The Laker/Lutz News

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Elaine Pittman

Charities hit hard

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It was a gorgeous day on March 7, as patrons streamed into the annual Fabulous Flea Market  hosted by the GFWC Lutz Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club, at the Old Lutz School.

Crowds were lined up on both sides of the school, on U.S. 41, waiting for the sale to start.

Elaine Pittman, affectionately known as “The Plant Lady,” said she sold more plants in a single day than on all but one other day during numerous years she’s sold plants at the market.

Woman’s Club member Elaine Pittman, also known as The Plant Lady, sells plants that she’s nurtured, to raise money to support Christian Social Services, which has a thrift store and food pantry. (B.C. Manion)

But, her plans to sell additional plants at the Spring Market, hosted by Citizens for the Old Lutz School, were dashed when the event was canceled because of concerns about the potential spread of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19).

Like a switch had been flipped, cancellations started happening all over.

The Taste of North Tampa Bay, The Land O’ Lakes Music Festival, The Jelly Bean Fling and numerous other events have been called off.

In the words of Pat Serio, who sits on the board of directors for the GFWC Lutz Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club: “Everything has completely shut down.

“I’m co-editor of the newsletter, and we cancelled our newsletter because frankly we had nothing to report because all of our calendar events for the next month would have to be listed as TBD (to be determined).”

Besides erasing opportunities for family fun and giving vendors a chance to make money — the cancellations have ripple effects.

Proceeds from Pittman’s plant sales, for instance, help to support Christian Social Services. That organization operates a food pantry within its thrift store, at 5514 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes.

The GFWC Lutz Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club and scores of other civic groups rely on fundraising efforts to help others. The woman’s club supports roughly 100 local organizations and charitable causes, Serio said.

The Spring Market and Fall Market are the fundraisers held each year to support upkeep of the Old Lutz School, said Stephanie Ensor, a member of Citizens for the Old Lutz School Building.

Besides raising money, the events help acquaint the community with the local historic landmark where generations of Lutz residents went to school.

Thirty-eight vendors had signed for the market. Proceeds from the event were intended to help pay for needed repairs because of termite damage.

Doors need to be replaced, Ensor said.

“The windows are rotting,” she added. “They are so expensive, we can only replace a couple at a time.”

Food pantries are feeling the pinch, too.

Robin Granger, of Life Church in Wesley Chapel, operates a food pantry and a weekly community lunch.

“The problem is, the stores that we get donations from, they don’t have very much,” Granger said.

“Typically, we pick up food from Costco three days a week and we have not gotten hardly anything at all,” she said.

Meanwhile, she said, “I know that folks that are under-resourced are really struggling.

“We did an emergency box for a single mom a couple of days ago. She worked at one of the local restaurants as a server, but they cut her hours. When they cut her hours, she was trying to get back on food stamps, but that’s a process. Meantime, she doesn’t have enough food for her kids,” Granger said.

“We’re a little concerned about having enough food for all of the folks that we serve.

“During this whole week, we’ve had emergency boxes of food going out.”

Concerns about the economic and health crisis prompted by COVID-19 are stressing people out, Granger said.

“There tends to be a lot of folks who are a little bit scared.

“I lead the single moms group at the church. Being a single mom and not having income is really, really frightening,” Granger said.

Published April 1, 2020

Treasure-seekers may discover hidden gems at Lutz Flea Market

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Elaine Pittman is looking forward to the annual flea market at the Old Lutz School.

She’s a staple at the annual event, hosted by the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club.

With her handy magnifying glass, Roseanne Lange carefully analyzes donated jewelry items before deciding a price for them. Lange is one of the volunteers from the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club getting ready for the annual flea market, which will be March 1 and March 2 this year. (Brian Fernandes)

Nicknamed the ‘Plant Lady,’ Pittman will have her signature booth displaying an array of plants and flowers outside.

“Plants have always been my hobby,” the 87-year-old explained. “I had my first garden bed when I was about 11 years old living on Long Island.”

Over the years, she has sold African violets, Christmas cactus, amaryllis and kalanchoes plants of different sorts.

Not far from Pittman’s booth will be the woman’s club ‘juniorettes.’

The teenage girls will be selling baked goods to satisfy hungry patrons.

Rooms throughout the school have been stocked with various goods. Each room has its own theme.

One room displays racks of clothes organized by size, while others offer jewelry,

chinaware and electronic appliances, among others.

Outside, there will be tents showcasing furniture, handbags, shoes, toys and seasonal decors.

