The Beach House Assisted Living Complex Breaks Ground In Wiregrass Ranch

(L.-r.) Jonathan Till, the legislative assistant for State Representative Danny Burgess; Hope Allen, President/CEO, the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce; Pasco County commissioner Mike Moore; Allan Brown, Principal, Prevarian Senior Living; JD Porter, Developer, Wiregrass Ranch; and Kim Nadwodny, the regional operations manager for Life Care Services, take part in a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Beach House Assisted Living and Memory Care at Wiregrass Ranch senior living community in Wesley Chapel. The community is scheduled to open in late 2017.
(L.-r.) Jonathan Till, the legislative assistant for State Representative Danny Burgess; Hope Allen, President/CEO, the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce; Pasco County commissioner Mike Moore; Allan Brown, Principal, Prevarian Senior Living; JD Porter, Developer, Wiregrass Ranch; and Kim Nadwodny, the regional operations manager for Life Care Services, take part in a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Beach House Assisted Living and Memory Care at Wiregrass Ranch senior living community in Wesley Chapel. The community is scheduled to open in late 2017.

“God gave us memories so that we might have roses in December.” — James M. Barrie

As Wiregrass Ranch and Wesley Chapel continue to grow, so do the needs of the people living there. With that in mind, ground was officially broken on Nov. 2 for the new Beach House at Wiregrass Ranch assisted living facility, which is located on S.R. 56, a half-mile east of Mansfield Blvd.

After some short speeches, a group of local dignitaries planted their shovels into a ceremonial pile of dirt to officially kick off construction of the 93,000-sq.-ft. Beach House at Wiregrass Ranch facility, the first of its kind in Wesley Chapel.

“We’re very happy to be done (with permitting) and ready to begin construction,’’ said Allan Brown, the head of the Dallas, TX-based Prevarian Companies, which already owns Beach House facilities in Naples and Jacksonville.

Brown gave credit to JD Porter, who was at the groundbreaking, along with his sister Quinn Miller, for their family’s measured development of the Wiregrass Ranch Development of Regional Impact (DRI), and the foresight to look down the road.

“Two-plus years ago, when we first looked at this market in Wesley Chapel, and specifically in Wiregrass Ranch, this area looked extraordinarily different,’’ Brown said. “Look at it now. Thanks to the Porter family and the great job they do.”

The Beach House at Wiregrass Ranch will be dedicated to seniors who need assistance with the activities of daily living, and will also provide specialized memory care services for residents with Alzheimer’s and dementia. The community is expected to accommodate 100 area seniors with private residences, including 67 alcove one-bedroom or two-bedroom plans for assisted living and 33 suites for memory care.

Amenities at the Beach House, which Brown said was named to evoke pleasant memories of summers gone by for older Florida residents, will include a restaurant-style dining room, a private dining room, activities room, salon and spa, theater and outdoor living areas.

Life Care Services, represented at the groundbreaking by regional operations manager Kim Nadwodny, serves more than 33,000 older adults nationwide and will be the operator of the Beach House.

Pasco County District 2 commissioner Mike Moore, who represents the Wiregrass Ranch area, hailed the groundbreaking as a significant step for the area as it matures.

“I’ve said this for years, we need an assisted living facility in Wesley Chapel, and not just any assisted living facility, but one like this,’’ Moore said. “As the population grows and Wesley Chapel continues to grow, there’s a huge need for these kinds of facilities. It’s close to home, you can go take your loved one out for the day to the mall. This is a great location for it.”

Moore said it will be nice for local residents, in many cases, not to have to drive to Tampa to see their elderly loved ones, as the Beach House will be the first living assisted facility in Wesley Chapel.

“It’s amazing what is going on in this community,’’ Brown said. “It’s become a community that is rich in the resource of people and services and neighborhoods, and it’s growth done the right way. We look forward to being one of those trusted resources.”

In New Tampa, there are three such facilities — The Legacy at Highwoods Preserve, Memory Lane Cottage in Tampa Palms and Discovery Village, which is located right across the street from Freedom High in Tampa Palms (and less than two miles from both The Legacy and Memory Lane) and is also scheduled open in 2017.

For more information, visit BeachHouseWiregrass.com.

Nibbles & Bytes

drgreg2Congrats, Dr. Greg!

On Oct. 27, Dr. Greg Stepanski, DDS, of Children’s Dentistry, located at 10317-B Cross Creek Blvd., in the Cory Lakes Professional Center, celebrated 25 years in practice in our area at a party at his current office.

At least 100 guests — including many of Stepanski’s fellow local dentists (such as Dr. Paul Duga and Dr. Mark Farina in the picture; the trio represents about 60 years worth of advertising in this publication) — enjoyed great food, entertainment and fun with Dr. Greg, his wife Sue and his amazing staff.

