The Laker/Lutz News

West Zephyrhills Elementary

Redevelopment projects are making progress

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Efforts are continuing on several projects being spearheaded by the Zephyrhills Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA).

Gail Hamilton, the director of the CRA, served up several updates on projects during a monthly November meeting at Zephyrhills City Hall.

For instance, CRA staffers are continuing to work with firms Furr, Wegman & Banks P.A., and BGE Inc., on the design of the “Little But Loud” downtown entertainment backyard hub, Hamilton said.

Staffers also are soliciting help from Main Street Zephyrhills Inc.’s design committee to review various proposals and criteria, she said.

The Zephyrhills Community Redevelopment Agency has multiple projects in the pipeline. (File)

The venue — to be developed on a 150-foot by 60-foot city-owned vacant lot at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Eighth Street — is expected to feature food trucks, vendor carts, games, live music, public art installations and various seating areas.

A more specific concept plan, with pictures, is expected to be presented at the Dec. 27 meeting.

That will give the board an opportunity to “see what we’ve been working on,” Hamilton said.

The venue site was once home to a Disabled American Veterans chapter building, and is situated just a block north of Fifth Avenue and adjacent to City Hall.

Hamilton also updated the board on work being done for the Hercules Park redevelopment project.

She said survey crews are expected to wrap up their duties for the park redevelopment project by Dec. 20, paving way for the design process to begin in early 2022.

The 12-acre park property is located at the corner of County Road 54 and Gall Boulevard. It’s expected to feature a multi-purpose trail, playfield, nature playground and picnic area, among other elements.

Also, the CRA director mentioned security cameras will be installed in Clock Plaza along Fifth Avenue, before the end of this year.

Clock Plaza — situated two blocks east of U.S. 301 in the city’s historic downtown district — is patterned after an old-fashioned town square that features a gazebo-style bandstand, a decorative clock, landscaping, and downtown parking.

This half-acre park features picnic tables nestled underneath shady oak trees.

The bandstand is used throughout the year for live entertainment during Main Street events, parades, and other social activities.

That location is expected to be just the first of several where cameras will be installed.

“We’ve been working with the police department to identify locations they’d like to have cameras,” Hamilton said. “The feed will go directly to the police department so they can see it in real-time.”

Hamilton also carved out time to praise Main Street Zephyrhills Director Faith Wilson and a new Main Street Board of Directors for helping facilitate downtown events, including Halloween Howl and the Festival of Lights Christmas Parade.

Wilson — hired in June — replaced Paxton McCullough, who held the role from June 2020 to May 2021. Before that, the Main Street leadership role was held by Anna Stutzriem, who resigned in March 2020 after more than two years on the post.

“They have worked incredibly hard,” Hamilton said of the Main Street staff and volunteers. “Last year, because of COVID, we had no events. We have a board that’s never done any events; they’re all new and have never done anything…but the Main Street board members and their committee members have really worked hard, gotten together, have figured out what needs to be done…”

The Oct. 30 Halloween Howl reported strong attendance. It also had 60 vendors, four sponsors and several new attractions, including sold-out historical ghost tours.

The Dec. 4 Festival of Lights reported eight sponsors, as well as four food vendors and eight concession vendors.

The event featured four co-grand marshals, which were standout teachers from the Zephyrhills area — Dustin Rowe (Zephyrhills High School), Michelle Elie (West Zephyrhills Elementary), Brian McKinnnies (Raymond B. Stewart Middle School) and Jaime Barrentine (Chester Taylor Elementary). A fifth educator also was recognized — Michelle Deloret (Woodland Elementary School) — but couldn’t attend the event.

Entertainment and music was provided by local community organizations, including Helen’s Baton and Dance Studio, the Zephyrhills Community Choir, and the First United Methodist Church Choir.

In other action, the CRA Board unanimously approved a $1,000 matching sign grant for Bulldog Performance Speed Shop, owned by Jeremiah Swindell, at 5047 Gall Blvd.

The business sells an assortment of after-market automotive parts and accessories, and features a full-service machine shop.

Offerings include diesel performance, lift kits, nitrous, rotating assemblies, crate engines and race fuel.

The total cost of Bulldog Performance’s new signage was $2,238.90.

The sign improvements fall under the CRA’s matching façade rehabilitation program, which aims to encourage rehabilitation and preservation of commercial buildings by offering a financial incentive of matching funds and limited technical assistance.

The general idea is to encourage an aesthetically pleasing business district, while eliminating blighting influences.

Published December 15, 2021

Foundation serves up tennis lessons to Pasco youth

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Since its October grand opening ceremony, the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Center in Zephyrhills has garnered widespread recognition for its breadth of racquet sports and other amenities.

