lot of technical questions that need to be answered,” Hagan said.

But if a toll road is built, it will provide an additional transportation option that will allow traffic to move quickly across the county on a toll road, while local traffic uses the surface streets, the economic development expert said.

Steps must be taken to increase traffic capacity, Hagan said. Otherwise, “eventually SR 54/SR 56 will just become a parking lot.”
Jeff Miller, a real estate agent and resident of Wesley Chapel, said he welcomes this type of project. He sees it as a way for people, like himself, to get to New Port Richey and Pinellas County much more quickly than is possible now.

“It’s not a done deal. We’re all trying to determine if it’s feasible,” Stanley said. “If it’s not profitable, it won’t be built.”

If the project is done, however, it will employ hundreds of construction workers and will bring more industry to Pasco County.

It will also help prevent gridlock, as Pasco continues to grow, said Stanley, who has been a part of the Florida Transportation Builders Association for 35 years, and was the group’s president in 2005-06.

“We’re looking to the future,” he said.

In its request for proposals, the state DOT requires those interested in pursuing a private toll road to:

–Obtain any required approvals from federal regulatory agencies to operate a toll facility in this corridor;

–Identify and comply with existing federal, state, and local regulatory agency requirements;

–Identify and address how the proposer plans to design, construct, operate and maintain a toll facility in Pasco County;

–Identify and address existing infrastructure and utility conflicts, and provide for resolution of such infrastructure and utility conflicts;

–Address future build-outs of infrastructure in the corridor(s) that may be impacted by or impact the toll road, and future phases of the toll road;

–Identify and address any zoning or land development codes of any affected local government.

The submitter must also demonstrate its ability to further economic development in the region and state, protect the environment, create temporary and permanent jobs in Florida, improve transportation efficiency and otherwise benefit citizens and the state.

The state would not provide any funding for the project, according to the RFP.

A decision on awarding the project would occur on Nov. 6, according to the RFP.