The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

Community service morphs into government service for Robertson

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Bob Robertson is a man who has an uncanny ability to pop up almost everywhere. Community meetings, charity events, volunteer drives — if it’s something that can help others, Robertson is there.

Bob Robertson has stayed closely involved in the community, and wants to continue being the public advocate Pat Mulieri was on the board. In fact, the Zephyrhills financial analyst earned an endorsement from Mulieri heading into the Aug. 26 primary. (Courtesy of Bob Robertson)
Bob Robertson has stayed closely involved in the community, and wants to continue being the public advocate Pat Mulieri was on the board. In fact, the Zephyrhills financial analyst earned an endorsement from Mulieri heading into the Aug. 26 primary.
(Courtesy of Bob Robertson)

That’s part of what called him to run for the Pasco County Commission — a chance to make a difference. And that, for him, starts with getting people excited about their local government once again.

“The bigger issue is that people are totally disengaged, even to the extent that this campaign we’re in, we have to try and explain to people the voting process. People feel that government isn’t working for them, and I want to change that.”

Robertson worked to do that during his years on Lake Bernadette’s community development district, becoming a steward for the funds residents there pay for the management of their community, especially when it comes to infrastructure. It’s not anything like helping to manage a county with nearly a half-million people — but it’s a tremendous learning experience.

Especially when it comes to sorting through all kinds of needs, and then trying to find the money to help pay for it.

“Tax revenue has gone down, and property values have gone down. Hard choices have been made, and are still going to be made,” Robertson said. “We have to decide between what we need and what we want, and we need to create a vision of that.”

There has been a lot of talk over whether to raise taxes at the gas pump by a nickel, or even to increase property taxes to help pay for new road construction. Robertson said he’s not too interested in raising taxes, but he’s also a realist.

“Property taxes have been going down pretty considerably since 2007,” he said. “Some are down by about 35 percent. And when you then talk about raising the gas tax a nickel, it kind of puts all of that into perspective.”

However, the county has to be cautious about how they approach any potential gas tax, Robertson said. While the impact to residents might be minimal, the effect it would have on businesses — especially those that purchase large amounts of fuel — could be devastating.

“The business community side is where you get the unintended consequences,” Robertson said. “If you making your living in an area like landscaping, for instance, they are running around and buying gasoline for their equipment. They are not necessarily using the roads.”

Overall, however, the county needs to focus more on mass transit, to help get people around, and get more cars off the roads. While some areas — like the southern tier of Pasco — is becoming more urbanized, the bus system is not keeping up in making sure transportation options are in place, Robertson said.

“We need to look at what our southern neighbors are doing,” Robertson said of Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. “We need to work in concert with them to figure out what’s working and what’s not, and to make sure that we can connect everyone to all parts of the region.”

It also means making sure there are good-paying jobs. Robertson has cited statistics he says are from government research that has the average weekly wage in Pasco at $624. Hillsborough and Pinellas pay about $200 more.

“Our residents are not in the economic position to be able to afford many of the wonderful things that we want to be able to offer in the county,” Robertson said, referring to generating more tax revenue for services. “Yes, we need these additional residences to be built up around the county to help with the tax base, but we also need to have people moving in that are making enough to boost the value of our property here in Pasco.”

Robertson has hardly raised the most money among the three candidates seeking the Republican nomination for county commission’s District 2. However, he knew from the beginning he would be the underdog.

“I see myself, at least, as the quintessential grassroots candidate,” he said. “The other two guys are politicians, but I present a different look. And you need to be different if you want to stand out in the crowd.”

BOB ROBERTSON:
Republican candidate for Pasco County Commission, District 2

OCCUPATION
Owner, The Financial Center

ELECTED OFFICE
Lake Bernadette Community Development District, 2008-14

FAMILY
Cindy Robertson, wife
Cassie, daughter
Melissa, daughter

RESIDENCE
Zephyrhills, nine years

FUNDRAISING
through Aug. 8
$13,549

Published August 20, 2014

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Pasco wants to build on challenging 2013 season

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After three straight undefeated regular seasons, Pasco High School slipped to 7-3 in 2013. They failed to win their district, making the playoffs as a runner-up in Class 5A-District 6.

That record would represent a great season for many schools, but expectations run high at Pasco. And it’s a drop in production from what the Pirates have usually accomplished under Tom McHugh.

The Pirates hope their hard work at practice will help them contend for a district title this season after finishing runner-up in 2013. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
The Pirates hope their hard work at practice will help them contend for a district title this season after finishing runner-up in 2013.
(Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)

Still, don’t expect the head coach to be disappointed in that outcome.

“Last season with the things that happened within the team internally and the players, I think that we actually overachieved,” McHugh said. “I was proud of the way everybody reacted.”

The team’s starting quarterback was dismissed from the team early in the year, causing an entire overhaul of the offense. The Pirates had planned to run a read-option scheme, where the quarterback reads the movement of the defender on the edge, and either gives the ball to the running back or keeps it himself, based on what he sees. But the team had to shift to a more traditional offense once the season started.

Abandoning the game plan you had all off-season with a full schedule ahead of you would be a challenge for any team. Add in more dismissals and injuries, and the Pirates simply weren’t the team they thought they had at the start of the season.