The 10-acre athletic complex, located off Simons Road, is owned by the City of Zephyrhills, but privately managed and operated. It boasts 11 tennis courts, eight pickleball courts and four padel courts. It also offers a mix of peak performance treatments in the way of a state-of-the-art fitness center, cryotherapy, salt room therapy and sports counseling.

Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Foundation program director Nick Walton, left, with foundation ambassador Isaac Mitchell. Teen ambassadors, including Mitchell, volunteer in the afterschool programs and represent the foundation at other community events. For their efforts, ambassadors receive training and private coaching privileges at the new tennis center. (Courtesy of Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Foundation)

These features, among others, set the facility up as a regional, national and even international racquet sports destination, with potential to host world-class tournaments and professional players on-site for training.

But, beyond the scope of drawing tourism and big-money events to East Pasco, the sports facility also is serving up outreach opportunities for community youth.

That’s being done through the facility’s 501c3 nonprofit partner organization, called the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Foundation.

The foundation’s mission is “to provide tennis and education programming in Pasco County communities through character-building, physical activity, and mentoring.”

The foundation — and tennis center— is named in honor of the former Zephyrhills High School district champion who became a scholarship player on the University of South Carolina Upstate women’s tennis team.

Sarah Vande Berg, the daughter of Zephyrhills planning director Todd Vande Berg, died in an automobile accident at the age of 21 in October 2015.

Sarah Vande Berg Foundation program director Nick Walton and Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center CEO Pascal Collard provided updates about the nonprofit’s progress during a Zephyrhills City Council meeting last month.

Earlier this fall, the foundation launched a pair of free afterschool programs at both West Zephyrhills Elementary and Raymond B. Stewart Middle Schools. Programming had been set to begin at the schools in the spring, but was delayed amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the new afterschool program, foundation coaches and volunteers are on-site at the schools twice a week for two hours each day, teaching introductory tennis fundamentals, nutrition habits and character education classes, for children in grades three through eight.

The Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Foundation recently launched a pair of free afterschool programs at both West Zephyrhills Elementary and Raymond B. Stewart Middle schools. Coaches and volunteers from the foundation are on-site at the schools twice a week for two hours each day, teaching introductory tennis fundamentals, nutrition habits and character education classes, for children in grades three through eight. The program assists youth of all skill levels and backgrounds, including many low-income and minority youth with limited access to organized sports.

The program assists youth of all skill levels and backgrounds, including many low-income and minority youth who have limited access to organized sports.

Most of the approximately 30 youth players from each respective school had never picked up a racquet prior to joining the program.

In a nutshell, here’s how the afterschool initiative works: All participants are incentivized from the first day to show up to all classes, listen to their coaches, follow instructions, and try their best to improve. Students who handle these objectives diligently for four consecutive weeks are rewarded with a brand-new racquet for them to take home and practice.

“We want to break down barriers to the sport of tennis and access to equitable education services,” Walton said of the program. “Our vision is for all students to have personal growth and positive relationships through tennis.”

The foundation also has sponsored a teen ambassador program geared toward eighth grade and high school students. These ambassadors help volunteer in the afterschool programs and represent the foundation at other community events. For their efforts, ambassadors receive training and private coaching privileges at the new tennis center.

“We’re definitely more than tennis,” said Walton. “What we’re creating is a community of young people who will grow together, on and off the court.”

That happens, he said, through positive role models and mentors, a heavy emphasis on education and growth through sport and physical well-being.

The foundation also offers a college scholarship program, awarding multiple scholarships each year to graduating Zephyrhills High School student-athletes. Scholarship selection criteria include academic performance, leadership qualities, volunteerism, community engagement and sports involvement.

Athletes from all sports are encouraged to apply, not just those who play tennis.

Six scholarships have been awarded over the past three years, according to the foundation’s website. The deadline to apply is April 30 each year.

Zephyrhills City Councilman Lance Smith called the foundation’s varied efforts “a great thing for the whole community.”

“I’m just really excited because we’re in those schools where we need to reach these kids,” said Smith. “Introducing them to a sport and teaching them about what they need to do to become good people, creating good character in them, so I couldn’t be happier to be involved with them.”

The Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Foundation has methodically built up its base since design plans and construction for the multimillion dollar tennis center were en route a few years ago.
The foundation’s first major fundraiser was held in October 2018, at Arbor Green in New Tampa.

That tennis clinic and event gala was headlined by International Tennis Hall of Fame coach Nick Bolletti, renowned for grooming 10 world No. 1 players, including Andre Agassi, Monica Seles, Maria Sharapova and Dade City’s Jim Courier, among many others.

