The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Lutz since 1964 and Pasco since 1981.
Proud to be independently owned.

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Pascal Collard

Zephyrhills tennis center ready for play

By

Lace up the tennis shoes and prep those rackets and balls for play — because the much-hyped Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center is now open to the public.

What began as drawings and plans on paper nearly four years ago is finally a reality in the form a $4.9 million athletic complex situated on 8.25 acres of land at 6585 Simons Road in Zephyrhills.

The complex enjoyed a soft opening on Sept. 21. A grand opening celebration is set for Oct. 17, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The center is now open every day, from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The $4.9 million Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center sits on more than 8 acres of land off Simons Road in Zephyrhills. It features 11 regulation outdoor tennis courts (nine clay surface, two hard surface), eight pickleball courts and four padel courts, and a nearly 8,000-square-foot indoor clubhouse. The northeast corner of the 8-plus-acre property is reserved for an additional 30,000-square-foot indoor multipurpose sports complex, enough room to accommodate four full-size tennis courts. (Courtesy of David Alvarez, DCA Media Consulting)

The facility’s outdoor centerpiece is 11 regulation outdoor tennis courts (nine clay surface, two hard surface), eight pickleball courts and four padel courts — two of the world’s fastest-growing racquet sports.

Attached is a nearly 8,000-square-foot indoor club housing cutting-edge health and wellness amenities that promote training and recovery.

There are rooms dedicated for cryotherapy, salt therapy, bio/neuro feedback therapy, massage and yoga. There’s also a 1,300-square-foot fitness center featuring workout equipment, including recumbent bikes, rowers and ellipticals.

The indoor clubhouse also has a full restaurant and cafe operated by Land O’ Lakes-based caterer Mark Vesh.

Though membership-based, guest users are encouraged to make court rentals and partake in other amenities. Walk-ins are welcome and any specific questions can be answered by the facility’s front desk manager.

Even amid the COVID-19 pandemic, patrons are wasting no time getting their game on.

For instance, a 30-member coed pickleball group from Zephyrhills reserved courts for a mini event on the facility’s first open morning.

The complex is named in honor of Sarah Vande Berg, a former Zephyrhills High School district champion and three-time state qualifier who died in an automobile accident in South Carolina at the age of 21, in October 2015.

Her father, Todd Vande Berg, is the longtime planning director for Zephyrhills.

All-Star crew
The tennis center venture is a public-private partnership between the City of Zephyrhills and Pascal Collard, a longtime tennis pro and instructor serving as the facility’s CEO.

The municipality owns the state-of-the-art tennis facility, but Collard is responsible for its day-to-day operations and programming.

Collard has been involved with the project since October 2017, when his tennis management firm, Tennis P.R.O. Florida LLC, was hired by the city.

Finally seeing the complex come to life is a relief for Collard, noting he invested “a lot of time and money and energy and passion” in conjunction with Zephyrhills during the last several years.

Said Collard, “It’s a lifetime goal and a lifetime dream that’s come true to be able to run a place and really do something that’s touched the community and that will touch people from all over the world.”

In running the facility, he brings a diverse tennis background to the table.

The nearly 8,000-square-foot indoor clubhouse at the tennis facility contains a fitness center, restaurant/café, and rooms dedicated for cryotherapy, salt therapy, bio/neuro feedback therapy, massage and yoga, among other frills.

Collard previously served as tennis director at Saddlebrook in Wesley Chapel and The Merion Cricket Club in Haverford, Pennsylvania. His personal training includes working with several widely known tennis pros, including Younes El Aynaoui and Martin Verkerk, both of whom coincidentally ranked as high as No. 14 in the ATP Tour rankings back in 2003.

Many of the other 36 total staffers at the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center similarly bring aboard respectable pedigrees.

The facility’s tennis director is Rene Moller, a former touring pro director at Saddlebrook Tennis Academy who’s been a full-time coach to John Isner, the highest-ranked American men’s tennis player, as well as Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, who’s ranked No. 31 in the world.

Another notable tennis instructor is Mika Todo, a former professional WTA international tennis player from Japan who’s been working as a tennis coach for the past 20 years, and successfully trained junior players who won the title in the All-Japan Junior U12 and U14 tournament.

Also, former NFL defensive lineman Mel Williams will serve as a fitness coach and specialist in tennis footwork and plyometrics. He played for the New Orleans Saints, the Washington Redskins, the San Francisco 49ers and the Miami Dolphins in the early 2000s.

A host for pro tournaments
The facility is beginning to deliver on its promise as a tourism driver for East Pasco, by drawing big-ticket national and international events.

Collard said the complex will host a sanctioned professional women’s tournament in late January that’ll offer a $25,000 grand prize for the winner and points in world rankings. The event is expected to draw 32 players representing a number of different countries and nationalities.

A corresponding men’s tennis tournament organized by retired professional Johan Kriek and sanctioned by the International Tennis Federation also is in the works, Collard said. Kriek won 14 professional singles and eight doubles titles, ranking as high as seventh in the world in the 1980s. “It’s going to be very impressive and exciting,” Collard said of the forthcoming events.

A community hangout
At a hard-hat tour back in June, Collard explained his visioning for the complex is to become a community hangout of sorts, where users do more than simply play tennis with friends then leave and go about their day.

Pickleball is one of the most popular sports among seniors. Eight brand-new courts are dedicated for that activity at the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center.

