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Canada

Ice arena offers plenty of room, action

February 22, 2017 By Kevin Weiss

There’s no shortage of activities — or room— at the newly minted Florida Hospital Center Ice.

From learning to skate, to playing hockey and curling, there’s plenty to do at the much-ballyhooed facility, which measures 150,500 square feet.

On Jan. 28, during the facility’s opening weekend, hundreds of youth and adults packed into what has been described as “the largest ice sports facility in the Southeastern United States.”

During a water break, Mason Cessna, 9, of Valrico, gets a quick swig during the 9- and 10-year-old session. Coaches were watching the individual abilities of each participant in the ‘Squirts’ division.
(Fred Bellet)

Patrons came from as far away Brooksville, Valrico and Lithia to check out the complex, at 3173 Cypress Ridge Blvd., which is off Interstate 75 at the State Road 56 interchange in Wesley Chapel.

Others visited from nearby Lutz, Land O’ Lakes and New Tampa.

And, while two of the complex’s five rinks remain under construction, there were plenty of options to accommodate ice enthusiasts of all kinds.

The Olympic rink, which measures 200 feet by 100 feet, was fully occupied with public skaters and learn-to-skate participants.

Two NHL-sized rinks (200 feet by 85 feet), meanwhile, were teeming with hours of youth recreational hockey evaluations and adult pickup games.

During breaks in ice action, spectators marveled at the fully stocked pro shop and other amenities at the two-story facility.

Gordie Zimmermann, managing partner of Florida Hospital Center Ice, is one contented man.

“We’ve exceeded our expectations from the get-go,” Zimmermann said. “Like participation for the Learn to Skate, everything’s almost double of what we thought it would be coming out of the starting block, so it’s been terrific.”

That, too, applies to registration figures for the center’s adult hockey leagues.

Florida Hospital Center Ice has attracted a large number of skaters, taking to the ice.
(Fred Bellet)

The initial eight-week “reduced” session has 25 teams signed up, consisting of beginner, intermediate and advanced leagues.

“We thought we would maybe get 10 teams in the first adult (league),” Zimmermann said. He’s elated with the current registration figures.

Additionally, more teams are anticipated to sign up once 12-week sessions commence.

Besides recreation league offerings, the center also will be home base for several other area-based teams and organizations.

The Wiregrass Ranch and Freedom high school club teams have signed up. The same goes for the University of South Florida Ice Bulls, of the American Collegiate Hockey Association.

The Tampa Bay Junior Hockey Club, an elite training development program, also has jumped aboard.

Consequently, a bevy of regional and international tournaments and camps are in the works, Zimmermann said.

One of the more intriguing on the docket is the World V-Red Prospect Advanced Camp, from July 16 through July 21.

Labeled as Canada’s No. 1 hockey program, it’s the first time ever the weeklong event will be hosted in the United States.

“The biggest thing that we’re doing,” Zimmermann said, “is that we’re bringing in major tournaments through the summer, and we’re going to bring in another one that’s going to be huge for the area for hockey.”

Rob Passante, left, of Wesley Chapel, has the duty of tying ice skates for 10-year-old Tucker McKinney, of Seffner, as Tucker’s brother, Luke McKinney, 4, looks on. Tucker is friends with Passante’s son, Dominic.
(Fred Bellet)

The complex, too, has drawn the eyes of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who’ve signed on as program rink sponsors.

No plans are in the works for the Lightning to relocate their practices from the Ice Sports Forum in Brandon, however.

Other visiting NHL teams, though, may practice at the Wesley Chapel complex during their road trips to Florida; multiple NHL organizations have already expressed interest in doing so, Zimmermann said.

Still, there will be ample ice time for everyone — even the average skater or recreational hockey player.

“We can do a lot more…and still keep our public skate and our learn-to-skate program going; we don’t have to cancel it,” Zimmermann explained.

Other key features of the complex, interestingly, don’t even require ice.

Rinks can be converted to accommodate large corporate events and dry floor sports, such as basketball, volleyball and box lacrosse.

“We have a sub-floor that goes over the ice,” Zimmermann said, “and a sport court goes on top of one of the NHL rinks. We can put it on any one, and we can also do it on the mini-rink.”

There’s also a six-lane, 90-yard running track, and a 2,600-square-foot fitness facility.

All those features, Zimmermann said, set the facility apart from other complexes.

Kim Payne, communications director at Florida Hospital Center Ice, watches a practice session from an observation area on the second-floor.
(Fred Bellet)

“Really, there’s nothing comparable to this south of New York all the way through the West Coast,” Zimmermann said. “It’s pretty amazing.”

Shari Klutz, skating the center’s program director, agrees.

“I love this facility,” said Klutz, who previously served as figure skating director at the Ashburn Ice House in Virginia. “They thought of a lot of key things, and made it unique. It has every training aspect you could need.”

