Month: September 2016

Costco Delays Opening To Feb. 2017

Clearwater store manager Hector Mencia tells the Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce that Costco’s opening near the Tampa Premium Outlets will be delayed until Feb. 2017, due to rainy weather.

Costco manager Hector Mencia had some good news for local business leaders at the Aug. 25 Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (WCCC) Economic Development briefing held at Pebble Creek Golf Club.

Costco, for one, is still definitely coming to Wesley Chapel Blvd. adjacent to the Tampa Premium Outlets (TPO) off S.R. 56. And yes, it will offer its usual great prices and bountiful free samples. The largest retailer of fine wine in the world (a whopping $1.2 billion in yearly sales!) and second-largest auto retailer will continue to sell cheaper and better gas, millions of $1.50 hot dogs and drinks and the company’s highly-rated Kirkland line of products.

Oh, and don’t forget Costco’s commitment to the local community, in addition to well-paying jobs (if you’re lucky enough to land one).

There was, however, one bad bit of news that Mencia, who manages the Costco in Clearwater, delivered: It won’t open near TPO until February of next year.

Though the ground has been broken and the initial work is well under way, Mencia said the planned November opening of the much-awaited Costco has been derailed by bad weather, setting builders back by at least two weeks. And, that was before last week’s tropical storm.

Because Costco doesn’t open stores in December and January, its peak months, the new store won’t open its doors until early February.

That is a big bummer for Costco fans, who currently have to drive to Brandon to stock up on paper towels and soft drinks.

But, those fans of Costco, which also is opening a store in the Citrus Park area at the corner of Sheldon Rd. and Linebaugh Ave., are likely still excited by the arrival of the membership-only, wholesale club giant, the second-largest retailer in the world after Wal-Mart.

While Costco will have plenty of competition, with fellow wholesalers Sam’s Club (on S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel) and New Tampa’s BJ’s Wholesale Club (on Commerce Palms Blvd. in Tampa Palms) both within seven miles of the newest club, it is likely to find success, due to its religious-like following.

“We’ve been trying to get in here for quite a bit in this market,’’ Mencia said. “It’s a great location. It’s amazing what that area is turning into.”

Mencia shared with Chamber members the benefits of Costco, clearly drawing positive reactions from the crowd. He played a five-minute video filled with clips of Costco being mentioned by celebrities, including Rosie O’Donnell saying: “I go in with a list and a mission, and I come out with a trampoline and a case of corn nuts.”

Another clip showed massive crowds at various openings, including places like South Korea, Spain and Australia, and long lines for jobs at many locations.

If you’re wondering about your chances of landing a gig at Costco — where Mencia said the average pay is $21 an hour and cashiers start between $13 and $13.50 an hour — well, they aren’t great. According to one clip, an Indiana store received 22,000 applications for 200-275 jobs. You might have a better shot finding a Willie Wonka Golden Ticket.

Mencia, who has been with Costco for 27 years, said there is a low turnover at the wholesaler, and that the store will begin marketing six weeks prior to opening for those looking for memberships.

Those members will have a ton of choices, he says. Costco carries roughly 3,800 products, and rotates 1,500 or so to create a “treasure atmosphere” at least 14 times a year.

And last year, on a single day, three days before Thanksgiving, Costco sold more than 70 million dinner rolls, 1.6 million pumpkin pies, 471,000 apple pies and 252,000 pecan pies.

For more information about Costco, visit Costco.com.

Costco

Mural Spices Up Media Center At HG Elementary

The ribbon was cut by (left to right) Hillsborough Country Public Schools supervisor of library media services for K-5 John Milburn, Elliott, HGE PTA president Jamie Priest and principal Gaye Holt.

Hunter’s Green Elementary (HGE) media specialist Nancy Elliott celebrates the unveiling of a new mural in the school’s media center.

As students returned to school on August 10, they probably couldn’t help but notice that the media center at Hunter’s Green Elementary (HGE) had undergone a major transformation.

Previously, the walls were decorated with banners, representing books that had been enjoyed by students during the school’s 25-year history.

“They were nice, but they were kind of old and dated,” says PTA president Jamie Priest.

It was the vision of HGE principal Gaye Holt to transform the walls to come alive with pictures that would inspire students as they visit the media center.