The gala helped raise more than $10,000, used to purchase tennis rackets and to subsidize tennis camps for youth.

Total donations have since reached $30,500, according to the foundation’s website. Supporting partners include the United States Tennis Foundation, Wilson Sporting Goods, Duke Energy and Zephyrhills Water.

The foundation mirrors a similar outreach program called Down The Line and Beyond, which Collard spearheaded while he was tennis director at The Merion Cricket Club, a private club in Haverford, Pennsylvania.

The Philadelphia-area nonprofit has grown to serve more than 1,600 underprivileged youths from ages 7 to 17, and facilitates positive character and education development through tennis lessons.

Some of those youths even went on to earn collegiate tennis scholarships as a result of their development in the program.

“None of them would’ve played tennis — none— without the foundation. We are going to do the same thing over here (in Zephyrhills),” Collard said in a prior interview with The Laker/Lutz News.

For more information, visit SVBTennisFoundation.com.

Published December 16, 2020

Pasco schools add feeding sites for students

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Pasco County Schools planned to expand its number of student feeding sites from its initial seven locations up to 25 school sites, effective March 31, according to a school district news release.

While wearing an N95 mask for her safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, Linda McCabe, of Dade City, confirms the amount of food bags needed for one of the cars that showed up for the Pasco County school district’s free lunch program, at the Pasco High School site on March 26. McCabe is the school’s registrar and volunteered for this program that is handing out hundreds of free food bags daily. The school district since has expanded the number of food distribution sites and changed its delivery strategy. (Christine Holtzman)

Pasco also will add feeding sites at 16 bus stops throughout the county.

There are other significant changes in the way Pasco County Schools is getting food to students. The drive-thru sites and the bus deliveries will take place on Tuesday only, and the food provided will include food for five days for each student, the release adds.

A family with two children would receive 10 lunches and 10 breakfasts on Tuesday.

The student, or students, must be present to receive food.

Here is the list of Pasco sites, in and near The Laker/Lutz News coverage area, where meals will be delivered:

School bus deliveries, on Tuesdays only:

  • 11 a.m.: Wilson Street grass lot, 13800 Wilson St., Dade City
  • 11 a.m.: Zephyrhills YMCA, 37301 Chapel Hill Loop, Zephyrhills
  • 11:20 a.m.: Hilltop Landings 37611 Colina Drive, Dade City
  • 11:25 a.m.: Crystal Springs Community Center, 1655 Partridge Blvd., Zephyrhills
  • 11:45 a.m.: Trilby United Methodist Church, 37504 Trilby Road, Dade City
Pasco High School employee Diane Salas, of Dade City, passes out lunch bags to three of Ithzi Diaz’s children on March 26. Diaz, a single mother of four children, said that she is so grateful that the school district is offering this program because it helps while she tries to stretch out her food stamps until the beginning of next month. Pasco High School was one of the district’s sites that was distributing free breakfast and lunch foods to school-aged children, while area schools remained closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Drive-thru student food distribution sites

Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

  • Centennial Middle School, 38505 Centennial Road, Dade City
  • Chester W. Taylor Elementary School, 3618 Morris Bridge Road, Zephyrhills
  • Rodney B. Cox Elementary School, 37615 Martin Luther King Blvd., Dade City
  • New River Elementary School, 4710 River Glen Blvd., Wesley Chapel
  • Pasco High School, 36850 State Road 52, Dade City
  • Pasco Middle School, 13925 14th St., Dade City
  • Quail Hollow Elementary School, 7050 Quail Hollow Blvd., Wesley Chapel
  • San Antonio Elementary School, 32416 Darby Road, Dade City
  • West Zephyrhills Elementary, 37900 14th Ave., Zephyrhills
  • Zephyrhills High School, 6335 12th St., Zephyrhills

Published April 1, 2020

Lien forgiveness program may be expanded

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The City of Zephyrhills is considering a facelift to its residential lien forgiveness incentive program — to also include commercial properties.

Zephyrhills Community Redevelopment Agency director Gail Hamilton outlined the case for an enhanced program, as part of a continued effort to increase property values in and around the downtown area.

Zephyrhills CRA director Gail Hamilton addresses the CRA board, which is made up of the Zephyrhills City Council. (Kevin Weiss)

The  Zephyrhills Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) board proceeded to direct staff to draft such a policy for further review at its Feb. 24 meeting. The Zephyrhills City Council also makes up the CRA Board.

Zephyrhills instituted a residential lien forgiveness program in May 2017, to promote investment and improvements to blighted properties and vacant lots, and increase home ownership within its city limits.

