The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Zephyrhills/East Pasco News

Dade City Museum unveils new website, logo

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The Dade City Heritage and Cultural Museum has unveiled its redesigned website and logo.

Dade City Heritage and Cultural Museum, at 14206 U.S. 98 Bypass in Dade City, is housed in the old Atlantic Coastline Train Depot, which was preserved and reopened as a tourist destination in 2008. (Mike Camunas)

The museum is dedicated to preserving history, offering education, and promoting public interest and awareness regarding Dade City.

Located at 14206 U.S. 98 Bypass, the museum is housed in a former Atlantic Coastline Train Depot. The depot has been preserved and was reopened as a tourist destination in 2008.

In July 1994, it became the first site in Pasco County to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places, as the tracks that run closest to the depot were the first to reach Dade City in 1887.

Through efforts from the city and local residents, the depot was transformed into the Dade City Heritage and Cultural Museum in 2018, where it now houses artifacts, photographs, documents and records of historic places and longtime residents of Dade City.

The museum consists of a main exhibition space, a model train room and a Community Archive and Reading Room. It is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit.

The museum is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and offers tours and periodical events, such as Monuments by Moonlight: a 90-minute walking tour through nearby Dade City Cemetery. The museum also is available for event rental.

Local screen printing and embroidery business, FloriCoastal Print in Dade City, designed the museum’s new logo.

For more information or to support the museum through donations, visit DadeCityHeritageMuseum.org.

Published August 17, 2022

Pasco High honors Gerald Newton

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Gerald Newton (File)

The Pasco County School Board has named the press box at W.F. Edwards Stadium after Gerald Newton, who was known as the “Voice of the Pirates.”

Pasco High School Principal Kari Kadlub and Athletic Director Dawn Wetherby submitted the request, which was approved during a July school board meeting.

In part, the letter of request notes that for 40 years, Newton “volunteered at Pasco High School—providing play-by-play coverage for the fans in the stands at football games and the voice of WDCF (local radio station).

“He loved coming to the games and helping create the electric atmosphere,” the letter adds.

“Additionally, he announced countless homecoming and senior nights.

“He wrote a local sports column in the Dade City Banner, Pasco News, and Dade City News from 1965 to 2012. He truly was the “VOICE” of the Pirates,” the letter says.

Newton worked for 40-plus years as a teacher, coach and athletic director.

Published August 17, 2022

Helping monarchs is even more important now

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News of the addition of the monarch butterflies to the “endangered” species list has caught the attention of the Dade City Garden Club.

The garden club is the group that spearheaded efforts that led to Dade City being declared a Monarch City USA in 2019.

The club’s work resulted in the East Pasco town to be declared one of 17 cities across Florida to bear that designation.

So, with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s addition of monarch butterflies to its “endangered” species list, it underscored the importance of protecting the winged creatures, according to Joan Hepscher, co-chair of the Dade City Garden Club’s Birds, Bees & Butterflies committee, and chair of the Monarch Butterfly Festival.

Polly Touchton Park, 13620 Seventh St.., Dade City, is decorated with artwork depicting monarch butterflies and will host the Monarch Butterfly Festival, on Oct. 22 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Mike Camunas)

This is the first time Union for the Conservation of Nature has included the migrating monarch butterfly on its “red list” of threatened species, categorizing it as “endangered,” — just two steps from extinction.

The conservation group has estimated that the population of monarch butterflies in North America has declined nearly 72% over 10 years.

And the conservation group’s recent designation “was a real kick in the pants for us,” Hepscher said.

“Our mission has always been to get out the message, but now it will be getting it out to the individual person — you can see people really care because people were really upset about it and saying, ‘Oh, no! Can you believe it? What can I do?’” she added. “We, as a group, use the monarch as the poster child to make people aware of all the things we are doing to nature, and the butterfly is a good mirror to how our nature is doing. So it’s about not only helping the monarch, but also our whole environment and getting the message out to take better care of our world.”

Now, helping monarchs with their migration has become key to their survival.