Pat Serio, another club member, said “you can’t beat our prices.”

Plus, she noted: “Everything is carefully cleaned, organized and well-priced.”

The club is still accepting donations to help raise money to benefit the woman’s club scholarship program and other local causes. The money that Pittman raises through plant sales is used to benefit Christian Social Services, which, among other things, helps feed the hungry.

Donors who have items they’d like to contribute to the flea market are welcome to drop off items at the school on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. February 27 is the last day to drop off donations.

This year’s flea market will be March 1 and March 2 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Admission and parking will be free to the public.

For additional information, call Annette Bellingar at (813) 482-8183.

Flea Market
Where: Old Lutz School, 18819 U.S. 41, Lutz
When: March 1 and March 2, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Cost: Free
Details: The Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club will sell clothes, furniture, kitchen appliances, toys, dishes and other items. Baked goods and drinks will also be available.
Info: Call Annette Bellingar at (813) 482-8183.

Published February 20, 2019

2017 had it all: A sinkhole, Hurricane Irma, wildfires and floods

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But, it also was a year of significant growth, notable achievements and touching moments, too.

It’s not often that Land O’ Lakes makes the international news, but it did just that in July when a massive sinkhole swallowed two homes in Lake Padgett Estates.

This is an aerial view of a giant sinkhole that developed in Lake Padgett Estates, swallowing two homes and causing several others to be condemned. (File)

Then, just a few months later in September, the world’s attention turned to Florida as a potential category 5 Hurricane Irma appeared heading straight toward Tampa Bay.

The year also was marked by severe flooding and wildfires in Pasco County.

It also was a year for the changing of the guard, as Dan Biles was named Pasco County’s administrator to replace Michele Baker, who retired.

Scores of headlines during 2017 involved stories about the area’s congested roadways — and projects that are planned, underway or being discussed to improve traffic flow.

Major road projects that have begun or are planned include improvements to Interstate 75 and state roads 54 and 52. A four-lane extension of State Road 56, between Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills, is also under construction.

With its sustained wind speeds of 185 mph, Hurricane Irma was deemed to be one of the strongest hurricanes to hit the Atlantic. At one point, forecasters said it appeared headed toward making a direct hit on the Tampa Bay region.

Another improvement, known as the diverging diamond, is planned to improve traffic flow at I-75 and State Road 56.

And, discussions continue over the best ways to reduce congestion at U.S. 41 and State Road 54, an intersection that handles roughly 100,000 vehicles per day.

The county also appears to be making progress in its quest to secure a permit for the extension of Ridge Road, a project it has been seeking for nearly two decades. While the project can’t come soon enough for supporters, its detractors remain steadfast in their opposition.

Increasing traffic is a symptom of Pasco’s robust growth
Housing developments, retail projects, restaurants, businesses and medical facilities are sprouting up on land previously occupied by citrus groves, farms and cattle ranches.

New schools continue to pop up, or expand, too.

Zephyrhills now has a permanent venue for community events, such as the Z’ Hills BBQ & Blues Fest, a popular event, which features blues bands and tasty barbecue.

In August, Pasco County Schools opened Bexley Elementary, in the Bexley subdivision off State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes and Cypress Creek Middle High School, off Old Pasco Road, in Wesley Chapel. In the coming year, it plans to begin construction of Cypress Creek Middle School.

Also, on the same campus, the school district and Pasco-Hernando State College plan to operate a new performing arts center. That center will be built by the college with $15.5 million in state funds, but both the school district and the college will use it as a teaching facility.

Meanwhile, the school district continues massive renovation projects at Land O’ Lakes High School and at Woodland Elementary School in Zephyrhills.

More public school projects are expected, as funding for school construction gets a boost from increased school impacts fees adopted by the Pasco County Commission that will begin being phased in on Jan. 1.

On the private school front, North Tampa Christian Academy is expected to begin operations in Wesley Chapel in the fall of 2018.

Roy Hardy, of Dade City, who died this year, was known for his perfect Kiwanis attendance and his fish fry fundraisers for the Hardy Benevolent Fund to help cover medical costs for others in need.

And, a charter school also has announced its intentions to open in Wesley Chapel in 2019, but has not identified its location yet.

The year also signaled changes on the spiritual scene across the region, too.

Van Dyke Church in Lutz changed its name to Bay Hope and expanded the scope of its mission. North Pointe Church settled into its first permanent home in Lutz, and the Episcopal Church announced its intentions to branch into Wesley Chapel.

