The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Zephyrhills/East Pasco News

Dade City author debuts suspense novel

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Birth, death, fear, hatred and love are the complexities of life, which all happen to be packed in Penny L. Freeman’s debut novel, “Heartache to Happiness.”

The Dade City native has been working on her book for three years, and it has now seen publication through RoseDog Books.

In her office at Saint Leo University, Penny L. Freeman proudly displays her first published novel, ‘Heartache to Happiness.’ (Brian Fernandes)

The story revolves around Kelsi, a young, pregnant woman whose world is turned upside down when her parents are brutally murdered and she becomes a prime suspect, sending her on the run.

The plot continues to escalate after Kelsi gives birth and her newborn is then kidnapped by her parents’ murderer.

Freeman said the story came to her spontaneously, with one idea leading to the next.

She hopes readers will take away the message that, like the story’s main character, they too can overcome life’s  obstacles.

As a member of a fifth-generation Dade City family, Freeman said her humble beginnings were a far cry from that of her story’s main character.

Her father was a professional roofer and she had a stay-at-home mother.

“We had a great childhood – didn’t have much money, but we really enjoyed ourselves,” said Freeman, describing her growing-up years with her parents and her sister. “It was wonderful.”

Even during her early years, she knew she had a knack for literature, and she enjoyed writing poems and short stories.

As an author, she enjoys a wide range of genres, and traces of them can be found in “Heartache to Happiness.”

“I put a little bit of everything in it,” said Freeman. “It has murder, it has mystery and some romance,” she said, but it is not graphic in nature.

Freeman received her associate degree from what was previously known as Pasco-Hernando Community College, before starting a family.

It wasn’t until she was in her 30s, and was raising two children, that she decided to return to school.

She now has a bachelor’s degree and a master’s in business administration from Saint Leo University, where she’s been employed since 1999.

She has represented the university as a member of The Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce for four years, which she characterized as “a really great experience.”

She currently serves as the university’s senior academic coordinator for English, fine arts, philosophy, theology and religion.

If she didn’t love her current position, she would probably be teaching in a classroom, instead of working in an office, she said.

She still writes short stories, and said that her stories always come from her imagination — instead of from real life.

One technique she enjoys using is to write out of sequence — creating the beginning of the story, then the ending, and then filling in the gaps.

With a fresh new novel out, she’s ready to begin work on her second one.

Published November 21, 2018

The Civil War visits Dade City

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To all history buffs and those curious about learning more on the Civil War, the Pioneer Florida Museum will be recapturing this American era from Nov.16 through Nov. 18.

Entitled the “Living History and Civil War Reenactments,” the event begins with a school field trip on Nov. 16 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Accompanied by a tour guide, students will be able to roam through the museum visiting stations displaying artifacts such as cannons, musical instruments and rifles. They’ll also get a chance to learn about medical hospitals and camps for union soldiers and for confederate soldiers.

Members of the 14th Brooklyn New York State Militia gather in their part of the Union encampment. They are Peter Kalloch, of Hudson; Tom Stanton, of Pinellas Park; Pete Kannenberg, of Seminole; Rick Smith, of Summerfield; and, Bob Gilliland, of Osprey. (File)

Vendors will open on Nov. 17 at 9 a.m., and will offer food, vintage clothing, antiques and other items.

A battlefield reenactment will be followed by a ladies tea party, which begins at 10 a.m. Guests are welcome to attend, but are required to dress in 19th century attire.

Attendees are also asked to wear special attire for The Period Fashion Show at 11:30 a.m.

The following day, like the previous one, will feature concession stands, live performances, battle reenactments and inside tours of the museum.

For the field trip on Nov. 16, there will be a $4 fee for students and chaperones who preregister, and a $5 fee if paying on the day of the event.

Admission on Nov. 17 and Nov. 18 is $10 for adults; $5 for students; and, free for those age 5 and younger. The museum will accept cash payment only.

There is free parking, but guests are asked not to bring outside food or beverages. They also are encouraged to bring lawn chairs.

Pets are not allowed with the exception of service dogs.

For additional information or to preregister for the field trip, contact the Pioneer Florida Museum at (352) 567-0262 or PioneerFloridaMuseum.org.

Living History and Civil War Reenactments
Where: Pioneer Florida Museum, 15602 Pioneer Museum Road in Dade City
When: School field trip on Nov. 16, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Reenactments on Nov. 17 and Nov. 18, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: $4 for students and chaperones who preregister; $10 for adults; $5 for students; free admission for those age 5 and younger
Details: The Pioneer Florida Museum will host a guided tour of Civil War artifacts, and will have reenactment battle scenes.
Info: Call the Pioneer Florida Museum at (352) 567-0262, or visit PioneerFloridaMuseum.org for preregistration.