Dr. Greg was my kids’ pediatric dentist, so I can tell you with confidence what a great dentist — and friend — he is.

For more info, call 973-3100 or visit DrGreg-ChildrensDentistry.com.

Vote through Nov. 17 for John Long Middle School

fl-jlms-yolo-entry
John Long Middle School students entered this photo into a nationwide contest bringing awareness to the dangers of drug use. You can vote for their entry at http://redribbon.org/vote/#view/43801/4183314.

Every year, students across the U.S. participate in “Red Ribbon Week” during the week of October 23-31, to pledge to be drug-free.

The theme for this year’s campaign was “YOLO – You Only Live Once.” Students at John Long Middle School in Wiregrass Ranch kicked off the event by inviting students and their families to paint “wise owls” at Pinot’s Palette, located in The Shoppes at New Tampa plaza on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., south of S.R. 56. The owl paintings incorporated both the double-looped red ribbon that signifies Red Ribbon Week, and the “YOLO” theme.

Images of these paintings were then turned into a banner that will hang in the school. Gianna Ginsen, a student in John Long’s after-school photography club, took a picture of the banner — along with a group of students spelling out the theme “YOLO” with their bodies — to enter into the official annual nationwide photo contest. If Long proves to be the highest vote-getter in its region at RedRibbon.org/vote by Nov. 17, the school will win $1,000 and an iPad. The winners will be announced at that website, starting Friday, December 2.

“I don’t think a lot of students understand what Red Ribbon Week is really about,” says Angie Bastedo, the vice president of programs for the school’s PTSA and the event’s organizer. “This year, I hoped to bring more awareness as to why we’re encouraging students to wear a hat or crazy socks during Red Ribbon Week.”

Angie, who says she recently lost her nephew to drug use, says while conversations about not using drugs start at home, “it doesn’t hurt to bring the message to school, too,” she says. “Especially in middle school, kids sometimes listen to other people more than their parents. They need to know that all it takes is once. Don’t even try using drugs, because your first time could be your last time.”

The National Family Partnership created the National Red Ribbon Campaign in response to the 1985 abduction and murder of U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena. Long Middle School is one of many in the area that recognize this week each year to encourage students not to use drugs.

Florida Hospital Center Ice Inches Closer To Its Opening

Gordie Zimmermann stands on one of the all-but-completed rinks at Florida Hospital Center Ice, which is expected to “soft open” sometime in December.
Gordie Zimmermann stands on one of the all-but-completed rinks at Florida Hospital Center Ice, which is expected to “soft open” sometime in December.

As the Grand Opening of the $20-million Florida Hospital Center Ice (FHCI) fast approaches, not a day goes by that Gordie Zimmermann isn’t asked about when that will be.

He is asked in the grocery store, while walking around Wesley Chapel and his phone never seems to stop dinging with text messages and ringing with eager callers.

“Everybody is excited about it,’’ Zimmermann says. “I got hammered all weekend with phone calls, people asking when it will be open and when can they book a birthday party and what are some of the great events coming in. This is such a big community in Wesley Chapel, they can’t wait.”

They won’t have to much longer. Zimmermann says the 150,500-sq.-ft. FCHI, which is located along Cypress Ridge Blvd. on the northeast corner of the I-75/S.R. 56 interchange in Wesley Chapel, is looking at a soft opening in December to test out some final details. He says there are plans for an official Grand Opening in January.  A tentative date has been set, but he still can’t reveal it.

fhci11_9_5A tour through the facility on Nov. 9 revealed that it won’t be long.

One rink is all but finished, framed by completed dasher boards, glass and scoreboards. Once it is cleaned up, the ice will be ready to go in.

A second rink is right behind, as the protective glass was carefully put in recently by workers. A third rink, as well as the main NHL-sized rink, are taking form.

“We’re working as fast as we can to get all the kinks out,’’ says Zimmermann, a developer for Z Mitch, LLC. “Everything has to be just right.” As we went to press last week, the electricity was turned on, lighting up the interior.

Zimmermann said the demand for the new facility has already far exceeded what he expected.

“It’s already basically booked into the summer,’’ he says. “And, we haven’t even gotten to our fall schedule yet.”

fhci11_9Zimmermann says FHCI is about 80-85 percent done. The seating and kitchen for the Top Shelf Restaurant & Bar, which will overlook the rinks below, and seating areas for fans are now easy to visualize.

Sometime in December, Zimmermann says the palatial new complex will be open for some public skating, pick-up hockey games and skate-and-shoot sessions. Learn to Skate USA classes also will be offered sometime in December.

