The Laker-East Pasco-June 8, 2016

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The LAKER EAST PASCO EDITION

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JUNE 8, 2016

City awards ZEDC $50,000 grant By Kevin Weiss kweiss@lakerlutznews.com

The Zephyrhills City Council recently awarded a sizable grant to the Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce to foster business growth and economic development in the area. The council unanimously voted last month to renew a $50,000 grant to the chamber to continue to maintain the Zephyrhills Economic Development Coalition. The ZEDC is a unified effort between the city, the chamber, Main Street Zephyrhills Inc., and local businesses to support economic growth and business retention in Zephyrhills. It has more than 30 members. Under the grant agreement, the chamber is obligated to do each of the following: • Manage the ZEDC • Develop marketing strategies that benefit the economic development of the Zephyrhills area • Cultivate business partnerships through outreach and advocacy • Collect relevant information that may be used for improved programs and services for local businesses Melonie Monson, the chamber’s executive director, is responsible for managing the development coalition from the chamber office. Monson said the coalition’s three main focuses for 2016 are job creation and business growth, city infrastructure such as roads, and the development of an educated and trained workforce. Also, for the first time, the development coalition will handle marketing strategies and campaigns, in collaboration with the city. Previously, the municipal marketing strategies for the development coalition were developed and implemented by the Pasco Economic Development Council. But, now the strategies will be completely

$50,000 grant renewed for ZEDC FUNDING ALLOCATIONS:

$15,000 toward managing the coalition through the chamber office $15,000 toward marketing and promotional support $10,000 toward business outreach and advocacy $10,000 toward research and program delivery turned over to the local development coalition, including the “Clearly Zephyrhills” marketing campaign. Monson said the Pasco EDC would only get involved in future marketing strategies if they benefit the entire county. “At this point, we have our feet on the ground, we know the direction to go, we know how to run this program, so we’re OK that they’re backing away a little with us, and they have turned the campaign over to us to manage through the chamber and through the ZEDC,” Monson said. “They were instrumental to us in helping to start the ZEDC, and gave us ideas on what directions to go.” Monson said one of the long-term priorities for the Zephyrhills development coalition is to attract a major industry to the city’s airport industrial park property, also referred to as the “Sysco Property.” The 440-acre site is adjacent to the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport and next to the CSX rail line. The chamber director said the location is an ideal spot for a “big industry” to house its operations. “The glory of this area is that it is the See GRANT, page 11A

FILE PHOTO

Melonie Monson, executive director of the Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce, will help manage the ZEDC.

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Skip Skairus chairs the ZEDC Advisory Council.

Group hopes to reopen Moore-Mickens By Kathy Steele ksteele@lakerlutznews.com

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Cheddars Scratch Kitchen opened on June 6 in front of Tampa Premium Outlets.

Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen opens, Chick-fil-A comes next By Kathy Steele

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ksteele@lakerlutznews.com

Pasco County residents looking to grab a bite to eat will have two new dining options starting this month. One of those options, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, opened on June 6. Chick-fil-A will open June 30. The restaurants are side-by-side on Sun Vista Drive, in front of Tampa Premium Outlets, off State Road 56, in Wesley Chapel. Before opening day at Cheddar’s, about 170 employees received training and worked at an invitation-only dinner session to get ready for customers. “I think we’re excited. It’s a new destination, a new area,” said Mark Garcia, a general manager from Laredo,Texas. He was on temporary assignment to launch Cheddar’s at the Cypress Creek Town Center, a major retail center anchored by the outlet mall. Pasco County resident John Seebach will be the new restaurant’s general manager. Diners weren’t the only ones eager to have Cheddar’s on their radar. Garcia said about 1,500 people applied for jobs. The restaurant seats nearly 320 people and serves meals made fresh from scratch daily. Menu items include hand-battered onion rings, grilled hand-cut salmon, homemade chicken pot pie and hot fudge cake sundaes. “Everything is made pretty much in house,” Garcia said. This is the first Cheddar’s in Pasco. Next door, construction crews are busy

Construction is nearing an end at Chick-fil-A on Sun Vista Drive, by Tampa Premium Outlets. Opening is June 30.

getting Chick-fil-A primed for its opening. Owner Britt Young previously owned a Chick-fil-A in Moultrie, Georgia. “I’ve got family all around here,” said Young, who lives in Lutz.“We love the area.” The chicken chain got its start in 1946 as a diner in Atlanta, opened by Truett Cathy. Cathy opened his first Chick-fil-A brand restaurant in 1967, also in Atlanta. From the beginning, Cathy kept his restaurants closed on Sundays, saying employees needed time to spend with their families. According to the company website, Chick-fil-A has about 1,700 locations in 38 states and Washington D.C.

The Moore-Mickens Education Center may get new life, through efforts by a nonprofit group to lease the center from Pasco County Schools. The center, whose history is tied to the first school for black students in Pasco County, was closed in 2015. Pasco County school officials said the buildings on campus were in disrepair and too expensive to keep open. “It was a big blow, especially to the African-American community when the school closed,” said Jesse McClendon Sr., pastor of New Family Life in Christ. An effort is underway by a nonprofit, operating as the Moore-Mickens Education and Vocational Center Inc., to reopen the school to house multiple programs. It is soliciting partners, such as Pasco Kids First and Feeding Pasco’s Elderly. Board members include Dade City Mayor Camille Hernandez and Keith Babb, executive director of 2nd C.H.A.N.C.E. Center4Boyz. The campus on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in recent years offered classes for adults, teen parents and special needs children. The school’s name honors the legacy of two Pasco educators, Rev. Junias D. Moore and Odell Kingston “O.K.” Mickens. McClendon said the nonprofit anticipates bringing a finalized plan to the school board in June or July. Pasco Kids First is open to the idea of relocating its programs to Moore-Mickens, including Healthy Families and the Trauma Treatment Team. “I think we can offer a very stable couple of programs to place at the site,” said Rick Hess, president of Pasco Kids First. Other programs being considered by the Moore-Mickens’ nonprofit would include a food bank, afterschool programs, an elderly nutrition program and voluntary prekindergarten classes. The goal is to have the facility open in time for next year’s VPK classes to start, McClendon said. “That would be something that complements the program we’re doing over there,” said Hess. There are challenges for anyone taking on the building, said Ray Gadd, Pasco County’s deputy school superintendent. “This is an old building with a lot of See MOORE-MICKENS, page 11A


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