Published November 14, 2018

 

Florida Hospital Dade City set for upgrades

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A slew of upgrades are coming to Florida Hospital Dade City.

The hospital’s parent company, Adventist Health System, is investing $20 million into various infrastructure and technological improvements to the 120-bed facility located at 13100 Fort King Road.

Florida Hospital Dade City president and CEO Amanda Maggard made the announcement during a recent breakfast meeting hosted by The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce.

Florida Hospital Dade City is getting a $20 million makeover over the next 18 months. (Courtesy of Florida Hospital Dade City)

The upgrades will include a new lobby and cafeteria, as well as renovated units and spaces, which will see new flooring and automated medical equipment.

Maggard said several of the upgrades will go into effect over the next 18 months, as other capital improvement projects are also being determined.

“We have some really exciting things that are about to happen,” she said.

In addition to facility renovations, Maggard also mentioned the hospital’s first-ever electronic medical records system, Cerner, launches on Dec. 2

The $5 million system is expected to make it easier for network providers to access and share information with the hospital.

“It helps us not just provide a more connected patient experience, but it helps us understand the data,”  Maggard explained.

Those aren’t the only changes coming soon to Florida Hospital Dade City.

Beginning in January, all of Adventist Health System’s wholly owned hospitals and hundreds of care sites across its footprint will adopt the AdventHealth name and logo.

Florida Hospital Dade City president and CEO Amanda Maggard (File)

In east Pasco, Florida Hospital Zephyrhills, Zephyrhills Health and Rehab Center, and Zephyr Haven Health and Rehab Center will also take on the AdventHealth title.

That announcement was made by the company in August.

The organization said the naming structure was made to better allow consumers to more easily distinguish AdventHealth’s care locations and services; it does not reflect a change in ownership or business structure.

Maggard said of the rebranding: “This is not anything other than we’re trying to be that one unified team providing that same care. We have the same vision, the same mission across all of our facilities.

“You wouldn’t’ know as a consumer that we’re all connected. We’re one large organization with one goal, one purpose: To provide this whole-person care — not just your physical needs, but your mental and your spiritual needs as well.”

Adventist Health System is one of the nation’s largest faith-based health care systems, with more than 80,000 employees across 50 hospital campuses and hundreds of care sites throughout 10 states.

Published November 7, 2018

Hugh Embry Branch Library now open again on Mondays

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A ribbon-cutting was held at Hugh Embry Branch Library on Oct. 29 to celebrate the fact that, once again, the library is open on Mondays.

The facility, at 14215 Fourth St., is one of four libraries across Pasco County where Monday hours have been restored.

Pasco County Commissioner Ron Oakley is joined by others during the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 29 to celebrate the restoration of Monday hours at Hugh Embry Branch Library. (Brian Fernandes)

The others are the Hudson Branch Library in Hudson, the Regency Park Branch in New Port Richey and the Land O’ Lakes Branch in Land O’ Lakes.

Pasco County Commissioners voted in 2010 to reduce library operating hours because of plummeting revenues during the Recession. Gradually, it has been adding hours back to libraries.

Pasco County Commissioner Ron Oakley, who represents District 1, did the honors of cutting the ribbon during the festivities at the Hugh Embry Branch.

He also shared his thoughts about the vital role that libraries play in community life.

“You see not only older people in there, but young people and families – that’s very important to me,” Oakley said.

Many people need the services the library offers, said Angelo Liranzo, the Hugh Embry Branch manager. People visit the library to check out books, but they also come to work on school assignments, conduct research for job searches, or join in the library’s recreational programs.

With the restoration of funding, the Hugh Embry Branch is now open on Mondays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The additional hours allow increased access to the amenities that the library provides.

For instance, patrons can use a program called Freegal — implemented this year — to stream and download music legally onto their personal devices.

Films and e-books also can be conveniently transferred to laptops, tablets and smartphones with software like Kanopy and Hoopla.

There are also launchpad tablets that kids can use to play games, which help teach subjects, such as math and science.

“One of the great things about libraries is that we try to find ways to make learning seem like fun,” Liranzo said.

After Oakley concluded his remarks, those attending the celebration were able to enjoy refreshments and live music.

