The Laker-East Pasco-February 3, 2016

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The LAKER

ee r F

EAST PASCO EDITION

LAKERLUTZNEWS.COM

FEBRUARY 3, 2016

Scenic vistas in U.S. 301 plan

By Kathy Steele

ksteele@lakerlutznews.com

Between Zephyrhills and Dade City, a ribbon of asphalt connects two cities with distinct characteristics. At either end, U.S. 301 is a gateway into two versions of small town America. Between those places, motorists are treated to scenic vistas, rolling hills and

wooded valleys. “Anyone who drives it understands the uniqueness,” said James Edwards, director of Pasco County’s Metropolitan Planning Organization. But, there are pressures building along U.S. 301, as developers make room for new subdivisions, shops and offices. The test is how to make room for growth, but also preserve the character of

two cities and the state highway in between. Edwards and Randy Mejeur, associate principal with AECOM, presented a longrange strategic vision plan on Jan. 25 for development along U.S. 301, from Kossik Road to the U.S. 98 bypass. The plan emerged from three public workshops that gathered input from area See SCENIC, page 13A

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Rose Burdin, of Zephyrhills, looks over a jewelry display at the 19th annual Kumquat Festival. She’s been there every year since its inception.

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Above at left, Kumquats at Kumquat Growers Cooperative in St. Joseph. At right, Face-painting artist, Faith Daniels, applies a bat motif to a young festival goer, Jacob Lees, of Trinity.

Food, quilts and horse pulls on tap this weekend By B.C. Manion

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The Pioneer Florida Museum & Village is gearing up for its 26th annual Farm Festival and Quilt Show. The two-day event features a Southern Draft Horse Pulling Competition on Feb. 6, and a quilt show and other activities on both Feb. 6 and Feb. 7. The event is very popular, said Brenda Minton, the museum’s event coordinator. “It usually brings in about 2,500 to 3,000 people.We expect more than that this year, because we have heavily promoted it,” she said. Quilt lovers will be able to see quilts on display, and also will be able to buy supplies and take part in a raffle to try to win a quilt,

COURTESY OF THE PIONEER FLORIDA MUSEUM & VILLAGE

This quilt is an example of a Hoffman challenge quilt.

provided by Quilts of Plum Lane in Dade City. “Each year it (the quilt) is donated by someone different,” Minton said, noting the proceeds from the two-day event, including the raffle, benefit the nonprofit museum. The museum relies on admissions and rentals to provide the revenue needed for its

Efforts on to modernize water billing By Kathy Steele

ksteele@lakerlutznews.com

Water customers in Zephyrhills could soon get a new billing system, with state-ofthe art, cloud-based technology that can monitor for leaks and spikes in water usage. The Zephyrhills City Council gave the green light to negotiate a contract with Fathom, an Arizona-based company serving

150 public water systems with more than four million meters. City officials believe the new system can provide more accuracy and consistency in meter readings and billings. Confidence in the city’s billing system has eroded in recent years because of inaccurate meter readings, broken meters, leaks that went undiscovered and other problems. Residential and commercial customers

have reported incorrect billing, including a $100,000 error in the Zephyrhills bottled water account. “We have a large lack of confidence with a lot of our customers,” Zephyrhills City Manager Steve Spina told council members at the Jan. 25 meeting. With Fathom’s new technology, Spina said,“We anticipate more accurate readings See WATER, page 13A

operations, she said. Other highlights of the Farm Festival and Quilt Show include cane grinding and syrup making on Saturday, and arts and crafts show, traditional crafts and festival vendors. There also will be a number of children’s activities. No coolers or pets are allowed, and no food or beverage can be brought on-site, but there will be a concession stand. On Saturday, festivalgoers will be able to buy a fried chicken dinner or a pulled pork dinner.The organizers decided to offer both to be sure they don’t run out of food, Minton said. There also will be live entertainment.The lineup features The Dulcimer Connection, ColdIron, and the Sarah Rose Band. The New River Poets will also be providing entertainment, Minton said. They’ll be doing skits in the schoolhouse. Festivities take place at the museum, 15602 Pioneer Museum Road, 1 mile north of downtown Dade City, just off U.S. 301. Event hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., on Feb. 6, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., on Feb. 7. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children, ages 6 through 12. Admission is free for children under age 5.


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