“The media center is the hub of the school, and we want our kids in here,” said Holt during her remarks at the official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the school’s newly painted mural on Thursday, Aug. 25.

“The media center has been transformed into a warm and inviting area for students as they choose a book, learn new things and explore their world through technology,” said HGE media specialist Nancy Elliott during her remarks.

From fiction and fantasy to science and math, the mural represents many different genres of books that can be explored in the media center.

“Nonfiction is a big part of reading,” Elliott explained later. “Math and science are a big part of our curriculum and I felt that they should be represented in our mural.”

Priest added, “Every time I look at the mural, I feel like I see something new.”

“I love the variety of it,” agreed Elliott, pointing out a kid investigating, a dolphin that looks like it’s about to swim right off the wall, a space ship soaring through outer space and realistic-looking animals such as a giraffe, panda and elephant.

Elliott is just the second media specialist in the school’s history and has b
een in the position for 10 years. She helped to design the mural with local artists J.P. and Vanessa Parra of CAP Murals, who worked all summer on ladders and scaffolds to create it. It was finished the day before school started.

“It was the shortest summer,” said Holt, “but it was my favorite. I came up to the media center to visit three times a day because it amazed me.”

The process of painting the mural was commemorated in a media center display that shows the before, during and after of creating such a significant piece of art.

The mural was funded in part by the PTA, by the media center budget and by the school budget. The PTA contribution included a legacy gift from the class of 2015, and a large butterfly was painted in the mural as, “an extension of the memorial butterfly garden” planted outside in memory of Nick Wolf, a fifth grade HGE student who passed away shortly before he would have graduated from the school.

“Our school is taking big steps forward,” says Priest. “This is another step, and something I think the kids are going to remember, even after they leave this school.”

Hunter's Green Elementary library mural

The Dark Hurts A First For New Tampa Author

John Phillips has lived in Cross Creek for more than 10 years with his wife, Cristy, and their two dogs, Princess and Zack. After a career and quite a bit of international travel, he finally checked a long-standing item off his bucket list.

He’s now the published author of a novel, entitled The Dark Hurts.

“About 14 years ago, when I was doing a lot of international travel, the story developed in my mind,” says Phillips. “I wrote the first three chapters one night in Japan when I couldn’t sleep.”

It’s a fictional book, set in San Francisco. Phillips describes it as being about the many different emotions in life. He says it’s the story of what a disaster can do, not only to a city, but also to a particular family.

The Dark Hurts Offers Some Light

In the process of promoting his self-published book, he was contacted by Focus on Women magazine, a Baltimore-area publication. He says his book was chosen to be featured on the magazine’s website by a panel of its readers. The Dark Hurts will be featured in the magazine’s online bookstore, and proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to the Afghan Women’s Fund, a charity the magazine supports with its sales.

“I’m pleased they’re using my book as a tool to raise money for a good cause,” says Phillips. “I’m more than happy to have a part in helping these women who have been through horrific experiences – they’ve been raped, mutilated, kidnapped and taken away from their families. It’s my understanding that the Fund has returned several Afghan women to their families.”

Phillips is originally from Southern England and has a son and grandchildren in England. He says he moved to the U.S. in 1998 and is now a U.S. citizen.

Writing Now A Lifelong Goal

His life is now dedicated to being a full-time author. He has two more books in the works, including The Piano Man, which will use the Polk County Sheriff’s Office as a setting. Phillips has met with Polk Sheriff Grady Judd to learn about the agency, and Sheriff Judd even sent Phillips a picture of himself with The Dark Hurts.

“I’m delighted with the response to my book,” says Phillips. “It was released six weeks ago, and has several five-star reviews on Amazon.com in both the USA and the UK.”

He says the reviews help him to see that his book is having its desired effect on readers, including one that says, in part, “[Phillips] has a gift for writing emotion onto the story. He is descriptive and thorough, without stalling out the story. There are layers here that intertwine into an awesome tapestry, solid and masterful. It is a great read and I look forward to more.”

