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Find the provider who’s right for you. Bayfront Health Medical Group is here to meet your family’s healthcare needs. Same-day appointments are often available. Family Practice 13933 17th St., Suite 101, Dade City Internal Medicine 6340 Fort King Rd., Zephyrhills Pediatrics 6747 Gall Blvd., Zephyrhills Primary Care 6755 Gall Blvd., Zephyrhills
AUGUST 2, 2017
$2 million grant goes to airport
By Kevin Weiss kweiss@lakerlutznews.com
Funding continues to fly into the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport. The office of U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, who represents Florida’s 12th congressional district, announced last month that the airport had received a $2 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Funds will go toward pavement repairs and new LED lighting at Taxiway B, which hasn’t seen upgrades in about 20 years, according to Airport Manager Nathan Coleman. Taxiway B is situated off the main causeway, and connects to the fuel pumps and the southeast side of the airfield. It is one of
the airport’s five taxiways. Coleman said the taxiway improvement project has been in development for more than two years, as engineering firms AVCON Engineering and AID (American Infrastructure Development) aided the airport with the planning and grant application process. The $2 million grant — along with supplemental federal Department of Transportation funds — should cover about 98 percent of the project, with the airport contributing the remaining 2 percent of funding.“It’s a really good deal for the airport,” Coleman said. The grant was available through the See AIRPORT, page 11A
COURTESY OF ZEPHYRHILLS MUNICIPAL AIRPORT
The Zephyrhills Municipal Airport has been awarded a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The federal funding will go toward pavement and lighting improvements at Taxiway B.
N need to wait! No O Online scheduling is now available with se select providers at MyBayfrontHealth.com. M Or, call 844-345-2464 O for an appointment. fo
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INSIDE, PAGE 1B MARY RATHMAN
The original art is a stained-glass window created by an unknown artist in 1230. This is Nathan Sawaya’s version of the Northern Rose Window at Chartes made entirely of LEGO bricks. This and other LEGO sculptures can be seen at The Art of the Brick at 802 E. Whiting St., in downtown Tampa through Sept. 4.
813-868-1887 OR
352-597-0009
KEVIN WEISS
Kevin Guthrie, Pasco County’s assistant county administrator for public safety, said five families remain displaced from the sinkhole that opened July 14 in Land O’ Lakes.
Pasco County allocates $1.3 million for sinkhole response By Kevin Weiss kweiss@lakerlutznews.com
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FEBRUARY 3, 2016
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The site is located at the corner of of heading toward a construction start Magnolia Boulevard and Wesley Chapel Amici Plaza in spring with an opening likely Boulevard, which is also known as County ksteele@lakerlutznews.com by the end of 2016. Road 54. Pasco County records show a conceptual Pasco County is moving forward with acOwners of Amici Pizza & Deli are planplan with about 3,000 square feet for the quisition of right-of-way along County Road ning to build a new stand-alone restaurant, restaurant, and about 1,800 square feet for 54 to prepare for the expansion of the twowith additional retail space, on Wesley retail. lane road into a four-lane road at the Chapel Boulevard. “We’d like to have our own building and 54 junction of State Road 56 and State Road The new restaurant is a short distance a bigger kitchen,” said Andrea Mannino. from the existing Amici restaurant in Grand No decisions have been made on the adSee PIZZA, page 13A Oaks Square, at Wesley Chapel and Pet Lane. ditional retail space, he said. Andrea and Josephine Mannino, are
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JANUARY 27, 2016
Pasco administrator to retire in
By Kathy Steele
ksteele@lakerlutznews.com
Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker expects to be very busy over the next year and a half. She’ll be crossing off a to-do list, one by one, before leaving in 2017 to go on a lengthy road trip with her husband. The couple will hit the road with their recreational vehicle and their motorcycles, on a tour of as many baseball parks and national parks as they can squeeze into a year. “That’s been our dream,” Baker said, so letting her contract lapse in July 2017 makes sense. But, don’t expect a lame duck administrator. “There’s no kicking back here,” Baker said.“This isn’t me slowing down. ” Baker has told Pasco County commissioners she won’t seek renewal of her current two-year contract, which makes her
2017
last day July 9, 2017. the jail and construction of new fire stations By then, Baker will • Relocating have worked 35 years central Pasco more government offices to in public service, 24 Baker also plans to fill vacancies for a of those years with few key leadership positions that remain, Pasco County. cluding an assistant county administrator infor Her to-do list, in public safety and administration. short form, includes: Progress has been made, Baker said, but • Completing mas- government services still could be more ter plans and updates customer-friendly. for storm water, solid A culture that was decades in the waste and tourism making is being changed, she said.“You don’t • Funding and building a diverging get to dia- turn a canoe.You’re turning mond road design to ease traffic a ship.” congestion Public service wasn’t Baker’s first at State Road 56 and Interstate 75 career choice. • Completing the State Road 56 extenOver the years she worked as a waitress, sion • Nurturing SunWest Park, the county’s flight attendant and a theater manager. She also served in the U.S.Air Force Reserve. fledgling aqua park Her undergraduate degree was • Replacing and repairing aging in busiinfra- ness administration. structure and roads damaged by the It wasn’t until she accepted a secretarial summer flooding • Making progress on the expansion of See RETIRE, page 11A Michele Baker
Kumquats reign supreme at area festival
By Kathy Steele
ksteele@lakerlutznews.com
®
Saturday, January 30, 2016 9 AM - 5 PM Historic Downtown Dade City
FREE ADMISSION KATHY STEELE/STAFF PHOTOS
©
WESLEY CHAPEL/NEW TAMPA
Amici Pizza plans stand-alone location
Mark Pizzurro, Joe Traina and Peter Abreut
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anticipate opening their craft brewery
in Land O’ Lakes in spring.