“Homeowners can have plants to support these magnificent animals,” said Dr. Whitney Elmore, director of Pasco County Extension, a partnership between Pasco County and the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

Planting milkweed is the best way to help because milkweed is the only plant monarch caterpillars eat, and it’s where the adult butterflies lay their eggs. Without this plant, the species simply could not exist.

Milkweed is low maintenance, Elmore said. But she cautioned it’s important to purchase the plants from reputable nurseries, to be sure they are free of pesticides.

The horticulture expert also noted that monarchs need “rest areas,” because they undertake the longest migration of any insect species known to science.

“Just like drivers, they need a place to stop and rest. If there are large areas or no stations around, they are going to be stressed,” she said.

Unfortunately, urban development and environmental depletion have hindered the migration. Fortunately, adding the resting places is not complicated, she added.

“Rocks and twigs — a place to sit and rest, even provide fresh water with a low dish on the ground and a stone in there to rest. Or habitats for them to roost, like Spanish moss — just providing a diversity of things in your garden can help attract them and move along in migration.”

Hepscher agrees, adding that while there are “plenty of milkweed tips on social media,” the monarchs really need “weigh stations” for their migration.

“They just need a place to stop and refresh and have nectar, a place to lay their eggs,” Hepscher said.

“Small pockets around town and county will give them what they need to survive. Pocket gardens will help because they don’t need 20 acres,” she said.

Elmore encourages citizens to contact the local Extension Office for additional information about how to help monarchs and other species.

“We have all the info on how to attract pollinators,” Elmore added. “A 72% decline in monarch population, which is bad, is from losing the plants and habitats they need. But there are 17 cities in Florida that are monarch cities, and the garden club works very hard at (its efforts).”

Hepscher vows the garden club is committed to continuing its efforts.

“We are going to really try to get more gardens right in the city — just little spots they can use and get some other organizations to help us with the awareness,” she added. “The festival will really be making the point that anyone can make a difference. It is scary news, but the reality is that if we stop and do our part, we can really help them — and we can help them today.”

Third annual Monarch Butterfly Festival
When: Oct. 22, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: Polly Touchton Park, 13620 Seventh St., Dade City
Details: Local vendors will be on hand, as will the Dade City Garden Club to promote awareness of the city’s efforts to maintain the survival of the monarch butterflies.
Info: Visit DadeCityGardenClub.com, and click on “Monarch Project,” or visit the Pasco County Extension’s website at SFYL.ifas.ufl.edu/pasco/.

Published August 10, 2022

Who needs to go to Africa, to go on a safari?

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If you crane your neck just enough, you might see a giraffe in Dade City.

Or, you could just take an actual safari on the grasslands at Giraffe Ranch.

Sarah Doychak, of Connecticut, feeds a happy giraffe at Giraffe Ranch in Dade City. Visitors to the park can take a reservation-only tour, which is an information-filled safari that goes out onto African-similar open grasslands on a specially designed four-wheel-drive vehicle. (Mike Camunas)

For 20 years now, wife-and-husband owners Elena Sheppa and Lex Salisbury have run a hands-on, working game farm and wildlife preserve tucked away off U.S. 301, offering tours, animal interactions and, of course, ecological information.

“What we’re trying to do here is have a working classroom,” said Sheppa, who provides informative tours. “We want to show people animals, get them close, but also keep it safe for the animals. … If you’re lucky enough to go on safari in Africa and you get a good guide, they’ll talk about anything — local plant life, astronomy, fauna, plant life — and there’s just so much (out) here.

“Every tour is different and it changes all the time (depending on the season), so what we offer is really dynamic.”

Tyeast Harris, of Illinois, has a good laugh while feeding a hungry giraffe during a safari tour at Giraffe Ranch in Dade City.

Giraffe Ranch offers five kinds of safaris, all with a very talkative guide. There is the drive-thru option, where visitors (up to seven) stay in the car and an FM radio station provides real-time commentary. There also are tours that can be taken on camel-back, by Segway or by walking with a llama.

