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The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Lutz since 1964 and Pasco since 1981.
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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

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Tourist Development Council

Discussion continues on Pasco BMX park

September 15, 2020 By B.C. Manion

A BMX and bicycle park may not happen anytime soon in Pasco County, but officials appear to be interested in seeing what can be done to bring the idea to life.

The Pasco County Commission heard a briefing on the concept at its Sept. 8 meeting.

Delaney Morrison, president of the nonprofit Ride Local Inc., outlined the vision for a new large-scale BMX (bicycle motocross) park, that she said would complement existing BMX parks in the region, would expand the area’s recreational offerings and would help to attract more tourists to Pasco County.

Shown here are riders at Tampa BMX in Lutz. A nonprofit organization called Ride Local Inc., is trying to bring a covered BMX track and other amenities to Pasco County. (File)

The idea is to partner with the county to construct a BMX track and bike park on a 23-acre tract situated of the intersection of State Road 54 and Gunn Highway in the Odessa/Trinity area. The land is presently owned by Pasco County Utilities.

Under the proposal, about 3 acres would be used for a BMX dirt race course made of various jumps and rollers.

That would mark the first stage of a larger, surrounding bike park that would include a pump track, skate park, mountain bike obstacle course, casual bike path and other features.

The proposal calls for having an open air, covered track.

“We think that this is super important here in Florida, given the heat and the rain that we have,” Delaney said.  “We really think that that roof will set us apart from just having another BMX track.”

She also noted there would be opportunities for recreational leagues and a beginner’s program for newcomers to the off-road racing sport. And, the facility would host large-scale competitive events sanctioned by USA BMX.

The open space also could be used for drone races, truck rallies, and Boy Scouts of America and All-Pro Dad meet-ups, among other activities, Morrison said.

Over the past year or so, Morrison and her team have had ongoing discussions with Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey and Keith Wiley, the county’s director of parks, recreation and natural resources.

“They came to me because of my background with cycling and biking,” said Starkey, who helped to Delaney’s group find the proposed site.

It’s an excellent location, Delaney noted, because it’s along the booming State Road 54 corridor, sits along the Tower Road extension and near a future high school, whose adjacent lot could be used for overflow parking for large events.

She also noted that it’s in the middle of some huge community developments, such as Asturia and Starkey Ranch, and others being built in the area.

Plus, she said, the location also pairs well with Tampa BMX and Oldsmar BMX, which is under construction — to attract regional and national tournaments.

Commissioners appear open to the idea, but money is the biggest hurdle.

Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore, who also chairs the Tourist Development Council, said during a recent TDC meeting that the county might be able to support some type of land use or lease deal, but is not in the position to fund additional capital projects.

Moore reiterated the funding issue during the board’s Sept. 8 meeting. He said doesn’t want to give the group false hope.

But, Starkey said Delaney’s briefing was for information only, at this point.

She plans to work with Delaney’s group to explore various funding sources, including possible funding from the legislature and support from private sponsors.

Delaney said the Ride Local Inc., is looking into creative ideas, such as leveraging a corporate naming sponsorship or partnering with an electric company to install solar panels on the proposed covered roof to help offset costs.

Keith Wiley, the county’s director of parks, recreation and natural resources, said a bike park/BMX was listed as one of the highest unmet needs during workshops held to develop the county’s most recent master parks plan.

However, Wiley noted, that type of amenity was not included in the master plan and, thus, no money has been planned for that type of project.

Wiley said he likes the concept of a bike park, with a BMX track, a playground and open spaces because that would address diverse user groups.

Delaney noted BMX’s broad appeal.

“The biggest thing about BMX is that this is a family sport,” Delaney added.

“This is one of the few sports that you can do alongside your children, not just sitting on the sidelines watching them, or waiting for practice to be over.”

Adam Thomas, the county’s tourism director, said the proposed facility could help round out the county’s sports offerings.

“The TDC (Tourism Development Council) board is in full support of this. I am in full support of this,” Thomas told county commissioners.

“This is a great opportunity, for not only our citizens, but to really diversify our product as a Sports Coast, and as our destination of sports events. The economic impact is strong. The visitation is strong. You have a great partner here with Delaney. I think this is a great opportunity for us to move forward, but funding — obviously, everything comes down to funding.”

Published September 16, 2020

Filed Under: Local News Tagged With: Adam Thomas, All Pro Dad, Asturia, BMX, Boy Scouts of America, Delaney Morrison, Gunn Highway, Kathryn Starkey, Keith Wiley, Mike Moore, Oldsmar BMX, Pasco County Commission, Ride Local Inc., Sports Coast, Starkey Ranch, State Road 54, Tampa BMX, Tourism Development Council, Tourist Development Council, Tower Road, USA BMX

Bank loan approved to build Wiregrass sports complex

September 6, 2017 By Kathy Steele

A loan of slightly more than $20 million from Bank United will finance the construction of the proposed Wesley Chapel Sports Park, at Wiregrass Ranch.