To learn more about the book, or to enter the author’s selfie contest to win prizes such as a travel voucher and an Amazon gift card, visit Facebook.com/authorjphillips.

author The Dark Hurts

Wharton Volleyball Kids Could Lead Way

Wharton volleyball star Kathryn Attar poses for a picture, with a freshman to her right, and two others to her left.

“My babies,’’ the senior says, only half-jokingly.

This year, the Wildcats’ outside hitter might just be feeling like the team mother, as she adds a larger leadership role to go with her prodigious talents at the net.

Not that leadership is a new thing for Attar. The past three seasons, she has led the way for Wharton volleyball on the court, with 1,110 kills, including 358 last season. She has established herself as one of the top players in the state.

However, she has always been younger than other players on the team.

But, now that three starters — setter Tyler Sroufe, middle blocker Lindsey Schaible and libero Chanelle Hargreaves — from a team that went 43-12 the past two seasons are off playing Division I-A college volleyball, all that remains from that experienced and cohesive group is Attar.

She does have her babies, however: the freshmen trio of hitter Jeanette Henderson, middle blocker Jamie Koopman and setter Ella Hileman.

“It’s great for Jeanette or anyone in that position that every day, she gets to see and learn from the best in the game, in the state, at that position,’’ Barber says. “Kathryn is very much like an assistant coach this year. She’s always been the youngest on the team, so this is her year to really kind of be the leader not just physically, but also from a maturity level.”

Wharton Senior Providing Leadership

Barber says having Attar, who has verbally pledged to play college volleyball at Yale University, makes the Wildcats instantly competitive. But they they will need more. The team does return sophomore setter Gracie Viloria, who played a lot last season after Sroufe got hurt. Senior Allie Schneider, who transferred in last season, her first with Wharton, and junior Devyn Kettner, who was called up from junior varsity late last season, return.

What could push them even deeper into the playoff picture, though, will be the development of the youngsters.

“It goes in waves,’’ Barber says. “We were in this situation (losing a lot of starters to graduation) 3-4 years ago. Now we’re back to a new start. To me, that’s what keeps it fun in coaching. The challenge will be getting them far enough along to make a push at the end of the season and take advantage of having Kathryn.”

Because Wharton is changing from a 5-1 alignment (with one setter) to a 6-2 (with two setters), Hileman will play a key role. “She is going to be a really good setter,’’ Barber says.

Henderson, who plays the same position as Attar, is only 5-6 but has the kind of vertical leap that would make a lot of basketball players jealous. “She has great jumps,’’ Barber says. “She’s already has some good kills against some tough teams. I’ve been impressed.”

Koopman will try to step into Schaible’s role in the middle. Last year, Schaible had a team-best 180 blocks to go with 229 kills. Koopman, who is 5-foot-10, won’t be expected to put up those kind of numbers her first season, but Barber expects her to improve and become a force under the tutelage of Attar.

“Even though she doesn’t play the middle (blocker position), she knows everything,’’ Koopman says about learning under Attar. “She just knows what to do. It’s great, I love playing with her.”

Hileman agrees. “Kathryn can teach because she knows how everybody’s position is played,’’ she says. “I’m a setter, and she knows what I do. It’s good, because she’ll help all of us, not just one of us.”

Freshman Class To Help Wharton Volleyball For Years

While Barber says Hileman, Koopman and Henderson — all starters — will play the biggest role among his freshman, they won’t be the only ones making their mark in the next few years. He says he has a dozen first-year prepsters playing this year, some of whom he will reveal later this season when they get called up to varsity.

“Overall, our freshman group is outstanding, it’s the best we’ve had,’’’ says Barber, whose team is now 5-6, but after a stumble at the Academy of Holy Names tournament the Wildcats have won their last three matches, including a win over Wiregrass Ranch.

Attar thinks that talent will develop enough by the end of the season to make the Wildcats a team to be reckoned with come playoff time in October.

A player of her All-State talents can carry a volleyball team to a successful season, but the kind of help the freshmen can provide could mark the difference between good and great.

“I’ve seen noticeable improvement already, and there should be more noticeable improvement by the end of the year,’’ Attar says. “You wouldn’t look at us and think we haven’t played together before. We should be really good by the time Districts (begin).”

Wharton High 6th Annual Harvest Volleyball Tournament

WHEN: September 30-October 1.