The most comprehensive tour is offered in a customized four-wheel-drive tour vehicle, which provides a comfortable ride and safety, as well as terrific up-close views of all the animals. This tour offers a giraffe feeding session that is a must for any lover of the longnecks.

“We love animals as a family, but my daughter really likes giraffes, so this was just a no-brainer,” said Donna Doychak, who was visiting the attraction from Connecticut with her family. “It was a lot of fun and something different. It was just an amazing and very informative tour.”

For some, it’s a way to get an African safari without traveling across the Atlantic.

Visitors to Giraffe Ranch in Dade City ride in a modified four-wheel safari vehicle while seeing various animals. The tour includes a giraffe-feeding session.

“I want to go see giraffes in Africa, but I thought this might be the next best thing (laughs), and I loved it,” said Tyeast Harris, who took the safari for her birthday while visiting from Illinois. “The close encounter (with the giraffes) was just incredible because I love exotic animals. Full recommend for the tour!”

Safaris and tours can be customized, almost a la carte. Giraffe Ranch also offers encounters with a rhino, as well as cheetahs. Visitors also can purchase feedings of otters and ring-tailed lemurs.

“Those feedings are quite popular, but (the animals), especially the otters, do beg quite a bit,” Sheppa said with a smile.

Claire Doychak, of Connecticut, feeds a giraffe during a recent visit to Giraffe Ranch in Dade City.

While Giraffe Ranch is considered a tourist attraction, Sheppa says that locally, the drive-thru safari has become quite popular. It’s an affordable, easy activity, one that, like many things, was created during early COVID times.

“And I think some people like staying in their vehicle, too,” Sheppa added.

Giraffe Ranch is by reservation only, as it does not allow walk-ups or spontaneous visitors. But, then again, it’s like an African safari — only in Dade City.

“We just wanted to get people to come and see animals, and learn more about them,” Sheppa said. “You will see our ongoing conservation efforts with endangered species, including some that are extinct in the wild. And you’re going to leave here having learned something. That, and the animals, has always been important to us.”

Giraffe Ranch
Where: 38650 Mickler Road, Dade City
When: While Giraffe Ranch is open seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., reservations are required to visit the park or take a tour.
Cost: Custom vehicle tours ($119); camel, Segway and llama treks ($239) can be booked online and run at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., daily. Drive-thru safaris ($150) occur hourly from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and must be booked online. Tours are two hours to three hours long.
Reservations: Visit GiraffeRanch.com.
Info: Email .

Published August 10, 2022

Giraffe Ranch owner Elena Sheppa gives a little pat and talks to Kahlie, a very large rhino on loan to the park.
Giraffe Ranch has a whole herd, or dazzle, of zebras on the grounds, including these two young ones.
It wouldn’t be an animal habitat in Florida without a gator exhibit.
Giraffe Ranch has a pen full of dozens of ring-tailed lemurs that are friendly and eager for visitors to take part in a feeding session.
Giraffe Ranch owner Elena Sheppa holds a dormant ostrich egg, while telling visitors about the ecological facts involving such eggs and the birds that lay them.

Zephyrhills airport taking off with improvements

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Zephyrhills Municipal Airport just keeps clearing projects to land.

This is leading it to become larger and more improved with each completion.

In early July, the airport finished a $5.9-million, 1,200-foot runway expansion that will allow the city to welcome larger planes, including private jets. By bringing the length of the main runaway to 6,200 feet, City of Zephyrhills Airport Manager Nathan Coleman says this expansion could lead to an industrial corridor boom around the airport, likening it to the same thing that happened to Lakeland’s airport and industrial corridor.

The Zephyrhills Municipal Airport, which the city has run since 1947, has spent more than $32 million in capital improvement projects since 2011, including the most recent: a $5.9-million runway expansion that brought the current length to 6,200 feet and which now can accommodate larger planes. (Mike Camunas)

“The city and the planners really set their sights on trying to do something similar to what Lakeland did and, hopefully, that will bring in jobs, that that market can flourish here in Zephyrhills,” Coleman said. “If we can get in businesses of that type, then the hope is they can come here, thanks to the extension.”

