The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Lutz since 1964 and Pasco since 1981.
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Grand Boulevard

Youth Workforce services expand into Wesley Chapel

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CareerSource Pasco Hernando Youth Employment Services has expanded into Wesley Chapel.

The program — which also has locations in Dade City and New Port Richey — offers free employment and training services.

The programs are open to Pasco County and Hernando County residents, ages 18 to 24, who currently are not attending school.

The program offers the chance to discover new job opportunities, and qualify for support in paying for education and training, according to a news release.

Available services include GED and High School Diploma attainment, career and employment readiness, and support for education into targeted career pathways.

The CareerSource Pasco Hernando WIOA Youth Program, operated by Eckerd Connects, now includes these two locations in Wesley Chapel:

  • Wesley Chapel High School, 30651 Wells Road: Tuesday and Thursday, 8 a.m. to noon
  • Life Community Center, 6542 Applewood Drive: Tuesday and Thursday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Each location is open to job seekers by appointment only, with additional expanded hours expected to begin as early as March 1.

Staff members can help with job search, labor market information, work readiness, and funding for job training for eligible Pasco and Hernando County residents. For an appointment or more information about the Wesley Chapel services, call 352-257-6504.

Job seekers in New Port Richey can still connect to services within the CareerSource Pasco Hernando office at 4440 Grand Blvd., and Hernando County Residents can receive services in the Brooksville CareerSource Pasco Hernando Office at 16336 Cortez Blvd.

For additional information on services provided to young adults, visit CareerSourcePascoHernando.com, or call Hernando 352-200-3020/Pasco 727-484-3400.

Published February 17, 2021

Bus riders will get new routes, shorter waits at bus stops

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Shorter wait times at bus stops on State Road 54 and a new Land O’ Lakes connector bus route are ready for a roll-out.

Effective Aug. 15, riders on Bus Route 54, known as the Cross County Connector, will have new Saturday service, a new route pattern with a bus stop on U.S. 19, and buses that run every hour, not every two hours.

The route will stretch from U.S. 19 to City Hall in Zephyrhills, with stops in between at The Shops at Wiregrass and Tampa Premium Outlets.

Pasco County will give bus riders an upgrade with two new buses that have plush seats, reading lights and luggage racks. (Courtesy of Pasco County)
Pasco County will give bus riders an upgrade with two new buses that have plush seats, reading lights and luggage racks.
(Courtesy of Pasco County)

To ensure the shorter waits, some bus stops with low ridership along Duck Slough Boulevard and within the Trinity area served by Bus Route 23-Little Road will be discontinued.

“It’s going to make our routes more efficient,” said Philip Pumphrey, Pasco County’s public transportation director.

Riders also will get an upgrade with two new 40-foot buses with plush seats, reading lights and luggage racks.

The goal is to give riders more commuting options and a better ride, Pumphrey said.

The Pasco County Commission approved the new service route on State Road 54 at its July 26 meeting in New Port Richey.

The Land O’ Lakes bus service is scheduled for March 18, pending approval of Pasco County’s proposed 2017 budget.

The route will move north on U.S. 41 with bus stops that include the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce, the Land O’ Lakes Community Center, post office, Land O’ Lakes High School and the detention center.

A loop eastward along State Road 54 will have stops at Collier Commons and the Land O’ Lakes Branch Library.

The new bus routes and shorter time waits were among recommendations in a report from Tindale Oliver & Associates. The consulting firm completed a study of the county’s transportation needs into 2040.

By extending Bus Route 54 to U.S. 19, county officials anticipate riders can transfer directly to Bus Route 14-Madison Street; Bus Route 18-Tarpon Springs/Grand Boulevard; Bus Route 25-Rowan Road, and Bus Route 23-Little Road.

There will be fewer transfers overall for riders trying to connect with the cross-county connector and destinations to the east or to board Bus Route 19 for destinations south, and from there to the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority system (PSTA).

