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East Pasco YMCA

Summer camp fun returns to East Pasco YMCA

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In normal times, summer-camp kids at the East Pasco YMCA in Zephyrhills would be greeted with hugs and high-fives.

These aren’t normal times.

“Camp Cattle and Grove’’ almost is routine. It is still 10 weeks of swimming, games, activities, sports and education. But, it also includes social distancing, hand-washing, constant disinfecting and masking up. It’s summer camp in the COVID-19 era.

“It has been different, but some things haven’t changed,’’ said Alex Delgado, the East Pasco YMCA aquatics and program director who coordinates the camp. “Kids are kids. They love to see their friends. They love to have fun.

“They have been cooped up for a long time, so they are eager to get back at it. Sometimes, kids don’t understand what we’re doing. But, we make sure they don’t share supplies. We make sure every chair, every table, every basketball, every Lego, everything they use, is properly cleaned and disinfected. We’re all about having fun. But, we’re all about keeping them safe.’’

East Pasco YMCA officials Ryan Pratt, left, and Alex Delgado display the manual of activities for ‘Camp Cattle and Grove.’ (Joey Johnston)

Delgado and Ryan Pratt, the East Pasco YMCA membership and wellness director, initially wondered how the summer camp would be received. Would parents be wary? It has actually been the opposite. On the busiest week, 45 kids participated (last summer’s average was 34) and attendance has been pretty consistent.

“We actually had a pretty good trial run because we did 11 weeks of relief care (where working parents dropped off kids for all-day sessions during the school closures),’’ Pratt said. “We practiced social distancing. We saw what worked, what didn’t work. We felt pretty good about it.

“When summer camp rolled around, it was a little strange at first. We’re so used to physically encouraging them, but even the basic hug couldn’t be done this time. Some kids were uneasy at first. But, they got used to wearing masks. Pretty soon, it was, ‘Hey, this is summer camp. I get to play games and swim.’ Now it seems really normal.’’

Delgado, who has produced a weekly newsletter to detail the camp’s activities for parents, said the older group of kids had a quick grasp on the new normal, which includes masks when there was no physical activity and persistent cleanliness. The younger kids have followed that example.

The only major camp difference is a lack of outside vendors. Last summer, camp included a mobile music bus and a petting zoo of farm animals. Now more caution has been exercised, although the kids have gotten visits from Kona Ice, and Culver’s Restaurant, which provided custard.

“It doesn’t take much for kids to have fun, really,’’ Delgado said. “They are creative and imaginative. Most days, they are having a blast.’’

Summer-camp kids enjoy pool activities at the East Pasco YMCA.

The East Pasco YMCA staff has been creative as well. Delgado and Pratt — along with executive director Michael Cosentino — are wiping down equipment, sweeping floors and cleaning bathrooms.

“Whatever works,’’ Pratt said. “We’re doing a few things maybe we weren’t doing pre-COVID. But, we are dedicated to making this a memorable and safe experience for all the kids.’’

That’s true for the community at large.

The East Pasco YMCA, which mostly serves Zephyrhills, Dade City and Wesley Chapel, has morphed back to life after weeks of COVID-forced inactivity.

“In general, the membership is slowly returning,’’ Pratt said. “Once the virus is over, we’ll keep things in place. This level of cleanliness and disinfecting will be the standard, so that is a positive.

“We’re trying to let the community know that we are ready when they are ready. A lot of businesses are struggling, but we are a business, too. We are creating a safe environment for the entire family. Little by little, we are coming back and we want to be receptive to everyone’s needs.’’

This summer, that begins with the camp kids.

“Just seeing the happy faces, the laughter and the fun, that makes everything worth it,’’ Delgado said. “Summer camp and kids makes you feel like everything is back in order.’’

By Joey Johnston

Published July 22, 2020

Construction nearing on Zephyrhills tennis center

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After more than two years of planning and design, a multi-million dollar tennis center in Zephyrhills will soon break ground and become a reality.

Construction is expected to begin in August on the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis and Wellness Center, Zephyrhills deputy city manager Billy Poe said during a special June 17 council meeting on the issue.

With the project’s final engineered site plan set to be completed this month, the city then will  seek construction bids through July, Poe said.