The ice complex has been a long time coming for the area.

Previously, many Pasco and north Hillsborough residents would trek to Brandon to get their hockey and skating fix. Others may have used the Clearwater Ice Arena or the Tampa Bay Skating Academy in Oldsmar.

Florida Hospital Center Ice was expected to open in October 2015. However, various permitting and technological setbacks stalled the $28 million capital investment project.

Zimmermann pointed to a lengthy commissioning period, balancing of the building and “other things out of our control.”

“I wouldn’t say they were necessarily delays,” Zimmermann said. “It’s a very complicated building.”

He added: “We would have loved to be open before the (Christmas) holiday, but we’re going to be here a long time, so we wanted to do it right.”

With a relative dearth of ice complexes in the Bay Area, Center Ice is forecasted as an economic driver for both Wesley Chapel and Pasco County.

The county already has five hotels in development, including two directly adjacent to the complex.

Officials believe the massive facility will attract 1.5 million to 2 million visitors annually, with 40 percent coming from outside Tampa Bay.

Though open and operable, the entire complex is still not fully complete.

Finishing touches are still being made to the fitness center and two rinks. The full-service restaurant, Top Shelf Sports Lounge, is slated to open sometime this month.

Published February 22, 2017

Refinery problems freeze gas prices

September 29, 2014 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

The dream of gas under $3 may have to wait a little longer, at least in Florida.

Refinery outages in both Canada and Texas put a halt to the summer-long decline in gas prices, and even went as far as pushing prices up in some places, like Pensacola.

“Refinery maintenance, especially in the Gulf, is causing the tightening of supplies in some areas,” said AAA spokesman Josh Carrasco, in a release. “As a result of these refinery issues, the downward pressure eon gas prices motorists saw earlier this month has stopped.”

Several companies in the Gulf region — home to more than 40 percent of U.S. refining capacity, announced an unplanned maintenance, AAA said, which reduced gasoline output in this areas. Those outages occurred the same time as other refineries in the region are conducting seasonal maintenance.

Oil prices also are rising again, with West Texas intermediate crude rising $1.13 to $93.54 a barrel on Friday.

“Overall, motorists are still seeing value at the pump,” Carrasco said. “Gas prices are at a seven-month low, and we expect gasoline to continue trending downwards in the coming months.”

Prices in Florida held steady this week at $3.29, but was down 8 cents from a month ago, and 6 cents from a year ago.

The cheapest gas in Land O’ Lakes was $3.16, and found at a few stations in the area, including the Hess on State Road 52 and U.S. 41, as well as the RaceTrac at State Road 52 and Silver Palm Boulevard, and another RaceTrac on Land O’ Lakes Boulevard, near Lake Patience Road, according to GasBuddy. The most expensive gas reported to the site was $3.29 at the Shell station on the corner of State Road 54 and State Road 56.

In Wesley Chapel, prices ranged from $3.12 at Sam’s Club near Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, and $3.29 at a Shell station nearby. Lutz gas was as low as $3.16 at the Chevron and Sunoco at State Road 54 and Collier Parkway, and as high as $3.39 at the Shell on North Dale Mabry Highway and Van Dyke Road.

Gas prices in Zephyrhills climbed a little bit to a low of $3.15 at the Marathon on Eiland Boulevard and Geiger Road, as well as the Mobil on State Road 54 and Allen Road. The most expensive was reported at the Cumberland Farms on Gall Boulevard and State Road 39, where gas was $3.26.

The cheapest gas in Dade City was $3.13 at Clark, on U.S. 301 near Long Avenue. The most expensive there was said to be at Chevron on the corner of Fort King Road and Clinton Avenue, were prices came in at $3.24.

Dollar Tree buying Family Dollar for a lot of dollars

July 28, 2014 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Two popular low-cost retail chains with dozens of locations locally will become one company by early next year.

Dollar Tree Inc. says it will buy Family Dollar Stores Inc. in a deal said to be worth $8.5 billion.

While both Dollar Tree and Family Dollar will share the same main office, not much else is expected to change, Dollar Tree executives said in a release. Stores will continue to operate under their own banners and their own policies, creating a combined force to compete with Dollar General.

The new Dollar Tree will have 13,000 stores across 48 states and five Canadian provinces, with annual sales expected to hit $18 billion.

Family Dollar chief executive Howard Levine will stay with the company, but report directly to his Dollar Tree counterpart, Bob Sasser. Levine will join the company’s board of directors.

While both stores are discount-oriented, each has its own approach to pricing. Dollar Tree does not sell any item for more than $1, while Family Dollar has various prices, but typically at a discount compared to competitors.

Family Dollar operates six stores locally, including four in Zephyrhills, and a store each in Dade City and San Antonio. Dollar Tree has stores in Lutz, Land O’ Lakes, Wesley Chapel, New Tampa, Zephyrhills and Dade City.