RADD Sports will operate and manage the complex. Pasco County will own the indoor sports facility, collect rent, and also share in the anticipated profits.

Kathryn Starkey, vice chairwoman of the Pasco County Commission, supported the bank loan for Wesley Chapel Sports Park, at Wiregrass Ranch. She thinks the project will be a great addition for Pasco County.

In addition to the 98,000- square-foot indoor facility, seven outdoor sports fields, an amphitheater with an event lawn, trails, pavilions and a playground are planned.

The county also has approved a ground lease for a 128-room Marriott Residence Inn to be built with private funds at the complex.

A 2 percent increase in Pasco County’s tourism tax will serve as collateral for the loan. The Pasco County Commission previously approved the increase, bringing the tourism tax to a total of 4 percent.

The tax is collected as an add-on to rent from hotel rooms. Revenues from the “heads on beds” tax supports tourism promotion in Pasco. How much, if any, of the additional tourism tax dollars would be spent to repay the loan depend on revenues generated by tournaments and other events at the complex.

County commissioners agreed to the loan terms at their Aug. 29 meeting in Dade City. A fixed interest rate of about 3.8 percent will be charged for the first 10 years of the 18-year loan.

No penalties would apply if the county was able to prepay the loan at any time.

Three bids to finance the loan were reviewed, but an evaluation committee recommended Bank United. The other bidders were City National Bank and BBVA Compass.

Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano voted against the bank loan approved by the Pasco County Commission to finance construction of the Wesley Chapel Sports Park, at Wiregrass Ranch.

Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano voted against approving the loan. He has concerns about what would happen once the loan hits 10 years.

“This is not a good deal for us,” Mariano said. “If the rates go up, we’re going to get crushed in the end.”

He also objected to the county’s Tourist Development Council being bypassed in the decision-making. The council serves as an advisory board and makes recommendations to the County Commission.

Even Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey, who supported the loan and serves as the council’s chairwoman, had problems with the lack of the council’s role.

In recent months, she said the council hasn’t been able to operate at full strength due to vacancies.

“It’s unfortunate that this never went to the (Tourist Development Council), but when this all went down, we were down to one person on the council,” she said. “We really need to take them into consideration when scheduling next time.”

But, she said, “I think it’s time to move forward. I have faith that this is going to be a great addition to Pasco.”

Published September 6, 2017

Filed Under: Local News, Wesley Chapel/New Tampa News Tagged With: Bank United, BBVA Compass, City National Bank, Jack Mariano, Kathryn Starkey, Marriott Residence, Pasco County Commission, Tourist Development Council, Wesley Chapel Sports Park, Wiregrass Ranch

Special events eligible for tourism grants

March 30, 2016 By Kathy Steele

Every year, thousands of tourists flock to festivals in Pasco County, spending money and getting to know the county’s best features.

They dine on kumquats, browse through arts and crafts booths, immerse themselves in Native American culture, listen to old-time music, and learn about the environment.

But, putting on those special events takes cash.

Thousands flocked to Dade City to enjoy the activities and displays at the 2016 Kumquat Festival. Events hoping to secure support through Pasco County’s tourism grants have until April 13 to apply. (File Photo)
Thousands flocked to Dade City to enjoy the activities and displays at the 2016 Kumquat Festival. Events hoping to secure support through Pasco County’s tourism grants have until April 13 to apply.
(File Photo)

Each year the Pasco County Office of Tourism Development and the Tourist Development Council award $80,000 in grants to organizations staging special events.

For fiscal year 2016-17, applications for the grants will be accepted through April 13.

Staff members at tourism development will review the application packets and make recommendations to the council members. All applicants will then make presentations to the council on May 18.

“We look for unique events that can really draw people to the event,” said Pasco Tourism Manager Ed Caum, in a press release. “We also recognize that event success doesn’t happen overnight, so we look for the potential growth as well.”

Grants can be spent on promotions, marketing, paid advertising and media buys.

The Kumquat Festival, the Suncoast Arts Fest, Rattlesnake Festival and Chasco Fiesta are among past recipients.

The Pasco Eco Fest, which staged its first event in 2015, also got some seed money for the event through the county’s special events grant program.

Last year, about $69,000 of the $80,000 in grants was awarded. The remaining $14,000 was spent by Pasco tourism on marketing efforts for each of the recipients.