Under the program, applicants have one year to make agreed upon improvements ($2,500 minimum) to the property.

Once the work is completed by a licensed general contractor, the city waives various mowing and code enforcement liens previously placed on the property.

Similar procedures and policies would apply to a commercial lien forgiveness program, with each property taken on a case-by-case basis, Hamilton said.

For example, the owner of the property cannot be the one that incurred the liens in the first place — it has to be a new owner that purchased a property with existing outstanding liens.

The CRA director noted interest has picked up lately from applicants looking to redevelop commercial properties burdened with thousands of dollars of unpaid fines.

Those liens have made those properties overpriced and unattractive to potential buyers, she said.

“Having a commercial property sitting empty does not help anyone,” Hamilton told board members.

Forgiving the liens, she said, “is one more tool in my toolbox to get something done.”

Board members indicated they want to come up with a “unified program” and hammer out some of the finer details, such as how to handle title insurance and loan policies as it relates to businesses.

Additionally, Jodi Wilkeson, president of the CRA board and a member of the city council, pondered how such a commercial lien forgiveness policy might lead to unintended consequences.

She wondered if it could lead to a national credit investor to come into town and buy up several properties to lease out to others “then we have a series of people coming in and out, in and out, in and out.”

Sidewalks needed in Zephyrhills
Hamilton also presented a first look of the Zephyrhills CRA’s sidewalk master plan, being completed by consulting firm Kimley-Horn to provide details on the existing state of sidewalks in the CRA district, and set priorities for the construction of new sidewalks and trails.

Within the 602-acre district, the city has sidewalks at Hercules Park, Woodland Elementary School, Stewart Middle School, West Zephyrhills Elementary School, the Zephyrhills City Hall/Library Complex and Zephyr Park.

However, an analysis shows a general lack of connectivity and missing sidewalk segments, that otherwise would help people access and experience Zephyrhills’s downtown, and improve quality of life for residents and visitors.

Hamilton described the state of the city’s sidewalk system this way: “It’s not very good.”

“At this point, we just need sidewalks,” Hamilton told board members. “We need to increase the walkability and accessibility within the CRA district.”

She said when people are surveyed about great towns to visit, they often mention the ease of getting around on foot, as well as parks and downtown areas.

“We want Zephyrhills to have that same experience,” Hamilton said.

The CRA director said “high priority” is being placed on building more sidewalks (at least 6-feet wide) at nearby schools and parks “because we want kids and families to be able to get back and forth.”

A GIS analysis identified 21 “high priority” locations where missing sidewalk segments are needed, with another 50 areas labeled either “medium priority” or “low priority” for sidewalks.

Hamilton noted there are some potential conflicts — parking lots, utilities, drainage facilities —that prevent installing sidewalks on both sides of the street at some locations.

One solution is to install well-marked crosswalks from a particular destination to a sidewalk on the other side of the street, she said.

A final master plan document will include cost estimates for sidewalks based on the priority rankings.

Possible funding sources include Safe Routes to School Program, Local Agency Program, Recreational Trails Program and Community Development Block Grant.

The city also could establish a sidewalk mitigation fund and/or utilize public works funds.

Said Hamilton, “We’re not going to be able to do it all at one time; we’ll just do it as we can.”

Founder’s Day Parade set
Organizers of the 110th Zephyrhills Founder’s Day Parade & Heritage Festival are hoping for a greater turnout from youth at this year’s event.

Main Street Zephyrhills coordinator Anna Stutzriem told CRA board members that more kid-friendly activities have been incorporated this year to an event that “has historically been an older demographic.”

The Kid’s Zone will include sidewalk chalk creations, bounce houses and craft workshop demonstrations hosted by Home Depot.

This year’s Founder’s Day Parade theme is, “The Roaring 20s: Glitz, Glam & Tin Cans.”

Th event will have 70 vendors and somewhere between 65 to 70 parade entries, Stutzriem said.

The event is set for March 7 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Main Street Zephyrhills, 38537 Fifth Ave., Zephyrhills.

For information, call (813) 780-1414, or visit MainStreetZephyrhills.org.

Published March 4, 2020

Grades slip at numerous local schools

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The Florida Department of Education has released its annual school grades, and the news was not good for numerous Pasco County schools in The Laker/Lutz News’ coverage area.

“As soon as I saw the information, I was pretty distraught,” said Pasco County School Board member Alison Crumbley.

“This has to really be broken down,” she said, noting she has requested a school board workshop to address the issue. “We need to pick this apart. This is priority one — priority one, to figure this out.”