The runway extension now allows for larger planes to take off and land, and this includes ones such as Gulfstreams, which are a very popular brand for corporate jets. Coleman says that is a clientele the airport hopes to gain, and it’s not just in the industrial corridor. The city is taking into account all attractions and destinations that would call for a longer runway, such as the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis and Wellness Center.

“We hope tennis attracts jets, maybe if it’s a tennis player who has a private jet,” Coleman said. “We hope those (tennis) facilities bring in a player, where they can fly right in and out. That’s another example.”

These examples are set to come, as the runaway expansion project was slightly different than how most airport improvements are planned. Generally, something of this magnitude and price arise because of a need or demand, however, in this case, it’s “a little of putting the cart before the horse,” according to Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe.

“In a perfect world, it probably would have been a little different,” Poe added. “We built (the expansion), so it’s something we’ll promote and also create the reason for the jets to come to Zephyrhills. What’s the reason? Let’s figure out how to attract those types of travelers because we’ve got things like tennis, Saddlebrook (Resort) nearby — we just have to give them a reason for corporate business to come to Zephyrhills and Dade City.”

The airport, which the city has run since 1947, is not done improving. Since 2011 and in the eight years Coleman has been manager, the airport has pumped in $32 million into projects, improvements and additions. He adds there are still five ongoing projects, as well.

In addition, the state just gave the city $12 million in allocations as part of the 2022-2023 Florida state budget, signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis on June 2. Of that, $6.6 million is going to more airport additions.

Those funds will be used to design and construct a new Fixed Based Operator (FBO) Terminal Building, Taxiway F and two new box hangars. Future development of the airport and the adjacent Industrial Park is expected to attract new corporate and recreational aircraft operations, including increased jet traffic. When this happens, new jobs are expected from the increased capacity for aviation businesses, including pilot lessons, new hangar construction, mechanical businesses and corporate relocations, and from maintenance, repair and overhaul businesses.

This project is slated to start within the next month or so, plus there will need to finish up the $3.6-million project that will create a parking area to accommodate the new runway extension.

“We’re positioned to be an airport ready to take on the next big wave of progressive air nautical users,” Coleman said.

As of now, the airport, which sees about 45,000 to 50,000 operations yearly, mostly is general aviation and flight training. Several of these operations are tallied by SkyDive City, when it takes up divers on a daily basis.

Now, as Zephyrhills looks to the future and how it plans to keep building the largest municipality in Pasco County, it will continue to take its airport, and potential arrivals and departures, seriously.

“The real question we have to ask,” Coleman said, “is ‘Why are planes coming to the airport?’ And, look, it’s not because of runways or parking or terminals or anything at the airport, really. It’s about the destination, and now we have to make Zephyrhills a destination that warrants an airport of our size.”

Published August 03, 2022

Changes recommended in Villages of Pasadena Hills

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The Pasco County Planning Commission favors changes to the county’s land use plan, to allow greater flexibility within two villages in the Villages of Pasadena Hills (VOPH).

The planning board voted unanimously at its July 7 meeting to recommend approval of the request to the Pasco County Commission, which has final jurisdiction.

Initially, the request had been on the board’s consent agenda, meaning it would be approved as part of a bundle of items without discussion, unless someone objected or had questions.

Planning Commissioner Jonathan Moody asked for the item to be pulled so he could learn more about the request.

The Villages of Pasadena Hills is a special planning area, with its own financial plan.

The district was formed with the aim of creating an orderly way to develop a large area of land in East Pasco, through the creation of a series of specific types of villages.

The proposed changes would apply to Village L and Village M, which are east of Curley Road and north of the Zephyrhills Bypass, according to a memo in the planning board’s agenda packet.