Published November 7, 2018

Veterans set to cruise through Zephyrhills

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Main Street Zephyrhills Inc., is welcoming all to attend the Veterans Day Parade and Remembrance Ceremony to honor the nation’s men and women in uniform — in events planned for Nov. 10 and Nov. 11.

Spectators are guaranteed a lively musical performance by a marching band at the Nov. 10 Veterans Day Parade in downtown Zephyrhills. (Courtesy of Main Street Zephyrhills Facebook page)

The parade will also feature a Classic Car Cruise-In on Nov. 10 from 9 a.m. to noon at Historic Downtown Zephyrhills.

The parade is set to begin at the Main Street Zephyrhills building, at 38537 Fifth Ave., and head up to Ninth Avenue.

Participants will include active and retired military, veteran organizations, a marching band and decorative floats, said Anna Stutzriem, coordinator of Main Street Zephyrhills Inc.

Local businesses who would like to take part in the Car Cruise-In that do not have a veteran on staff will have to pay a $15 entry fee.

Food vendors with refreshments, as well as a live DJ performance, will be offered for Nov. 10 only, and pets will be allowed on the premises.

On the following day, Zephyr Park at 38116 Fifth Ave., Zephyrhills, will have a Remembrance Ceremony at 11:11 a.m., to commemorate the nation’s servicemen and servicewomen, both past and present.

For additional information or to apply for the Car Cruise-In, call Main Street Zephyrhills at (813) 780-1414, or visit MainStreetZephyrhills.org.

Veterans Day Parade and Remembrance Ceremony
Where: Parade at Historic Downtown Zephyrhills, 38537 Fifth Ave.; Ceremony at Zephyr Park, 38116 Fifth Ave., Zephyrhills
When: Nov. 10, 9 a.m. to noon for parade; Nov. 11, 11:11 a.m. for ceremony
Cost: Free
Details: Downtown Zephyrhills will host a parade and car cruise-in, as well as a commemoration for our veterans.
Info: Call (813) 780-1414, or to apply for the cruise-in, visit MainStreetZephyrhills.org.

Published November 7, 2018

Keeping a piece of Dade City history alive

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When Jo and Bob Larkin bought the R.D. Sistrunk House at the corner of 14th Street and Church Avenue, they knew they were buying a property with a rich history — that required a lot of work.

Jo Larkin enjoys talking about the transformation of the home at 14th Street and Church Avenue, known historically as The Sistrunk House. It is featured as this year’s Dade City Garden Club ornament. (B.C. Manion)

“We renovated the house completely,” said Jo Larkin, who has a title company and previously owned an antiques shop.

Her husband, Bob, who is a builder, said it was the most extensive renovation project he’s ever tackled.

“It had plaster walls inside, and so we gutted all of the walls and ceilings.

“The only thing that was left from before we started remodeling was the frame walls, the siding and the flooring.

“We took out all of the electrical and all of the plumbing, anything in there except, for the structure,” Bob said.

The couple purchased the Sistrunk House in 2004 from Earl McKinney, a man they’d known all of their lives.

This sunny reading room is an enclosed porch that used to be a gazebo.

“Earl was not well,” Jo said. “One of the reasons that we got the house, truly, is because Earl had been over to see me, when I had the bed and breakfast (The Lark Inn, next door), and he couldn’t believe what Bob and I had done.

“He said, ‘I never had the money to do to this house, what I wanted to do.”

He asked Jo: ‘Do you think you and Bob would take this on?’

When Bob gutted the Sistrunk House, he found out where a lot of the original stuff had been located, Jo said. “He put it back originally, the way it was.”

There’s original glass in a window looking onto Church Avenue, and in the beveled glass front door. Much of the lighting is original, too.

This clock, on the mantel of the TV room, is one of many antique clocks in the house, and each of them works.

There’s only been four owners since the house was built in the early 1890s. First, there was Laura Inglis, of Iowa; then Dr. Sistrunk, a beloved Dade City physician, and his family. Earl McKinney bought it in the early ’70s, and then the Larkins.

During the restoration, a library was created by enclosing a porch; a reading room was made by enclosing a gazebo; and a carport was converted into a kitchen.

Upstairs, Bob created new spaces, too.

“You have to understand, there were no bathrooms or closets when we got this. So, what Bob did, was — he bumped out the walls, and he added a closet and he added a bathroom,” Jo said.

The list of work done during the renovation goes on and on.

This is a stained glass piece Bob had made for the 14th Street door transom to match the original stained glass in the front window on Church Avenue.