“It started with tennis, but it now became a destination,” said Collard. “Basically, the concept here is, ‘I’m not doing one hour of sport and I go home. I’m coming here to play tennis, then maybe I do a cryotherapy session and then maybe I go eat here because there’s a full restaurant.’ You can bring your entire family…so it’s really unique.”

In coming years, the facility could expand even further. The northeast corner of the 8-plus-acre property is reserved for a 30,000-square-foot indoor multipurpose sports complex, enough room to accommodate another four full-size tennis courts. However, the addition had a setback when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed a $1 million appropriation for the project from the state’s budget.

In opening amid ongoing coronavirus concerns, the facility is adhering to prescribed health and safety precautions, Collard explained.

Masks are required inside the clubhouse, but not while playing outdoor racquet sports.

Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center CEO Pascal Collard

Staffers also have installed about 30 umbrella tables in a roomy outdoor space for patrons to eat, drink, relax and watch play, in a socially distanced manner.

There are also plans to install a temperature screening gate before entering the building in the coming week, in partnership with AdventHealth.

Collard summed up the varied safety measures: “We have sanitizer everywhere. We have masks for everybody.”

As for next month’s grand opening, Collard promises a “big, big wow factor.”

Collard added: “We have a lot of surprises. It’s going to be pretty, pretty amazing what’s going to happen right there.”

Between now and then, visitors also may notice spruced-up landscaping on the property.

Collard noted that landscaping is always put in last.

For more information, call (813) 361-6660, email , or visit SVBtenniscenter.com.

Published September 23, 2020

Zephyrhills finalizes tennis center management

By

The City of Zephyrhills has dotted i’s and crossed t’s in its public-private partnership with the newly opened Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center — amending a private management/operations agreement with firm Tennis P.R.O Florida LLC, on the multimillion-dollar facility.

The Zephyrhills City Council unanimously approved an updated contract with Tennis P.R.O. and its owner, Pascal Collard, during a regular meeting on Sept. 15.

The $4.9 million Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center is now open for business. The complex, at 6585 Simons Road, features 11 regulation outdoor tennis courts, eight pickleball courts and four padel courts, plus a nearly 8,000-square-foot indoor club. (Courtesy of David Alvarez, DCA Media Consulting)

The agreement repeals and replaces one signed back in October 2017, before construction began on the $4.9 million, state-of-the-art tennis complex at 6585 Simons Road.

It comes in time as the facility opened to the public on Sept. 21, with a grand opening celebration scheduled Oct. 17.

The city-owned complex features 11 regulation outdoor tennis courts, eight pickleball courts and four padel courts. It also features a nearly 8,000-square-foot indoor club, which contains a fitness center, restaurant/café, and rooms dedicated for cryotherapy, salt therapy, bio/neuro feedback therapy, massage and yoga, among other frills.

Generally, Collard’s tennis management company will be responsible for day-to-day operations of the facility that will include providing lessons and running concessions. The firm also will handle memberships and fundraising.

The new agreement calls for a 20-year contract between the city and the firm with two subsequent 10-year renewal options with six months’ notice.

Aside from tidying up routine details like property address and parcel ID number, the contract also outlines revenue sources to the city and other parameters.

The city will receive no revenues from the first several years of the facility opening, to allow Collard and his firm to recoup its upfront costs and build a base.

For the remainder of the agreement, however, the firm will pay rent to the city based on a percentage of its profits.

Alcohol sales — beer and wine only — may be sold on the premises, so long as the gross sales do not exceed 49% of total food and beverage sales, so the facility’s indoor café is classified as a restaurant. Relatedly, alcohol sales, retail/merchandise sales and advertisement sales will not be included in revenues due to the city.

However, all other sales, which presently include food sales, academy tuition, lessons, rentals and memberships are included in revenue calculations due to the city.

Other approved changes seem to work in the city’s favor, such as use of property and right to inspection:
• City is allowed to use the facility for special events at no cost, whether it be a multi-agency planning meeting, economic summit, or even a Christmas party
• Contractor must provide audited financial statements at the end of each fiscal year
• Material alterations must be approved by the city
• Contractor will provide restaurant equipment, benches and padel courts
• Contractor is responsible for all landscaping and sod maintenance
• All proposed partnerships with contractor and a third party must be approved by the city
• Collard must retain majority ownership of Tennis P.R.O Florida LLC
• Salaries of each equity owner shall be $100,000 for the purposes of calculating the net income. Any salary above $100,000 may be paid to each equity owner, but will be considered net income and the according percentage shall be paid to the city.

On the whole, the private-public partnership is similar to one Zephyrhills has with East Pasco Family YMCA, in which the city owns the building property, but outsources programming and facility management.

Zephyrhills City Attorney Matt Maggard told council members the updated tennis operations contract summarily contains “reasonable compromises, and the changes are to the benefit of the city.”

Zephyrhills Mayor Gene Whitfield added of the latest agreement: “There was a lot of work putting that contract together getting it right, so it’ll go forward and there won’t be problems in the future.”

In running the tennis center and serving as its CEO, Collard brings a diverse tennis background to the table.

He previously served as tennis director at Saddlebrook in Wesley Chapel and The Merion Cricket Club, in Haverford, Pennsylvania.

His training includes working with several widely known tennis pros, including Younes El Aynaoui and Martin Verkerk, both of whom coincidentally ranked as high as No. 14 in the ATP Tour rankings back in 2003.

Despite being a challenging time to open up a new facility amid the COVID-19 pandemic, city leaders believe the project will be a boon for years to come — drawing international interest, and providing more recreational opportunities for local youth and residents alike. They also praised Collard for his efforts put into the initiative the past several years.