The purpose of the amendment is to provide greater flexibility in the land use mix within each of the villages, and allow more opportunity for more compact areas of development in and around village centers, the memo says. The amendment is necessary to achieve the proposed density for Village L and Village M that is assumed in VOPH’s financial plan.

The current Type 3 Village requirements also would effectively prohibit the build-out of the two villages to their planned density and frustrate the ability to design the villages in accordance to the land use vision plan, the memo adds.

Attorney Clarke Hobby, representing the applicant, told the planning board: “The only reason this plan amendment is before you is when we started working on this project, we realized that we think there was an error in the village typology,” he said.

A Type 3 Village requires a neighborhood edge, which is not more than two units per on 70% of the entire village, Hobby said.

That limitation would result in being able to achieve roughly 40% less than the village entitlements, which amounts to about 1,800 units, Hobby said.

“That’s about a $20 million hit on the VOPH financial plan,” the attorney estimated.

The change that’s being requested would “keep the same entitlements, but allow us to have a more neighborhood general, neighborhood core area as opposed to just a sprawling area of not more than two units per acre, which is not efficient,” Hobby said.

There was no other public comment at the meeting.

The land use change is the first part of the process. The land also would need to be rezoned before it could be developed. A rezoning request is being pursued for the designation of a  master-planned unit development.

Published August 03, 2022

Making a clean sweep

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Step into Steve Melton’s workshop, in the far reaches of Northeast Pasco County, and you’ll see a man who equally enjoys working with his hands, and spinning stories about the heritage arts.

In this case, he’s busy making a broom.

Steve Melton holds up two types of millet, also known as broom straw or broom corn, that are used to make brooms. (Christine Holtzman)

He starts with the material that will make the broom’s head.

“This is the millet seed and they would pull the seed off,” he said, touching the seeds with his fingers. What it does, after the seed is off, it turns into broom corn; or broom straw,” he said.

There are all types of millets. There’s one for syrup-making. Another for cow feed. Some millet is specially bred for broom straw, he said.

Millet, historically was grown in Illinois.

There are various accounts to the history of broom-making by hand, but Melton said the industry had its heyday during the ‘30s and ‘40s, when towns were founded on making brooms and workers assembled them by hand, in factories.

After attaching the millet to the broom handle, Steve Melton places his nearly finished broom in a broom vise to hold it flat in place, while he stitches the head. Melton is using a sewing needle that he made in his blacksmith shop.

“It was a huge industry at one time,” he said.

“Illinois was kind of the epicenter.

“In Rantoul, Illinois — that’s where I learned about this — there are broom festivals,” Melton said.

Not many brooms are made by hand, these days
Melton said he became enamored with the idea of making brooms after he saw some being made at an antique tractor show in the Midwest.

“I was enthralled,” he said.

While demonstrating how he makes a flat kitchen broom, Steve Melton, uses a machine called a ‘kick winder’ to attach the millet to the wooden handle. Melton uses his foot to control the spin of the machine, while hand-wrapping the millet to the handle, using metal wire.

At another show, he saw brooms being made on a commercial scale. Then, he learned about a man in Alabama who sold machines used to make brooms by hand, and he decided to buy some of that equipment and bring it home.

The Northeast Pasco man doesn’t make mass quantities of brooms, but he gets immense pleasure from the process.

He uses broom straw of varied colors.

Though the dyed broom straw is more expensive, Melton likes to mix some in.

“It just looks so pretty,” he explained.

When making brooms, he uses a kick winder, which wraps wire around the broom straw to attach it to the handle. His particular piece of equipment was patented in 1878 and likely has been used to make thousands of brooms in the past, he said.

Melton uses short, medium and long broom corn to create the broom head.

The process involves selecting the broom corn, evening it out and then attaching the batch of straw to the handle with wire, using the kick winder.

A look at some of Steve Melton’s handmade brooms.

He uses a broom vise to flatten the straw for the broom head and once it is flattened, he keeps it that way, by using a needle he made in his blacksmith shop, to stitch the straw together by hand.

While making brooms, Melton said his mind drifts.