As a result, they went 2-3 to start the year, including 0-2 in the district. But as the players settled into their new scheme, the Pirates closed the regular season with five straight wins and kept their playoff streak alive by beating Zephyrhills High School to claim the runner-up spot in the district.

Now, with a full off-season to prepare their quarterback Grant Starling for the lead role, McHugh feels like they can not only run their offense more efficiently, but add a few tweaks to make it more effective.

“Now that we’ve run it, we can put some chrome on it now,” he said.

Starling believes having the off-season to work as the starter has already paid dividends with regard to his confidence and effectiveness.

“It really helped a lot,” Starling said. “I feel a lot more comfortable. The players feel more comfortable around me. We’ve worked together more so we have more chemistry.”

The game, he said, is slowing down for him, and he’s doing a better job of reading defenses than he did last season.

The defense also should be in good shape, with the defensive line mostly intact from last season and a strong point headed into 2014. The defensive backfield also stood out and impressed McHugh in seven-on-seven competition over the summer.

“I was really happy with those guys,” he said. “They worked well together.”

Despite some losses on the offensive line, the coach said they also have some returning playmakers and expects that part of the team to be in decent shape.

The Pirates will have some time to get things in order before facing their district opponents. After a preseason game, which McHugh said will be used to evaluate who’s in shape and how the team reacts to in-game situations, Pasco starts the season with three non-district contests.

But there’s no reason to ask McHugh about them, because he has no idea who they are. The coach doesn’t look past the first game — figuratively or literally.

“I know it sounds like I’m making it up, but I don’t ever look ahead,” McHugh said. ”I couldn’t tell you who the second game of the season is until after we play Sunlake.”

While the coach is looking to get back to his accustomed level of success and have fewer struggles than last season, he’s not sorry it happened. He said that the younger players have now learned that they can’t just step onto the field and expect everything to go their way. After fighting through last season and still finishing with a winning record and a playoff berth, McHugh hopes his athletes can apply the lessons from 2013 to have a stronger campaign in 2014.

“Sometimes you can get kind of complacent and you think it’s (winning games) just going to happen, and sometimes a swift kick in the butt will help you,” McHugh said. ”No one likes to lose, so I think in a way it’s probably a good thing that things like that happen once in a while.”

For his part, Starling knows that just being a quarterback for Pasco High School comes with expectations. But he feels the team has the ability and chemistry to live up to them.

“If you go around town, everyone knows Pasco football,” he said. “They expect a lot from you, so you’ve got to show up for them.”

PASCO PIRATES:
LAST YEAR: 7-3
4-2 in district play
Second place in Class 5A-District 6

KEY RETURNING PLAYERS
Bowman Archibald, tight end, defensive end
Andrew Ivie, defensive tackle

PLAYER TO WATCH
Jamal Mention, offensive line
“He’s got the football mentality. When he gets his hands on you, it’s a tough thing. I’m looking forward to seeing what he’ll do.” — Coach Tom McHugh

2014 Pirates Schedule
8/29 — Sunlake
9/5 — at Fivay
9/12 — at Wesley Chapel
9/26 — at Nature Coast Tech
10/3 — at South Sumter
10/10 — Weeki Wachee
10/17 — Hernando
10/24 — at Central
10/31 — Zephyrhills
11/7 — River Ridge

Published August 20, 2014

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Business Digest 08-20-14

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Mortgage company closes doors in Wesley Chapel
A corporate decision to leave the mortgage services business has put 10 people out of a job in Wesley Chapel.

Springleaf Financial has filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN, with the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, saying it plans to cut those jobs beginning in October.

The office, according to the notice, is located at 2533 Windguard Circle, Unit 101, in Wesley Chapel, just across from Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel off Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.

“Springleaf has decided to sell its mortgage services business,” the Indiana-based company told The Laker/Lutz News, in a release. “In conjunction with the sale, the company plans to close its facility in Wesley Chapel. This was a difficult decision, and where possible, we are working to place affected staff in new positions within the company.”

The sale of the mortgage service division was part of nearly $7.2 billion worth of divisions Springleaf recently decided to part ways with.

The company provides loans and other credit-related products to more than a half million people in 26 states, as well as Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, according to the company’s website. It also provides bill consolidation loans, personal loans, home improvement loans, and loans for unexpected expenses and vacations.

The company went public in 2013.

New Seven Oaks community may have to rethink gates
A new townhouse community planned for Wesley Chapel’s Seven Oaks subdivision is struggling to keep the neighborhood gated.

Pasco County officials have recommended denying a request by The Ryland Group to allow for two gated access points as a planned 96-unit community near the intersection of Stockton Drive and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard. The problem, they say, is that there isn’t enough room to accommodate a line of cars.

County ordinance requires there be at least 75 feet of space from a sidewalk to a community’s gated entrance, enough to fit three cars. However, because of the unusual layout design of the property where Seven Oaks Ryland Townhomes is planned, it can only provide enough space to accommodate two cars. The rule, officials said, ensures there is enough room for a small line of cars, without blocking sidewalks and roads.

The plan would have provided for two entrances into the community, one from Stockton Drive, the other from Eagleston Boulevard. Only the entrance at Stockton would provide visitor access, but even a resident-only entrance at Eagleston created concerns from county officials. That’s because it would only have enough room to hold one vehicle, and any additional vehicles would block pedestrian pathways.