Councilman Lance Smith observed: “We’re going to have people from all over world coming here, participating in events here, playing here, bringing their kids here to the schools, so it’s going to be a really good thing for not only Zephyrhills, but Pasco County, so I’m excited about getting going.”

Council President Charles Proctor among others, echoed those sentiments:  “I believe in the long run, it’s going to be amazing and really make an impression for not only the community, but the city and for the whole the area.”

Published September 23, 2020

Zephyrhills sets tentative millage rate

By

Zephyrhills property owners won’t see an increase in their ad valorem tax rate for fiscal year 2020-2021.

The Zephyrhills City Council on July 27 unanimously voted to set the tentative millage rate at 6.35 mills — a rate the municipality has maintained for several years.

Public hearings on the proposed property tax rate have been scheduled for Sept. 14 and Sept. 28.

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.

A mill represents $1 in tax for every $1,000 worth of a property’s taxable assessed value.

In Zephyrhills, maintaining a rate of 6.35 mills would levy about $5.32 million in property taxes — a revenue increase of nearly $380,000 compared with last year.

The figures are based on the total city’s property value of nearly $838 million, an increase of $63.8 million over last year. Of that increase, $28.7 million is attributable to new construction.

The city’s tentative budget is typically set by Aug. 1 each year. However, staff requested to delay the deadline until Aug. 7, because the city is awaiting various revenue estimates from the state.

In other news, council members received an update on the Sarah Vande Berg Foundation’s outreach plans, in the midst of COVID-19.

The Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center, at 6585 Simons Road, won’t open its doors until mid- or late September, but inroads are being made to grow the sport among local youth.

The outreach will be done through the Sarah Vande Berg Foundation, a nonprofit that subsidizes tennis equipment, lessons and afterschool programs to underserved community youth, in partnership with the forthcoming tennis facility.

Nick Walton, the foundation’s program director, explained that the foundation had partnered with West Zephyrhills Elementary School to offer an afterschool tennis program in the spring, but that the program had to be postponed until the fall because of the pandemic.

In addition to partnering with individual schools, including West Zephyrhills Elementary, Walton said the nonprofit also will host a series of free afterschool programs available to all youth in the community during the 2020-2021 school year — regardless of whether students attend brick-and-mortar schools or take virtual classes.

The afterschool program likely will be held around 3:30 p.m. or 4 p.m., on weekdays, Walton said.

“We’ve secured enough funding right now to secure us through the entire school year, so you guys will be seeing me, hopefully trying to raise more, and get into more schools and have more programs running,” Walton told the council.

The nearly $5 million tennis complex features 11 regulation outdoor tennis courts, eight pickleball courts and four padel courts, as well as a state-of-the art indoor health and wellness center, among other amenities.

The facility is a public-private partnership between the City of Zephyrhills and Pascal Collard, a longtime tennis pro and instructor serving as the facility’s CEO.

Virtual meetings set for audio upgrades
In the last several weeks, Zephyrhills city government meetings have mostly returned in-person amid COVID-19, but citizens still have the opportunity to listen and participate through a telephone call-in number.

The Zephyrhills City Hall council chambers is being outfitted with a new computer system to enhance audio quality for broadcasting virtual meetings. (File)

As staffers and council members have begun conducting semi-virtual meetings at the City Hall council chambers, some audio quality issues have arisen for those who listen in on the phone in real time.

That’s because the chamber room’s communications system wasn’t originally designed to accommodate in-person meetings that could also be broadcasted remotely.

Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe said those issues should be sorted out in time for the next scheduled council meeting on Aug. 10, as the city’s IT department is working to retrofit a new computer system that will provide for better sound processing.

“We’ve heard complaints about people being able to only hear every third word or being muffled,” Poe said. “Hopefully, we’ll have something in place, and hopefully it’ll work for the next meeting.”

With that, council president Charles Proctor expressed his appreciation for Mike Panak, the  city’s IT director, for helping set up a virtual meeting system on the fly, over the course of the shutdown.

“I’m sure this has been difficult for him to run all of this, and get all this, and I’m sure this has been a nightmare for him, and I really appreciate the fine job done, especially when we were meeting virtually,” Proctor said.

The council president also thanked the city’s entire staff for its dedication and its work to keep the municipality running over the last several months.

“This has been one of the most difficult times in our country’s history, and we have such an amazing group of employees that are so faithful. They show up to work, do an amazing job, even through all this nightmare that we’ve all been living.

“From the guy on the back of the truck to our police and city manager, I’m just so thankful that we have such an amazing team,” Proctor said.

Published August 05, 2020

New complex offers much more than tennis

By

Dozens and dozens of mask-wearing visitors took a celebratory tour for a preview of the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center, now under development in Zephyrhills.

The center, at 6585 Simons Road, is expected to open in mid to late August.

Todd Vande Berg, third from left, is surrounded by family. From left: Mariah Wagner, of Seffner; Charla Vande Berg and Todd, of Zephyrhills; Tim Ngo, of Seffner; Abigail Ngo, of Seffner; and, Emily Vande Berg, of Zephyrhills. (Fred Bellet)

Numerous cosmetic touches remain on the $4.9 million state-of-the-art facility that’s expected to alter the landscape of The City of Pure Water.

At first glance, the complex’s main attraction, of course, is tennis. It will offer opportunities for beginners to competitive recreational players — and possibly even some elite-level college and professional players.

