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M AY 2 5 , 2 0 1 6
Plantation Palms golf course to reopen By Kathy Steele
ksteele@lakerlutznews.com
After a hiatus of more than two years, activities are expected to begin again at the Plantation Palms Golf Course. A new owner took possession on May 16 and plans to get the golf course’s fairways and greens ready for use within a few months. Bill Place, owner of Ace Golf Inc., bought the golf course and clubhouse for about $700,000 in a short sale approved by the U.S. Department of Justice. His general manager picked up the keys to the clubhouse at the closing, said Rob Rochlin of Dennis Realty.
FILE PHOTO
Plantation Palms golf course and clubhouse, which have been closed for about two years, are expected to be reopened by Ace Golf, the new owner, in about four months.
Place is on vacation in Africa. In an email sent to The Laker/Lutz News in late April, Place said he hoped to have the golf course open within four months. After years of neglect, the golf course needs extensive work, including restoration of the fairways and greens, Place said, in a later email on May 18. “Grass and weeds grew up to 6 feet high!” Place said. “The greens are all dead, and most of the fairways will have to be regrassed.” Almost everything from the parking lot to the clubhouse has to be renewed. See GOLF, page 11A
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Lutz Learning Center starts All Pro Dad chapter
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By Kevin Weiss
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kweiss@lakerlutznews.com
PHOTOS COURTESY OF LUTZ LEARNING CENTER
Tony Dungy, left, has a chat with John Viscardo, one of the dads in attendance.
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Fifteen fathers attended the Lutz Learning Center’s first All-Pro Dad Chapter meeting on May 18. The program uses football themes to tout the importance of being a good father.
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Lutz Learning Center seeks expansion By Kevin Weiss
kweiss@lakerlutznews.com
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The Lutz Learning Center is looking to expand operations into Pasco County. The school, located on a 1-acre campus at 621 Sunset Lane in Lutz, is seeking an additional site to accommodate more families, said Kimberly Wilson, the school’s director of innovation. “We’re bursting at the seams,” she said referring to the current campus. The independent private school currently has an enrollment of 120 students, ranging from pre-kindergarten to sixth grade. Wilson noted grades seven and eight will be added next year, with an eventual goal of serving high school students once the expansion is in place. The school uses a “Limitless Potential” philosophy and a “Differentiated
Instruction Curriculum” model, in which students are advanced based on where they belong socially, emotionally and academically. For example, a student may be in their first grade year, but understands concepts equivalent to a third-grader. “We look at education like the rungs on a ladder,” Wilson said. “Our model is very different, so we don’t use grades, meaning just because a child is in their second grade year doesn’t mean that they’re only around second grade kids. Basically, every child is two years academically advanced. “We plug a child in where they belong...and encourage them to just climb as high as they can.” Annual tuition at the school ranges from $7,700 to $8,500. The original campus — built in 1980 — will still remain,Wilson said.
Kimberly Wilson found out about the All Pro Dad program after sifting through a few children’s books a parent had recently donated to the Lutz Learning Center. That parent was legendary NFL coach and Hall of Famer Tony Dungy. After speaking with Dungy and finding out more about the Family First-based fatherhood program, Wilson, the learning center’s director of innovation, was “ecstatic” about creating a chapter at the independent private school, which currently serves 120 students. “This is really all about connecting dads with their kids, and giving them that time to connect together,”Wilson said.“Have breakfast and sit and hang out, and get to know your kids and have meaningful discussions.” That’s what happened at the first chapter meeting on May 18, when 15 dads bonded and shared a meal with their young ones at the Lutz Learning Center campus. The new chapter will meet quarterly during the school year, with each session focusing on a particular topic. May’s topic was “Finishing Well.” The overall goal of the discussion was to empower children to “complete what they start” and “do their best” in all aspects of life. The topic of “Finishing Well” also provided an opportunity for Dungy to reflect on one of his coaching experiences from nearly a decade ago, when he was the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. It was the 2007 AFC Championship game, where Dungy’s team faced the New England Patriots, and quickly fell behind 21-3. They eventually mounted a historic comeback to capture the Super Bowl XLI title, with a score of 38-34. See DAD, page 11A
This sign gives dads instructions as they enter the All-Pro Dad meeting.
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Two local chambers consider joining forces By B.C. Manion
bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
B INSIDE, PAGE 1B
The Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce and the Trinity-Odessa Chamber of Commerce are considering a merger. An exploratory committee is beginning meetings this week, with an eye toward seeing if combining the two chambers will yield positive results for both chambers and their members, said Elayne Bassinger, president of the Central Pasco Chamber. Bassinger said the Central Pasco Chamber was approached by the TrinityOdessa Chamber, with the idea that a merger may be mutually beneficial. Initially, the chairman of Trinity-Odessa Chamber’s board,Todd Pillars, and its incoming chairman, Mike Kelley, met with
Bassinger and Terri Dusek, incoming president for the Central Pasco Chamber. “When there was an interest in seeing if this would be doable, then the executive board from Trinity-Odessa met with the executive board of Central Pasco Chamber; from there we decided there would be an exploratory committee,” Bassinger said. The exploratory committee is made up of the four-member executive board of the Central Pasco Chamber and four members of the executive board of the Trinity-Odessa Chamber. The committee will consider the logistics and benefits of a merger. If the chambers merged, the single chamber would have about 800 members. Currently, both chambers each have about 400 members.
The larger chamber would provide a stronger voice, enabling it to be a stronger advocate for issues that are important to businesses in the area, Bassinger said. “Financially, we would be a stronger chamber,” Bassinger added, noting the two chambers could pool their resources. Businesses who are now members of both chambers would need just a single membership, too, she noted. “That also frees up our companies to sponsor more because when you’re splitting your advertising dollars between a number of chambers, then you’re more limited in the resources you have to support each of those chambers,” Bassinger said. While noting a number of benefits, See CHAMBERS, page 11A