Developers will have a chance to plead their case in front of the Development Review Committee, which will meet in the county commission chambers at 8731 Citizens Drive in New Port Richey on Aug. 21, beginning at 1:30 p.m.

Upcoming PHHCC events
Some of the upcoming August events with the Pasco Hernando Hispanic Chamber of Commerce include:

• Coffee & Conversation Aug. 22 beginning at 7:30 a.m., at Centennial Bank, 23000 State Road 54 in Lutz.

• Business & Career Expo, Oct. 17 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Wesley Chapel Toyota, 5300 Eagleston Blvd., in Wesley Chapel.

For information, visit PHHChamber.com.

New painting franchise opens
Jason Metz has opened a new location for ProTect Painters, a professional painting company that specializes in exterior and interior residential and commercial painting projects, in Wesley Chapel.

It will be located at 1936 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Suite 64.

ProTect Painters as a corporation was acquired by Service Brands International in 2009, the franchisor of household services companies like Molly Maid and Mr. Handyman. Under the SBI umbrella, ProTect Painters is expected to grow to 200 franchises over the next five years, according to a release.

For information, call (813) 279-5083.

Planned Zephyrhills restaurant gets some financial help
The Zephyrhills City Council, meeting as the Community Redevelopment Agency, approved nearly $20,000 to help a popular Tampa restaurant expand into Zephyrhills.

Michael and Laura Andrews want to open Smokehouse B-B-Q & Grill at 5740 Seventh St., a space formerly occupied by Pancho Villa’s Mexican Restaurant. However, nearly $40,000 in vandalism caused to electrical and air-conditioning made that nearly impossible.

The CRA, however, offered to help, which could pave the way to creating up to 30 new jobs in the city, according to city documents.

The Andrews bought the 36-year-old building for $95,000. It originally sold in 2003 for $250,000. The CRA will give the couple up to $19,688 — or half the cost to make electrical and air-conditioning repairs — according to City Manager Steve Spina.

Smokehouse B-B-Q was started in 2004 on U.S. 301, one mile north of Interstate 4 in Tampa, according to city documents. Although revenue has steadily increased at that location over the past few years, the Andrews felt they had reached their capacity at their current location, and wanted to add a second one.

Housing market up, condo sales down
Nearly 15,000 existing homes and condominiums changed hands in the greater Tampa Bay area during April, May and June, showing promising housing market trends despite a drop in overall condo sales.

The region — which includes Pasco, Hillsborough, Hernando and Pinellas counties — sold 3,733 condos in the second quarter, down more than 5 percent from the year before. The median sales price, however, rose more than 12 percent to $110,000.

The volume was second only to the greater Miami and Fort Lauderdale area, where nearly 13,000 condos were sold, according to a new report from Florida Realtors. Sales there, however, were down more than 6 percent.

The lower volume is actually good news for the market, Florida Realtors chief economist John Tuccillo said, because that means foreclosure-related short sales are on the decline.

“The second quarter numbers show that Florida’s real estate market is settling in,” Tuccillo said, in a release. “While prices throughout the state tend to be up, sales are mixed with single-family sales growing, and condos and townhouses declining.”

Some of the reasons for that include the reduced role of bulk investors — buyers who pick up multiple units at a time in hopes to rent or flip — and many families who are having trouble getting mortgage credit because of flat income.

Just a little more than 10,800 single-family homes were sold in the quarter, up 3 percent from a year ago. Median prices, however, were much more flat at $156,000, an increase of 1.3 percent.

Statewide, single-family sales were up more than 7 percent, while median sales prices rose just above 5 percent at $180,000.

Political Agenda 08-20-14

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Last-minute endorsements for primary candidates
The primary election set to decide who will face Erika Remsberg in the Pasco County Commission District 2 race to succeed Pat Mulieri takes place Aug. 26. And a couple of groups are trying to get some final endorsements in before that happens.

Mike Moore, who is in a Republican primary against Ken Littlefield and Bob Robertson, earned the endorsement of the Tampa Bay Builders Association, and is set to attend an open house at TBBA’s new offices on East Kennedy Boulevard in Tampa on Aug. 21.

Robertson, however, earned the nod from Pasco Fiasco, the activist group that successfully fought against an elevated toll road on the State Road 54/56 corridor earlier this year.

“Robertson displayed genuine concern on local issues, and a track record for getting involved and staying connected with the community,” the group said, in a release. “He was also the first District 2 candidate to leave no wiggle room in the matter of firmly standing against the proposed State Road 54/56 toll road that would’ve become an albatross for Pasco County taxpayers for decades to come.”

Also earning an endorsement from Pasco Fiasco was Commissioner Henry Wilson Jr., who is facing a re-election battle with Mike Wells Jr., in District 4.

“Wilson may be a first-term commissioner, however he displays the willingness to do what’s right by the people despite any criticism from his detractors,” Pasco Fiasco organizers said. “Now that he’s gotten his feet wet, he seems poised to hit his stride at tackling the serious issues facing growing Pasco County. For many months, Wilson was the lone voice of sanity on board of county commissioners meetings, opposing the State Road 54 toll road concept.”

Early voting in Hillsborough, Pasco
Pasco County early voting runs through Aug. 23 at eight locations throughout the county.