The complex features 11 regulation outdoor tennis courts — including eight clay surface courts, two hard surface, and a clay surface exhibition court.

It is expected to play host to significant tournaments that come through.

The exhibition court, centrally located among all courts, will offer stadium-tiered seating accommodating up to 1,300 people, and up to 4,000 people if additional bleachers are contracted in for an event.

In addition to tennis, there will be eight pickleball courts and four padel courts — deemed as two of the world’s faster-growing sports.

The padel courts will be the first such courts in Central Florida, said Marcos Del Pilar, a former professional padel player in Spain. He’s heading up padel-related programming at the complex.

With unfinished courts in the background, Andy Sorrentino fields questions from a group who took the preview tour of The Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center.

Played in doubles, padel combines elements of tennis, squash, racquetball and platform tennis into a fast-moving game played within a glass-enclosed court, one-third the size of a tennis court.

Compared to tennis, Del Pilar explained the game of padel is easier to pick up because of smaller, more compact racquets that are perforated and without strings.

“This is something that everyone can get, in 5 minutes,” said Del Pilar, proudly noting his 70-year-old mother plays five days a week.

Del Pilar added the sport lends to being “very social” and “engaging,” because matches are played in such tight quarters with four people at once.

“You are playing and also spending time with your friends because you’re playing very close. That’s a reason it’s so much fun,” he said.

Beyond offering racquet sports, officials believe the tennis complex’s nearly 8,000-square-foot indoor facility takes the project to the next level. They specifically cite the center’s cutting-edge health and wellness amenities that promote training and recovery.

Marcos del Pilar, left, promotions and sales manager of All Racquet Sports USA, and Andy Sorrentino, a major partner and chief operating officer, ham it up during the tour of the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center.

There are rooms dedicated for cryotherapy, salt therapy, bio/neuro feedback therapy, massage and yoga. There’s also a 1,300-square-foot fitness center featuring workout equipment, including recumbent bikes, rowers and ellipticals.

The salt therapy room figures to be one of the more popular usable spaces. The room will be walled with Himalayan sea salt and floored with granulated salt, so much so that it will resemble walking on sand. Visitors will enter and settle in zero gravity lounge chairs, all while iodized salt-infused air is streamed into the room.

This is being promoted as an area that benefits breathing, provides stress-relief and improves skin.

The center also will have a full restaurant and bar, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner on weekdays, and brunch and dinner on weekends. The restaurant, operated by Land O’ Lakes-based caterer Mark Vesh, will be able to seat about 60 patrons inside and at least another 100 outside.

Andy Sorrentino, the facility’s managing partner, characterized the center as being unique.

“There’s a lot of wellness clubs, there’s a lot of tennis clubs, but there are not very many, if any, tennis and wellness clubs,” said Sorrentino, who spent 26 years in sports management at Aronimink Golf Club, a private country club outside Philadelphia. “The ability to train here, eat here, play here, get your wellness here, is, very unique.”

The Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center has been in the works for more than three years.

The Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center, at 6585 Simons Road, is still awaiting its signage and round, logo tennis ball, windows. A tour was held at the center, though, to provide a look at the project’s progress.

It’s a public-private partnership between the City of Zephyrhills and Pascal Collard, a longtime tennis pro and instructor serving as the facility’s CEO.

The complex will be membership-based, but also open to walk-ins for a nominal fee.

Collard coins the facility as “a little bit of a country club,” yet “accessible to everybody.”

Meanwhile, the facility is already attracting some movers and shakers in the tennis sphere.

Collard revealed that Nick Bollettieri, an International Tennis Hall of Famer who’s coached 10 world No. 1 ranked players, will be offering group lessons about once a month, for ladies, juniors and aspiring coaches.

“The guy basically invented tennis,” Collard said. “You can’t go higher than that in the world, and it’s happening in Zephyrhills.”

Patriotically protected, Chad Melms, of Lakeland, was among those touring the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center. He and his son, Braeden Melms, were speaking with Mika Todo, an SVB pro tennis coach.

Additionally, Collard shared the facility’s tennis director will be Rene Moller, who coaches John Isner, America’s top-ranked men’s tennis player.

The complex is named in honor of Sarah Vande Berg, a former Zephyrhills High School district champion and three-time state qualifier who tragically died in an automobile accident in South Carolina at the age of 21, in October 2015.

Her father, Todd Vande Berg, is the longtime planning director for Zephyrhills.

Participating in the tour, the planning director felt “the whole gamut of emotions” walking throughout the soon-to-open facility named in memory of his daughter.

“It’s surreal. It’s a little bit hard to believe, just how beautiful it has come out,” he said.

The planning director is confident the tennis center will “raise the bar for Zephyrhills and the whole region.”

“It’s just going to be an amazing facility that we think’s going to bring a lot of people here, maybe some tournaments, it’s going to be exciting,” he said. “This area is ripe for a facility like this; we’re so fortunate to have this here.”

Published July 08, 2020

Zephyrhills OKs alcohol sales at tennis center

By

At the forthcoming Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellbeing Center, after a sweaty session of volleys and serves, players will be able to slake their thirst with an adult beverage or two.

The Zephyrhills City Council unanimously approved the sale of beer and wine — but no liquor —  at the city-owned facility’s indoor restaurant/café. The action came during a virtual council meeting on May 11.

The original request for alcohol sales came from Pascal Collard, who’s private management company is operating the $4.9 million tennis center, set to open in July, at 6585 Simons Road in Zephyrhills.

