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Old Pasco Road

Pasco to update its facilities master plan

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The Pasco County Commission has approved an agreement with Furr, Wegman & Banks P.A., for a facilities master plan update.

The facilities master plan was completed in March of 2015, and this task calls for completing the work necessary to update it.

The agreement specifies that the task must be performed for an amount not to exceed $336,720, according to background materials in the agenda for the Feb. 9 board meeting.

The facilities master plan is expected to be completed within 248 days of the county’s notice to proceed, unless an extension is approved.

In other action, the commission:

  • Approved a change order with Williamson Dacar Associates Inc., to extend the completion date of Feb. 9, 2021, for the Hugh Embry Library Renovations by 365 days. No funding was required for this action. The time extension will allow for completion of professional services, including construction administration and closeout.
  • Approved a change order with Moss & Associates LLC for the addition of two Design Assist Contractors (DACs) for the jail facility expansion and visitation building detention equipment and security electronics during the pre-construction phase. The amount of the change order is for an amount not to exceed $120,487, for a new cumulative not-to-exceed amount of $591,689 in fiscal year 2021.
  • Accepted a grant from the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida Inc., to expand archery supplies for reimbursement in the amount of $4,578 and to authorize the director of the Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources, or his designee, to execute the grant agreement. The grant will be used to increase the county’s inventory of bows, arrows and targets; thus making archery education more available at passive parks, such as Starkey and Crews Lake Wilderness Parks and Withlacoochee River Park.
  • Approved the purchase of new carpeting in the Robert D. Sumner Judicial Center, in the amount of $57,991.72. The purchase, being made through a state contract, is to replace carpet that is frayed and worn, and has reached the end of its useful life. New carpeting is required to maintain a safe and clean environment, according to agenda background materials.
  • Approve and accept the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) 5310 Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities Grant funding, through the Florida Department of Transportation, to purchase one vehicle. The grant is specific to Pasco County Public Transportation. Funding for the vehicle Is 80% federal, 10% state and 10% local. The total amount of the award is $90,000, which includes $9,000 match from the state and $9,000 match by the county. If the vehicle exceeds the total cost, the county must make up the difference.
  • Approved a recommendation to approve shortlist firms for roadway design services for design services for the Old Pasco Road widening, from north of Deedra Drive to North of Overpass Road. These are the shortlisted firms, in order: HDR Engineering Inc.; American Consulting Engineers of Florida; WGI Inc.; DRMP Inc.; Madrid Engineering Group Inc.; Johnson Engineering Inc., and Florida Transportation Engineering. The board also authorized negotiations with the top-ranked firm, HDR, to secure a design agreement for the project.

If an agreement cannot be reached with HDR, the board also authorized negotiations could be conducted with the remainder of the firms, in ranked order. An agreement is expected to be brought to the county board for approval within three months.

Commissioners also heard an update from County Administrator Dan Biles, who said the county has signed an agreement that will provide reimbursement to the county for the construction of the interchange at the Suncoast Parkway and Ridge Road.

The county and the Florida Department of Transportation collaborated extensively to execute the funding agreement, in the amount of $20 million. The plan is to deliver the next phase of the Ridge Road extension — opening two lanes between Town Center Road and the Suncoast Parkway this summer.

Published February 17, 2021

A section of Overpass Road will close next week

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A section of Overpass Road — between Old Pasco Road and Boyette Road — is scheduled to be closed to all traffic for approximately a year beginning on Feb. 8, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.

The road closure is needed as the existing bridge over Interstate 75 is removed and a new one is constructed, a news release from the state transportation department says.

This map depicts the detour during the closure of Overpass Road, which begins on Feb. 8. (Courtesy of Florida Department of Transportation)

A signed detour route will direct traffic around the closed section of Overpass Road, using Old Paso Road, Wesley Chapel Boulevard (County Road 54 and State Road 54) and Vandine Road/Boyette Road, according to the release.

This design-build project will construct a new interstate interchange on I-75 at Overpass Road,  about 3.5 miles south of State Road 52. The new diamond interchange will include a flyover ramp for westbound Overpass Road access onto southbound I-75.