Construction is expected to begin in August on the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis and Wellness Center, situated west of Simons Road in Zephyrhills. The $3.5 million project is expected to be complete around summer 2020. (Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)

Site and road work also is scheduled to begin next month by another contractor at the future facility’s location, which will be situated on nearly 5 acres of land, north of Dean Dairy Road and west of Simons Road.

The timeframe for the project’s completion is around summer 2020, Poe told city council members.

“I think we’ve accounted for everything,” Poe said of the design plans.

The $3.5 million tennis facility is being funded largely through combination of state appropriations, Penny for Pasco and recreation impact fees from several new housing developments.

The project is a public-private partnership between the City of Zephyrhills and Tennis P.R.O. and its owner Pascal Collard, who will operate and manage the tennis facility. It’s a similar arrangement the city has with the East Pasco YMCA.

Renderings show 11 outdoor  tennis courts (eight clay surface, two hard surface, exhibition court), built to USTA (United States Tennis Association) standards, as well as eight pickleball courts and four padel courts.

The tennis center also includes a 7,000-square-foot indoor clubhouse that will include a fitness and rehabilitation center, restaurant and cafe, pro shop and kid’s club, among other amenities.

The facility will be open approximately 80 hours per week.

More amenities also may come on line later.

Collard told council members at some point he is looking to phase in a 30,000-square-foot multi-purpose indoor sports complex which could accommodate four tennis courts and a soccer field made of artificial turf.

Indoor sports field house aside, Collard said the tennis center will draw people from inside and outside Zephyrhills and will become a draw for various regional, national and international tournaments.

He described the facility as “a community sports center for everybody.”

“I think that to have a place like this in Zephyrhills, it’s unique,” said Collard, a professional tennis instructor and former tennis director at Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel. “If you build something like this, we do believe that a lot of people will come.”

The meeting also included a discussion of the tennis center’s membership fees, which Collard presented to the council.

An annual individual tennis-only membership is listed at $65 per month. Cheaper price points will be offered for four-person households ($120), individual seniors over 65 years old ($50) and household seniors over 65 years old ($90).

There will be a series of other annual membership packages with various levels of access (bronze, silver, gold, platinum), along with a six-month snowbird membership option to run from October through March.

A platinum membership, for instance, provides access to all courts and in-house tournaments, as well as the center’s fitness room, cryotherapy/salt room, and kid’s club. It also includes a golf membership at Silverado Golf & Country Club. An individual platinum membership (ages 17 and up) is listed at $1,999 annually, paid in full.

By comparison, an individual gold membership, which includes all amenities except golf, is $1,296 annually.

All memberships will include a one-time $250 initiation fee. However, the fee will be waived for the first 250 Zephyrhills residents to sign up for a membership.

There will be a 20 percent discount in memberships for nurses, teachers, military veterans and local and state government employees.

In addition to memberships, the tennis center will offer non-member day passes, daily guest passes and hourly court rental opportunities. It also will be used for receptions, fundraisers and other community events.

The facility also will host free tennis camps and lessons to underprivileged youth on a regular basis through its non-profit counterpart, Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Foundation.

“It’s nothing set in stone,” Collard said of the membership prices. “We can tweak it, we can change it, but it’s pretty much what is done in the U.S. and different places.”

“It reflects in the pricing that we’re really giving everybody the opportunity to benefit from this center,” he added.

The breakeven point for the facility is roughly 450 members, Collard said.

In determining membership costs, Collard and city staffers analyzed membership fees at several other tennis and athletic clubs throughout the Tampa Bay region, such as the Beerman Family Tennis Center in Lakeland and the Cindy Hummel Tennis Center in Auburndale.

“Really, our numbers were very comparable and even sometimes less,” city planning director Todd Vande Berg said of the membership fees. “We’re offering so much more, and we’re not even talking about the restaurant (inside the tennis center clubhouse), so we did take a careful look at the comparisons to make sure they were in line.”

Council members didn’t seem to have qualms about the various price points, instead expressing their eagerness for the forthcoming tennis venture.

“I’m excited about it,” councilwoman Jodi Wilkeson said. “I think about the people that I know that play tennis, that’s a great investment for them and would like to have that opportunity.”

