On a Wiregrass Ranch site where Pasco County officials had once dreamt about a massive tennis complex, developer James Talton has put together a new dream. And with a little help from the county — about $11 million worth — he might be able to make plans for a massive baseball complex come true instead.
Talton is ready to take on more than 100 acres not far from Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel to build 20 baseball diamonds, a dormitory and other amenities, to make Pasco a true destination for developing baseball players.
“We could make between $18 million and $20 million, and that’s just in the summertime alone,” Talton told members of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce, according to a story by reporter Michael Hinman. “If we took the 13- or 14-year-olds, and we did nothing else, I could pay down my debt service of $54 million.”
Talton expects to need $70 million total to build the complex, with a lot of that money coming from private sources. Even baseball legend Gary Sheffield is ready to be involved, and has been working to bring in the likes of Bo Jackson and Cal Ripken — who already are running their own youth baseball programs in other parts of the country.
“It won’t be a Cal Ripken facility, or a Bo Jackson facility, but we can always integrate all of those things into what we’re doing,” Sheffield said. “What it does is give us the ability to probably have 20 to 30 (Major League Baseball) players that (at) any one time your kid might bump into, and that ups the brand.”
Want more details on the project? It’s all in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, which is available right now everywhere, as well as online by clicking here. And don’t forget to check out our previous story about how this complex could attract a Major League Baseball team like the Atlanta Braves. Read all about that by clicking here.
Pasco County is about to get its first magnet school, and a meeting introducing some details of that new campus attracted more than 200 students and parents to learn more about Sanders Memorial Elementary School.
Sanders will be different from other schools in many respects, reporter B.C. Manion writes. For one thing, the school’s design includes large spaces next to classrooms, intended to encourage collaboration between students, between teachers and students, and between classrooms.
The school’s furniture also will accommodate a greater degree of teamwork. The chairs and desks will move easily to accommodate clusters of learners tackling various tasks.
Want to learn more about Sanders? Pick up a copy of The Laker/Lutz News, or read our online e-edition by clicking here.
And finally, the Zephyrhills Bulldogs football team started out the season strong, dominating teams and looking a lot like division foe South Sumter High School played last season.
The roll continued, until the Bulldogs ran into South Sumter, and discovered that not much has changed with that team since last year.
“We knew that we can’t make mistakes with that team and survive, and we did that,” Bulldogs head coach Reggie Roberts told reporter Michael Murillo.
Those mistakes included a muffed punt, and being forced into a field goal instead of a touchdown early on that allowed the Raiders to jump out to a 28-10 lead, instead of a more manageable 21-14 or 21-10 lead.
“That’s tough to do against a very good football team,” Roberts said. “I think that was a turning point.”
What does it all mean for Zephyrhills as it looks to make the postseason? Find out in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, or read it online right now by clicking here.
All of these stories and more can be found in this week’s The Laker/Lutz News, available in newsstands throughout east and central Pasco County as well as northern Hillsborough County. Find out what has your community talking this week by getting your local news straight from the only source you need.
If The Laker/Lutz News is not coming to your door, call us to see where you can get your copy at (813) 909-2800, or read our free e-edition by clicking here.