Beer and wine sales will be allowed at the new Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellbeing Center in Zephyrhills. (Courtesy of David Alvarez)

Situated on more than 8 acres of land, the complex will feature 11 outdoor tennis courts built to United States Tennis Association (USTA) standards, plus eight pickleball courts, four padel courts and an event pavilion.

The facility also features an adjoining 7,400-square-foot indoor space that will house the restaurant/café, as well as a fitness and rehabilitation studio, salt/sauna room, cryotherapy, pro shop, kid’s area and more.

Collard expressed the need for a beer and wine license, in a memo to council members. He explained the sale of beer and wine is needed to help lure a new restaurant business partner. Wesley Chapel-based Buttermilk Provisions planned to run the restaurant/café, but backed out following the rise of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

“The primary focus of our business is to provide a place where people can gather to play sports, meet friends, benefit from our wellness offers, and spend time over food and drinks,” Collard wrote in the memo.

Alcohol sales could be a “make or break” contract opportunity with any prospective new restaurant partner, Collard noted in the memo.

Council members concurred with Collard’s request, to help him cast a wide net to attract another partner as the state-of-the-art facility readies for a summer opening. Also, they feel confident that the consumption of beer and wine will be done judiciously.

Councilman Lance Smith put it like this: “The tennis folks aren’t going to get all ripped up after they have a tennis match.”

Collard later told The Laker/Lutz News he’s signed on Mike and Sue Prenderville as restaurant partners.

The Prendervilles own Song Printing & Design in downtown Zephyrhills, and Mike once operated one of the largest pubs in London, England, Collard said.

The facility’s restaurant/café would operate for lunch and dinner, with a brunch option on weekends, per the memo. Daily operating hours of the café typically will be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., then opening at 10 a.m. on weekends. (The tennis complex’s gym will open at 5:30 a.m. everyday, however.)

The restaurant is expected to provide a full menu of hot and cold food, with the ability to offer a juice and protein shake bar and other non-alcoholic beverages.

The ambiance of the facility’s restaurant/café will consist of  “easy listening music,” the memo says. No televisions or dance floor are planned.

Noise will be limited because no loud music will be played, Collard wrote.

The city has previously granted alcohol sales at city-owned, but privately-managed facilities.

Years ago, the council approved such sales at the city-owned municipal golf course, which is leased to a private operator, Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe said.

City ordinance allows for the sale of alcoholic beverages within 300 feet of a school, provided seating capacity is not less than 25 and at least 51% of combined gross sales comes from the sale of food and non-alcoholic beverages.

The tennis center’s café will be audited annually to ensure they meet that standard, Poe said.

Meantime, the council also approved a request to use $100,000 from the city’s tree mitigation funds to plant more trees throughout the tennis center property.

The additional funding brings the total landscape budget for the project to $200,000.

The contract for the $4.9 million guaranteed maximum price of construction project had called only for $100,000 for landscaping and irrigation.

As a result of the council’s action, the city’s tree mitigation fund has been reduced to $41,000.

Though the measure passed unanimously, council members advised city staffers to have better cost estimates on large projects in the future.

“We need to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again,” said Smith, noting the original $100,000 allocation for landscaping seemed “a paltry sum” on a nearly $5 million recreation project.

Councilman Jodi Wilkeson pointed out the tree mitigation fund “is only good when development is good.” “When we have a lull in development, it takes a long time to get that (up), so for us to spend it all in (one) fell swoop, makes me a little nervous,” she said.

Council president Ken Burgess said he’s not opposed to using tree mitigation funds for the tennis center, but added, “I just think we maybe need to take a closer look at something like this on the front end so that we don’t end up with something like this on the back end.”

Council members expressed concern about all-but bottoming out the mitigation fund so quickly. The tree mitigation fund is made up of fees property owners and developers pay when they are unable to mitigate trees removed from their property.

In other action, the council:

• Approved a final plat for an additional 20 single-family residential lots in the Zephyr Lakes subdivision, a 63-acre development north of Pretty Pond Road and west of Wire Road.

• Approved purchase of a new public works front-load sanitation truck totaling $269,116.50, using sanitation reserves funds ($174,116.50) and insurance provider funds ($95,000). The purchase replaces a 14-year-old sanitation truck damaged beyond repair in February after a fire formed in the truck’s hopper.

• Passed a first reading ordinance consenting to the inclusion of the city’s boundaries into the Pasco County Municipal Service Taxing Unit (MSTU) for fire rescue services.

Published May 20, 2020

Pasco Sports Fair offers opportunities for all

By

In Zephyrhills, It was a sports enthusiasts dream — for children and adults alike.

There were scaled down or mini versions of tennis, basketball, football, soccer, floor hockey, golf, virtual skydiving, even a fitness obstacle course — all offered for free, all day long.

About 1,500 people passed through the first annual Pasco Sports Fair, held Feb. 16 at Skydive City in Zephyrhills.

Three-year-old Isabelle Ruiz, of Wesley Chapel, winds up, to toss a football toward the net. Former NFL defensive end Mel Williams, left, smiles, as he watches and encourages the youngster. Williams played with the New Orleans Saints, the Washington Redskins, San Francisco 49ers and the Miami Dolphins. (Christine Holtzman)

The event was the brainchild of Pascal Collard, CEO of the new Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center, in partnership with Skydive City owners Joannie Murphy and Susan Stark.

