The Laker-Wesley Chapel/New Tampa-July 1, 2015

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JULY 1, 2015

Scott’s veto pen helps, and hurts By Kathy Steele

ksteele@lakerlutznews.com

Gov. Rick Scott’s veto pen stripped away funds from some projects but spared others, as he cut more than $460 million from the state’s 2015-16 budget. Pasco County lost more than $8 million in anticipated funds for various projects. But some local projects in the $78.6 billion state budget faired especially well. Pasco-Hernando State College will receive $5.5 million for a performing arts center in Wesley Chapel. A shooting range for the police academy, located on the college’s Dade City campus, will receive $1 million for improvements. Another winner is the Land O’ Lakes

Community Center which will receive $250,000 for a band shell and stage. “I’m as excited as I can be,” said Sandy Graves, president of Heritage Park Foundation. The nonprofit helps collect Rick Scott donations for improvements to the community center, which dates to the 1960s. “We’ve been wanting it and wanting it. It’d be in our reach, and then it would go away,” Graves said. In December, Graves made a presentation to Pasco’s legislative delegation. The

initial estimate of $150,000 for construction costs was deemed too low, and the request was boosted to $250,000. The community center is a long-time gathering place for residents in Land O’ Lakes and Lutz, Graves said. The band shell and stage will enable the community to expand uses there, to include bigger community events and festivals. Scott signed the state’s budget on June 22. It becomes effective July 1. The county’s losses, in budget cuts, included $1.9 million for a storm water project in Dade City; $250,000 for the Senior Elderly Nutrition Kitchen; $1 million for the Metropolitan Ministries’ partially See VETO, page11A

Fun on (and before) the Fourth By Michael Murillo

mmurillo@lakerlutznews.com

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How do you celebrate the Fourth of July? Do you prefer an early event with food and a parade? How about a later celebration, complete with music and fireworks? Or maybe something family friendly, with activities geared specifically toward children? And even though July 4 falls on a Saturday, would you like to get a head start on the celebration? If you answered “yes” to any of those options, there’s a full schedule waiting this weekend. Several venues are planning on large crowds ready for patriotic fun that’s eiFILE PHOTO ther free or low cost. Here’s a rundown of some events happening Friday and Bridget Richwine, second from right, helped her sons get into the Fourth of July spirit with hats she made for C.J., 11, at right, and Ben, 5. Grandmother Chloie Adkins, far left, looks Saturday:

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You don’t have to wait until July 4 to start your weekend festivities. Get an early jump on the patriotic celebrations at The Shops at Wiregrass, 28211 Paseo Drive in Wesley Chapel. The Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel Freedom Festival will take place July 3 from 4 p.m. until 9 p.m. More than 50,000 people are expected to attend this family friendly event, which includes a bike decorating contest, watermelon-eating contest and the annual Little Miss and Mr. Firecracker Pageant. And it will end with a special fireworks show. THE DETAILS: Opening ceremonies begin at 4 p.m. at Center Court. The pageants will be held at the Center Court stage from 4:30 p.m. until 6 p.m. A line dance will begin at 6:30 p.m. in front of the watermelon-eating contest at Buckle, located at No. 140. A parade will begin at 7:45 p.m., with fireworks to follow. The Little Miss and Mr. Firecracker Pageant has three separate age categories. For information and an application form, email Jennifer Cofini at jcofini@parksmotorgrp.com.

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skydivers. And, of course, fireworks to cap off the day. There are plenty of special activities for children as well, including bounce houses, pony rides and a petting zoo. THE DETAILS: Gates open at 3 p.m. The baby pageant begins at 3:30 p.m., with entertainment on two stages starting at 4 p.m. Admission is $5 per person (children ages 12 and younger are free), and parking is $5. Attendees are welcome to bring blankets and chairs, but pets, alcohol and personal fireworks are prohibited. For more information and to register for contests online, visit PascoCountyFair.com.

