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Healthcare facility coming to Lutz By Kathy Steele
ksteele@lakerlutznews.com
A Nashville-based hospital system plans to build a healthcare facility on an out parcel at the entrance to Walmart, the discount chain flanked on either side by North Dale Mabry Highway and Land O’ Lakes Boulevard. Mark Cooney – known as “The Land
Shark” – closed a deal to sell an approximately 1.6-acre plot to New Port Richey Hospital, Inc., for about $1.6 million, according to a news release from The Land Sharks, LLC. New Port Richey Hospital is a subsidiary of HCA Holdings, Inc., which owns the Medical Center of Trinity among its many healthcare facilities.The seller was Hagman Properties, Inc. and Canaan Development
Corporation. The site, at 1575 Land O’ Lakes Blvd. in Lutz, is across from a vacant lot where owners of Famous Tate plan to build a new appliance store. Another outparcel is slated for a StorKwik Self Storage. A restaurant and automobile store also are possible new addiSee HEALTHCARE, page 11A
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Lutz Guv’na Race Kickoff set for May 14 By Kevin Weiss
kweiss@lakerlutznews.com
Get your checkbooks ready, the annual Lutz Guv’na Race is underway. Two candidates: Greg Gilbert of Beef O’ Bradys in Lutz and Andre Pamplona of Royal Bowling Lanes, will face off in the 2016 Guv’na Debate on May 14 at the Old Lutz School, 18819 U.S. Highway 41.The debate will run from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. as both candidates field questions from the audience and partake in quirky activities to raise money for their “campaigns,” with proceeds benefitting local nonprofits and community organizations.The event is free and the public is welcome. “They’re always very tongue-in-cheek kind of things, and they’re doing those to earn money for their campaigns,” said Suzin Carr, ambassador for the Lutz Guv’na Race. “The whole goal of the Guv’na race is to raise the most money and ‘buy their way into office’ and we proudly admit that in Lutz.” The annual charity event— which started in 1991— is sponsored by the Lutz Civic Association, and typically raises several thousand dollars for about 20 beneficiaries. The race continues through the Fourth of July weekend, where the winner is announced, and earns the coveted “sash” from the prior year’s winner. Last year’s winner was Jennifer Rankin, who raised more than $9,200 throughout the 2015 race. “It’s been going on for more than 25 years and it’s just a wonderful event that benefits a lot of nonprofits and community organizations in the area, like the scouts and the Old Lutz School and the Friends of the Library,” Carr said.“They all get a portion of the money that is raised by writing grants for that money once it’s raised by the Lutz Guv’na Association.” Typically, the race has about three or four candidates, Carr said, adding, there’s still time is anybody wants to step into the race. The debate emcee will be Paul Vahue of First Baptist Church in Lutz, whom Carr described as “a very funny guy.” Carr, a former two-time winner of the Guv’na Race, is also seeking additional community involvement and volunteers for the Guv’na festivities. “We are really encouraging the community to come out,” she said.“We really need community involvement for programs like this to continue.” For more information, contact Suzin Carr at (813) 453-5256.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF SUZIN CARR
Andre Pamplona, at right, is the general manager of Royal Bowling Lanes in Lutz.
Greg Gilbert is the managing owner of Beef O’ Bradys in Lutz. He is one of two candidates in the annual Lutz Guv’na Race.
New charter school won’t open until 2017 By Kevin Weiss
kweiss@lakerlutznews.com
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Several families in the Lutz and Land O’ Lakes area were anticipating Sunlake Academy of Math and Science to open in time for the 2016-2017 school year, but that isn’t going to happen. Instead, the public charter school, which is being built at 18711 North Dale Mabry Highway in Lutz, is set to open in August 2017. The school, operated by Charter School Associates (CSA), scheduled a Parent Information Session on April 11, expecting to open for the 2016-2017 school year. But on April 27, Michael Strader, president of Charter School Associates, addressed a letter to parents and guardians, saying,“the opening of Sunlake Academy of Math and Science will be deferred to August 2017.” He explained the delay this way: “Although the property developer and general contractor were originally confident that our new school would be ready for the Aug. 10 opening date, we recently learned that delays in the receipt of various building and site permits will push the completion of the school past that date.” In an interview with the Laker/Lutz News, Strader indicated his group tried finding a temporary facility to hold classes until construction was complete, but to no avail.
COURTESY OF CHARTER SCHOOL ASSOCIATES
A prototype of what Sunlake Academy will look like once it’s complete. The 40,000-square-foot facility expects to accommodate 1,150 students, from kindergarten through eighth grade.
“We couldn’t find an existing facility nearby that would be within a reasonable commute—like people who live close to where the school is planned—that would accommodate the number of students that made applications,” Strader said. “We really...examined a number of options, including area churches. We looked to see if there were any hotels with large conference facilities or meeting facilities in the immediate area, and there just seemed to be none available that we could schedule for several weeks.” Several parents suggested the possibility
of utilizing portable classroom buildings in the short-term. However, Strader noted portable classrooms weren’t really a feasible option, either. “The only thing with portables is they require many of the same infrastructure that a permanent building would require with utility connections, hard roads for life safety vehicles — fire trucks, ambulances — so portable classrooms aren’t as simple as just bringing them in and setting them up,” Strader said. See CHARTER, page 11A