The district needs time to analyze the results, Crumbley said, so she requested the workshop be held following the board’s Aug. 2 meeting.

Overall, 10 central and east Pasco elementary schools slipped by one letter grade. Six elementary schools maintained the same grade as last year, and two improved by a letter grade. Pine View Elementary had the biggest drop, slipping from an A to a C. Sanders Elementary, which opened last school year, received a B. Quail Hollow, which reopened last year, received a C.

All seven middle schools, meanwhile, maintained the grades they received last year, including three As, at Rushe, John Long and Pine View.

But, the news was not as good at the high school level. Four high schools in east and central Pasco dropped a grade, while two remained the same.

No Pasco high school within the newspaper’s coverage area received an A grade. Last year, Wiregrass Ranch High, Land O’ Lakes High and Sunlake each received an A, but this year, they each dropped to a B. Wesley Chapel High, which had a B last year, dropped to a C.

Meanwhile, each of the Pasco charter schools, serving the newspaper’s coverage area — Academy at the Farm, Countryside Montessori and Imagine School at Land O’ Lakes —received an A, mirroring the score they each received last year.

Crumbley said she’s trying to understand why some schools performed at the same level, or even improved, while others slipped.

“Nothing is really straight up, cut-and-dried, in this business, and I do know that,” Crumbley said. “But by the same token, we have to get to the bottom of this. We have to. Period.”

School board member Steve Luikart also expressed concerns.

“Some of the schools slipped and the district slipped. We went from B to C,” Luikart said.

On one hand, Luikart said, “it’s hard to throw mud at something, when you’ve got a change of criteria every year … It’s impossible to nail down data, when the criteria is not consistent.”

On the other hand, he continued: “We’re still competing with everyone else in the state,” he said.

“We’re going to have to look at what we’ve got to do differently to head it back in a different direction. There’s no doubt about that,” he said.

“I’m definitely concerned. It’s very disappointing,” Luikart said.

This chart provides scores for east and central Pasco County schools.

Elementary schools
Centennial Elementary                         2016: D           2015: C
Chester W. Taylor Jr. Elementary                   2016: C           2015: C
Connerton Elementary                         2016: C           2015: B
Denham Oaks Elementary                               2016: C           2015: B
Double Branch Elementary                             2016: B           2015: A
Lacoochee Elementary                         2016: D           2015: F
Lake Myrtle Elementary                                  2016: B           2015: A
New River Elementary                                    2016: B           2015: B
Oakstead Elementary                                       2016: A           2015: A
Pasco Elementary                                            2016: D           2015: D
Pine View Elementary                         2016: C           2015: A
Quail Hollow                                                  2016: C           2015 (Not open)
Rodney B. Cox Elementary                             2016: D           2015: F
San Antonio Elementary                                 2016: C           2015: C
Sanders Elementary                                        2016: B           2015 (Not open)
Seven Oaks Elementary                                  2016: B           2015: A
Veterans Elementary                                       2016: B           2015: A
Watergrass Elementary                                    2016: C           2015: B
Wesley Chapel Elementary                              2016: A           2015: A
West Zephyrhills Elementary                          2016: D           2015: C
Woodland Elementary                         2016: D           2015: C

Middle schools
Centennial Middle                                           2016: C           2015: C
Charles S. Rushe Middle                                2016: A           2015: A
Dr. John Long Middle                                    2016: A           2015: A
Pasco Middle                                                  2016: C           2015: C
Pine View Middle                                           2016: A           2015: A
Raymond B. Stewart Middle School               2016: C           2015: C
Thomas E. Weightman Middle School            2016: B           2015: B

High schools
Land O’ Lakes High                                       2016: B           2015: A
Pasco High                                                      2016: C           2015: C
Sunlake High                                                  2016: B           2015: A
Wesley Chapel High                                       2016: C           2015: B
Wiregrass Ranch High                                    2016: B           2015: A
Zephyrhills High                                             2016: C           2015: C

Charter schools
Academy at the Farm                                      2016: A           2015: A
Countryside Montessori Academy                  2016: A           2015: A
Imagine School at Land O’ Lakes                   2016: A           2015: A

Published July 20, 2016

 

Summer programs feed kids

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Children who normally eat lunch at school when classes are in session have a free alternative during the summer months.

Both Hillsborough and Pasco counties are participating in a summer food service program that provide free lunches and afternoon snacks at numerous sites around each county.

The program begins on June 13 and concludes on Aug. 3.

The sites are situated in areas where at least half of the children qualify for free or reduced price meals during the school year. The meals and snacks will be offered at local parks and other community locations to all children under 18 in the area.

No applications are required and summer camp registration is not required.