Polls are open between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., except for Aug. 23, when they will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Election day for the primary election is Aug. 26.

Polling places include the East Pasco Government Center, 14236 Sixth St., in Dade City; the Land O’ Lakes Library at 2818 Collier Parkway in Land O’ Lakes; the New River Library at 34043 State Road 54 in Zephyrhills; and The Grove at Wesley Chapel, 6013 Wesley Grove Blvd., in Wesley Chapel.

Hillsborough County will have 15 early voting sites open through Aug. 24, including weekends, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., for those who want to participate in the primary election.

Once voting begins, those who wish to cast their ballot early can visit VoteHillsborough.org, and find out both locations and wait times. Hillsborough voters can go to any of the 15 sites to vote.

 

Campaign Crunch: Politicians reveal where their dollars are coming from

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Erika Remsberg has not raised a lot of money for her bid to replace Pat Mulieri on the Pasco County Commission — and she never expects to.

Mike Moore, left, and Ken Littlefield have run nearly polar opposite campaigns for the District 2 seat on the Pasco County Commission, at least when it comes to fundraising. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
Mike Moore, left, and Ken Littlefield have run nearly polar opposite campaigns for the District 2 seat on the Pasco County Commission, at least when it comes to fundraising.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

Through July 25, the lone Democrat seeking a spot on the commission has collected $4,425 on direct donations, better only than the $2,350 raised by Ken Littlefield — one of three people Remsberg may face in the November election. And it’s practically pennies compared to the nearly $162,000 both Mike Moore and Mike Wells have combined to raise for their own races so far.

But Remsberg isn’t worried. While other candidates are getting the $1,000 maximum from many donors, she is averaging far less than $100 per contribution. And that’s a proper grassroots campaign in her eyes.

“I have been at a financial disadvantage since I started,” Remsberg said. “I had to make careful decisions about how I spend money.”

More than 80 percent of Remsberg’s donations have come from people living inside Pasco County, according to campaign finance records, maintaining what she says is her commitment to find support first among county residents. But not everyone has taken that approach, like one of the Republicans seeking Mulieri’s seat, Bob Robertson.

The financial analyst from Zephyrhills has raised a little more than $10,000 in donations in his primary fight against Littlefield and Mike Moore. But less than 20 percent of that has come from the county, or even from Florida, for that matter.

“I think part of what that says is that my sort of boundaries of life are a little broader than Pasco County,” Robertson said. “These are people who know me, who believe in me, and really have nothing to gain from me personally. They are just interested and being supportive of what I’m doing and what I believe.”

Many of those donations have come from Robertson’s native Maryland, and have consisted of smaller donations — well below the $1,000 maximum — from people Robertson has called friends and family. He would prefer his local amount of donations to be higher, but his focus has been more on making sure he doesn’t collect money from those who have business with the county, especially developers.

Robertson, in fact, has only collected $250 — or less than 3 percent — of his donations from those who work in land development or sales directly associated with it. That was a check from contractor Terry Cradick of Pepper Contracting, who Robertson told The Laker/Lutz News last week that he’s actually returning, because he since has found out Cradick does business with the county.

It’s keeping his hands clean from those looking to make money with the county that has kept Littlefield away from not only those donations, but most contributions in general. The former state legislator has practically bankrolled his entire election, with just minimal support from donors.

“I’ve made sure that any money that I’ve taken, that they didn’t have the potential of appearing before the board” of commissioners, Littlefield said. “I certainly can’t speak for them, but I’m sure those donors are looking for a foot in the door, and I’m not giving them one.”

That philosophy is different with the remaining commission candidates, however, including the lone incumbent looking to keep his seat — at least by actions, if not by rule.

Henry Wilson Jr., is trying to stave off a challenge to his seat from Mike Wells Jr., the son of county property appraiser Mike Wells Sr. The open primary Aug. 26 will let anyone choose between the two, regardless of the voter’s political affiliation.

In a candidate forum last week in Dade City, Wilson tried to distance himself from Wells by telling the audience he wasn’t collecting money from developers and real estate agents.

“The first time around (in 2010) they didn’t support me, and the second time around (in 2014) they still didn’t support me,” Wilson said. “Those builders and developers are not Pasco County residents. I need to be business-friendly with them. But my support, I want it to come from our residents here.”

Except Wilson is getting support from the developer community. More than $10,000 of his donations, or just under 30 percent, come from that group. That percentage is close behind both Wells and Moore, who each have had about a third of their campaign funded by those in the developer community.

When presented that statistic, Wilson clarified his earlier statement, focusing instead on where geographically the money came from.

“I have some local people, some local developers, who gave to me,” he said. “But the national firms, the national companies, they’re the ones who aren’t giving.”

But of the developers who have contributed to Wilson, less than 15 percent listed addresses from Pasco County, according to an analysis of campaign finance records.

These developers are small businesses that can’t be ignored, Moore said, in an email.

“It’s humbling to know that so many people and small businesses believe in our cause, and have been willing to make phone calls, knock on doors, donate funds and put up yard signs,” he said.

Wells is not ashamed of the support he’s received, adding that everyone deserves a voice, especially when they are contributing more than $350 million in new construction to the county.