To accommodate the new interchange, Overpass Road will be widened from two lanes to four lanes between I-75 and Old Pasco Road and six lanes between I-75 and Boyette Road. Blair Drive will be realigned to connect with Old Pasco Road. McKendree Road will be realigned to connect with Boyette Road.

Construction on the new diamond interchange, including changes to local road patterns, began on Oct. 26. Completion of the approximately $64 million project is scheduled for summer 2023.

Initially, crews will work in the southwest area of the project, where a new neighborhood access road will be built at Old Pasco Road. It will replace the current Blair Drive link to Overpass.

Overpass Road Interchange
A new interchange to Interstate 75 is being built at Overpass Road.
Construction limits: From Old Pasco Road to Boyette Road on Overpass Road
Length: 0.9-miles
Construction cost: $64 million
Project start date: October 2020
Estimated completion date: Summer 2023
Detour: Overpass Road is expected to be closed for approximately one year, between Old Pasco Road and Boyette Road, beginning Feb. 8.

Published February 03, 2021

Pasco allocates funds for new central office design

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The Pasco County Commission has approved a task order with CPH Inc., for the design of a new central office and warehouse for its facilities management department.

The agreement, which calls for an amount not to exceed $339,920, is being made under a continuing professional services agreement with CPH, according to backup materials in the board’s Jan. 12 agenda packet.

The county’s facilities management department currently shares space inside Fire Station No. 22, on U.S. 41.

That fire station is scheduled to be replaced by a new facility on the Asbel Road extension, which is expected to be completed in August 2022.

The existing fire station will be demolished to allow future development of a Public Service Center for the Pasco Sheriff’s Office.

The new facilities management office and warehouse will be built on the existing central Public Safety Campus to house facilities management personnel that provide services in the central zone of the county.

In Wesley Chapel, meanwhile, construction has begun on the Overpass Road interchange.

“That interchange will be open to traffic in the Summer of ’22. So that’s just around the corner,” County Administrator Dan Biles told commissioners during their Jan. 12 meeting.

“It actually may be open to traffic before the Diverging Diamond,” Biles said.

By closing Overpass Road during construction, the project will be accelerated by six months to nine months, Biles said.

In connection with the Overpass Road project, commissioners also adopted a resolution authorizing the rerouting of Blair Drive. The Overpass Road/I-75 Interchange Project requires Overpass Road at Blair Drive to be limited access for the safety of the public traveling on Blair Drive and on Overpass Road through the new interchange. To accommodate this requirement, an extension of Blair Drive is being constructed to connect to Old Pasco Road.

Blair Drive at Overpass Road will be closed and reconstructed as a cul-de-sac.

In another action, commissioners approved a state-funded grant agreement between the Florida Department of Transportation and Pasco County, relating to Lacoochee Industrial Area right of way improvements.

The project is aimed at supporting the creation of new jobs in Lacoochee using $5,469,395 approved by the Florida Legislature last year.

The funds will be distributed on a reimbursable basis.

The scope of work for this project consists of:

  • Reconditioning Bower Road from Cummer Road to State Road 575 (approximately 3,200 feet) through the use of full depth reclamation
  • Milling and resurfacing of Cummer Road from U.S. 301 to Bower Road (approximately 4,700 feet)
  • Adding a new right-turn lane on Cummer Road at U.S. 301
  • Providing driveway aprons, as needed and new signing and pavement markings
  • A new right-turn lane on SR 575 at Bower Road, new signing and pavement markings, and preparation of maintained right of way maps, in coordination with FDOT, along Bower Road and SR 575.

To avoid construction delays, the design and permitting phase of the project was

expedited with local funds.

Funding, in the amount of $300,000, was approved through the Office of Economic Growth in the Spring of 2020, to start the design and permitting phase of the project.

The project scope was split into two segments for the purpose of design and permitting. Segment 1 affects county roads, while Segment 2 affects the state highway system.