Colonial Four RV park sells for $875,000

June 4, 2014 By Michael Hinman

A former Tampa Bay Lightning player says he is not the new owner of a Zephyrhills recreational vehicle park.

Colonial Four RV, a community located at 6991 Fort King Road, sold Monday for $875,000, according to a release by Marcus & Millichap regional manager Richard D. Matricaria. Geared toward the 55 and older crowd, the park dates back to the 1970s, and has a mix of both seasonal and permanent residents living in 57 rental sites on 5 acres of land.

The sellers, according to county property records, are Bruce and Darlene Flansburg, who originally purchased the park in 2007 for $700,000. The seller, however, is not so apparent.

The real estate brokerage did not release the name of the seller, except to say that it’s a “well-known sports figure looking for a local investment,” Dan Mulkey, Marcus & Millichap’s vice president of investments, said in a release.

Property records show the purchaser to be a company called White Marlin LLC, which was created last March. State corporate records, however, show no managers as part of the company, and only gives a physical address on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard in New Tampa.

One company that uses the same address is Neckar Hockey, a youth sports training company run by former National Hockey League defenseman Stan Neckar, who finished his career with the Lightning in 2004 after the team won the Stanley Cup. He was traded to the Lightning in 2001 in the same deal the hockey team picked up popular goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, who now plays for the Chicago Blackhawks, according to Neckar’s website.

Neckar, however, told The Laker late Wednesday that he was not the property buyer, and was unsure why White Marlin is using the same address. Neckar said he did have a business partner, another former hockey player he did not name, but verified with him that he’s not the buyer either.

Neckar, born in the former Czechoslovakia, moved to Tampa permanently in 2006 with his wife and four kids, according to his business website.

Mulkey told The Laker Thursday that at the request of his client, he could not release the name of the sports figure, but did say “it is not who you thought,” regarding Neckar.

The address for White Marlin matches a post office box with a Pak Mail location in New Tampa. One other company that has used the same address in recent years is a New Tampa company called Mobile Cigar Lounge Co., which — according to its website — is a co-owned venture between Neckar and fellow Lightning teammate Dave Andreychuk.

Many of the people who settle at Colonial Four are winter residents from Canada, according to a release. The new owner, whoever it is, has plans to upgrade the community in the near future.

“His plans include bringing in additional permanent units, thereby stabilizing the park’s annual income,” Mulkey said in a release. “I feel confident he will be pleased with this purchase.”

Updated 6/4/2014, 6:30 p.m., to reflect comments from Stan Neckar; updated 6/5/2014, 1 p.m., to reflect comments from Marcus & Millichap and to include information about other recent uses of the business address.

PetSmart to host special pet adoption this weekend

April 29, 2014 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Cat Crusaders wants people to bring a feline into their home, and are offering a chance to do just that this weekend in New Tampa.

Izzy 2
Courtesy of Cat Crusaders

PetSmart, located at 6248 Commerce Palms Blvd., will have a number of pets available for adoption May 3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. as part of PetSmart Charities National Adoption Weekend.

Cat Crusaders will be joined by several other animal rescue groups, including Florida Cocker Spaniel Rescue, PetPals, Florida All Retriever Rescue, and Guardian Angel Dog Rescue. It will feature kittens, cats, puppies and dogs for adoption.

Cat Crusaders will feature special kitten and cat adoption fees for Saturday — $35 for an adult cat, $60 for a kitten, and $80 for two kittens. All cats and kittens are current on their vaccines, and have been spayed or neutered, and microchipped.
PetSmart stores typically offer adoption serves every weekend, but the additional adoption events — held four times each year — allow for specials on adoption, as well as a wider variety of pets. More than 17,000 pets find homes during a PetSmart adoption weekend, and are held in every PetSmart store in the United States and Canada.
For more information on the event, click here.

Union helps Pasco County employees ratify first contract

April 15, 2014 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

The Teamsters Local 79 union in Tampa is celebrating its first Teamster contract with Pasco County public employees the group says will represent 1,100 public sector jobs across the county.

A one-year contract was ratified by those employees late last week, according to the Teamsters, and covers workers ranging from road and bridge maintenance, to librarians.

“We fought to win a strong first contract for these hardworking public employees, and we won,” said Ken Wood, president of Teamsters Local 79, in a release. “The battle took almost four years, but our negotiators knew that they must bring the employees a contract that honored their job seniority, had just-cause provisions, and included wage increases. And that is just what they delivered.”

Pasco’s public employees are the newest ones represented by the local Teamsters group, who already work with similar employees in Hernando, Citrus and Collier counties.

Teamsters Local 79 is affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents 1.4 million workers throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

Gas prices on the rise, and here’s why

March 18, 2014 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

It’s costing more to pump gas at the pump than it did a few weeks ago — locally more than a dime more per gallon — but gas price spikes are nothing like what’s happening in and around Orlando.