The Summer Food Service program is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture.

Here are some sites that are providing free lunches and snacks. Check with the sites to find out hours of operation.

Hillsborough County (partial listing):

  • Northdale Recreation, 15550 Spring Pine Drive
  • North Tampa Boys and Girls Club, 2313 Yukon St.
  • North Tampa Recreation Center, 8608 12th St.

(For more Hillsborough sites, go to HillsboroughCounty.org/SummerFood)

Pasco County (partial listing):

  • Arbours Mobile, 12861 Stately Oak St., Dade City
  • Centennial Middle, 38505 Centennial Road, Dade City
  • Cypress Farms Mobile, 38727 Patti Lane, Dade City
  • Farm Workers Self-Help, 37124 Lock St., Dade City
  • James Irvin Civic Center, 38122 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Dade City
  • Lacoochee Elementary, 38815 Cummer Road, Dade City
  • Lake George Mobile, 15246 Davis Loop, Dade City
  • Lewis Abraham Lacoochee Unit, 38274 Mudcat Grant Blvd., Dade City
  • Pasco Elementary, 37350 Florida Ave., Dade City
  • Pasco High, 36850 State Road 52, Dade City
  • New River Elementary, 4710 River Glen Blvd., Wesley Chapel
  • Quail Hollow Elementary, 7050 Quail Hollow Blvd., Wesley Chapel
  • Thomas Weightman Middle School, 30649 Wells Road, Wesley Chapel
  • Watergrass Elementary, 32750 Overpass Road, Wesley Chapel
  • Wesley Chapel High, 30651 Wells Road, Wesley Chapel
  • Chester W. Taylor, 3628 Morris Bridge Road, Zephyrhills
  • Crystal Springs Mobile, 1655 Partridge Blvd., Zephyrhills
  • East Pasco YMCA, 37301 Chapel Hill Loop, Zephyrhills
  • R.B. Stewart Middle, 38505 10th Ave., Zephyrhills
  • Thomas Promise, 6851 Wire Road, Zephyrhills
  • West Zephyrhills Elementary, 37900 14th Ave., Zephyrhills
  • Zephyrhills High, 6335 12th St., Zephyrhills
  • Land O’ Lakes Recreational Complex, 3032 Collier Parkway, Land O’ Lakes
  • Land O’ Lakes Community Center, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Land O’ Lakes
  • Odessa Park Community Center, 1627 Chesapeake Drive, Odessa

For additional information, check the Pasco County Schools website at Pasco.k12.fl.us.

Published June 15, 2016

 

Pasco expands magnet options

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Pasco County Schools is expanding its magnet school options beginning next school year, and is holding a series of community meetings to explain the additional options.

Sanders Memorial Elementary School is Pasco County’s first magnet school. It offers a curriculum that focuses on science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics. The district is converting Centennial Middle School in Dade City into a science, technology, engineering and mathematics magnet school. (File Photo)
Sanders Memorial Elementary School is Pasco County’s first magnet school. It offers a curriculum that focuses on science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics.
The district is converting Centennial Middle School in Dade City into a science, technology, engineering and mathematics magnet school.
(File Photo)

The district is converting Centennial Middle School, in Dade City, into a STEM Magnet School. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

A series of community meetings, with each beginning at 6 p.m., will give parents a chance to learn more about the new middle school magnet program.

  • Jan. 11 in the cafeteria at Raymond B. Stewart Middle School, 38505 10th Ave., in Zephyrhills
  • Jan. 12 in the auditorium at Pasco Middle School at 13925 14th St., in Dade City
  • Jan. 13 in the cafeteria at Thomas E. Weightman Middle School, at 30649 Wells Road in Wesley Chapel
  • Jan. 19 in the cafeteria at Dr. John Long Middle School cafeteria, 2025 Mansfield Blvd., Wesley Chapel
  • Jan. 20 in the cafeteria at Centennial Middle School, at 38505 Centennial Road in Dade City
  • Jan. 21 in the cafeteria at Chester W. Taylor Elementary School, at 3638 Morris Bridge Road in Zephyrhills

Parents of sixth- and seventh-graders at the host schools, as well as parents of current fifth-graders that feed into those schools, are encouraged to attend.

Elementary schools feeding into Centennial Middle School are Centennial, Cox, Double Branch, Lacoochee, New River, Pasco, Quail Hollow, San Antonio, Seven Oaks, Veterans, Watergrass, Wesley Chapel, West Zephyrhills and Woodland.

At each meeting, Superintendent Kurt Browning, the magnet school principal and district staff will discuss the STEM magnet theme and programs that will be offered.