The design of both segments is currently underway with design and permitting of

Segment 1 to be completed by January 2021, while Segment 2 will be completed by June 2021.

The agreement also notes that the design and permitting phase will not be reimbursed by FDOT because that work preceded the agreement, but the grant support services associated with the design — a separate task order — will be.

Published January 20, 2021

State road projects will ease congestion

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Orange traffic cones and road signs signaling “a new traffic pattern” are a common sight for motorists, especially those traveling Pasco County’s state highway grid.

Amid COVID-19 lockdowns and now hopefulness that a vaccine could mean a return to normalcy, roadwork in Pasco County never stopped. Construction crews cleared rights of way, smoothed out dirt, buried pipes, paved new traffic lanes, landscaped medians, added pedestrian and bicycle lanes, and realigned existing roadways to ease traffic congestion in one of Tampa Bay’s fastest-growing counties.

Several major road projects from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) will be completed within the next four years. They include work on a new diverging diamond interchange at State Road 56 and Interstate 75, as well as projects on State Road 54 and State Road 52.

The construction schedules haven’t always met expectations.

Pasco County commissioners recently expressed displeasure with the slower than anticipated pace of project completions, especially on the diverging diamond. Pasco officials pushed to get the project started early, hoping for a spring 2021 completion. Instead, the schedule promises a summer 2022 end date, according to FDOT officials.

The new interchange is an entry and exit off I-75 onto State Road 56 where commercial and residential development is bringing new retail, hotels and residents to the area. Among the destinations are Cypress Creek Town Center, Tampa Premium Outlets and AdventHealth Center Ice.

The first completed road project is expected in late 2021 when work ends on the widening of State Road 54 east of Curley Road to east of Morris Bridge Road. The last project through the pipeline will be the widening and realignment of State Road 52 in summer 2024.

Here is a list of some major state road projects currently under construction in Pasco County:

Workers from Sodmore LLC, of O’ Brien, lay sod for the diverging diamond interchange at Interstate 75 and State Road 56, just west of Willow Oak Drive. The new interchange, scheduled to be completed in summer 2022, is expected to relieve traffic snarls at the interchange. (Fred Bellet)

Interstate 75 at State Road 56 diverging diamond interchange
Construction began in January 2019, with a completion scheduled in summer 2022. The estimated cost is about $33 million.

The diverging diamond is a popular design innovation with a unique pattern that relies on multiple lanes of traffic in a crisscross pattern and a limited number of traffic signals.

This project is the first diverging diamond in District 7 of the FDOT. Others are planned in Hillsborough County at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and I-75; and at Gibsonton Drive and I-75.

FDOT’S website praises the diverging diamond for its ability to handle heavy traffic volumes, increased pedestrian safety, more efficient signal timings and fewer opportunities for vehicles to crash.

Interstate 75 at Overpass Road
Construction on a new diamond interchange, including changes to local road patterns, began in October 2020. Completion of the approximately $64 million project is scheduled for summer 2023.

The new interchange is located about 3.5 miles south of State Road 52. There will be a flyover for westbound Overpass Road access onto southbound I-75.

Overpass will be widened from two to four lanes between I-75 and Old Pasco Road, and to six lanes between I-75 and Boyette Road. Blair Drive will be realigned to connect with Old Pasco Road, and McKendree Road will be realigned to connect to Boyette.

Initially, crews will work in the southwest area of the project where a new neighborhood access road will be built at Old Pasco Road. It will replace the current Blair Drive link to Overpass.

Motorists westbound on State Road 54 make their way into Wesley Chapel as eastbound motorists head into Zephyrhills. The state road is being widened from two lanes to four lanes, with a median, to ease traffic congestion.

State Road 54 widening in the Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills areas
About 4.5 miles of State Road 54 will be widened from two lanes to four lanes from east of Curley Road to east of Morris Bridge Road.

Construction began in November 2017 and is scheduled for completion in late 2021. The estimated cost is $42.5 million.

