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The LAKER EAST PASCO EDITION
LAKERLUTZNEWS.COM
SEPTEMBER 27, 2017
Pasco boosts its stormwater fee By Kathy Steele ksteele@lakerlutznews.com
Signs of a heart attack can be different in women.
Pasco County residents will be paying a higher stormwater fee, following a Sept. 19 vote by Pasco County commissioners to increase the rate. Beginning in 2018, the annual fee will increase from $57 to $95 — a 67 percent increase. A previous increase approved two years ago added $10 to the fee, raising the rate
from $47 to $57. Commissioners were divided over raising the fee during two workshops earlier this year, but they gave tentative approval to the increase to meet a deadline for providing tax information to the Pasco County Property Appraiser’s office. There was some hope the increase wouldn’t be needed, or could be reduced, if state funds came through for several proposed drainage projects.
That didn’t pan out. Only two projects, for a total of about $1 million, were included in the 2018 state budget, and both of those were vetoed. So, the higher fees are intended to support projects that can ease the county’s chronic flooding issues. There’s no doubt that Pasco residents have seen their share of flooding in the last See FEE, page 19A
For some women, common signs can include jaw pain, nausea, dizziness and sweating. And some women may experience a heart attack without feeling chest pain. If you experience the signs of a heart attack, get to an emergency room — fast. Call 911 and know that you can count on Bayfront Health Dade City for emergency heart care. We are the only hospital in Pasco County nationally accredited as a Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI and Resuscitation.
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Members of the San Antonio Founders Garden Club and community members listen to Donna Swart, the club president, during the dedication of a park bench.
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Betty Burger and Stella Barthle are two of the original founders who are still active in the San Antonio community.
Park bench honors original garden club members By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
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Deacon Irv Lau of St. Rita’s Catholic Church blesses the bench during the dedication ceremony on Sept. 7.
The San Antonio Founders Garden Club recently paid tribute to the 23 original members of the club by dedicating a park bench in their honor. The event was at the San Antonio City Park, 32819 Pennsylvania Ave., on the morning of Sept. 7. The ceremony was meant to celebrate and honor the club’s many contributions through the years. The club draws its name from the fact that it was the first garden club in the city,
according to a history compiled to celebrate the club’s 50th anniversary in 2011. The name also pays homage to the foresight of the original founders of the Catholic Colony of San Antonio who set aside the land for a park, the document adds. No minutes were taken at the club’s first meeting, the account says, but those attending the second meeting were: Jeanette Barthle, Stella Barthle, Rose Cope, Margaret Cissel,Alice Epperson, Bobbie Epperson, Jo Ann Franz, Marie Harper, Ruth Pike Herman, Mary Jones, Effie McCabe, Margaret Keifer, Patsy Reynolds, Theresa
Schrader and Charlene Spalding. The following month, Elizabeth Cannon, Blanche Naeyaert, Sylvia Gude and Dolores Nalley joined, and shortly thereafter, Alice Burger, Betty Burger, Sid Corrigan and Mary Schrader joined, the account says. The club still hosts an annual “Christmas in the Park,” which offers an old-fashioned celebration for the holidays. The event, scheduled for the evening of Dec. 3, aims to encourage families and friends to gather together to celebrate the season. Festivities generally include a sing-along, a tree lighting and free refreshments.
Roads ‘finally Roy T. Hardy was known for fish fries and kindness coming’ to east Pasco
By B.C. Manion
bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
When Mike Carr was growing up in Dade City, he viewed Roy T. Hardy as a giant among men. “He was just so kind,” Carr said, of Hardy, who died Sept. 19 at the age of 94. Carr thought so highly of Hardy that he said he routinely referred to him as “the patron saint of Dade City.” The Kiwanis Club and the city of Dade City also thought highly of Roy, and his wife, Martha, and honored them by naming a trail after them. The couple moved to Dade City in the late 1940s and opened Hardy’s & Lingle’s Department Store, which later became Hardy’s Department Store. Carr said his family shopped there, and one of the highlights was the Red Goose shoes that Hardy’s sold. See HARDY, page 19A
By Kevin Weiss kweiss@lakerlutznews.com
FILE
Longtime Kiwanis member Roy Hardy of Dade City had been doing fish fry fundraisers in the area since 1949.
Ongoing road construction translates to “good things” for Pasco County — that was the message that Pasco County Commissioner Ron Oakley brought to The Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce’s breakfast meeting. Oakley was the chamber’s featured guest speaker on Sept. 19 at Bayfront Health. Speaking to a crowd that numbered in the dozens, Oakley provided updates on several priority projects. Among the projects he discussed: • State Road 56 extension:The $65 million four-lane project — which extends from Meadow Point Boulevard in Wesley Chapel, 6 miles east to U. S. 301 and State See ROADS, page 19A