He thinks of the others who came before him, using the same piece of machinery to make brooms by hand.

He imagines the lives of the people using the same kind of brooms, decades ago.

“This is broom-making as it would have been, 100 years ago,” Melton said.

He derives great satisfaction from the art of making brooms by hand, and he loves the practical nature of the finished product.

“Every time you pick this up to sweep your kitchen, that gives you a sense of accomplishment,” Melton said.

Revised July 27, 2022

Upgrades to Simons Road to start

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Zephyrhills Public Works plans to begin Phase II of the Simons Road project on July 25, with expected completion of the construction within about 240 calendar days, according to Shane LeBlanc, public works director for the city.

Aerial map view of the Simons Road Project, showing the new intersection that will be created at Fort King Road. (Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills Public Works)

The Phase II project includes a new road section, box culverts, and gravity walls. The project also includes sidewalks and turn lanes on Fort King Road.

When the work is finished, Simons Road will connect to both Eiland Boulevard and Fort King Road, offering motorists an additional route to State Roads 54 and 56 and Interstate 75.

Connecting Simons Road to Fort King Road — essentially creating a new intersection — consists of about 800 feet of pavement and costs about $2.2 million.

The project includes the installation of a traffic signal at Eiland Boulevard and Simons Road, which the city said is greatly needed because of increased traffic in the area.

Use of Simons Road has increased dramatically because of the opening of the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis and Wellness Center, and Abbott Square (a Lennar Homes development behind the tennis center).

The community is expected to add about 700 residential units of single-family houses, townhouses and apartments.

BRW Contracting Inc. constructed Phase I and also is constructing Phase II. The contractor’s familiarity with the previous project is expected to be beneficial in the construction of the second phase of the project.

Published June 20, 2022

Zephyrhills pursues a rebranding effort

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The Zephyrhills City Council voted July 11 to hire a marketing firm to pursue the city’s rebranding efforts.

Council members also approved a contract aimed at revitalizing Hercules Park.

A rendering of Hercules Park improvement project includes amenities such as a BMX track, a Frisbee disc golf course, a nearly 1-acre open playfield, and a 1.42-acre playground and picnic/shelter area. The estimated cost has been set at $4.2 million. (Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)  

The city came to an agreement with The Northstar Group, a marketing group, to help rebrand and reimagine the image of Zephyrhills.

The city also has signed a contract with a construction management company that will oversee the Hercules Park renovation project.

That project includes renovating the park and adding several new amenities.

Both efforts, which have been spearheaded by City Manager Billy Poe, received unanimous support by council members.

The city has been using “City of Pure Water” as its slogan, but Poe has advocated rebranding the city by choosing a new slogan, as well as a new logo for the town.

By rebranding, the city manager said he hopes to broaden the city’s appeal to a wider range of new residents, to boost its current population of 18,000. He also hopes the effort will help promote economic development, encourage civic engagement and boost tourism.

The rebranding project is expected to take about 34 weeks to complete. It will include market research, brand strategy, creative development, and action and implementation.

The City and Northstar also plan to reach out to citizens for their input.

This effort is separate from PlanZephyrhills 2035, which focuses on the city’s long-range comprehensive plan.

The rebranding project is expected to cost about $68,000.

The city awarded the Hercules Park construction management contract to the Tampa-based Wharton-Smith Construction Group.

Renovation plans have been drawn up for the new park on the land adjacent to Woodland Elementary. The estimated cost of the project is $4.2 million, and includes amenities such as a BMX track, a Frisbee disc golf course, a nearly 1-acre open playfield and a 1.42-acre playground and picnic/shelter area.

No timetable yet has been set for the groundbreaking, beginning of construction or completion of the Hercules Park project.

Published June 20, 2022

What a community wants

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The City of Zephyrhills is looking at the future by turning toward the past.

The largest town in Pasco County — with a population of nearly 18,000 — is working on a major update to its Comprehensive Plan through 2035, and is asking for suggestions and feedback from new arrivals and long-time residents.