In early November, eastbound traffic shifted onto newly paved lanes from west of Wesley Chapel Loop to New River Road. Simultaneously, Pasco is remodeling the New River Branch Public Library on State Road 54.

A sidewalk will be built on the north side of the roadway with a 10-foot-wide multi-use path on the south side.

State Road 52 widening and realignment near Dade City and San Antonio
The project will widen and realign State Road 52 between Uradco Place and Fort King Road.

Construction began in November 2019, with completion scheduled in summer 2024. The estimated cost is $81.4 million.

A short portion of McCabe Road between Curley Road and Wirt Road is closed until spring 2021. Williams Cemetery Road is closed east of Wichers Road and McCabe, also until spring 2021.

In addition, some daily lane closures, with flagmen signaling to motorists, can be expected on Curley, McCabe, Prospect Road and Clinton Avenue. A detour route is available using Curley, Prospect and Wirt.

State Road 52 widening in Land O’ Lakes
About 3.8 miles of State Road 52 will be widened into a six-lane divided road from Suncoast Parkway to east of U.S. 41.

Construction began in September 2019, with completion scheduled in late 2023. The estimated cost is $49.8 million.

A 12-foot-wide multi-use path will be built on the north side of State Road 52. In addition, about one mile of U.S. 41 will be widened as it approaches the intersection with the state road.

By Kathy Steele

Revised January 25, 2021

Reaching out to help others at Thanksgiving

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The Metropolitan Ministries donation tent is open, and accepting food and donations at Keystone Community Church, 21010 State Road 54 in Lutz.

The tent is open Nov. 20 to Nov. 24 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., on weekdays and Saturdays, and noon to 3 p.m., on Sundays.

On Thanksgiving Day — a free take-out meal will be provided between 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. All are welcome.

Unlike the past 25 years, the Benedictine Sisters of Florida will not be hosting its annual community Thanksgiving meal, according to a newsletter published by the Sisters.

Instead of organizing the traditional gathering, the Sisters are involved in an effort to provide Thanksgiving baskets for those in need. They joined a collaboration formed with First Presbyterian Church, of Dade City. The idea for the baskets originated with Fr. Ed Lamb, of Saint Mark’s Parish. The Knights of Columbus donated $1,520 and gift cards, and the Benedictine Sisters of Florida donated $1,305 from their monthly personal allowances.

The Saint Leo University Social Service Club faculty advisor Dr. Veronika Ospina-Kammerer stepped up, as always, to raise money and supermarket gift cards for the cause.

Another outreach effort involves Life Church at 6224 Old Pasco Road. It is providing a turkey and box of food, on a first-come, first-served basis from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., on Nov. 24.

The Tampa Bay Network to End Hunger also is doing its part to help brighten Thanksgiving for those in need.

The effort is expected to involve at least 300 volunteers to deliver more than 1,000 Thanksgiving meals, including turkey and stuffing.

The meals are being taken to families that are homebound or do not have access to transportation. Deliveries were set to begin at 10 a.m., on Nov. 17.

In addition to accepting donations for Thanksgiving, the Metropolitan Ministries tent at Keystone Community Church also will be accepting Christmas holiday donations, which will occur on Dec. 12 and Dec. 13, and from Dec. 18 through Dec. 23.

Want to help?
Metropolitan Ministries has a donation tent at Keystone Community Church, 21010 State Road 54 in Lutz.

Donations are being accepted Nov. 20 to Nov. 24, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., on weekdays and Saturdays, and noon to 3 p.m., on Sundays. The tent will reopen for Christmas holiday donations on Dec. 12 and Dec. 13, and from Dec. 18 through Dec. 23.

Items most needed are: Canned fruit, vegetables, beans, yams, stuffing, penne pasta, instant potatoes, rice, pasta sauces, canned tuna, chicken, boxed cereal, protein bars, frozen turkeys, hams and gift cards.

Published November 18, 2020

Summit speaker shares optimism about Pasco’s prospects

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From manufacturing hubs and roadway improvements, to myriad residential developments on tap — Pasco County has much to be thankful for during these unique and challenging times.