Added councilman Lance Smith: “I think it’s a good partnership and I think we’re going to learn as we go along. I’m just anxious to get the facility going.”

Council president Ken Burgess said it’s “good timing” for the city to get a tennis center, pointing out roadway developments along State Road 54, State Road 56 and the Interstate 75-Overpass Road interchange extension to Zephyrhills.

“I think this is one more thing that’s going to put Zephyrhills on the map,” Burgess said. “I mean, I realize that probably a lot of our (tennis) members may come from not necessarily the city limits, but it’s still going to put Zephyrhills on the map. It’s a great design and I think everything’s coming together, all at the right time, too.”

The tennis center is named after the Sarah Vande Berg, a former Zephyrhills High School district champion, who died in an automobile accident at the age of 21 in October 2015. She was the daughter of longtime city planning director Todd Vande Berg.

Published June 26, 2019

Zephyrhills sets tax rate, presents draft budget

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For the third straight year, the property tax rate will stay the same in Zephyrhills.

The Zephyrhills City Council voted to set the tentative millage rate at 6.35 mills.

Under state law, once a tentative millage rate has been set, the city cannot raise it before the start of the fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. The council does, however, have the option to reduce the rate before then.

Based on the 6.35-millage rate, the total budget for the new fiscal year will be $16.8 million, across the city’s 10 departments. The Zephyrhills Police Department, among others, will see several equipment upgrades. The draft budget includes funding to purchase four new Ford Explorers (two K9 and two marked units), along with new firearms and Taser replacements. Other upgrades include new officer laptops and external police cameras, plus replacement air conditioning unit at the agency’s station. (File)

Public hearings on the proposed rate are scheduled Sept. 11 at 6 p.m., and Sept. 25 at 6 p.m., in the Zephyrhills Public Library meeting room, 5347 Eighth St.

City records show that maintaining a rate of 6.35 mills will generate about $3.91 million in property taxes, an increase of nearly $218,000 over last year. Those figures are based on the proposed total city property value of about $651 million.

In the 2014-2015 fiscal year, Zephyrhills’ tax rate was 6.1415 mills. But, two years ago, the council opted to raise the rate to 6.35 mills to “accommodate operational improvements.”

Based on the 6.35-millage rate, the total budget for the new fiscal year will be slightly more than $16.8 million across the city’s 10 departments.

The remaining money necessary for the 2017-2018 budget will come from other funding sources, including state revenues, franchise fees, utility fees and grants.

The Zephyrhills Police Department, among other departments, will see several equipment and operational upgrades.

The draft budget includes funding to purchase four new Ford Explorers (two K9 and two marked units), totaling $166,000, along with several new firearms ($23,000) and Taser replacements ($11,000).

Other upgrades include new officer laptops ($15,000) and external police cameras ($21,000), plus a $160,000 replacement air conditioning unit at the agency’s station.

Additionally, police overtime is increasing by about $20,000, to account for shift overtime and various training programs.

The Zephyrhills city council voted to set the tentative millage rate at 6.35 mills, the same figure set for the past three fiscal years.

The city’s parks department has several new digs coming their way, too.

Funds are earmarked for a new, $300,000 concession stand at Krusen Field, and Zephyr Park is slated to receive $150,000 in new playground equipment.

The department also is set to receive two replacement pickup trucks totaling $50,000 and a zero-turn lawnmower, worth $12,000.

As in prior years, the city plans to divvy out thousands of dollars in grants.

According to the draft budget, The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce is slated to receive $50,000 from the city, while the East Pasco YMCA will receive $30,000. Sports youth leagues will receive $10,000, and Zephyrhills High School will receive $10,000 for scholarships.

Besides funding $30,000 for the Samaritan Project, the city also is working on budgeting water lines and service to Helping Rock, a homeless shelter on Forbes Road that provides 24-hour housing and is a resource for the Zephyrhills Police Department.