After giving the home new life, the couple loaded it up with interesting items.

“This is the fun part of doing houses,” Jo said. “You can tell I had an antique store.”

The dining room table was built using the legs from a square grand piano.

There’s a piece of furniture known as a “Larkin Side by Side,’ which was available from the Larkin Soap Company. The soap company gave out stamps with soap purchases, which customers saved to buy items from a catalog.

There are conversation pieces throughout the 4,000-square-foot home, which has 13 rooms, including three bedrooms and three baths.

Jo is thrilled that her home was selected to be featured as the Dade City Garden Club’s annual ornament.

This is what the home, owned by Bob and Jo Larkin, looks like now.

She buys the ornament every year. “In fact, all of my sisters, who have moved away, I buy for them and ship it to them because they all want it. Bob’s sister, too. It’s a great gift. It just reminds you of home, so many great things.

“I think it’s such a shame that Earl died and could not see what has happened with the home. That kind of thing would have just made his day.

“If anybody was in love with his home, it was Earl. He really was obsessed with it.

“He was a real character.

“He was interesting to talk to, but you never knew what Earl was going to say, and you never knew what was embellishment and what was the truth.”

The couple has the house on the market now, as they plan the next phase of their lives.

“It’ll take the right person. It’ll take someone who wants to be part of Dade City,” she said.

Dade City Garden Club annual ornament
The Dade City Garden Club’s annual ornament this year features The R.D. Sistrunk House, which is located at the corner of 14th Street and Church Avenue.

The two-story wood-frame house, at 37441 Church Ave., was the home of one of Dade City’s prominent pioneer doctors, Dr. Robert Don Sistrunk. Originally, it was a plain two-story square box, finished by Laura Inglis, from Iowa, in the early 1890s.

Doctor Sistrunk and his bride, Frances Bedgood, moved to the Church Street home in 1906. They remodeled it extensively in 1910, enlarging it, and adding porches and arts and crafts-style columns. They lived in the house the rest of their lives.

Earl McKinney bought the house in the early 1970s. He added porches, gazebos, and replaced the arts and crafts columns.

When McKinney’s health was deteriorating, he approached Bob and Jo Larkin about buying the house and restoring it. The Larkins bought the house in 2003 and began renovations in 2005.

The ornament commemorating the Sistrunk House is available for $22, by check only, from the Greater Dade City Chamber.

Published October 31, 2018

It’s ‘bug’ season in Dade City

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The Pasco County Fairgrounds will soon see a swarm of ‘bugs’ outside – Volkswagen Beetles, that is.

The Florida Bug Jam is open to spectators on Nov. 10, beginning at 11 a.m., and on Nov. 11, beginning at 9 a.m.

Guests are sure to be attracted to — not repelled by — a swarm of Volkswagen Bugs at Dade City’s annual Bug Jam on Nov. 10 and Nov. 11. (File)

More than 700 Volkswagens are expected to be there, with owners convening from across the globe, said Randy Yoho, event promoter. Only about 7 percent of the participants hail from Pasco County.

There will be live performances on stage, contests, and vendors offering food.

On Nov. 10, a five-stop, 40-mile poker run around Dade City will begin at the fairgrounds with a start time between 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

From 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., drivers can engage in “Bugs on the Track,” where they take their Volkswagens for a spin around the Dade City Motocross Track.

A long line of Bugs will be showcased in the VW Parade, traveling from the fairgrounds to downtown Dade City at 2 p.m.

Aside from food, swap vendors also will be available on Nov. 11 to trade car parts with customers.

Also on Sunday, there will be a car show at 9 a.m., to display the various models, and more than two dozen Volkswagens will be on sale.

Parking is a $5 fee and admission is $10 per day or $15 for both days. Children age 10 and younger are free, but are encouraged to bring a can of food to help supply The Thomas Promise Foundation.

For those staying overnight, camping is available on the premises.

Car show registration online is $30 and at the event, if available, for $45.

To reserve a campsite or preregister, visit FloridaBugJam.com.

For additional information, call Randy Yoho at (352) 588-4697.

Florida Bug Jam

Where: Pasco County Fairgrounds, 36722 State Road 52 in Dade City
When: Open to spectators on Nov. 10, starting at 11 a.m., and Nov. 11, starting at 9 a.m.
Cost: $10 for those age 11 and older; ages 10 and younger are free, but asked to bring a canned food donation
Details: Volkswagen Beetle enthusiasts from around the world congregate to race, sell and trade.
Info: Randy Yoho at (352) 588-4697 or FloridaBugJam.com.