That was the overarching message put forth by Pasco County Commissioner Ron Oakley at the annual Zephyrhills Economic Summit, held in October at Zephyrhills City Hall.

Pasco County Commissioner Ron Oakley was a guest speaker at the annual Zephyrhills Economic Summit last month. (File)

The county commissioner was among featured speakers during the event organized by the Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce.

Oakley exuded optimism about Pasco’s future, from the moment he stepped up to the microphone: “Goodness gracious, you couldn’t ask for a busier county, and a busier East Pasco county,” he said.

He’s particularly bullish on an influx of manufacturing opportunities throughout East Pasco.

One case in point: A new industrial park in Lacoochee, headlined by a 25-acre precast concrete plant, with room for additional tenants.

The little town just north of Dade City has struggled to find development for decades — since Cummer’s lumber mill closed back in 1959.

Upgrades to Cummer Road and Bower Road in the area, plus workforce housing opportunities, provide “improvements we need for that manufacturing going there,” Oakley said.

There’s other potential boons, too, such as the 99-acre wastewater spray field on Old Pasco Road in Wesley Chapel that’s being developed as a commercial park by the Atlanta-based Rooker Company.

Oakley also mentioned two warehouses that, taken together, total more than 900,000 square feet, and are set to be developed along State Road 52 and Interstate 75.

“Most people haven’t heard about them, but they’re coming. I’ve been told by the developer that they’re coming. They’re going to provide 600 to 800 jobs,” Oakley said.

People moving to the area for work are going to need places to live, of course.

That’s no problem, as the area continues to add to its residential options.

Oakley pointed to thousands of new homes that are underway, or will be, in large subdivisions in Zephyrhills, and in master-planned developments, including Mirada in San Antonio, and Connected City and WaterGrass in Wesley Chapel.

Oakley also highlighted some major transportation improvements.

Those projects include:

  • Widening County Road 54
  • Improving the intersection at State Road 54 and Eiland Boulevard/Morris Bridge Road
  • Creating the diverging diamond at Interstate 75 and State Road 56
  • Building a new interchange at I-75 and Overpass Road
  • Realigning the intersection at U.S. 301/U.S. 98/Clinton Avenue
  • Widening State Road 50, from North Pasco across the Hernando County line
  • Paving projects on Eighth Avenue and on Jerome Road

Oakley underscored the significance of improving the roadways and transportation connections — in the quest to boost the region’s economy.

Pasco County is poised to be home to some manufacturing hubs, major roadway improvements and a slew of large-scale residential developments.

“You connect all these roads, and you look at the transportation value you have in the roads, and moving of people and products across our county, and with manufacturing and being able to move out from this area to other parts, and come into this area.

“Think about all the road projects, and if they get done. What a change that’ll be to our county and the way we move traffic,” the commissioner said.

In summation, the area’s complementary blend of infrastructure, industrial jobs and housing opportunities signal more positive economic times ahead for the region, Oakley reasoned.

“You’ve got everything that’s going to make this economy boom. You’re talking about a stimulus where, ‘You build and they’ll come.’ People are coming. People are coming from the north, from other areas into this area.

“It’s just amazing what’s going to happen in our area, and it’s a change. Think about three or four years down the road, how these things come about, so it’s great things to look forward to,” Oakley said.

He also pointed to the county’s efforts to reduce bureaucratic red tape that can hamper progress.

Besides being a commissioner, Oakley’s experience includes working in his family’s citrus and agriculture business with his brother and father, and serving as vice president of the family’s transportation company, Oakley Transport, which hauls liquid food commodities in stainless steel tanks.

He understands the need for government efficiency.

“I’ve had my hand in a lot of different businesses and all. I know what we don’t want to see when we go to get a permit, and what we do want to see is a happy face and, ‘Here’s how you get through the process.’ We try to streamline things and make things better for everyone,” Oakley said.

Published November 11, 2020

Road work causes Quail Hollow detour

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A second portion of Quail Hollow Boulevard, at Old Pasco Road, will be closed for a week because of work being done to improve the road.