Parents also will hear about magnet school application timelines and options for transportation.

Fifth- through seventh-grade students may apply for acceptance to the magnet school during the magnet school application period, Jan. 18 through Jan. 31, 2016. Students and parents not listed are welcome to attend the meetings, but will need to apply for acceptance through the regular school choice period, which begins Feb. 1.

In addition to the new middle school magnet, the district also has an elementary STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics) program at Sanders Memorial Elementary in Land O’ Lakes.

Parents of prospective students to Sanders are invited to tour the school, at 5126 School Road in Land O’ Lakes, on Jan. 8 at 10 a.m., and 1:30 p.m.

Parents will have a chance to learn more about the school’s programs, facilities and unique features.

Sanders has unmanned aerial systems, solar panels, and other high tech devices, as well as computers and iPads for each student.

Published December 30, 2015

Zephyrhills Woman’s Club turns 100

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In the beginning, the GFWC Woman’s Club of Zephyrhills was a group of 15 women, who decided they wanted to form a civic club.

They established the club on Nov. 11, 1915 and voted to join the Florida Federation of Woman’s Clubs, automatically making them part of the General Federation of Woman’s Clubs, a national organization.

Linda Weyer is the current president of the GFWC Woman’s Club of Zephyrhills, a club she says that remains committed to its mission of service. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Linda Weyer is the current president of the GFWC Woman’s Club of Zephyrhills, a club she says that remains committed to its mission of service.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

On Nov. 15, about 90 people gathered at the Zephyrhills’ woman’s club’s stone building to celebrate a century of service.

Service continues to be the mission of the club, said current club President Linda Weyer.

“The GFWC in and of itself is responsible for a lot of beautification of streets, for public libraries, the National Park system, the Everglades. The Everglades would not be the Everglades National Park without the GFWC,” Weyer said.

“And, in Zephyrhills, we help with all of the local charities, especially relating to children.

“We help Everyday Blessings, the Pregnancy Care Center,” she said. “We’re working with Thomas Promise this year, to make sure the children, that are poor in the schools, get backpacks with food to take home for the weekends,” she added.

“We do help sponsor a second-grade classroom at West Zephyrhills Elementary School. And, every year, we collect school supplies in August and take them over to West Zephyrhills Elementary, and let the liaison distribute them to the children that need them. That way, they don’t get embarrassed,” she said.

This artist’s rendering depicts the home of the GFWC of Zephyrhills, the oldest service club in Zephyrhills, which celebrated its 100th birthday at a celebration on Nov. 15. (Courtesy of GFWC Women's Club of Zephyrhills)
This artist’s rendering depicts the home of the GFWC of Zephyrhills, the oldest service club in Zephyrhills, which celebrated its 100th birthday at a celebration on Nov. 15.
(Courtesy of GFWC Woman’s Club of Zephyrhills)

The club also awards scholarships, and donates time and money to local charities such as Meals on Wheels, Hernando-Pasco Hospice, Support Our Troops, Everyday Blessings, Relay for Life and many others. The club also gives to national and international relief efforts, according to Granger.

Weyer was excited about the club’s centennial celebration.

“It is a very big day. I’m very honored to be the president of this club at this time,” Weyer said, noting she expected people from Tampa, Spring Hill, Brooksville, Ruskin and St. Petersburg to join the celebration.

When the club began, it chose moss gray and pink as the official colors, the Cherokee rose as the club flower, and “America the Beautiful” as the club song, according to a historical account compiled by Gina Granger.

The yearly dues were $1, and early meetings were held in various buildings and members’ homes, according to Granger’s account.

In exchange for two lots bought by members in 1925, which the club later deeded to the city, the city gave the club a 99-year lease on a native rock building erected on the site in 1946—a public works project that was part of the Works Progress Administration under U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The clubhouse was built from native rock hauled from a quarry on the Hillsborough River. Club members raised funds by hosting various events to complete and furnish the interior, Granger adds.

The club, which now has 36 members, is always welcoming new members. It meets every first Friday of the month, during the months of September through May. The meetings are at 12:30 p.m., in the clubhouse located at 38545 Fifth Ave. Membership is open to any woman age 18 or older. Current annual dues are $25.

To learn more about the Woman’s Club of Zephyrhills, you can find them on the web at GFWCWomansClubOfZephyrhills.com.

Published November 25, 2015

 

Pasco Schools’ five-year building plan gets OK

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When Sanders Memorial Elementary School reopens in 2015-16, the Land O’ Lakes campus will have an entirely new look. It’s undergoing a $16.9 million renovation.