The event was sponsored in part by Pasco County Commissioner Ron Oakley and Randy Blankenship of B.R.W. Contracting Inc.

Collard saw multiple benefits to the newfound event.

First, Collard, an avid skydiver himself, saw it as a way to introduce more of the Pasco County community to the extreme sport, which entails jumping from an aircraft with a parachute from an altitude of several thousand feet.

“It’s unique in the world,” Collard said, “and some people in Zephyrhills and Wesley Chapel don’t even know it exists.”

Stark agreed, adding the fair helps “demystify” skydiving to locals, a sport which draws participants from all over the world to the small town.

Said Stark, “Even if they don’t come and skydive, they come and they watch, and this is just a great source a fun for people to do here on the way eastern side of Pasco.”

She added of the fair: “It’s probably going to attract more people who are interested in seeing skydiving, than necessarily doing it, but we’ll also probably have some additional people also doing the skydiving.”

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, Collard wanted an event that gave local youth the chance to try different sports and meet former professional athletes at no cost — with the help of volunteers and vendors, such as Experience Florida’s Sports Coast, AdventHealth Center Ice, Silverado Golf & Country Club and many others.

Some former professional athletes who met with families and oversaw the sporting activities included former English Premier League forward Gary Blissett, who played for Wimbledon FC in the mid-1990s; former NFL defensive end Mel Williams, who played for the New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins in the mid-2000s; and, former Tampa Bay Rowdies head coach and soccer player Stuart Campbell.

Soccer instructor Gary Blissett practices dribbling the ball with first-year soccer player, 4-year-old Owen Baker, of Tampa. Blissett is a former Premier League professional soccer player from Manchester, England, who now resides in Wesley Chapel. He is a coach with the United Global Academy (UGA) in Zephyrhills.

Blissett, who was in charge of a soccer drill station, described the day’s activities as “more fun than teaching,” simply giving curious youth a chance to try new sports, and parents the information on available leagues and sports organizations around town.

“If people enjoy what they’re doing at their stations, and it’s something they’ve never done before, they now have access to it, they know where to go to get it,” said Blissett, the coaching director of the Spirit of Zephyrhills Florida Soccer Club youth recreational league.

By bringing those types of known sports figures along, Collard believes it offers hope to area youth that have athletic dreams and aspirations.

He put it like this: “If kids see they have access to guys like Mel Williams, they say, ‘Oh, this is real,’ because otherwise they didn’t believe it’s going to happen.”

Meanwhile, Collard, an international tennis instructor who’s trained some of the world’s top-ranked pros, believes organizing and creating more affordable athletics opportunities for youth can change the fabric of a community like Zephyrhills.

Said Collard, “I believe all the kids in Zephyrhills need sports — it keeps them away from trouble. That’s the reality. But, nobody does enough.”

Families to the first-ever event appreciated the chance to bring their children to freely try out a variety of sports. Set up like a school field day, kids that tried all eight sports stations received a goody bag and were entered for a gift prize drawing.

Zephyrhills resident Sarah Steen brought along her 4-year-old daughter, Ruth, to gauge her interest on the various sports for when she gets a little older.

“It’s pretty cool, it’s fun,” Steen said of the sports fair. “I like how she’s learning about the different sports before I go and pay the fees, and buy the helmets and everything, so we get to see if she likes it before I have to pay for everything.”

Steen added, “I want to keep her active and healthy, so this kind of thing is good because it gets the kids, it shows them the different kinds of sports they can do.”

Steen acknowledged in Zephyrhills “there’s not as many options” for youth athletic activities, whether it be lack of qualified volunteer coaches or enough interested kids who can afford to play.

She asserted, “When I was a kid, it seemed like everybody played baseball or softball. And now, it seems like they have to beg people to be a coach.”

Steen’s 15-year old son, David Castro, agreed.

“There’s not enough (recreational) leagues out here,” said Castro, a member of the Zephyrhills High School tennis and soccer teams.

Because of that, Castro noted many of his friends and fellow teens “don’t have a choice” but to spend their free time on cellphones, playing video games and so on.

So, he liked how the event offered kids something to do outdoors for free, with hopes of maybe sparking or reinvigorating athletics pursuits in others.

“I think it’s good,” he said of the sports fair, “because it’s going to get kids like wanting to go (play sports). That’s kind of the main issue around here, is there’s not enough kids interested, so you don’t really have a lot of options.”

For Ontario, Canada’s Michelle Galley Salgueiro, the sports fair gave something for her to do with her 8-year-old son, Liam, as they spent the week visiting her parents, Zephyrhills snowbirds.

The event was “perfect,” for her son, she said, “because I’m trying to get him used to more sports.”

One of those included the football station, where Liam joined in on non-contact drills consisting of footwork, sprints, and catching and handling balls.

“We will never play football, we’re not a football family,” his mother said, “but it’ll give him a chance today to try it.”

When informed the sports fair plans to be an annual event, the out-of-towner said, “We would definitely come around for this.”

Published February 26, 2020

Zephyrhills tennis center buzzing along

By

The forthcoming Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center could be an even bigger deal than originally anticipated.

A standing-room only crowd of more than 100 gathered at a recent Zephyrhills City Council meeting to hear the latest details on the facility and to get a first look at a 3D video presentation highlighting its amenities.

Shown here is a rendering of the $5 million Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center. The complex broke ground this summer and is expected to be open July 2020. (Courtesy of David Alvarez, Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center)

Most who were gathered are supporters or partners of the tennis facility project — and the turnout caught the attention of council president Ken Burgess.