Motorists will need to reroute during construction work on Quail Hollow Boulevard. The detour route is shown in green. (Courtesy of Pasco County)

Pasco County sent out a news release about the closure, which is scheduled from Sept. 8 through Sept. 14.

The work is being done to improve the road’s safety and its capacity, according to the news release.

Northbound and southbound Old Pasco Road will remain open during this time and residents will have access to their homes via a detour along Sonny Drive (the detour on the map, marked in green).

The work will occur 24 hours a day, and electronic message boards will be stationed along Old Pasco Road to direct traffic.

The road is scheduled to reopen on Sept. 15, depending upon weather conditions.

Emergency vehicles will have access.

D.A.B. Constructors is the contractor for this Pasco County Engineering Services project.

If you have questions about the temporary closure, please contact Project Manager Larry Harris at (727) 834-3604 or by email at .

Published September 09, 2020

Cypress Creek Middle has ‘first’ First Day

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When school bells rang in a new school year in Pasco County on Aug. 24, the day had special meaning at Cypress Creek Middle School, 8845 Old Pasco Road in Wesley Chapel.

It wasn’t the first time middle school students had attended the Cypress Creek campus on the Old Pasco Road, but it was the first time they were heading to classes in a school built specifically for them.

Cypress Creek Middle School Principal Tim Light was eager to welcome students to the school he leads, on Old Pasco Road. Middle schoolers had been on the campus before, but this was the first First Day of School in a school built especially for them. (B.C. Manion)

Middle school students began attending classes at a shared campus for middle and high school students in 2017, because the district couldn’t afford to build both a high school and middle school — as it had originally intended.

Construction began on the $43.5 million middle school building in 2019, and now the middle schoolers have a place that’s their own.

The enthusiasm that typically accompanies a new school opening was muted this year, due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The school is following strict safety protocols.

They include:

  • Everyone on campus must wear a mask.
  • Parents drop off students at a specific place.
  • Students are directed to walk one-way down hallways, in the main classroom building.
  • Desks and chairs are spread out in classrooms.

Other safety steps include encouraging social distancing between people, placing some lunch tables outdoors to prevent cafeteria crowding, and turning off the water fountains — except to fill water bottles.

The district also kept parents off school campuses, because of concerns about COVID-19, and it kept media off, too, with the exception of allowing a special tour of Cypress Creek Middle on its opening day.

Deputy Superintendent Ray Gadd escorted representatives of The Laker/Lutz News and The Tampa Bay Times around the new school’s campus.

Principal Tim Light shared a few thoughts, as he stood in front of a giant painting of a coyote, the school’s mascot.

“I’m very excited,” Light said, noting he’d been planning for the school’s opening for months.

Unlike other middle schools in Pasco County Schools, this one boasts a black box theater, which will give students a chance to develop their imagination and creativity — and offer a venue for some community shows, when the pandemic lifts.

“Honestly, I never thought this day was going to get here,” Light said.

“I just want to see what the day is going to bring. Get these kids in here and get them going,” Light said.

Gadd was clearly delighted, as he showed off the district’s newest school.

“It’s really a beautiful school, the way it’s laid out,” the deputy superintendent said.

Cypress Creek Middle has the capacity of 1,600 students. Its opening reduces crowding at John Long Middle School. It also provides relief to Wiregrass Ranch High School — as Cypress Creek Middle students previously on campus shift over to the new middle school, creating more capacity at Cypress Creek High.

Beyond the normal features found at middle schools, this one has a black box theater and a suite of dance, chorus and orchestra rooms.

“It’s a space like no other in Pasco County,” said Peter Nason, the school’s theater teacher. “It is a jewel in the crown of this county, I think.

“It has space for the kids to be creative. For them to learn. For them to realize, really, what theater is, and it goes beyond the classroom,” Nason said.

Gadd is delighted by the opportunities the theater program will create.

“I first saw one of these, probably in a school 10 years ago. I’ve been dreaming about building one since then,” Gadd said.

