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APRIL 16, 2014
Can mall save room for Wesley Chapel name?
By Michael Hinman mhinman@lakerlutznews.com
Now that developers of a proposed outlet mall just off Interstate 75 took a big step forward last week with revised site plans for their 57-acre project, one question remains on the minds of local businesses: Will the new mall include “Wesley Chapel” in its name? “I think on one hand, we would love to have our local identity,” said John Hagen, president and chief executive of Pasco Economic Development Council Inc. “We would love to see that be more prominent, but we also benefit from our association with Tampa and Tampa Bay. It’s a mixed bag, but I see both things.” Simon Property Group, part of the devel-
opment team that’s officially JG Cypress Creek LLC and Tampa Premium Outlets LLC, have named the project on Wesley Chapel Boulevard and State Road 56 “Cypress Creek Town Center Premium Outlets Mall.” However, it’s unclear whether that name is just a working title, or if that is a final decision. A request for comment from Simon about the name was still pending when The Laker/Lutz News went to press. Wesley Chapel might be part of the greater Tampa Bay area, but the community has long sought its own identity, and has pushed hard for businesses — especially high-profile ones — to include “Wesley Chapel” in names, and not “Tampa.” See MALL, page 14
FILE PHOTO
Plans for Tampa Premium Outlets Mall call for nine buildings with 482,000 square feet of retail. It would be the first of seven phases on 57 acres of land off Wesley Chapel Boulevard and State Road 56.
Preparations abound for area Easter celebrations By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
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One will have food trucks, while another is encouraging carpooling. One plans a lakeside “Sonrise” service, while another will have water baptisms following its early morning services. And those are just a few of the variations on the theme of Easter expressed through planned celebrations at area churches. Exciting Idlewild Baptist Church has five celebrations planned this Easter, including food trucks on April 19 and special performances by the orchestra and choir the next day, on Easter morning. The church’s website poses the question: “Hunting for something more this Easter?”And then it answers that query with an invitation to come and discover more at the Lutz megachurch at 18333 Exciting Idlewild Blvd. The church plans “to celebrate the glorious meaning of the Resurrection” with services set for 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on April 19, its website says. Food trucks will be there from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., that day for anyone who wants to grab a bite to eat. On Easter morning, services are planned
PHOTOS COURTESY OF FLORIDA HOSPITAL ZEPHYRHILLS
Mike Holm releases a dove at a sunrise service at Florida Hospital Zephyrhills. Holm lives in Zephyrhills, but leads a church that’s located in Lutz.
at 8, 9:30 and 11, with the orchestra and choir prompting worship. Breakfast treats will be available and photographers will take free family photos in the Gatheria, the church’s large gathering space, following
each service. Mike Holm, a minister who lives in Zephyrhills but who leads a church in Lutz, See EASTER, page 14
Pasco agribusiness teacher wants knowledge to grow in Korea By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
Kelli Hamilton has a condition and she isn’t a bit ashamed to admit it. “I’m an ‘ag’ nerd,” said the Pasco High School agribusiness and natural resources teacher. She’s so interested in agriculture that she’s planning to spend a month in South Korea this summer learning about that country’s agricultural education programs. Hamilton already has been to Ireland and to Iowa to
get acquainted with agriculture in those parts of the world. She’s making the trip to South Korea through a University of Florida/Penn State Program for undergraduate, graduate and kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers. Hamilton is among a group of teachers from Florida, Pennsylvania and Connecticut who are making the trip, traveling with eight students from Pennsylvania State University, See TEACHER, page 14
B.C. MANION/STAFF PHOTO
Kelli Hamilton enjoys sharing her knowledge of agriculture in different parts of the world with her students at Pasco High School. She plans to get an up-close look at agriculture in South Korea this summer through an overseas study program.