The Laker-East Pasco-March 2, 2016

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The LAKER EAST PASCO EDITION

LAKERLUTZNEWS.COM

MARCH 2, 2016

New Dade City Hall ready for debut By Kathy Steele ksteele@lakerlutznews.com

“Bayfront Health saved my heart. And my life.”

Dade City residents will get their first official peek inside their new City Hall at a ribbon cutting on March 11 at 10:30 a.m. City employees and law enforcement officers, however, are already getting accustomed to the new, 22,000-square-foot building.They moved in about three weeks ago.

“We’ve gotten settled in,” said Gordon Onderdonk, the city’s public works director. Now, it’s the public’s turn to explore the new seat of city government, and the headquarters for the Dade City police department. Ribbon-cutting festivities will include a performance by the Pasco High School Band, as well as speeches by guest speakers, a flag raising and a rendition of the national anthem.Those attending will be able to go

To find a cardiologist for your heart’s health, visit

By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com

BayfrontDadeCity.com.

Bayfront Health Dade City is directly or indirectly owned by a partnership that proudly includes physician owners, including certain members of the hospital’s medical staff.

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RICHARD K. RILEY/PHOTO

Royal Royaal Fun R Fun un for Everyone! March 3-13, 2016 • Plant City, Florida

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See HALL, page 11A

Parent input sought for grant application

---Oliver D., Heart Patient

©

on guided tours of the complex, and refreshments will be served. Wannemacher Jensen Architects created a design for two separate buildings that are joined by an entryway canopy and a courtyard. One side of the complex houses city offices; the other is headquarters for the Dade City police force. In preparation of the celebration, the

African drumming featured at black history celebration Pasco-Hernando State College’s Black History Month Celebration featured the History of African Drumming, presented by Myron Jackson and Kuumba Dancers & Drummers. Presentations were made over two days at each of the college’s four campuses, on Feb. 23 and Feb. 24. Storyteller Uwezo Sudan demonstrates how he could gather information about people and the community to weave together a story — something done historically to provide an oral history for communities and towns. More photos, page 7A.

Pasco County Schools is seeking federal grant money for a before- and after-school program for some students at Cox and Quail Hollow elementary schools, and wants to hear from parents during the process. The application requires community input, said Tony Harroun, a senior grant writer for Pasco County Schools. So, a community night is planned for March 3 at 6 p.m., at R.B. Cox Elementary School, at 37615 Martin Luther King Blvd., Dade City. Quail Hollow’s community night was set for earlier in the week, on March 1. The idea is to give parents a chance to weigh in on what they would like to see offered as part of the program, Harroun said. The emphasis of the before- and afterschool program will be on science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics, he said. But, children may be interested in specific topics in science or other subjects, and the district would like to hear parents’ suggestions, Harroun said. If the district receives the grant, he estimates that the program at Cox and at Quail Hollow possibly could accommodate about 50 children each. The district hopes to receive funding for both schools, so it can provide additional ways to engage children in learning and make it more interesting and fun for them, Harroun said. The district already has this program at See GRANT, page 11A

Zephyrhills man turns cans into art

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kweiss@lakerlutznews.com

From crafting hand drawings to designing T-shirts, Steven Spittka loves art. The 51-year-old Zephyrhills resident and Navy veteran still recalls getting “straight A’s” in his high school art classes in Michigan. Having that creative mindset sparked the idea that he could make art sculptures “out of trash” — about five years ago, when he saw empty cans littering the yard near the now-defunct Crosslight Baptist Church in Zephyrhills. “I was cutting grass one day, and I saw trash all over the church’s yard and ditches. ...I picked up an empty soda can, I looked at it, and I said, ‘You know what? You can make something out of this trash and give it away to other people,’ and that’s’ where I got started,” Spittka said. “I can make somebody else happy out of trash and cans, basically.” For Spittka, the projects are a fun hobby, and a way to give back to the local community. He’s made soda can replicas for Woodland Elementary, Florida Hospital Zephyrhills, and the Zephyrhills police and fire departments, without any charge. Spittka even met with Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco, and presented him with a soda can sculpture that included two guns and a pair of handcuffs. “He loved it,” Spittka said. Most of Spittka’s artwork is given away for free, though some recipients insist on giving him “a few dollars.” “Everybody says,‘You are so kind-hearted that you give all your things away,’ and I say,‘Well, that’s my nature,’ he said. “I just enjoy doing things for other people,” he said. With a combination of soda cans, hot glue, and paint, Spittka can design anything from classic cars and motorcycles to animals and musical instruments. He noted he’s gotten “better and better” at creating figures from soda cans over the past few years. Depending on the scope of the project, See CANS, page 11A

KEVIN WEISS/STAFF PHOTOS

Inside his workshop, Steven Spittka trims the edges of a soda can to make his art sculptures.

Steven Spittka creates everything from classic cars to musical instruments out of empty soda cans, hot glue and paint.


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