“It’s an incredible space. It’s a dream space,” Nason told Gadd.

Gadd said: “I look forward to the first show.”

Nason responded: “I look forward to you seeing the first show.”

Two new public charter schools
Cypress Creek Middle was the only new traditional public school opened in Pasco County for the 2020-2021 school, but two new public charter schools also opened. Innovation Preparatory Academy opened for grades kindergarten through six, at 7800 Avery Scope Way in Wesley Chapel. Pinecrest Academy also opened for grades kindergarten through six, at 33347 State Road 54 in Wesley Chapel.

Published September 02, 2020

COVID-19 complicates school start

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Students in Pasco and Hillsborough counties are set to begin a new school year on Aug. 24, but not all of the students will be headed to campus.

In Pasco County, students have three options for learning — amidst the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Some students are expected to arrive at Pasco campuses on Aug. 24, while others opt for two versions of online learning. In the mySchool Online version, students are connected virtually to their assigned schools. With Pasco eSchool, they have more flexibility in the schedule and pace of learning.

In Hillsborough County, classes begin on Aug. 24, with all students beginning the school year through online learning only, until campuses open for students on Aug. 31. Like Pasco, Hillsborough is offering three learning options — face-to-face instruction and two virtual approaches.

Pasco and Hillsborough county students are set to return to school on Aug. 24, either in-person or virtually. (B.C. Manion)

Of course, there’s nearly a week before school begins, so it’s not inconceivable that these plans could change again.

As of press deadline for The Laker/Lutz News, there were two legal actions pending over whether school districts must comply with Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran’s Emergency Order that requires a face-to-face learning option on public school campuses.

The school year is already starting later than initially planned, with both Hillsborough and Pasco starting on Aug. 24, rather than Aug. 10.

The Hillsborough County School Board then voted to begin the district’s school year with four weeks of online-only instruction.

That decision came after a panel of medical experts advised against reopening schools until the COVID-19 positivity rate declined to about 5%.

Corcoran, however, rebuffed Hillsborough’s temporary online-only plan.

Corcoran said Hillsborough’s new plan was inconsistent with the reopening plan the district previously had submitted to the state that had been approved.

Hillsborough Superintendent Addison Davis then took a trip to Tallahassee, to seek middle ground.

That didn’t work.

After Davis returned, the district announced that “state leaders rejected two different phased-in models our district proposed that would have delayed our brick-and-mortar opening while ensuring our most vulnerable student populations were served in a face-to-face capacity.”

So, Hillsborough’s school year will begin with one week of online, with brick-and-mortar campuses opening on Aug. 31, for students choosing that option.

Meanwhile, in Pasco County, the school district plans to follow its Aug. 24 opening plan.

However, the United School Employees of Pasco has filed a lawsuit, seeking return to online learning only, until the COVID numbers come down, per the guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning and the Pasco School Board have stood behind the district’s reopening plan. Not following that plan, they have said, would jeopardize state funding.

The Florida Education Association’s motion for injunctive relief from Corcoran’s Emergency Order has been scheduled for mediation Aug. 18, and if necessary, for court hearings on Aug. 19 and Aug. 20.

The decisions being made at the state and school board levels have caused parents and teachers to make a variety of personal decisions.

Ben Langston, of Long Lake Ranch in Lutz, said he and his wife, Rene, decided to enroll their children, Connor and Avery, in a private school.

The Langstons had been planning to send the children to Oakstead Elementary, but switched those plans because of the uncertainty with what will happen with public schools.

They want Connor and Avery to have an in-school experience, rather than online, because they believe it offers a superior form of learning.

Cindy Smith, an art teacher at Land O’ Lakes High School, on the other hand, has made a different decision: She’s retiring after 31 years in Pasco County Schools.

“It was very difficult. It took me months to decide it,” said Smith, who taught Art 1 through Advanced Placement.

“I didn’t feel like it was wise to go to school and expose myself to the possibilities of COVID, at my age,” Smith said.

She doesn’t think that virtual teaching is effective for secondary art classes, although she said it would be a safer option until COVID-19 cases decline.