Future improvements recommended by Tindale Oliver’s consultants include bus service until 11 :30 p.m., cutting wait times to 30 minutes on all routes and adding Sunday service. The consultants also recommended adding 30-minute local and express bus routes in future, and providing a 15-minute rapid bus service.

Published August 3, 2016

Famous Tate aiming for fall opening

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A new Famous Tate could be open as soon as fall.

Site preparation for the 13,700-square-foot appliance store is underway off U.S. 41 in Lutz. The store will sit on an outparcel in front of the Walmart Supercenter, and will be Pasco County’s third Famous Tate.

Famous Tate of New Tampa Inc., purchased the 1.5-acre vacant lot in March 2015.

A new Famous Tate off U.S. 41, in front of Walmart Supercenter, is expected to open by fall. It will be Pasco County’s third Famous Tate appliance store. (Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)
A new Famous Tate off U.S. 41, in front of Walmart Supercenter, is expected to open by fall. It will be Pasco County’s third Famous Tate appliance store.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)

Owner John Horst said at the time that he wanted his company to be “a player” in the growth coming to the area.

“We have a lot of customer base,” said Claude Ward, the company’s general manager.

But, growth in the area also will bring more traffic, he said.

“As traffic becomes a hardship, people only drive so far, so we have to be more centrally located for our customers.”

Bulldozers recently cleared the land. The next step will be building permits to begin the store’s construction.

It tentatively is set for a fall opening, said Ward.

Famous Tate was founded in 1954. Its Pasco locations are 5419 Village Market in Wesley Chapel, and 8010 Grand Blvd., in Port Richey.

The store will have company, as developers are starting to buy more of the outparcels surrounding the Walmart location.

The discount store and the County Line shopping plaza are located in a pie-shaped swath of land between U.S. 41 and North Dale Mabry Highway, with entrances off both roadways.

New Port Richey Hospital Inc., a subsidiary of HCA Holdings Inc., recently bought a 1.6-acre vacant lot, across from Famous Tate. Plans are to build a health care facility, according to a press release from The Land Sharks LLC, which brokered the sale.

Another outparcel is slated for a Stor-Kwik Self Storage.

Mark Cooney of The Land Sharks also anticipates a restaurant and automobile store are potential new tenants on other outparcels.

Published June 15, 2016

Famous Tate buys land near Walmart on U.S. 41

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Pasco County’s third Famous Tate is planned for an outparcel, in front of Walmart Supercenter, off U.S. 41 in Lutz.

An architect is working on the design of the 14,000-square-foot appliance and mattress store, but a groundbreaking likely is months away, according to John Horst, the company’s president.

Famous Tate plans to open a new store in Pinellas County before it opens its new Pasco County location. The Pinellas store could open within the next four months.

Horst is eager to get started on the Pasco site, but design and permitting could take as long as a year.

The company generally prefers to be conservative and opens a store a year, Horst said.

“It will be an attractive building,” Horst said. “We just want to be a player in Lutz as it grows.”

Plans in Pinellas are to reopen and re-brand former Apsco Appliance Centers, which were acquired in a bankruptcy.

Famous Tate of New Tampa Inc., purchased the 1.5-acre vacant lot by Walmart in March from Tarpon Springs-based Hagman Properties for slightly more than $1 million, according to Pasco County records.

The company, which was founded in 1954, has nine current locations including stores in Pasco at 5419 Village Market in Wesley Chapel, and at 8010 Grand Blvd., in Port Richey. There are about 250 employees.

Walmart and the County Line Commons shopping plaza are located in a pie-shaped plat of land between U.S. 41 and North Dale Mabry Highway, with entrances off both roadways. Horst said a vacant lot on the North Dale Mabry side was considered, but the entry from U.S. 41 seemed the better option.

“It seemed easier to get in and out,” Horst said. “It’s busier and has more local traffic.”

Published April 8, 2015