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The first kumquat tree in St. Joseph took root more than 100 years ago, when C.J. Nathe planted it in his backyard. He added a few more, and soon he had small grove on an acre of fertile ground. a The kumquat king, as Nathe was later dubbed, transformed a quiet back road community into the Kumquat Capital of the World. An open house will take place on Jan. and Jan. 29 at the Kumquat Growers 28 packi h
Margie Neuhofer and h
h
b
KATHY STEELE/STAFF PHOTO
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Cleanup of a massive sinkhole in the Lake Padgett community in Land O’ Lakes was expected to begin as early as this week, weather permitting. The Pasco County Commission approved $1.3 million to remove the debris, eliminate the public health threat and secure the site. The action came at a special July 31 board meeting. Here’s the breakdown on the board’s $1.3 million expenditure: • Debris removal at 21825 Ocean Pines Drive and 21835 Ocean Pines Drive by Ceres Environmental Services: $640,099 • Fill, from various contractors: $300,000 • Water hauling (Environ Waste): $30,000 • Tip fees: $14,750 • Initial response expenditures: $78,194 • Contingencies: $237,137 The $1.3 million is for the initial “phase one” cleanup, not the absolute sinkhole repair of completely filling the site, grading it and so on, according to county officials. After phase one is finished, the county will take a break and determine what to do from there. Regarding the debris removal by Ceres Environmental Services, County Administrator Dan Biles said the company first will try the dragline methodology, via a long-reach excavator. The company may also resort to other methods to complete the task, Biles said. Ceres will remove and dispose of floating debris, will pump and remove contaminated water, and will stabilize the southeast portion of the sinkhole with granular fill. The cleanup task should take somewhere
Zephyrhills sets tax rate, presents draft budget By Kevin Weiss kweiss@lakerlutznews.com
between two to four weeks, Biles said. During a July 27 news conference, Kevin Guthrie, the assistant county administrator for public safety, said “I want everybody to have a clear understanding the county is not going to pay taxpayer dollars to completely remediate the sinkhole, bring it back up to pristine condition as it was before and step away. “We are removing the immediate danger of life and health, which is the debris and the contamination, and then we will move on to that next phase, whatever the (County Commission’s) wishes are at that point in time.” The sinkhole originally opened on July 14 at 21825 Ocean Pines Drive, where it engulfed two homes and a boat. The now “dormant” sinkhole measures 235 feet wide and approximately 50 feet deep — believed to be the largest in county history. Despite extensive property damage caused by the disaster, no injuries have been reported. Possible long-term options range from leaving the sinkhole alone, to filling and repairing the sinkhole, or connecting it to a nearby lake. Estimates on filling the entire sinkhole would require approximately 135,000 cubic yards of dirt. Determining that next step, Guthrie said, will be a “methodical process. “We probably have about three actual, doable contingencies.” Guthrie explained. “We will be talking to the board about what their possibilities are, along with the associated costs.” He added:“We’re going to let the board make some important decisions, because at
For the third straight year, the property tax rate will stay the same in Zephyrhills. The Zephyrhills City Council voted to set the tentative millage rate at 6.35 mills. Under state law, once a tentative millage rate has been set, the city cannot raise it before the start of the fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.The council does, however, have the option to reduce the rate before then. Public hearings on the proposed rate are scheduled Sept. 11 at 6 p.m., and Sept. 25 at 6 p.m., in the Zephyrhills Public Library meeting room, 5347 Eighth St. City records show that maintaining a rate of 6.35 mills will generate about $3.91 million in property taxes, an increase of nearly $218,000 over last year. Those figures are based on the proposed total city property value of about $651 million. In the 2014-2015 fiscal year, Zephyrhills’ tax rate was 6.1415 mills. But, two years ago, the council opted to raise the rate to 6.35 mills to “accommodate operational improvements.” Based on the 6.35-millage rate, the total budget for the new fiscal year will be slightly more than $16.8 million across the city’s 10 departments. The remaining money necessary for the 2017-2018 budget will come from other funding sources, including state revenues, franchise fees, utility fees and grants. The Zephyrhills Police Department, among other departments, will see several equipment and operational upgrades. The draft budget includes funding to purchase four new Ford Explorers (two K9 and two marked units), totaling $166,000, along with several new firearms ($23,000) and Taser replacements ($11,000). Other upgrades include new officer laptops ($15,000) and external police cameras ($21,000), plus a $160,000 replacement air
See SINKHOLE, page 11A
See TAX, page 11A