There, prices have jumped as much as 16 cents per gallon, according to GasBuddy.com. And all of it is because of an “imperfect storm of events.”

The biggest problem, according to senior petroleum analyst Gregg Laskoski, is supply. Florida is transitioning to its “summer blend” gasoline, in a process that will take at least another month to complete. At the same time, GasBuddy said there have been unconfirmed reports of gasoline transportation delays moving from Houston or New Orleans to Tampa due to fog in the Gulf of Mexico.

Imports from offshore sources also have stayed low, while freight rates for moving gas from Texas and Louisiana remains high because of a shortage of American-flagged vessels to transport it.

Another problem affecting gas prices is ethanol, which has jumped to $3.75 per gallon in Florida. That alone has raised gas prices by at least 6 cents a gallon, compared to the beginning of the year when the abundance of ethanol probably cheapened gas by a few pennies, according to GasBuddy.

Trains that bring ethanol to Florida have been backlogged, although southern Florida is experiencing those effects more than central Florida.

Trucks to transport gas also are in short supply, especially since many of them are being used for move jet fuel from the ports on the east coast to Tampa.

Finally, demand is probably the strongest in the last six years, primarily because of northern states experiencing some of its harshest winters in the past century, experts said. That demand, which also can drive up prices, could continue through the end of April.

GasBuddy operates more than 250 websites that track gasoline prices at more than 140,000 stations in the United States and Canada.

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08/15/2022 – Animal Services temporary closure

Pasco County Animal Services, 19640 Dogpatch Lane in Land O' Lakes, will close to the public on Aug. 15 through Aug. 17. The PCAS team members will be training on a new pet management software, to better serve customers. Offices will re-open for regular business hours on Aug. 18. … [Read More...] about 08/15/2022 – Animal Services temporary closure

08/16/2022 to 08/18/2022 – National Rarities buying event

Kiefer Fine Jewelers will host an exclusive buying event with National Rarities from Aug. 16 to Aug. 18, at both Kiefer locations: 37850 Meridian Ave., in Dade City (Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.), and 24144 State Road 54 in Lutz (Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.). Top dollar is expected to be offered for fine jewelry, coins and currency, scrap gold and silver, fine art, diamonds, sterling silver, watches, and antique toys and advertising. This event serves those looking for a professional evaluation of their items in a convenient setting. Estate specialists will share information about the items and help the seller to consider options. Payment is on the spot should the customer decide to sell, plus a 20% bonus if taken as store credit. The event also will feature an Estate Jewelry Trunk Show, presenting one-of-a-kind pieces. For information, call Dade City store at 352-567-2378, or Lutz at … [Read More...] about 08/16/2022 to 08/18/2022 – National Rarities buying event

08/17/2022 – Bat seminar

The Starkey Ranch Theatre Library Cultural Center, 12118 Lake Blanche Drive in Odessa, will present a master gardener seminar on bats on Aug. 17 at 11 a.m. Topics will include why bats are threatened and misunderstood. Masks are recommended. Registration is required online at PascoLibraries.org. … [Read More...] about 08/17/2022 – Bat seminar

08/17/2022 – Guardian ad litem sessions

Anyone interested in volunteering for abused, neglected or abandoned children in the Pasco County foster care system can attend one of these upcoming sessions for the Guardian ad Litem program: • The New River Library, 34043 State Road 54 in Wesley Chapel, will host a Volunteer Orientation on Aug. 17 at 1:30 p.m. Masks are encouraged. Register online at PascoLibraries.org. For information, call 813-788-6375. • The Starkey Ranch Theatre Library Cultural Center, 12118 Lake Blanche Drive in Odessa, will host an Information Session on Aug. 18 at 1:30 p.m. For information, call 727-834-3493, ext. 2929, or visit HeroToAChild.org. … [Read More...] about 08/17/2022 – Guardian ad litem sessions

08/18/2022 – ZooTampa Story Time

The Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative will present “Story Time with ZooTampa: Senses in Nature” on Aug. 18 at 10 a.m., for ages 3 to 6, online. The program will use stories, action rhymes, songs and interactive activities to combine an animal experience with early literacy skills, to encourage reading readiness and social interaction. Register online through the calendar feature at HCPLC.org. … [Read More...] about 08/18/2022 – ZooTampa Story Time

08/18/2022 – ZooTampa story time

The Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative will present “Story Time with ZooTampa: Senses in Nature” on Aug. 18 at 10 a.m., for ages 3 to 6, online. The program will use stories, action rhymes, songs and interactive activities to combine an animal experience with early literacy skills, to encourage reading readiness and social interaction. Register online through the calendar feature at HCPLC.org. … [Read More...] about 08/18/2022 – ZooTampa story time

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