The facility’s obvious support, Burgess said, “really shows that it’s going to be top-notch.”

“The energy and the excitement is kind of building,” Burgess said. “We’ve been talking about it for a while, but it’s really on its way. It’s going to be pretty exciting, and we hope that it is going to put Zephyrhills on the map.

“We’re really looking forward to it,” he said.

The nearly $5 million tennis center broke ground in July at 6585 Simons Road in Zephyrhills. It is expected to open around July 2020.

The project is being hyped as “a world-class tennis facility with access to state-of-the-art performance and health amenities.”

Situated on more than 8 acres of land, the complex will feature 11 outdoor tennis courts (eight clay surface, two hard surface, one clay exhibition court), built to United States Tennis Association (USTA) standards. It also will have eight pickleball courts, four padel courts and an event pavilion.

Also, an adjoining 7,400-square-foot indoor wellness center will have a fitness and rehabilitation studio, salt/sauna room, cryotherapy, pro shop, café, kid’s area and more.

Another major component that is being phased in is a 30,000-square-foot indoor sports field house, which could accommodate up to four tennis courts or soccer fields using artificial turf.

The project is a public-private partnership between the City of Zephyrhills and Pascal Collard, a longtime tennis pro and instructor, who will operate and manage the facility.

It is largely being funded through state appropriations, Penny for Pasco monies, park impact fees and donations.

When it opens, the tennis center is expected to attract local, regional, national and international interest as a host site for major tennis tournaments and competitions.

Ultimately, Collard believes “the sky’s the limit.”

“Our dream is really to get Zephyrhills to become one of the top sports destinations in Florida, and in the country,” said Collard, a former tennis director at Saddlebrook. “It’s not only tennis — but tennis will always be the core.”

Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center CEO Pascal Collard gives a project update at last month’s Zephyrhills City Council meeting. (Kevin Weiss)

Collard also announced the facility will be the home of an online sports instruction program called United Global Academy. The blended program, which is geared toward youth, will be taught by ex-professional athletes in sports such as soccer, football, golf and maybe even boxing.

Aspiring athletes will take online classes, and coaches will be available at the facility to provide further guidance, Collard said.

“I think it’s a missing link in education in sports,” said Collard. “We hope to attract kids from everywhere.”

Though the city is funding the shell of the facility and tennis courts, Collard has leveraged his business connections to bring aboard other frills, explained Zephyrhills planning director Todd Vande Berg.

That includes the facility’s fitness/performance components, and in-house bakery and coffee shop run by Wesley Chapel-based Buttermilk Provisions.

And, because Collard is operating and managing the facility, the city won’t be on the hook for staffing or ongoing maintenance costs, Vande Berg said.

That, he said, is “a big financial piece” the city won’t have to address, unlike many communities with large tennis complexes.

Said Vande Berg, “I’ve been to probably almost every tennis facility in the state and all of them are being run like we’re running them, but I can tell you I think we’re the only one that’s got a contractual agreement where we don’t have to pay…all those fees that other communities are having to pay.”

Meanwhile, site work at the project is moving forward.

General contractor Craig Lamberson of DeLotto & Sons told council members the tennis building is slated to go vertical in December.

The Har-Tru clay tennis layouts will be fitted around that time, a process Lamberson described as “major, complex project” because “water flows beneath the court and is pumped in and out to maintain a great playing surface.”

The general contractor also said there’s already more than a half-mile of reinforced concrete pipe in the ground and storm drainage is about 60% complete. A wastewater lift station will arrive in early November.

“Even though it may not look like it, we are putting a lot of construction in the ground,” he said.

The tennis center is named in memory of Sarah Vande Berg, a former Zephyrhills High School district tennis 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.

For information on the project, visit SVBtenniscenter.com.

Published November 13, 2019

Zephyrhills tennis center breaks ground

By

A groundbreaking ceremony officially marked the beginning of construction on the long-awaited Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center in Zephyrhills.

After more than two years of planning and design, the tennis center is slated to be ready for play sometime in spring 2020.

The facility will feature 11 outdoor tennis courts (eight clay surface, two hard surface, exhibition court), built to USTA (United States Tennis Association) standards, along with eight pickleball courts and four padel courts. The tennis center also includes a 7,000-square-foot indoor clubhouse that will have a fitness and rehabilitation center, restaurant and cafe, pro shop, kid’s club and other amenities.

A July 10 groundbreaking ceremony marked the beginning of construction for the long-awaited Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center in Zephyrhills. (Courtesy of David Alvarez)

It will be located at 6585 Simons Road, Zephyrhills.

The project comes with a $3.3 million price tag, largely funded through state appropriations, Penny for Pasco monies, park impact fees and other donations.

The July 10 groundbreaking attracted a large crowd of dignitaries, business leaders and local residents to the site where the tennis facility will operate.

It marked a highly anticipated moment for many, as public talks of bringing a large-scale tennis center to the city began back in late 2016.

“It’s a beautiful day,” Zephyrhills Mayor Gene Whitfield said. “They’re going to build a beautiful building on this site.”

“Nothing’s going to make us happier than seeing this facility coming out of the ground,” said Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe.

Zephyrhills planning director Todd Vande Berg added: “It is a special day and it’s been a long time coming, but we’re glad this day is here.”

Officials say the tennis center will be not just a regional draw, but also will have national and international appeal through hosting USTA tournaments and other events.

Poe described the forthcoming facility as “an absolutely wonderful complex” that will help boost tourism and economic development in the area.