The region also added to its list of amenities during the past year.

In Wesley Chapel, the 150,000-square-foot Florida Hospital Center Ice opened in January, with its Olympic-size rink, three National Hockey League-size rinks and one junior rink. Several rinks can easily be converted to accommodate basketball, soccer, lacrosse, volleyball and events such as corporate meetings, and parties.

In Land O’ Lakes, the Heritage Park Stage opened, off of U.S. 41. The project, which was years in the making, has already become a popular gathering spot for community events.

Starkey Park District Park also opened in Land O’ Lakes, off State Road 54.

Meanwhile, across the county, Zephyrhills added a permanent venue for community events, such as Pigz in Z’Hills, a popular barbecue and blues event.

A time of milestones and transitions
While new construction made the news, 2017 was also a year of big milestones, including R.B. Cox Elementary School’s 90th birthday, in Dade City, and the Dade City Garden Club’s 70th anniversary.

Andre Pamplona, general manager for Royal Lanes, said the closing of a bowling alley has an impact on the community. Royal Lanes, which opened in the 1970s turned off the lights for the final time in May. Lots of memories were made in that building, known for its bowling leagues and birthday parties.

But, it was also the year that Royal Lanes, a community fixture in Lutz since the 1970s for bowling leagues and birthday parties, turned out the lights for the final time in May.

On a more personal level, the region mourned the loss of some of its biggest champions, including Eddie Herrmann of San Antonio, Roy T. Hardy of Dade City and Ray Mason of Land O’ Lakes. All three men were known for their deep commitment to civic causes.

Others — who captured headlines for their excellence — included Margaret Polk, the Odyssey of the Mind team from Wesley Chapel Elementary School, and Courtney Urban, a volunteer for Gulfside Hospice who received a national award for her volunteer work.

Polk, a school nurse at Pasco High School, was named the Florida Association of School Nurses’ 2017 School Nurse of the Year.

Elaine Pittman, a Lutz gardener in her 80s, grows plants and sells them to raise money for Christian Social Services. She chose that cause because it feeds people who are hungry.

Wesley Chapel Elementary School’s “Catch Us If You Can” team, finished first in the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals held in May at Michigan State University. Members of the team were Jake Piller, Sam Cappelluti, Isabell Barrios, Mina Melaika, Rowan Heyman, Jason Sherman and Justin Acosta. Teachers Veronica Acosta and Janet Heyman coached the team.

And, Urban, who initially began volunteering at Gulfside’s Thrift Shoppe in Lutz so she could hang out with her grandmother, went on to serve the organization in a variety of roles.

And then, there were the people who simply extended themselves to help others.

There was Elaine Pittman, a Lutz gardener in her 80s, who nurtures plant cuttings to create plants, which she sells to raise money for Christian Social Services, an organization that provides food for people who are hungry.

And, there was Whitney C. Elmore, who oversees Pasco County Extension.

Elmore reached out to help Frogmore Fresh Farm, outside of Dade City, after Hurricane Irma uprooted and toppled about 100,000 blueberry bushes. Elmore got the ball rolling, but hundreds of volunteers responded — stepping forward to help the farm.

Two Boy Scouts also made a difference in the communities where they live.

Michael Valenti of Lutz and Gabe Vega of Land O’ Lakes each spearheaded Eagle Scout projects.

Cypress Creek Middle High School students make their way to their second class the first day of school on the new campus in Wesley Chapel. Bexley Elementary School also opened for the first time in August, for the 2017-2018 school year.

Valenti spruced up the Lutz Memorial Park in Lutz, and Vega created a Rosary Garden at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church in Land O’ Lakes.

And, then, there was a trio of Wesley Chapel Girl Scouts in Troop 1263 who gave new life to Karina’s Garden, behind the administrative offices of Sunrise of Pasco County, in their quest to earn a Girl Scout Silver Award.

The girls — Paige and Kaitlin Trabouley and Alyssa Duran — added flowers, plants, butterflies and statuary to create a place of repose and refreshment in the garden which honors the late Karina Abdul, a former shelter director.

The garden now provides a place to take a break and enjoy nature, according to Vicki Wiggins, director of development for Sunrise, which is a domestic and sexual violence prevention and services organization.

The garden had been choked with weeds and had fallen into disrepair.

The girls and the volunteers they enlisted changed all that.

“It’s beautiful. I’m so happy they did this. They brought it back to life,” Wiggins told The Laker/Lutz News, when the project was completed.