Published October 31, 2018

Dade City set to give locals a ‘Spook-tacular’ time

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The Dade City Woman’s Club will host its first ‘Spook-tacular’ on the evenings of Oct. 26 and Oct. 27.

The event will be held on the grounds of the Pioneer Florida Museum, at 15602 Pioneer Museum Road in Dade City.

The public event will take place from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., each day, with an admission charge of $8 and free parking.

Guests can attend in costume, and will be greeted with concession stands offering such foods as candy apples, popcorn, cotton candy and snow cones.

Attendees will be able to walk through a haunted cemetery, as well as an Indian corn maze and may bump into a variety of zombies.

A “Hocus Pocus” segment will be offered for those under age 12, with a guided tour and history of the Salem witches.

Those age 12 and over can attend the “Jeepers Creepers” area where they can rock around in the Haunted Hayride.

“We’re hoping that this is something they anticipate for years to come,” said Laurie Padavan, president of Dade City’s Woman’s Club.

Proceeds will help support restoration work at the historic woman’s club building in Dade City.

Attendees are asked to bring only service pets.

For more information, contact Laurie Padavan at (352) 457-1409 or .

Spook-tacular
Where: Pioneer Florida Museum, 15602 Pioneer Museum Road in Dade City
When: Oct. 26 and Oct. 27, 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Cost: $8 admission
Details: This Halloween-themed event allows visitors to roam through a corn maze, go on a hayride, visit a cemetery and enjoy some food.
Info: Contact Laurie Padavan at (352) 457-1409 or .

Published October 24, 2018

Dade City teenager enjoys challenge and camaraderie of motorbike racing

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For Madison Snider, 831 not only represents her birthdate, it signifies the number of a champion.

That’s the number she races under on her motorbike.

Racing on the bikes is nothing new for the 13-year-old Dade City native. She began competing when she was 7.

Although her father, Wilbur, enjoyed watching bike races on TV, Madison never expressed an interest in learning the sport herself.

That is, until her mom Carol surprised her with a four-wheel motorbike.

Madison Snider, 13, poses on her latest motorbike, a Yamaha Raptor 250. (Brian Fernandes)

“She got me a quad for my seventh birthday,” the teenager said.

She fell in love instantly with the bike, and began practicing at the local Dade City Motocross track.

In her first year at Motocross, her hard work paid off when she won the championship for the 70 cc mini quad division.

Her victory propelled her to continue in races and, the following year, she won second place in the 100 cc mini quad division.

After two years at Motocross, Madison began racing in the Florida Trail Riders (FTR) events, allowing her to perform in hare scramble competitions.

These types of races are off-road and are usually held on rugged terrain such as mountains, woods or desert.

At this point, Madison had gone from quarter-mile to 1-mile competitions and had now moved on to racing several miles while doing multiple laps.

She gradually climbed the ranks at FTR races and last year won the Quad Super PeeWee A championship.

Her rising notoriety took her to the Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) tournaments in Florida, Georgia and West Virginia, where she would compete with kids from around the U.S.

The three-state competitions granted Madison the opportunity to not only race in mud and up steep mountains, but to develop relationships with other riders.

“The kids go out and battle, but they get off the track and they’re still friends,” Wilbur explained of the riders’ camaraderie.

Wilbur and Carol’s support for their daughter has been evident. They admitted that if she wanted to quit racing the next day, they would be right behind her.

Many weekends they have loaded up their truck and traveled across the state for tournaments, as Madison averages about 15 races a year.

Local sponsors have also supported and rallied around her through the years – a dedication the family appreciates.

While Madison enjoys the exhilaration that comes with riding, she also understands the need for safety. When racing, she is sure to put on her gear, which includes a chest protector, gloves, helmet, neck brace and boots.

She is also versed in the mechanics that keep the bike running, sometimes having to adjust her brakes and change tires.

Madison is her own coach, as she trains herself. As an observer, she will often watch races so she can pick up techniques that will be beneficial to her.

Although tournaments are a priority, she makes time for her friends, family and collection of pets – a cat, a rabbit, two fancy rats, two sugar gliders and three dogs.

She also enjoys fishing, as well as hunting, and is passionate about volleyball.

“We’ve raced races on the other side of the state and drove home to go to a volleyball game,” chuckled Wilbur, on his daughter’s commitment to the two sports.

