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SPECIAL SECTION inside this week
APRIL 26, 2017
Seeking connections between counties By Kathy Steele
ksteele@lakerlutznews.com
Pasco County planners hope a study will point the way to consensus on whether to open more north/south roads that link Pasco and Hillsborough counties. More than 100 people attended a public meeting on the topic on April 18 at PascoHernando State College, off Mansfield Boulevard. The boulevard dead-ends at the county line, just before reaching Kinnan Street, a two-lane, divided roadway in New Tampa, on Hillsborough’s side of the dividing line. Connecting the two is one of three road projects that the study will consider over the next six months. Consultants with AECOM also will look at the potential for southern extensions of Meadow Pointe Boulevard and Wyndfields Boulevard that would link with existing and future roads in
KATHY STEELE
A caravan of buses travels along Mansfield Boulevard, twice a day, delivering and picking up students at three schools. Pasco County residents worry that linking Mansfield to Kinnan Street in New Tampa will increase traffic.
the K-Bar ranch development in Hillsborough. Opening up Mansfield and Kinnan drew largely negative reviews from Pasco residents, specifically those living in Meadow Pointe subdivisions. “More through roads will be needed,” said Meadow Pointe resident Michael Kaufman.“I’m not against development. But, he said, “There are a lot of reasons
not to connect Mansfield and Kinnan, and no good reason.” The road designs aren’t compatible for one, and they also were never intended to be linked, Kaufman said. It is impossible to widen Kinnan beyond its current two lanes because there isn’t room, he added. The increase in traffic would be a safety See CONNECTIONS, page 15A
Drawing portraits one pet at a time By Kevin Weiss
kweiss@lakerlutznews.com
John LaFree was always told he couldn’t make a living as an artist. But he created a career with his artistic talents, as the proprietor of Canine Caricature Pet Portraits. Freelance and self-employed, LaFree operates his easel out of the comfy confines of his Wesley Chapel home. The pieces he produces are anything but ordinary. LaFree, 42, puts a “fun and whimsical spin” on the traditional pet portrait, creating an original hand-drawn work of art based on a combination of submitted photos, descriptions and requests. His custom illustrations — drawn on 12KEVIN WEISS inch by 16-inch paper using markers and John LaFree, of Wesley Chapel, launched Canine Caricature Pet Portraits in 2010. The 42-yearPrismacolor art stix — serve as a unique interpretation of pets, incorporating the old puts a ‘fun and whimsical spin’ on the traditional pet portrait, creating an original handowner’s lifestyle to form “a very personal drawn work of art based on a combination of submitted photos, descriptions and requests. and collaborative project.” “Oftentimes when peobits, snakes and turtles. enjoyed the process and the rehearsals and ple are giving me their “It literally can be any ani- the applause of each show.” descriptions, they’re talkmal,” he said.“I market myself Conversely, artwork “is all process” to ing about what they as Canine Caricatures, but it’s LaFree. imagine their dog is thinkeasily feline, equine, bovine.” “It’s more pleasing for my eye,” he said, ing about,” said LaFree. “I The creative venture began “and it’s a lot more fulfilling for me to be can manipulate it and go in in 2010, following stints as a cari- working on my visual stuff and try to convey any direction, whether it’s cature artist at Busch Gardens and a story with a few marker strokes.” something the dog enjoys the Columbus Zoo and Since Canine Caricatures launched, doing, the dog enAquarium, in Ohio. LaFree established an extensive client netjoys playing with, Before that, LaFree was a work, commissioning artwork for various or maybe it’s stage actor, with a few ap- animal shelters and pet rescues, along with something you pearances in small films and pet store chains. enjoy doing.” television. “Artistically, it was very fulfilling,” he said. The artsy influBesides Florida and Ohio, “It was new for me. It was a challenge. It was ences are bred from his career led him to California, hard. And, nobody I knew was doing anyhis youth, when he Colorado and New Mexico. thing like that,” he said. doodled and pored The shift from actor to Most of his business today is via online over MAD Magazine artist happened “almost orders. and Gary Larson’s The overnight.” Beyond the United States, he’s received Far Side. “I think the whole time I orders from countries like Australia and Though dogs are the priwas trying to be an actor, Sweden. mary focus, Lafree’s portraits I was ready to not be an Each piece — barring any distractions — have expanded to inactor anymore,” LaFree takes about one to two hours to complete, clude cats, horses, Shown here is an example of one of explained.“I wasn’t enSee PORTRAITS, page 15A hamsters, ferrets, rab- LaFree’s recent pet portraits. joying it as much as I
Redevelopment project teed up for a vote By Kathy Steele
ksteele@lakerlutznews.com
Residents of Quail Hollow subdivision packed the boardroom at the Historic Pasco County Courthouse seeking to persuade county commissioners not to allow a developer to swap a golf course for houses. “It betrays the existing residents who have expectations of a golf course remaining. It (houses) would change the character and sense of place of our neighborhood,” said Edward Glime, who lives in Quail Hollow. He and others spoke during public comment at a hearing on April 12 in Dade City. The Quail Hollow Neighborhood Citizens Group Inc., presented county commissioners with a petition signed by about 380 people who oppose the closure and residential development of the golf course. But, the contentious public hearing didn’t end in a final vote as normally happens — that is scheduled for May 9 at 1:30 p.m., in Dade City. The voting delay will give Pasco County’s planners and legal staff time to review a prior decision to recommend approval of the project to the county commission. Staff members will make a presentation to the commission prior to the vote.
No additional public testimony will be taken. Kris Hughes, the county’s director of planning and development, described the delay as “prudent,” though he said nothing he heard during the hearing was likely to change the staff’s recommendation. David Goldstein, the county’s deputy attorney, said the additional review is needed to “cross every T, and dot every i, to make sure it’s bulletproof.” Property owner Andre Carollo, of Pasco Office Park LLC, wants to build a maximum of 400 single-family houses, 30,000 square feet of office/retail and 10,000 square feet of day care. In support of the project, land use attorney Barbara Wilhite recounted the history of the golf course, which dates to the late 1960s. “It’s always been a privately owned golf course open to the public,” she said. “The golf course came first.” It was nearly a decade later that houses were built around the golf course, which was closed for several years before reopening in 2011. Despite expensive improvements,Wilhite said the golf course is not profitable. See VOTE, page 15A
FRED BELLET
Land use attorney Barbara Wilhite spoke in support of a proposed project to redevelop the Quail Hollow golf course.