The Laker-Wesley Chapel/New Tampa-September 7, 2016

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The LAKER WESLEY CHAPEL/NEW TAMPA EDITION

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Hermine’s effects lash Tampa Bay Recovering from the storm and bracing for the next one By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com

Blasts of rain, high winds and flood waters hit the region last week as the effects of Hurricane Hermine swept in, causing Tampa Bay residents in many communities to retrieve what they could, and discard what was lost. Trees crashed into roofs. Cars flooded. Water seeped into homes. In some parts of the region, residents

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Before a hurricane hits, it’s good to know if you live in an evacuation zone; and if so, what evacuation route you will take.

had to be rescued by boat. Patients at Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point in Hudson were evacuated on the evening of Aug. 31, after the hospital in Hudson experienced what it believes was a lightning strike on a main power feed on the hospital’s roof, disabling the hospital’s ability to run a safe switch for generator backup. A brief fire broke out on the roofline, but no one was hurt. The hospital evacuated all of its 209 patients to other hospitals in the region, through a cooperative effort that included its sister HCA West Florida Hospitals, 70 EMS amSee HERMINE, page 11A

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Union Park offers super-fast Internet speeds By Kathy Steele ksteele@lakerlutznews.com

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Union Park is delivering the lickety-split Internet connections that homebuilders say homebuyers are increasingly putting at the top, or near the top, of their desired list of amenities. Along with the clubhouse, swimming pool, trails and green space, homebuyers are putting greater emphasis on new technology and what it adds to quality of life, homebuilders say. From Day 1, Union Park residents are connected to UltraFi, a fiber-based delivery system with connecting speeds as fast as one gigabit. Starting speeds generally are 100/100 megabits per second as part of a standard package included in homeowner association fees. But, Bright House Networks, in partnership with Metro Development Group, is ready to boost speeds to the maximum. Turning lights on and off, cooling or heating the house and setting alarms — is a tap away, at home or remotely. Besides that, videos, photos, data can be downloaded in seconds, not minutes, and uploads are just as fast. “It’s a requirement if you are building here,” said Mike Lawson, director of operations for Metro Development Group.“You contract to prewire. Every builder is embracing this.”

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Mike Lawson, right, director of operations for Metro Development Group, and Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore discuss the unique features of Union Park, including the onegigabit Internet connections available at the Wesley Chapel community.

In the future, Metro developers expect other developers to consider this new technology as a staple of homebuilding, the same as water, utilities and electricity. For now, they feel like pioneers in a cuttingedge concept to provide these connections from the ground up, not as an add-on after move-in day. “We’re trying something radically different,” said Kartik Goyani, vice president of

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operations for Metro Development Group. At build-out, Union Park could have a maximum of 1,800 homes. Home prices range from $200,000 to $500,000. When construction began there in 2014, Union Park was the first Metro development to install UltraFi. Since then, two more UltraFi communities have opened in See UNION, page 11A

New commission on women forms in Pasco County By Kathy Steele ksteele@lakerlutznews.com

boundaries for the new schools, boundary committees will meet, parent meetings will be held and the school board will make the final vote. Meanwhile, the school board has begun the naming process for the schools. In its school naming policy, the board welcomes suggestions from the public, students and educators. The board prefers to name schools after the general location, features of the area, or historical information about the school’s location. The suggested name must be brief and descriptive. The board will consider naming schools after individuals, but those individuals should be of a person of prominence recognized for his or her outstanding civic or educational contribution. The board also will consider naming a school after an elected official or a school district employee, but only after that person has been deceased for two or more years, or has left public office or employment with the district two or more years ago. Once the name is adopted, it is consid-

Two years ago Pasco County Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey and attorney Michele Hintson met by chance at a symposium on empowering women in politics and leadership. They were the only two women at WeWill Tampa Bay from Pasco, but quickly bonded around a singular goal: To form a Commission on the Status of Women. Hintson joined county staff members on Aug. 23 in presenting a plan to launch the commission. The Pasco County Commission unanimously approved the concept. “This is a historical day for women in Pasco County,” Starkey said. The final vote and nominations to the 15member commission are expected on Sept. 13. Each county commissioner will appoint a member to the women’s commission. Other community organizations, mostly nonprofits, will recommend nominees to fill out the remaining 10 slots.The county commission will make the final selections. Participating organizations include Metropolitan Ministries, Sunrise of Pasco, Pasco-Hernando State College and Saint Leo University. “The commission hopefully will be able to provide research and resources to develop opinions and make recommendations to (Pasco County) commissioners about certain needs in the community for women,” said Hintson, a Land O’ Lakes resident and an attorney with the Tampa-based law firm, Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick. Issues might include equal pay, human trafficking, affordable housing, women’s health care and the needs of children. Research by Pasco County’s legal staff re-

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COURTESY OF PASCO COUNTY SCHOOLS

Construction activity is well underway on a new high school on Old Pasco Road, which will open initially as a high school and a middle school.

Ideas sought for Pasco school names By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com

The Pasco County School Board is seeking suggestions from the public for names for two schools the district plans to open in the fall of 2017. One school, now known as Elementary B, is being built in Bexley Ranch, north of State Road 54 and east of the Suncoast Parkway. The new elementary school is expected to help reduce crowding at Oakstead and Odessa elementary schools. The other school needing a name is now known as High School GGG. It is currently under construction on Old Pasco Road in Wesley Chapel. Initially, it will be a school for grades six through 12. The new high school is expected to affect the boundaries for Wiregrass Ranch, Wesley Chapel and potentially Sunlake high schools. The new middle school is expected to affect the boundaries for Weightman, John Long and potentially Rushe middle schools. Before any decisions are reached on the


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