The teacher said she’ll miss teaching and her students.

“I’m sad about it. I’m sad for my friends. I’m sad for my students. How horrifying to think any one of them could die because of one person, or a few persons’ decisions,” Smith said.

She added: “I’m concerned that parents may not be taking this seriously enough.

“I don’t think they understand the hazards and the dangers and the concerns that we, as teachers, have. We love our students, we love our jobs, but to put us in a danger, death-threatening kind of situation is unreasonable,” Smith said.

Despite the focus on COVID-19, there also are other developments associated with beginning the 2020-2021 school year, and that includes the opening of Cypress Creek Middle School.

The new school, on Old Pasco Road, will serve students in grades six through eight.

Students who have been housed in a portion of Cypress Creek High School now will be moving to Cypress Creek Middle.

Other students previously assigned to John Long Middle, will join them, providing long-needed relief from crowding at John Long Middle.

Students from Wiregrass Ranch High also have been reassigned to Cypress Creek High, but the full effect of that boundary change won’t be immediately felt because the school district grandfathered the junior and senior class at Wiregrass Ranch.

Two new public charter schools also are opening this year, in Wesley Chapel — Pinecrest Academy Wesley Chapel in Avalon Park Wesley Chapel and Innovation Preparatory Academy in the Connected City area of Wesley Chapel.

Published August 19, 2020

Performing arts center takes the stage in Wesley Chapel

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Construction crews are down to the last details on the new Instructional Performing Arts Center (IPAC).

Some of those details, including sound locks to reduce noise inside the music studio, are awaiting shipments from California, New York and Michigan.

All of those states have been hit hard by COVID-19.

“COVID-19 is what has caused so much delay in production,” explained Kevin O’Farrell, provost at Pasco-Hernando State College. But, the performing arts center anticipates a grand opening in the fall, likely in September or October.

Meanwhile, certain areas of the center will open in phases.

The Instructional Performing Arts Center in Wesley Chapel will have its grand opening in early fall. (File)

A certificate of occupancy for administrative offices is expected in July or August, O’Farrell said.

The IPAC is the culmination of years of planning that brought together the state college and Pasco County’s school district in what O’Farrell characterizes as a unique educational partnership.

“There’s nothing like this,” the college official said.

Pasco County Schools donated the center’s site. The state college paid construction costs and will manage the center’s use.

The nearly 36,000-square-foot performing arts center is at 8657 Old Pasco Road, next to the campus of Cypress Creek High School, and the soon-to-open Cypress Creek Middle School.

The performing arts center has a 444-seat auditorium and stage, a large lobby, a general-purpose classroom, computer laboratories, a video production studio, faculty and staff offices, and a conference room.

State-of-the-art technology, with Apple and Microsoft products for computers, are intended to support first-class learning and performance opportunities.

“The technology there is going to be phenomenal,” said O’ Farrell. “We can envision some great performances there. We know this is such a big desire of our community.”

The state college anticipates hosting regional and national festivals, workshops and performances. Many will be open to the community, as well as students.

Pasco school officials designed the middle school – set to open in August – to complement IPAC. Among the middle school’s amenities is a 150-seat black box theater, which school officials anticipate could be a venue for local theater groups. The middle school also will offer dance, orchestra and chorus instruction.

The state college will offer four Associate of Arts degrees for students who plan to transfer to a four-year college for a Bachelor of Arts degree in dance, theater or music. Dual enrollment and community students also will participate in classes.

The center provides more than an arts curriculum, O’Farrell said.

There are programs for students interested in digital media and multimedia technology. The science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) curriculum can prepare students for many careers, including video engineer, lighting technician, and web designer and developer.

O’Farrell perhaps is most excited by the synergy created by a holistic design that brings the theater and faculty offices in proximity — for engaging and interactive learning experiences.

“You see the whole collaborative enterprise coming together before your very eyes,” he said. “I think we have a really bright future ahead of us.”

For information, visit PHSC.edu.

Published June 10, 2020