“Contractors, builders, Realtors, road builders, etc., are playing a major role in fueling our county’s economic engine,” Wells said, in an email. “These business people have invested heavily, and have a real interest to see their county run properly.”

Developer/Real Estate Contributions
The percentage of each candidate’s total donations through July 25 for each Pasco County Commission candidate related to new property development, including contractors, engineers, real estate agents and the people who represent them.

Mike Moore – 36.6% ($32,600)
Mike Wells – 31.6% ($23,050)
Henry Wilson – 29.0% ($10,400)
Bob Robertson – 2.5% ($250)
Ken Littlefield – 0.0% ($0)
Erika Remsberg – 0.0% ($0)

Source: Pasco County campaign finance records

Local Contributions
The percentage of each candidate’s total donations through July 25 for each Pasco County Commission candidate where the source of funds was from within the county.

Ken Littlefield – 91.5% ($2,150)
Erika Remsberg – 80.8% ($3,575)
Mike Wells – 66.7% ($48,645)
Henry Wilson – 56.1% ($20,135)
Mike Moore – 55.4% ($49,303)
Bob Robertson – 19.5% ($1,972)

Source: Pasco County campaign finance records

Published August 13, 2014

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Planting seeds to grow gardeners

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The room at the rear of the Land O’ Lakes Community Center was buzzing with chatter as children made their way around the various stations — creating caterpillars out of egg cartons, turning peanut butter jars into terrariums, and creating worm condos out of recycled soda bottles.

Master gardeners from Pasco County Cooperative Extension shared their enthusiasm for gardening as they talked to the youngsters about worms, air plants and compost.

Pasco County Cooperative Extension master gardeners Juanita Fawley and Mary Ellen Gotto help Makenzie Haworth, 7, build a worm condo. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Pasco County Cooperative Extension master gardeners Juanita Fawley and Mary Ellen Gotto help Makenzie Haworth, 7, build a worm condo.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

Master gardeners Mary Ellen Gotto, Juanita Fawley and Stan Groves helped Makenzie Haworth, 7, of New Tampa, as the young girl built a worm condo.

Amy Perkins, who is Makenzie’s mom, said the event helps connect kids with nature, and gives them a chance to experience gardening.

“It’s great exposure,” Perkins said.

“We put this on every year for children,” Gotto said. “It’s educational for children.”

Master gardener Chris Storch helped Caleb Hicks, 9, as he assembled his terrarium. The Connerton Elementary School student attended the event last year and wanted to come back when he heard it was being held again, said Land O’ Lakes resident Ted Beason, the boy’s grandfather.

Storch enjoys seeing the children’s delight.

“They love it, getting their hands dirty and digging into it,” the Lutz woman said.

Vicki Arndtz, a Pasco County master gardener from Zephyrhills, thinks the event gives children from all backgrounds a chance to learn the love of growing plants and vegetables.

“Not every child has an unlimited budget to experiment with gardening,” Arndtz said.

At the terrarium station, children could choose from a wide assortment of recycled containers. There were recycled peanut butter jars, a cheese puff container, pretzel jars and Beanie Babies collectible cases.

After selecting the container, the children added rocks, a weed cloth, soil, plants and decorative items, such as colored stones, gems and coins.

Carolyn Watson, of Land O’ Lakes, was there with her granddaughter, Grace Heller.

“My granddaughter and I love to plant plants together,” Watson said.

The 7-year-old, who attends Corbett Preparatory School, said she’s grown carrots, impatiens and miniature sunflowers with her grandmother.

The master gardeners share a passion for gardening, Arndtz said, and enjoy sharing their enthusiasm.

“Only an eclectic group like this could get excited over worm compost,” she said, laughing.

There’s always something new to learn, Storch said. For instance, gardeners who move to Florida from northern states have to learn about the spring and fall gardening seasons, she said.

“Timing is everything,” Storch said, especially when it comes to growing vegetables in Florida.

To learn more about the Pasco Cooperative Extension, visit Pasco.IFAS.UFL.edu.

For more information about gardening, visit http://solutionsforyourlife.com.

Published August 13, 2014

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As a new school year begins, be sure kids can hear teachers

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A child’s hearing difficulties are not always easy to spot.

That’s why volunteers like Alice Jones of Zephyrhills can play such an important role in a child’s life.

Alice Jones, of Zephyrhills, recently was honored for her volunteer work for the Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida. She conducts hearing tests at various Pasco County schools, to help detect hearing loss in children. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Alice Jones, of Zephyrhills, recently was honored for her volunteer work for the Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida. She conducts hearing tests at various Pasco County schools, to help detect hearing loss in children.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

Jones — recently named Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida’s volunteer of the month — has spent the past several years traveling to various Pasco County schools to conduct hearing tests for children.

The 76-year-old goes to schools within roughly a 20-mile radius of her home, sitting with children who are wearing earphones, and asking them if they can hear the sounds coming through the wires. When they can’t, Sertoma lets the school know, so they can inform the child’s parent.

Most of the time the youngsters can hear. But when they can’t, there are places where they can plug in for help, said Barbra Antonelli, an audiologist at the New Port Richey site for All Children’s Outpatient Care Center of Pasco.