Other proposed budget items include:

  • A 3 percent increase in salaries and benefits for employees, at an additional cost of about $300,000.
  • A contingency fund of about $1.6 million, a decrease of $1.2 million from the current fiscal year — mainly due to funding for Tyler software, overages at the Jeffries House and costs for implementing employee pay increases.
  • Worker’s compensation is $245,000, an increase of about $30,000 from the previous year.
  • An increase to $770,000, up from $669,000, for casualty and property insurance.

The budget also includes a loan of more than $7 million for the construction of the new City Hall, which has been carried over from last year. The loan amount will be paid on an annual basis from Penny for Pasco revenues.

Another budget workshop is anticipated sometime in August to discuss, among other issues, costs and improvements to revitalize the former Hercules Park property, and to finalize a plan for the anticipated Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Center.

City staff is currently working on the tennis center’s design, as well as building construction costs.

According to City Manager Steve Spina, an early estimate of the building cost is $2.25 million, while court construction costs are anticipated to be $950,000, to be paid out of park impact fees by District of Abbot Station developer David Waronker. The city, meanwhile, still needs to enter into a contract to take ownership of the site and payment of the park impact fees for court construction.

Also of note: The Dade City Commission voted to set their tentative millage rate at 7.14 mills, the same figure set for the 2016-2017 fiscal year.

City records show that maintaining a rate of 7.14 mills will generate about $1.89 million in property taxes, an increase of $80,700 from last year.

Published August 2, 2017

Students vie in entrepreneurial competition

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Timothy Hernandez noticed a problem, and he set about to solve it.

Not too long ago, the 17-year-old Zephyrhills High School senior was undergoing safety training as a YMCA pool lifeguard.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) masks kept falling off during tutorials.

“It was a real inconvenience,” he said.

Timothy Hernandez, center, won first place and $2,500 in Pasco’s Young Entrepreneur Finals. His business concept is CPRGo, a mask with an automatic seal, via suction cup features. Also pictured: Kelly Castro, youth coordinator for the Pasco Hernando Workforce Board, and Stacey Capogrosso, executive director of the Pasco Education Foundation. 
(Courtesy of Pasco County Schools)

Strap-based CPR masks didn’t fare much better, said Hernandez, who currently works at the East Pasco YMCA and the New Tampa YMCA.

His solution: CPRGo, a mask with an automatic seal, via suction cup features.

“It makes CPR a simple and more efficient process,” Hernandez said. “It also ensures the victim is getting a sufficient amount of air. “

In short, “Saving lives has never been so easy.”

For the concept — yet to be prototyped and patented — Hernandez won first place and $2,500 in Pasco’s Young Entrepreneur Finals, held April 25 at the Land O’ Lakes High School Culinary Arts.

The inaugural competition showcased seven students from Pasco County Schools’ business and entrepreneurship principles program.

It gave contestants an opportunity to present their unique business idea in a traditional slideshow format to a live audience and panel of judges — startup experts representing Pasco County and the Tampa Bay region.

Hannah White, a Pasco High School senior, earned second place and $1,000 for Organized Design, which refers to planners that can be customized entirely.

Jackson Rossi, a senior at Mitchell High School, received third place and $500 for Brij, an app for social media marketing.

Other finalists were Justin Hall and Katelyn Ortiz, of Sunlake High; Taylor Townsend, of River Ridge High; and, Alex Violini, of Ridgewood High; each were winners at school-level competitions, held April 3 through April 10.

Those attending the competition included representatives from Pasco County Schools, CareerSource Pasco/Hernando, the Pasco Education Foundation, the Pasco Economic Development Council, the USF Stavros Center, and Pasco SCORE. The name SCORE is based on an acronym for Service Corps of Retired Executives.

Loosely based off ABC’s hit TV show “Shark Tank,” each student had 10 minutes to present his or her startup.

Judges then lobbed critiques, criticisms and suggestions, for all the audience to hear.

The finalists later were evaluated on a 10-point scale on 10 factors, including professionalism, the viability of their enterprise, and their ability to back it with research on startup costs, revenue, distribution, customer base, competitors and the business and/or social impact of their venture.

Hernandez received high marks for his revenue and cost projections model, and his ability to identify a target market — lifeguards and other emergency responders.

For the judges, choosing just three winners wasn’t easy.