“Zephyrhills is known for water and skydiving. Soon we’re going to be known for tennis,” the city manager said.

He added, “Who knows, we very well may have a future Grand Slam champion that can say they started here at this facility. The facility will serve as an economic driver, not only for Zephyrhills, but for all of East Pasco.”

The tennis center is named in memory of Sarah Vande Berg, a former Zephyrhills High School district tennis 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.

Sarah Vande Berg would have just turned 25 years old. Her birthday was July 7.

“I know she’s looking down from heaven, smiling, thinking, ‘Wow, this is pretty special,’ her father, holding back tears, said at the groundbreaking.

“Sarah was a special person. She was a special daughter, and special in so many ways in how she cared for and loved other people.”

Sarah Vande Berg was noted for her sportsmanship on and off the courts.

Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano recalled his daughter — former Fivay High School tennis standout and current state Rep. Amber Mariano — losing to Sarah Vande Berg in a prep match “probably 6-love, 6-love each time.”

“She was a great competitor,” Mariano said of Sarah Vande Berg. “She played with class, she played with classiness after the fact (and) great sportsmanship.”

The Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center is a public-private partnership between the City of Zephyrhills and Tennis P.R.O., and its owner Pascal Collard, who will staff, operate and manage the tennis facility.

Collard is a former tennis director at Saddebrook who has trained his fair share of world-ranked tennis players.

Of the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center, Collard said, “I’m going to try my best to make it unique.”

Collard also declared this lofty ambition: “There’s not one tennis player in the world that won’t know Sarah’s name. Not one. I promise you that.”

Published July 17, 2019

Construction nearing on Zephyrhills tennis center

By

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

Development projects underway in Zephyrhills

By

Much development is on tap for the city of Zephyrhills — from new commercial and residential properties, to ongoing road construction projects.

Zephyrhills planning director Todd Vande Berg discussed a number of those projects as the guest speaker of the East Pasco Networking Group’s February breakfast meeting.

Among the most ballyhooed is the Sarah Vande Berg Memorial Tennis Center, which will be situated west of Simons Road.

Zephyrhills city planner Todd Vande Berg discussed several city development projects at a recent East Pasco Networking Group breakfast meeting at IHOP in Dade City. (Kevin Weiss)

The speaker said the $3.5 million project is expected to break ground in May or June: “We’re getting real close with the final engineered site plan, as well as the architect plans.”

The facility will include a mix of 11 full-size outdoor clay courts and hard courts, including an exhibition court to attract various United States Tennis Association (USTA) sanctioned tournaments.

It also will feature multiple pickleball and padel courts, racquet sports “becoming more and more popular,” Vande Berg said.

Meanwhile, the indoor portion of the center will include a lobby and seating area, community room, kid’s club room, fitness center, plus “other unique elements,” like cryotherapy and salt room chambers. Additionally, Wesley Chapel-based Buttermilk Provisions restaurant will have an in-house bakery and coffee shop with artisan offerings.

The project is a public-private partnership between the city and Tennis P.R.O and its owner, Pascal Collard, who will operate and manage the tennis facility.

The tennis center is named after Vande Berg’s daughter, a former Zephyrhills High School district champion, who died in an automobile accident at the age of 21 in October 2015.

Much of the project’s funding is being offset by various impact fees and grants, Vande Berg said.

The city planner believes the tennis center could have international draw.

He said the USTA recently inquired about having the facility someday host matches for the Fed Cup, regarded as the premier international team competition in women’s tennis.

“It’s going to be a unique opportunity for all Pasco County and the region,” Vande Berg said of the tennis facility. “It’s going to be a huge deal.”

The speaker also noted some indoor/covered tennis courts could potentially be phased in later, at the discretion of the facility’s management team.

“That would make us very unique in the state of Florida, because there’s only one other facility in the state that offers that,” he said.

Also in the arena of business development, Vande Berg mentioned the city is working on a master plan for its industrial corridor — which encompasses about 4,000 untapped acres of property along the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport — to create a regional hub for light manufacturing companies.

Vande Berg said the master plan ties in with the four-lane extension of State Road 56 to U.S. 301.

The speaker noted Zephyrhills is also pursuing an additional extension to State Road 56 that would link to State Road 39; the city received $1 million in the Florida 2019 budget to fund a planning study for the project.

“One thing that we’ve heard from some manufacturers was, ‘Well, we need access to a four-lane road,’” Vande Berg said, “so that’ll make a big difference.”

Aside from trying to expand its industrial footprint, other commercial projects are in the works in Zephyrhills.

The city is set to get a Chick-Fil-A, Aldi Supermarket, PetSmart, Marriott Fairfield Hotel and Dollar General, along with other businesses.

Florida Medical Clinic is also undergoing a major health care facility expansion along Eiland Boulevard and Simons Road, Vande Berg said.

“There’s a lot going on in Zephyrhills,” the city planner said.

Vande Berg also touched on the city’s residential development, noting thousands of new homes and apartments will be coming online in the next decade.

Some of the larger developments include The District at Abbott’s Square, Zephyr Lakes, Hidden River, and expansions to the Silver Oaks and Silverado communities, while Wire Ranch Apartments and Pretty Pond/Wire Road Apartments are some the larger multifamily units in the works.

“The residential housing is booming,” Vande Berg said. “We have a couple thousand units coming on board and they’re not all retirees. A lot of these homes are single-family, younger families with kids.”

Published March 06, 2019