SPECIAL FOR MILITARY FAMILIES

In addition to all the local celebrations, it’s a good weekend for military families to visit Lowry Park Zoo, 1101 W. Sligh Ave. During their Red, White & Zoo celebration, active duty personnel, retirees and veterans get in free July 3 to July 5 with valid military identification, as well as up to three direct dependents. The dependents can participate without the military member as long as an adult with valid military identification accompanies minors. For more information, call (813) 935-8552 or visit LowryParkZoo.com.

Getting food on families’ tables faster By B.C. Manion

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mile fun run, flag-raising ceremony and cake auction. And, the parade, of course. Afterward, trophies will be handed out and the winner of this year’s Lutz Guv’na race will be announced. THE DETAILS: The parade setup begins Friday at 10 a.m., at the Train Depot, and volunteers are welcome. Cake entries can be dropped off on Friday between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., at the Lutz Senior Center, 112 First Ave., NW. The final cake registration ends Saturday at 7:30 a.m. The 5K race begins at 8 a.m., with the fun run beginning at 8:45 a.m. The flag-raising ceremony begins at 9 a.m., with the parade starting at 10 a.m. The cake auction, trophy presentation and Guv’na announcement begins at 11 a.m. For more information, call Phyllis Hoedt at (813) 9491937.

The annual Sparklebration event will be July 4 at the Pasco County Fairgrounds, 36722 State Road 52 in Dade City. There will be watermelon and hot dog eating contests A LUTZ TRADITION (and food trucks for everyone else, serving What would the Fourth of July be with- up churros, barbeque, bacon specialties and out the Lutz Independence Day celebration? other treats), live entertainment including This year’s event (themed Lutz Heritage: Dennis Lee, the Red, White & Blue baby pagProudly We Serve) includes a 5K race, one- eant, a watermelon spitting contest and

bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com

Winner 2012, 2013, 2014

on. They were at the Fourth of July celebration in Lutz last year.

A Feeding America Tampa Bay facility in Land O’ Lakes is being repurposed, meaning it will no longer be a place where local agencies can pick up food for their pantries. That will be an adjustment for local agencies — such as Daystar Hope Center of Pasco County Inc., in Dade City — that have been picking up food from the Land O’ Lakes facility to pack in bags and boxes to give to people in need. But Thomas Mantz, executive director of Feeding America Tampa Bay, said he believes the new system that will be used in Pasco will help deliver more food to family dinner tables faster. Under the new system, Feeding America Tampa Bay will pick up food from suppliers and deliver goods to local agencies directly, or will facilitate arrangements between local agencies and local food suppliers, Mantz said. “We did this in Pinellas County two years ago,” he said, and the organization’s experiences have demonstrated that the model works. The change will not mean less food going to feed the poor in Pasco County, Mantz said.“We are invested in Pasco.”

“There’s not enough food in Pasco County to feed everybody,” Mantz said. The Land O’ Lakes facility will stop providing food to local agencies in early July, Mantz said. It will be put to a different use, and that use will support the organization’s overall mission, Mantz said. One possible use would be a chophouse, where fruits and vegetables would be chopped and bagged, to keep the foods fresh for longer periods, Mantz said. Sister Jean Abbott, who oversees Daystar’s operations, said she would welcome arrangements that allow her pantry to pick up food items directly from local grocers. “It eliminates them running their trucks all over the road. It eliminates us running our trucks all over the road,” she said. B.C. MANION/STAFF PHOTO “We used to go to Sweetbay. We went Sister Jean Abbott, who oversees Daystar there twice a week,” she said. We’d gladly do Hope Center of Pasco County Inc., said she that again. That was a sweet deal for us. We hopes that changes being made by Feeding loved it,” she said. America Tampa Bay will allow her agency to In fact, when Kash’n Karry rebranded to pick up donations from food suppliers closSweetbay, it got rid of all of the stuff that er to her food pantry. said Kash’n Karry, Abbott said. “We had two or three truckloads of stuff In 2013, 3 million pounds of food was — out of their freezers, off their shelves, distributed in Pasco. In 2014, the amount in- packaged things,” she said. creased to 4.5 million pounds of food. “Merciful heavens, we had stuff. It was Still, there needs to be more, Mantz said. wonderful,” Abbott said.


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