Children can be born with hearing loss or it sometimes develops as they grow older, said Judith Reese, an audiologist at JC Audiology in Lutz. Federal law requires screening of infants. That typically occurs before the baby leaves the hospital, or during a follow-up visit soon after.

Some Pasco County public schools have staff members who conduct hearing screenings, but others use volunteers to do the checks. Sertoma volunteers, like Jones, conduct hearing tests for kindergarten, first- and sixth-graders in Pasco County public schools.

The organization always is looking for more help, Jones added. She got involved because a member of the Zephyrhills Noon Rotary Club asked members to volunteer.

Schools where Jones has helped out over the years include Connerton Elementary School in Land O’ Lakes, Veterans Elementary School in Wesley Chapel, West Zephyrhills Elementary and Stewart Middle schools in Zephyrhills, and Pasco Elementary and Pasco Middle schools in Dade City.

There are various causes of hearing loss, Reese said.

“One of the things that happens most often in children is a temporary hearing loss that is due to ear infections or even a build up of fluid in the ear,” Reese said. “Those are easily treated by medical professionals.”

Early detection is important.

“We really like to catch them early because you can have significant delays in speech and language, even if somebody has an ear infection for just a few months,” Reese said. “When they’re developing their speech and language, it can have a big impact on the child.”

Infants who are not startled by loud sounds may have a hearing loss, Antonelli said. If they don’t respond to their name or a dog barking, that may also be another sign.

Sometimes the problem is not obvious, Reese said.

Typically, if a child has an ear infection, parents become aware of it because it hurts.

“So, they’re crying or their ears are real red,” Reese said. “But if it’s just a build up of fluid, they may kind of just disengage, or tug at their ear.”

But sometimes fluid inside the ear doesn’t hurt, but is hindering a child’s hearing. In a case like that, a parent may think that their child is refusing to behave, or lagging behind in school because they’re not trying, Reese said. In fact, it may be that the child didn’t hear his parents or teacher, or didn’t hear them accurately.

It’s not just a matter of hearing sound, Reese explained. It’s also a matter of processing it properly.

Some signs that children may have a hearing loss include errors in articulation, Antonelli said. It also may seem that children don’t listen well or have trouble following directions. Or, they may want the volume on the television turned up.

When children don’t get help, they can experience academic and social difficulties.

If the hearing loss is spotted early, though, those problems can be avoided. Even newborns can be fitted with hearing aids, Antonelli said.

“Basically, they’ll never fall behind,” she said.

For more information, call Sertoma at (727) 834-5479, or visit FamilyHearingHelp.org.

Hearing loss symptoms and getting help

Hearing loss can happen when any part of the ear is not working properly, including the outer ear, middle ear, inner ear, acoustic nerve and auditory system, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The losses can vary greatly and can be due to a number of causes, the CDC says.

Here are some facts from the CDC to help you learn more about symptoms of hearing loss and what to do when they appear.

Signs in babies
• They do not startle at loud noises
• They do not turn to the source of a sound after 6 months of age
• They do not say single words, such as “dada” or “mama” by 1 year of age
• They turn their heads when they see you, but not if you just call their name
• They seem to hear some sounds but not others

Signs in Children
• Speech is delayed
• Speech is not clear
• They do not follow directions
• They often say, “Huh?”
• They turn the television up too high

The signs and symptoms of hearing loss are different for each child. If you think that a child might have hearing loss, ask the child’s doctor for a hearing screening as soon as possible.

Published August 13, 2014

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Rock lives again as Stonegrey takes local stage

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Guns N’ Roses. Pearl Jam. Nirvana.

For music lovers in their 30s or 40s, these were bands that helped define a generation, and continue to influence rock to this day. And that’s precisely where the members of the local rock revival band Stonegrey draw their inspiration.

Stonegrey is inspired by 1990s rock bands like Pearl Jam, Guns N’ Roses and even a hint of the grunge style of Nirvana. (Courtesy of Terri Dusek)
Stonegrey is inspired by 1990s rock bands like Pearl Jam, Guns N’ Roses and even a hint of the grunge style of Nirvana.
(Courtesy of Terri Dusek)

Except there’s one thing the musicians behind Stonegrey may have forgotten to mention: Those inspirational bands had their heyday before these young rockers were even born.

The oldest members of the Land O’ Lakes-based band — lead singer Eric Whitener and drummer Tyler Dusek — are just 20 years old. Tyler’s brother, guitarist Tristan Dusek, is a recent Land O’ Lakes High School graduate and is 18, while bass player Nick Mitchell is the youngest at 17.

“The biggest challenge we face out there is how young we are,” said Whitener, who works a day job as a marketer for Magical Butter, a food company in New Port Richey. “We get up there on stage, and at first it looks like just some kids playing. But when we get off the stage, they are usually in awe, and that’s when they start taking us seriously.”

The band formed in 2010, playing mostly cover songs in smaller venues under the name Culprit. Before long, however, the band made some changes to both some of its members and its name — Stonegrey — and started to focus more on original music.

They self-produced an album with songs like “Rearview,” “Hold On” and “Leave Me Bleeding.” They practice in a spare room at the Dusek house in Land O’ Lakes, surrounded by pictures of the band on stage, sound equipment, and a life-size cutout of former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Saul “Slash” Hudson in the corner.