“The kids that did this — great job,” said Steven Hickman, president/CEO of First National Bank of Pasco. “I’m just thrilled to see the quality and the poise.”

Fellow judge Mike Lewis, chairman of SCORE Chapter 439, was likewise impressed with each presentation, praising students’ thought process, concepts and business plans.

“They are absolutely to be commended,” he said.

About 200 Pasco County high school students participated in the entrepreneurship curriculum during the 2016-2017 school year, said Terry Aunchman, director of career and technical education for Pasco County.

That figure, along with the Young Entrepreneurs event, is expected to grow, as the program will be introduced in five more high schools next school year — Cypress Creek, Gulf, Fivay, Land O’ Lakes and Wiregrass Ranch.

“The competition is going to be amped up just a little bit,” Aunchman said. “We built so much excitement around this that the other schools are like, ‘We want to get in on the action.’”

Aunchman also plans to introduce the program to several middle and elementary schools in the district, hoping to “get kids engaged, thinking outside of the box and solving problems.”

Meanwhile, Hernandez — like other finalists — appears to have a bright future ahead of him.

He plans to attend Saint Leo University this fall, majoring in criminal justice.

His minor? Business.

Published May 3, 2017

Summer programs feed kids

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Children who normally eat lunch at school when classes are in session have a free alternative during the summer months.

Both Hillsborough and Pasco counties are participating in a summer food service program that provide free lunches and afternoon snacks at numerous sites around each county.

The program begins on June 13 and concludes on Aug. 3.

The sites are situated in areas where at least half of the children qualify for free or reduced price meals during the school year. The meals and snacks will be offered at local parks and other community locations to all children under 18 in the area.

No applications are required and summer camp registration is not required.

The Summer Food Service program is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture.

Here are some sites that are providing free lunches and snacks. Check with the sites to find out hours of operation.

Hillsborough County (partial listing):

  • Northdale Recreation, 15550 Spring Pine Drive
  • North Tampa Boys and Girls Club, 2313 Yukon St.
  • North Tampa Recreation Center, 8608 12th St.

(For more Hillsborough sites, go to HillsboroughCounty.org/SummerFood)

Pasco County (partial listing):

  • Arbours Mobile, 12861 Stately Oak St., Dade City
  • Centennial Middle, 38505 Centennial Road, Dade City
  • Cypress Farms Mobile, 38727 Patti Lane, Dade City
  • Farm Workers Self-Help, 37124 Lock St., Dade City
  • James Irvin Civic Center, 38122 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Dade City
  • Lacoochee Elementary, 38815 Cummer Road, Dade City
  • Lake George Mobile, 15246 Davis Loop, Dade City
  • Lewis Abraham Lacoochee Unit, 38274 Mudcat Grant Blvd., Dade City
  • Pasco Elementary, 37350 Florida Ave., Dade City
  • Pasco High, 36850 State Road 52, Dade City
  • New River Elementary, 4710 River Glen Blvd., Wesley Chapel
  • Quail Hollow Elementary, 7050 Quail Hollow Blvd., Wesley Chapel
  • Thomas Weightman Middle School, 30649 Wells Road, Wesley Chapel
  • Watergrass Elementary, 32750 Overpass Road, Wesley Chapel
  • Wesley Chapel High, 30651 Wells Road, Wesley Chapel
  • Chester W. Taylor, 3628 Morris Bridge Road, Zephyrhills
  • Crystal Springs Mobile, 1655 Partridge Blvd., Zephyrhills
  • East Pasco YMCA, 37301 Chapel Hill Loop, Zephyrhills
  • R.B. Stewart Middle, 38505 10th Ave., Zephyrhills
  • Thomas Promise, 6851 Wire Road, Zephyrhills
  • West Zephyrhills Elementary, 37900 14th Ave., Zephyrhills
  • Zephyrhills High, 6335 12th St., Zephyrhills
  • Land O’ Lakes Recreational Complex, 3032 Collier Parkway, Land O’ Lakes
  • Land O’ Lakes Community Center, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Land O’ Lakes
  • Odessa Park Community Center, 1627 Chesapeake Drive, Odessa

For additional information, check the Pasco County Schools website at Pasco.k12.fl.us.

Published June 15, 2016