Quail Hollow Elementary School in Wesley Chapel is undergoing a $10.5 million makeover. It, too, is expected to reopen in 2015-16.

Quail Hollow Elementary School was closed at the end of last school year to enable the school district to renovate the school. The school was built at a time when open classrooms were in vogue. Classrooms will have windows, walls and doors when the project is completed. It is expected to reopen for the 2015-16 school year. (File photo)
Quail Hollow Elementary School was closed at the end of last school year to enable the school district to renovate the school. The school was built at a time when open classrooms were in vogue. Classrooms will have windows, walls and doors when the project is completed. It is expected to reopen for the 2015-16 school year. (File photo)

Work already is underway on a new gymnasium at Stewart Middle School in Zephyrhills. That $4.6 million project is slated for completion in time for next school year, said Chris Williams, director of planning services for Pasco County Schools.

Those are just three of the scores of projects contained in the $192 million five-year work plan approved by the Pasco County School Board on Sept. 17.

One big-ticket item on the list is an $18.8 million elementary school planned in Wiregrass, which is earmarked for the 2014-15 school year.

The district also expects to spend $10.7 million to acquire school sites and $10 million on school buses within the next five years.

One of those sites is on the south side of State Road 54, across from the Ballantrae subdivision, in Land O’ Lakes.

Another elementary and high school are also expected to be needed to serve the Land O’ Lakes and Trinity areas in the future, Williams said.

It typically takes about 12 to 15 months to build an elementary school, about 18 months to build a middle school and about 18 to 24 months to build a high school, Williams said. That’s not counting all of the other work that must be done to get a school ready for construction, including design, site work and so on.

The district’s five-year work plan includes money to build or renovate schools, add classrooms, acquire new sites and complete sizable maintenance projects.

Some other notable projects on the district’s five-year plan include:

• West Zephyrhills Elementary School, a major renovation between 2014 and 2016, at an estimated cost of $8.2 million.

• Cox Elementary School, a $6.8 million makeover including a new cafeteria, removal of concrete portables, replacement of its old windows, parking and traffic improvements, and a new security system, slated for 2016-17.

• Pasco Elementary School, a major makeover in 2017-18, for an estimated $5.9 million.

• Woodland Elementary School, a $4.8 million upgrade to the school’s air-conditioning, heating and ventilation systems, anticipated in 2016-17.

• John Long Middle School, eight additional classrooms at an estimated cost of $4.4 million, expected to begin in 2017-18.

• Pasco High School, new bleachers, a concession stand, public restrooms and lockers, for an estimated $2.6 million in 2015-16.

• San Antonio Elementary School, upgrades in the heating, air-conditioning and ventilation systems estimated at $1.25 million, expected in 2014-15.

Dozens of schools in east and central Pasco will also get facility improvement under the district’s five-year plan.

More than $11.2 million in roofing work is scheduled over the next five years, including projects at Land O’ Lakes High School, Moore-Mickens Education Center, Pine View Middle School and West Zephyrhills.

The district has also allocated more than $9 million for technology infrastructure upgrades, including projects at Centennial Elementary and Centennial Middle schools.

District plans also include nearly $7.4 million on heating, ventilation and air-conditioning work, including projects at Pine View, Stewart and Weightman middle schools, and Sunlake, Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills high schools.

More than $4.5 million in athletic improvements are also planned across the district, including projects at Centennial, Rushe, John Long, Pasco and Weightman middle schools, and Land O’ Lakes, Sunlake, Wesley Chapel High, Wiregrass Ranch and Zephyrhills high schools.

Cafeteria renovations totaling more than $6.4 million are planned, including work at Chester Taylor, Fox Hollow, Lake Myrtle, Cox, West Zephyrhills and Woodland elementary schools; Pasco, Pine View and Weightman middle schools; and, at Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills high schools.

Dozens of schools in east and central Pasco will be getting safety improvements, parking improvements, electrical upgrades, alarms, telephone and intercom repairs and closed-circuit television projects. A slew of painting projects are planned, too.

The district also plans to do playground renovation projects at about two-dozen schools in east and central Pasco, out of the $1.1 million the district has earmarked for projects in that category.

The district has also allocated $527,080 for energy retrofits, which will include two-dozen schools in east and central Pasco for those projects.

Some projects made it onto the district’s list, but have not yet received funding.

• $4.4 million to add a classroom addition at Wiregrass Ranch High

• $20.6 million to renovate Land O’ Lakes High

• $22.4 million to renovate Zephyrhills High

• $4.1 million to renovate San Antonio Elementary

Some projects on the district’s list are not funded, but sales tax proceeds from Penny for Pasco are expected to cover it, Williams said.