Jay and Terri Dusek never tell the boys to hold the music down. In fact, they’re the first to make them crank it up. The Duseks along with Angela Whitener and other parents, have been tireless supporters of their children. They’re at nearly every show, help fund new projects, and are their ambassadors out in the community.

Terri Dusek, a Realtor who currently is the Central Pasco honorary mayor, is always sharing the band’s music and show dates with nearly everyone she sees.

The band’s approach, however, practically markets itself. But that’s because all the attention is on the music, and not gimmicks, popular with many recording artists today, the members said.

“It’s not that we don’t like mainstream music,” Tyler Dusek said. “The thing that we try to do is take what we feel is good about what’s going on, and ignore what we feel is not good, and make it into something that is different. And let’s be honest, something is ‘hipster’ because no one has ever heard of it. We don’t want to be something that people never heard of.”

Performers like Miley Cyrus try to get attention with antics both on- and off-stage.

“Are they really performing music, or are they just putting on a show for entertainment purposes?” Tristan Dusek asked. “We just play music. As far as gimmicks go, we have light boxes we stand on, and then there’s our hair, but we don’t do anything that overpowers anyone.”

Oh, that’s right. The hair.

The first thing many fans notice is the long hair both Whitener and Tristan Dusek sport. It sets the mood for the style of music Stonegrey plays, but it’s also one of the many things people remember when they think of the band.

Despite what anyone might think, Tristan says his curls are natural. His brother Tyler decided it was time to grow out his hair, and in just a couple months, he may have to deal with the same thing.

Although some band members might stand out more than others, everything Stonegrey does is a group effort. Everyone takes equal credit for all the work the band does, including songwriting.

“It’s all 25 percent each, no matter what,” Whitener said. “Just like with Tyler, if he doesn’t like a drum part, he’ll say something. If I come up with some lyrics these guys don’t like, we’ll talk about it. They might have something in their brains they like better, and we’ll at least try it.”

Upcoming shows include the highly anticipated Battle of the Bands at the Ritz Ybor on Aug. 30, as well as a set at Hogan’s Beach in Tampa’s Rocky Pointe on Sept. 18.

Yet, Stonegrey still enjoys the local hometown crowds that have supported them from the beginning, playing at the Beef O’ Brady’s at Lake Wilderness.

“Personally, I don’t care how much money we make, and I don’t care how famous we are in the public eye,” Mitchell said. “I just want to get a chance to do what I love in front of people who appreciate what I am doing.”

Find music from Stonegrey’s first album on Apple’s iTunes Store by visiting tinyurl.com/StonegreyAlbum. Get a look at a music video for the song “Stop Me” in this YouTube clip at tinyurl.com/StonegreyVid. And learn more about upcoming shows from the band’s website at StonegreyBand.com.

Published August 13, 2014

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Finally, honoring some of the area’s early pioneers

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Every city has cemeteries. It’s a natural part of life, and the end of it.

People go there to visit lost loved ones and reflect, and you’ve probably seen the well-manicured grounds, rows of granite headstones, and elaborate tributes to friends and family.

The signage is really the only thing that lets you know that this piece of land off Ehren Cutoff is the Mount Carmel Cemetery. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
The signage is really the only thing that lets you know that this piece of land off Ehren Cutoff is the Mount Carmel Cemetery.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

There are many cemeteries like that in the area. The Mount Carmel Cemetery isn’t one of them.

The African-American cemetery, located off Ehren Cutoff, is a throwback to a different time — a time of segregation, and later, a time of neglect. It’s in better shape now, thanks to the Pasco County Black Caucus, but it’s clear that this is not a modern burial site. If you drove past it, you’d probably never know what it was.

First, a little history.

The community of Ehren — yep, that’s where the road’s name comes from — was a sawmill town in the late 1800s. There were white mill workers and African-American mill workers. They had separate living areas, separate churches, and separate cemeteries.

The Mount Carmel African Methodist Episcopal Church was one that served the African-American community, and they had their own cemetery. So workers and their families would attend the church and were eventually laid to rest there.

In 1920, a fire destroyed the sawmill. Back then, that usually meant the community was destroyed with it. The church eventually closed, but many African-Americans stayed and worked at nearby mills or companies.

They had the Oak Grove Baptist Church to serve their spiritual needs, but the old A.M.E. cemetery was still used as a burial site.

The Oak Grove Baptist Church itself closed a couple decades later, and the last person was buried at the Mount Carmel cemetery in the mid-1950s. And by the looks of things, that was the last anyone thought of the cemetery for several years. It wasn’t maintained, cows from a nearby pasture would trample the headstones, and fallen trees would just lie there rotting.

It wasn’t a cemetery the way you’d think of one today. It was a forgotten piece of land that was supposed to be a place where loved ones wouldn’t be forgotten.

That was basically how things stood until 2006, when a cleanup and preservation project finally got underway.

Think about that: A decade ago, it was still ignored and overrun. It took more than a half-century after the last burial for somebody to finally get around to maintaining it.

During the cleanup work, the county found broken headstones and other debris littering the ground. But they got it cleaned up, documented what remained, and even did radar tests to confirm that there were more burials there than are marked currently.

Today there are supposed to be seven headstones in the cemetery — it’s locked so I couldn’t go inside to verify — but dozens more are laid to rest there. Exactly who they all are, nobody can say. We don’t even know how long they’ve been there.