During this process, the city and its planners will collect ideas from residents, business owners, workers and community stakeholders to help create a citywide vision for 2035.

The city typically updates its plan every 10 years, but given the population boom, Zephyrhills opted to plan for the next 12 years.

The population has more than doubled since 1990, from 8,200 to more than 17,200. It is expected to reach nearly 23,000 by 2035.

The planning project is being called PlanZepyrhills2035.

“(The Comprehensive Plan) sets the tone, the goals, the objectives and policies for basically all of the rest of the city,” said Audrey McGuire, Zephyrhills’ historic preservation specialist and community planner. “That’s because a comprehensive plan impacts land use and development and infrastructure, as well.”

The comprehensive plan is a document that spans a long period of time. It aims to protect valued places and promote economic prosperity.

It is carried out over time through city zoning, land development regulations and infrastructure budgeting.

The city wants to engage its residents and stakeholders in shaping the plan’s direction.

“It’s very important because it gives us an idea of what the community wants and how they want Zephyrhills to grow,” McGuire said. “Because it’s not just what we want as planners. It’s what (the citizens) see that can be issues or needs or things that are great in the community they want to preserve.”

The city has already reached out to the townspeople in the form of three Community Conversation Meetings. At those, McGuire and a representative from Brana Consulting — a firm helping the city organize the plan and its publications — took extensive notes from those who attended.

The city also has posted a three-question survey online that citizens have the rest of the year to complete. The survey seeks to help answer two central questions: “What does our community’s best future look like?” and “How will we achieve that vision of the future?“

“We are planning additional workshops later this year — with public works and the City Council, are a couple — so there will be several more community meetings (about the plan) coming up,” McGuire added.

The Clock Plaza is located on Main Street, in the heart of Historic Downtown Zephyrhills, and the centerpiece to nearby local shops and businesses. (Mike Camunas)

At the second Community Conversation on June 25, several citizens expressed their “concern” that no matter how the comprehensive plan develops, they want Zephyrhills to “maintain” and “protect the small-town feel.”

“That’s the biggest thing we keep hearing,” McGuire said. “That, and improving our parks.”

City Manager Billy Poe has already addressed Hercules Park, which the city took over in 2018.

A renovation plan has been drawn up and city officials announced on June 11 that a construction contract has been awarded to Tampa-based Wharton-Smith Construction Group.

The estimated cost of the project is $4.2 million and includes amenities such as a BMX track, a frisbee disc golf course, a nearly 1-acre open playfield, and a 1.42-acre playground and picnic/shelter area.

“I think keeping that small-town feel is very important because we shouldn’t be extending into Wesley Chapel or vice versa,” Zephyrhills resident Christa Remington told city officials at the June 25 meeting. “It would be nice if there were more walking or biking destinations in town, and more places to go out to — parks and programs, places for kids to play.”

Another item that came up involves a desire to revitalize the historic Zephyrhills Home Theater on Main Street.

The City Council, however, voted on Oct. 25 to deny an appraisal of the downtown building.

Another suggestion by citizens involves the desire for a Zephyrhills community pool.

“This is the first time we heard (a request for a community pool) specifically at these meetings, but not the first time we’ve heard it from the community,” McGuire said.

Ironically, Zephyrhills did have a pool in the city limits: Hercules Aquatic Center. However, that was operated by Pasco County and was closed in 2009, due to budget constraints.

Despite several attempts to keep it open, it was shuttered for good and fell into disrepair.

The former aquatic center site is now owned by the city and is part of the  Hercules Park renovation project.

Still, in light of additions to the city in recent years, such as the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Center, citizens would like a place to cool off.

“This is Zephyrhills, the ‘City of Pure Water.’ Right?” longtime Zephyrhills resident Tim Allen asked at the June 25 community meeting. “How do we not have a community pool?”

To complete the PlanZephyrhills2035 Comprehensive Plan Survey, visit Plan2035.zhills.city.

Published July 13, 2022