The Laker-Wesley Chapel/New Tampa-July 8, 2015

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WESLEY CHAPEL/NEW TAMPA EDITION

JULY 8, 2015

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Freedom Festival superstars

David Towner, of Tampa, stopped for a snapshot while making his way along the booths and exhibits at The Wesley Chapel FreedomFestival on July 3. There were 50 vendors at this year’s festival. The event drew an estimated 40,000, up 10 percent over last year, sai d Debbie Detweiler, marketing director for The Shops at Wiregrass.More photos, page 4.

Winner of the 5- to 8-year-old age category, Noah Zabel makes his appeal to the audience during judging of the Little Mr. Firecracker pageant during the Freedom Fest Event. The grand winners included: Little Miss Firecracker, Madelyn Moodie, and Little Mr. Firecracker, Emmitt Jones. The age category winners were: Three-months to 24months, Thomas Murtha and Linsley Bruce; 2-year-olds to 4-yearolds, William Pickering and Mikaila Delucco; and 5-year-olds to 8year-olds, Noah Zabel and Eva Covey. Ten-month-old Zoey Vanyur, of Land O’ Lakes, keeps cool as her grandmother, Cindy Kitchen, holds her before the start of the Little Miss Firecracker contest. Zoey’s mom Emily, and dad Ben, were getting Zoey’s tutu ready for the contest.

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Mom Rachel Moodie steadies 8-month old Madelyn Moodie, as she makes her stage appearance for judging during this year’s Miss Firecracker at the Wesley Chapel Freedom Festival at The Shops at Wiregrass. Madelyn won first place.

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By Kathy Steele

ksteele@lakerlutznews.com

Duke Energy recently completed a site evaluation and marketing report on more than 440 acres next to the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport. The property, according to the report, can be made site-ready for aerospace manufacturing, light industrial and assembly companies, and the plastics industry. “We want to help you, to encourage you, as you market the Zephyrhills airport’s industrial area,” said Beth Land, a consultant with McCallum Sweeney, a national firm that partners with the Duke Energy Site Readiness program. The engineering firm, HRP Associates, also participated in the site’s analysis. The site-readiness program began in 2005 for the purpose of identifying and improving industrial sites that can attract investments and jobs in communities within Duke Energy’s service region. In the past decade, 155 site readiness projects have been completed, mostly within Southeastern states. Work on the Zephyrhills’ project began several months ago. Two other sites in Florida – the Deltona Commerce Park in Volusia County and Florida Energy and Aerospace Training (FEAT) Park – were evaluated in 2013. The report was presented to a joint workshop of the Zephyrhills City Council and the Pasco County Commission on June 22, prior to the city council’s meeting. There was no discussion from council or commission members afterward. One of the initial steps recommended by

Duke Energy is an environmental assessment of the industrial site. Pasco County might be able to use a portion of a $400,000 federal grant to complete the task, if property owners give permission. The grant was awarded recently to help Pasco County build an inventory of brownfield sites.An update is expected by October. The term “brownfield site” generally refers to the reuse, expansion or redevelopment of property, which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The site readiness report for the Zephyrhills location provided a detailed look at the area’s prospects for future development, its strengths and weaknesses, and recommendations to boost its attractiveness to investors. The team of evaluators found the site suitable for one or two large facilities built on site or a cluster of smaller facilities with multiple users. “We’ve been very excited about the whole process,” said John Walsh, vice president of the Pasco Economic Development Council. “It’s an exciting opportunity to promote Zephyrhills and show the rest of the world we’re ready to bring investment opportunities and get some jobs here.” As laid out by Land and Mark Sweeney, one of the owners of McCallum Sweeney, the path to certifying a site as market-ready takes commitment, time and resources. “It can be very demanding at times,” said Sweeney. See STUDY, page 11A

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These towers provide a point of interest at Tampa Premium Outlets, a project taking shape on State Road 56, just off Interstate 75.

Details emerging for Tampa Premium Outlets By Kathy Steele

ksteele@lakerlutznews.com

Pasco County is awash in building permit applications for Tampa Premium Outlets, a project under construction off State Road 56 at the Interstate 75 exchange. The anchor store, Saks Off 5th, is eyeing more than 27,000 square feet for its merchandise, according to county records. Others that have filed initial applications include Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, Gap, American Eagle Outfitters, Fossil, J. Crew, Ann Taylor, Vera Bradley, Banana Republic, Ralph Lauren and Papaya. The food court will go eclectic. GreenLeafs & Bananas, Asian Chao, Villa See OUTLETS, page 11A


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