WHERE: Wharton High gymnasium, 20150 Bruce B. Downs Blvd.

TEAMS: Wharton, Brandon, Durant, Freedom, Sunlake, Gaither and two teams to be named.

OUTLOOK: This annual event is also a food drive, with fans urged to help fill a large box outside of the gym with canned or boxed food items which is used to help feed people at three local food banks.

volleyball Wharton

Mayor Buckhorn Taking Fight To Mosquitoes & Zika

While the federal government continued to dawdle over additional funding to fight the spread of the Zika virus, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn has taken matters into his own hands.

Or rather, the hands of the city’s code inspectors, who have been tasked with finding abandoned pools and standing water in order to take the fight to the mosquitoes, whether they carry the Zika virus or not.

On Aug. 22, Mayor Buckhorn held a press conference at an abandoned home in the Wellswood area of central Tampa. He announced that the city is going on the offensive with bricks, or “dunks,” that can be tossed into areas where there is standing water — prime breeding ground for mosquitoes — to kill the pesky insects’ larvae.

“In light of what has been going on around the state of Florida, we decided not to wait for politicians in Washington, D.C., to act,’’ Buckhorn said at his press conference. “We’re going to take action ourselves. We can be proactive in terms of negating the environment in which mosquitoes breed.”

Stopping The Spread Of Zika

The Zika virus is spread by certain mosquitoes who become infected when they bite a person already infected. It also can be transmitted sexually, from one infected person to another.

Though most people will not feel any effects of the virus other than fever, headaches and joint pain, it is especially hazardous to pregnant women. It can cause severe brain defects — or microcephaly — in unborn fetuses. The virus can cause babies to be born with unusually small heads and underdeveloped brains, and lead to growth problems.

Tampa initially purchased 3,600 of the dunks, which cost roughly $5,000. The dunks contain BTI, or Bacillis thuringiensis israelensis, which is a bacterium that kills mosquito larvae. It has a range of 100 sq. ft. and can last for 30 days.

But, a week after Buckhorn’s press conference, the city announced 5,000 more dunks had been purchased, in anticipation of the rainy weather that was coming.

Tampa was hit hard by Tropical Storm/ Hurricane Hermine, which produced massive rains, which, of course, usually leads to standing pools of water.

“Our residents’ safety is our number one priority,” Buckhorn said. “With heavy rain comes standing water and we’re working around the clock to prevent the Zika virus from coming to Tampa, If that means purchasing an additional 10,000 dunks, we will do just that.”

The dunks have been given to more than 80 city code inspectors and neighborhood workers to distribute to areas where they are needed. An emphasis is being placed on abandoned homes with pools and retention ponds.

Mosquito control is typically handled by Hillsborough County, rather than the city, but Buckhorn decided to take an aggressive approach to a problem that is growing, although it has mainly been confined to the Miami area. In particular, the Wynwood neighborhood north of downtown Miami has been hit hard.

Until recently, there hadn’t been any locally transmitted cases in Tampa Bay.

Hitting Close To Home

A day after Buckhorn held his press conference, however, Florida Governor Rick Scott announced the first locally transmitted case of Zika during a roundtable discussion about the disease in Clearwater.

According to reports, a Tampa Fire Rescue (TFR) firefighter who lives in Pinellas County has contracted the Zika virus.

“This person did not travel to an infected area with Zika; we are looking at a number of locations,” Gov. Scott said. “Hopefully, something good will happen and it will just be a single case. But (whatever) we do find out, what we will do is we will be very aggressive.”

The TFR firefighter works out of Station No. 3 on Kennedy Blvd. in south Tampa. Other firefighters at the station tested negative for the virus.

The state has emergency funds of $26 million to help fight the spread of and to treat Zika. However, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) & Prevention said late last week it was almost out of money to fight Zika, even as three new state cases here were announced. Florida now has 46 cases of infection.

According to reports, the CDC already has spent $8 million fighting Zika in Florida. Congress, which has been in recess, returned to work this week and the $1.9-billion funding request from the White House to combat Zika is still awaiting action.

Zika originated in Brazil in 2015, but there are more than 2,200 cases of Zika to date in the U.S., and more than 8,000 reported cases in Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories.

Zika