Published December 27, 2017

Lutz gardener cultivates generosity

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Eighty-five-year-old Elaine Pittman’s love affair with gardening began 7 1/2 decades ago.

“My father gave me my first piece of a garden on Long Island when I was about 9 years old.

Eighty-five-year-old Elaine Pittman has never sought attention for the contributions she makes to Christian Social Services, from proceeds derived from her plant sales. She likes to help that group because it feeds the hungry.
(B.C. Manion)

“Every spring, I would go to all of the neighbors around the block and ask for the little seedlings that they didn’t want. I had snow-on-the-mountain and bachelor buttons, and you name it,” said Pittman, who lives in Lutz.

She can barely remember a time since then when she wasn’t getting her hands dirty.

Deliberately.

Throughout her life, she spent spare time digging in soil and coaxing beauty from the earth.

Now, gardening is part of her daily life.

And, in Florida, she can do it year-round.

Behind her house, she has a potting shed, where she has stacks of pots, a sink and potting soil — in an assembly line of sorts.

“I do have a sink full of water here. Certain plants require clean pots. I just soak them (pots) in bleach and detergent here,” she said.

She takes plants that others discard, or pass along to her, and she divides them into smaller plants, which she then tends in her backyard.

She’s nurturing all sorts of plants, including begonias, amaryllis, coonties, crotons, kalanchoe, maple leaf hibiscus and crown of thorns.

She was in her shed, one recent day, putting her skills to work.

Maple leaf hibiscus ‘looks like velvet,’ Elaine Pittman says. ‘This one tends to get a little leggy, so you have to cut it back a lot,’ she adds.

She picked up a leather-leaf fern – a scraggily looking thing, but Pittman saw its potential.

“I always tell people I’m one of these idiots, something breaks, I can’t throw it away. I have to put it in dirt,” Pittman said.

After eyeballing the leather-leaf fern, she decides it will make three or four smaller plants.

She prepares a pot for the first cutting.

“I use coffee filters in the bottom of the pot. It keeps the dirt from washing out,” Pittman explains. She picks up the filters at The Dollar Tree to keep down her costs.

When a pot has a tiny hole, she uses a clump of dryer lint to keep in the dirt.

Then, she takes the first cutting from the leather-leaf fern. She holds it over the pot and begins adding potting mix. She holds the cutting in the center of the pot until she’s added enough soil in the pot to support it.

Next, she adds a “teensy” bit of systemic insecticide, then more soil, and then a small amount of fertilizer.

“I don’t believe in using as much fertilizer as they tell you. They want to make money,” Pittman said. Plus, she notes, too much fertilizer isn’t good for the environment.

Elaine Pittman tends to begonias with red, white and pink blooms in her backyard. These are some of her red begonias.

At her age, Pittman said, she’s not able to make her own potting mix.

“I can’t do my own hard work because the body is too old,” she said. And, she added, “Arthur is not a good friend,” Pittman said, referring to her arthritis.

So, she enlists help.

“I have some young friends that are strong,” she said, and they make her potting mix for her.

And, while she can’t move as fast as she used to — she still manages to grow and sell hundreds of plants every year.

Her prices generally range from $2 to $6, with a few exceptions. “The most I’ve ever charged for one of my plants was $15,” Pittman said.

She sells most of her plants at a booth at the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club yard sale and at two flea markets held at the Old Lutz School each year. The club’s yard sale is scheduled for March 3 and March 4, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., on both days, at the Old Lutz School, 18819 U.S. 41 N., in Lutz.

Proceeds go to the woman’s club, which, in turn, donates the money to Christian Social Services, which operates a thrift store and food pantry in a building that looks like a red barn, at 5514 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.

In recent years, Pittman has sold $1,000 in plants a year to provide donations. She said she likes to help Christian Social Services because they feed people who are hungry.

Pittman provides the labor, and the space to cultivate the plants, but she said the work she does relies on the generosity of others.

“People give me plants all of the time when they redo their yards. They’ll bring me the extras. “When my daughter cuts her hibiscus, she brings me the cuttings,” she said.

It’s also not uncommon for her to find plants, pots and other supplies left — anonymously — in front of her garage.

She takes those offerings and puts them to good use.

Pittman has never sought attention for her efforts to create beauty, and to help the poor.

But, it’s a project that seems to align nicely, with a quotation by an unknown author that the Lutz woman finds inspiring: “If there is any hope for the world, it can only be found in personal kindness.”

Published February 8, 2017