Some of the funds paid for advertisement buys on Facebook. One ad drew about 33,000 visits to the page, Caum said.

“We’re trying to show them the power of online ways to attract people from outside of the county,” he said. The ad reach doesn’t have to go far. Even those people who come from surrounding counties are tourists – known as day trippers – once they cross into Pasco, he said.

Once the Tourism Development Council makes it recommendations for grants, the Pasco County Commission will have final say, probably in July or August.

Funds will be available Oct. 1, with the start of fiscal year 2017.

To apply, call the Pasco County OTD at (727) 847-8129. Forms and requirements are available at PascoCountyFl.net.

Published March 30, 2016

Filed Under: Local News Tagged With: Chasco Fiesta, Ed Caum, Kumquat Festival, Pasco County Commission, Pasco County Office of Tourism Development, Pasco Eco Fest, Rattlesnake Festival, Suncoast Arts Fest, Tourist Development Council

Wiregrass Sports Park on new path?

November 4, 2015 By Kathy Steele

The future of the Wiregrass Sports Park is in play, again.

A new call for proposals will be issued within the next month seeking developers who want to partner with Pasco County in building and operating a field house for indoor sports such as basketball, wrestling and volleyball.

The project also envisions the potential for four or five outdoor ball fields. And, eventually there could be tourist attractions such as an indoor zipline, indoor skydiving, and a driving range.

But, even as the county puts the project out for bid, negotiations are under way on a new proposal from the Porter family, who have played a considerable role in influencing the development of the area.

The family previously owned the land now occupied by The Shops at Wiregrass, Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, as well as residential subdivisions and public schools.

The Porters donated more than 200 acres to Pasco County in 2012 with a stipulation that if a sports complex didn’t happen, then a park would be developed.

Since then, the county has sifted through one proposal after another, but none has panned out.

The family is eager to see work starting at the site.

It came down to one question for them.

“What can we do as a family to get this off the ground and make it a reality?” J.D. Porter asked.

Within the past two weeks, they presented county officials with a new vision for a town center-style community at Wiregrass with homes, hotels and retail. The proposal incorporates the field house, but also draws a grander vision for a wetlands area with trails, a convention center and/or performing arts center at PHSC’s Porter Campus, a public park and green space for Wiregrass residents.

It would all be pedestrian-friendly, interconnected space linking to Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, the college and a public park. The future Raymond James commercial site, with 1 million square feet of office space within six buildings, also is plugged into the plan.

The Porter’s proposal could lead to a land swap agreement returning a portion of the donated land to the family to accommodate their town-center project and also allow for a public park. The land could be split re-divided along several geographic patterns.

It was a lot to digest as county commissioners met on Oct. 27 in a public workshop with the Tourist Development Council.

Pasco County Strategic Policy Administrator Richard Gehring clicked through a slide show of changing scenarios on how development could proceed, and meet everyone’s expectations.

Discussion with the Porters is ongoing.

“There are moving parts,” said Gehring. “The geography is not fixed at this time. We’re trying to make it a win-win for as many people as possible.”

Gehring said it would take about three weeks to write a proposal for the field house. Bidders would have 60 days to submit their plans.

The recommendation to build a field house emerged from a study by Chicago-based Johnson Consulting Co.

The facility would be between 85,000 and 100,000 square feet, built on five to seven acres. There would be up to eight basketball courts, four to six multi-purpose rooms and lockers. It would operate under a private/public partnership agreement.

By the fifth year of operation, about 100,000 people a year would use the facility, said Charlie Johnson, the company’s president.

In future, outdoor ball fields could be added, he said.

“You can start with indoor, and grow from there,” Johnson said.

The field house and the Porter’s future development project is a sound one, said Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore.

“To me, we’re getting everything the (Johnson Consulting) report stated but above and beyond,” he said. “I’m excited…looking at it.”

Porter said the proposal allows the family to “control our destiny,” while also providing park space to county residents.

He anticipates consulting with Pasco parks and recreation officials to determine how to develop the park.

“We’ll ask them what they are lacking there,” Porter said.

If the land swap is done, he added, “We’d start immediately laying it out as amenities, not just for Wiregrass but everybody.”

Published November 4, 2015

Filed Under: Local News, Wesley Chapel/New Tampa News Tagged With: Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, J.D. Porter, Johnson Consulting Co., Mike Moore, Pasco-Hernando State College, Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, Raymond James, Richard Gehring, The Shops at Wiregrass, Tourist Development Council, Wesley Chapel, Wiregrass Sports Park

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01/23/2021 – Adult craft

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01/25/2021 – Fizzy bath bomb

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