Now an eighth-grader at Centennial Middle School, Madison is racing on her fourth bike, a Yamaha Raptor 250.

Her backyard is a wide-open field, which makes practicing at home convenient.

Still determined, she has hopes that motorbike 831 will one day make it to the professional level.

Published October 24, 2018

Dade City Mayor provides ‘state of the city’ talk at chamber breakfast

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Dade City Mayor Camille Hernandez is bullish on the future of the community she governs.

During a recent Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting, Hernandez told the audience about newly proposed planned residential developments, to projects aimed at improving the city’s infrastructure and recreational projects,

“I am enthusiastic about Dade City,” Hernandez said, addressing the chamber audience at Florida Hospital Dade City.

Dade City Mayor Camille Hernandez, the featured guest speaker at The Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce’s October breakfast meeting, gave the audience a look ahead at coming projects in her city. The breakfast was at Florida Hospital Dade City. (Kevin Weiss)

“We’re finally at the point where we can put our emphasis on what I call some sexy things —

some things you can actually see (and) some things that will attract businesses and really make it worth their while to come in and call Dade City home.”

Hernandez has been Dade City’s mayor since 2012 and was reelected in April.

One of the city’s chief priorities is to address its lingering stormwater problems, she said.

Bids will go out next month — and work will begin in February — for the city’s downtown stormwater management system, to alleviate flooding that’s plagued Pasco Avenue and Seventh Street.

Over the past two years, the city has received a total of $1.8 million in state appropriations to use for the stormwater project.

That work, Hernandez said, “is so important for all of our folks working in the government offices, and all our retailers and businesses that we’re trying to attract in town.”

Another ongoing stormwater project is the Beauchamp Pond Expansion, whereby the city is combining two ponds located at the southeast and northeast corners of 17th Street and Beauchamp Avenue, which aims to address chronic flooding in that particular area.

Plans call for the area near the pond site to ultimately become a passive park that would include a boardwalk, trail and landscaping.

Hernandez also mentioned that several residential developments and subdivisions have been proposed within city limits — marking another progression for Dade City’s long-term future.

Two of those developments — Abbey Glenn 2 and Suwanee Lakeside — total more than 400 homes and will be located across the street from Pasco High School.

About 700 more dwelling units are planned in several other developments, the mayor said.

“That’s really going to have an impact,” she said.

Impacts from those projects include an expanded tax base, additional city services and more traffic coming to downtown Dade City.

Hernandez also noted that Dade City is starting to gain a positive reputation for its eclectic mix of farm-to-table restaurants.

And, she noted that city officials will continue to promote and market its various food initiatives and agricultural lands “to draw folks to Dade City.”

“I think we finally are learning kind of what our niche is and where we want to go,” Hernandez said.

Park and trail improvements were another talking point for the mayor.

Hernandez mainly discussed the northern extension of the existing Hardy Trail, from Church Avenue to Lock Street.

Work on that extension is expected to start in early 2019 and be completed by the end of that year, said Hernandez, noting that the project is benefiting from $1.1 million in state funding.

The trail is part of a larger trail network planned for the U.S. 301 corridor extending from south of Zephyrhills to north of Dade City. Ultimately, it will extend to the Withlacoochee State Trail trailhead.

“It fits right in with what we promote here in Dade City — quality of life, healthy lifestyles, health and wellness — so we’re very excited it’s finally a reality for us here,” the mayor said.

She also pointed to another initiative in the recreation arena: A bike-share hub to be built in Dade City. The Pasco County Tourist Development allocated $250,000 for that project.

However, the mayor noted that the city is still working to choose a location, which would encompass not only the bike hub, but a splash pad and pavilion, and other features that could be used to host festivals and other community events.

The mayor also noted there will continue to be “up to the year maintenance” on its local park system — namely, Price, Watson and Agnes Lamb parks.

Elsewhere, Hernandez touched on the city’s recently passed $16.4 million budget for the 2018-2019 fiscal year.

Hernandez said the budget is about a 12 percent increase from the prior fiscal year’s budget of $14.6 million, due mainly in part to rising personnel costs and health care premiums. The millage rate of 7.14 mills remained the same as last fiscal year.

Highlights from the new city budget include 3 percent raises for all city employees, with an extra “Years of Service” salary bump for longtime city employees.

The city also raised its retirement contributions, ranging from 4 percent to 8 percent, for all employees.

“One of the things that we try to do is we want to take care of our employees,” Hernandez said.

“That was something we wanted to do and felt that was important to do for our employees.”

Published October 24, 2018