Some documentation suggests there were graves decades before the sawmill came into existence, meaning the use of the land as a cemetery predates the town proper. But most headstones were made of wood, and have since decayed away.

The few stone headstones that do exist stick up from the ground like broken teeth, and many of those only hint at who lies at rest there. Some have names but no legible dates. One has a name with a single date, so we don’t know if that’s the date of birth or death.

Another is an infant from the Horton family. And there are many more beneath the earth. They all have stories; we just don’t know what they are.

Unfortunately, this isn’t one of those “go see this place” stories. The gates are locked. Barbed wire designates the cemetery’s boundaries, and there’s nowhere to park but the open field by the side of the road.

If you were to walk up to it and didn’t read the signage, you’d have no idea it was a cemetery. There are no benches and no pathways. I think in the very back you can see one of the headstones, but driving by in your car it would just be a blur of trees and grass.

It’s more than that, of course. It’s the final resting place of hard-working people who lived during a difficult time, kept their faith, and were buried close to where they lived. And it’s good that the cemetery is finally cleaned up, designated and protected.

But you get the feeling that those laid to rest there deserved better over the years. The decades weren’t kind to the Mount Carmel Cemetery, and the situation only improved a few years ago.

The word “Ehren” is of German origin, and it means “to honor.” But when it comes to the deceased buried at the cemetery, it took decades to begin to live up to that word.

Published August 13, 2014

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A year abroad offers student life-changing insights

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When Jennifer Roberts returns to classes at Wiregrass Ranch High School next week, she’ll be a far different person than she was when she last attended classes there.

Roberts, who is entering her senior year, left the United States last September to take part in the Rotary Youth Exchange program, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel Noon.

Jennifer Roberts wraps herself in an American flag and poses with the Eiffel Tower in the background. Her experiences abroad changed her life, she says. (Courtesy of Jennifer Roberts)
Jennifer Roberts wraps herself in an American flag and poses with the Eiffel Tower in the background. Her experiences abroad changed her life, she says.
(Courtesy of Jennifer Roberts)

Roberts went to high school in Zaragoza, Spain — the country’s fourth largest city —situated between Barcelona and Madrid. The 17-year-old said the experience was nothing short of life-changing.

When she arrived there, Roberts barely knew enough Spanish to introduce herself and to say that she’s from Florida. “At first, it was really difficult,” she said.

Even a simple conversation was challenging.

“It makes you miss your native language, because you really have to think when you are speaking another language,” Roberts said.

She mastered some coping skills, to help her through.

“You learn how to just smile and nod,” Roberts said.

She was thrilled when her Spanish-speaking skills had improved to the point where she understood what was going on. When that clarity came, “You just get the moment of joy, ‘Oh, I can understand you,’” she said.

Despite the initial language barrier, Roberts said she felt welcome from the moment she arrived.

“I stayed with two different host families,” she said. “They were amazing. They just accepted me.”

The kids she met at school were nice, too. When they found out she was from the United States, some told her: “Oh, that is so cool.”

Some had misconceptions about Americans, Roberts said. Rampant media reports about guns in the United States have painted the wrong picture.

“They think that Americans just carry guns in their purses,” she said. Some even asked if she had a gun, and if she was carrying one around Spain.

“I was like, ‘I don’t actually know anyone that has a gun in their house,’” Roberts said.

Of course, because she’s a Floridian, some wanted to know if she had alligators as pets. When Roberts told them there was an alligator in the pond of her backyard, some wanted to know how she wasn’t killed by it.

On the pop-culture front, Roberts said, the music and movies are exactly the same. In fact, “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” came out a week earlier in Spain than it did in American theaters.

Going out for dinner is different, though.

“It’s very expensive to go out to eat, so typically people don’t go out unless they’re wealthy,” Roberts said. “There, when you go out to eat, it’s a three-course meal. When you order off the menu, it has three options for the courses. It’s a set price for everything.”

Meals are leisurely affairs, too.

“If you go to lunch, it’s usually a four- to five-hour process,” she said. “Or if they’re trying to rush it, it would be two hours.”

Other differences? There are no drink refills or ice, Roberts said.

While in Spain, she craved fast food and Starbucks.

“Before I left, I was not a big fast-food person, but after you’re away, you kind of miss it,” Roberts said. “You kind of miss things like Chick-fil-A.”

She was never so happy to see a taco in her life as she was when a Taco Bell opened in the Spanish city where she lived.

“The only time I got to go to Starbucks was when I was in Madrid, Barcelona or at the airport,” Roberts added.

During the school year, she studied nine subjects, with different classes on different days. At her school, the students stayed in a group together throughout the day, while teachers changed classrooms.

Besides her time in Spain, Roberts had the chance to tour other European countries, including stops at the Berlin Wall, and in Paris where she got to see the Eiffel Tower and the “Mona Lisa.”

As she traveled about, Roberts noticed how similar Spanish is to French and Italian, and now she wants to learn those languages, too.

Roberts thinks her experiences abroad will help her in a future career, whether it be law, politics or international affairs.

She thinks they will help in her day-to-day life, too.

“After being an exchange student, you don’t sweat the little moments,” Roberts said.

Published August 13, 2014

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