Come January, those in charge of getting the facility up and running will be on a power play. Zimmerman says some events are already scheduled with the Tampa Bay Lightning, including a street hockey tournament (on FHCI’s multi-sports pad) followed by a skills camp put on by former Lightning players.

Zimmermann says the Lightning, who also will hold occasional practices at the facility, will release those details when the plans are finalized.

Better Book Now!

Some of the non-sports events already booked include the Taste of New Tampa and an unnamed (by Zimmermann) 250-person corporate roundtable discussion.

fhci11_9_3On June 17, Skate For Hope, which will feature many of the world’s top figure skaters and will benefit cancer research, will be held at FHCI. Also in June, there will be a National Roller Hockey Tournament that Zimmermann says will feature 200 teams playing for 10 days on three of the FHCI rinks.

USA Hockey adult leagues for age groups ranging from 40+ to 70+ also are coming, and Zimmermann says Tampa Bay Lightning High School Hockey League games will be played at the rink beginning Jan. 4, with the Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH) team he coaches getting the opening night honors, highlighting a doubleheader (and potentially a triple header), along with a to-be-determined opponent and 2-4 other teams.

High school ice hockey players from WRH, Freedom, Wesley Chapel and Wharton (which currently does not have a team but has in the past) high schools will use the rink for practices and games.

On Jan. 18, Bright House Sports Network (BHSN) will televise a live high school hockey game from FHCI.

fhci11_9_4The eagerly-anticipated facility, which will be the largest skating complex south of New York the day it opens, will feature three NHL-sized hockey rinks and one larger, Olympic-size rink, as well as 17,000-sq.-ft. multi-sports pad that can accommodate a number of other sports, even basketball and volleyball and lacrosse.

In addition to the rinks and restaurant, FHCI will have a sports performance center, fitness room and plenty of room for yoga, pilates and dance classes, as well as corporate outings and parties.

“Everything is going smoothly,’’ Zimmermann says, “and when we open, it’s going to be good.”

The most important aspect of the facility – the 65 miles of refrigerated pipe laid in by Toronto’s CIMCO — has to be tested thoroughly as the big motors that will eventually keep the ice for the various rinks at a cool 22-28 degrees or so are revved up, and the final touches are being carefully addressed.

For more information, visit FloridaHospitalCenterIce.com or see the ad on page 12 of this issue.

How Wesley Chapel Voted For President & Local Races On Nov. 8

votinglex-oaks
There were voting lines at Lexington Oaks (Precinct 73) on Nov. 8. President-elect Donald Trump received 2,438 of the votes cast at the precinct, while Hillary Clinton got 2,106 (44.1 percent)

President-Elect Donald Trump.

For almost exactly half of the country, that was either a sad or terrifying (or both) prospect, but the possibility apparently pleased Pasco County voters enough that the New York real estate developer and reality-TV star was a decisive choice county-wide on Nov. 8 — as Trump won Pasco with 58.4 percent of the 244,620 votes cast, while former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton received only 37 percent.

Nationwide in the 2016 General Election, Trump won the Electoral College 290-228 with Michigan still counting votes as of our press time, although the former First Lady won the popular vote, with 62,829,832 votes to 61,488,190 for Trump, with a few million votes still outstanding..

Trump’s 141,943-89,998 advantage in votes cast in Pasco, where turnout was at 72.8 percent — compared with just 56.8 percent nationwide, wasn’t a surprise in Republican-leaning Pasco.

In Wesley Chapel’s precincts, however, the margin was much closer than it was countywide: Trump grabbed 49.9 percent of the vote, while Clinton was at 45.2 percent. With 30,324 votes cast, Trump finished with a 1,423-vote edge.

Nowhere in Wesley Chapel was Trump fever stronger than in the Quail Hollow area, where 2,284 votes were cast for the President-Elect at the polling booths at Quail Hollow Country Club. That was 63 percent of the votes cast, with Clinton receiving 1,179 votes.

The only other polling place in Wesley Chapel where Trump received more than 51.1 percent of the ballots cast was Meadow Point IV, where clubhouse voters gave him a 737-502 advantage, or 56.6 percent to Clinton’s 38.6.

Take away those two precincts and the race between Trump and Clinton was virtually even in zip codes 33543-45.

Clinton, who leads the national popular vote by roughly 1.5-million ballots, won four of the 11 precincts in Wesley Chapel. She received more votes at Bridgewater Church on Wells Rd. (48-46 percent), Meadow Pointe III (50-45), Northwood Community Center (55-41) and Meadow Pointe II (51-43).

In the four combined precincts in Meadow Pointe, the Wesley Chapel community was split right down the middle, casting 4,347 votes for Clinton and 4,344 for Trump, a difference of only three votes.

Clinton’s vaunted “ground game” did not materialize on Election Day nationwide, or in Pasco. While she actually led after the early voting period by 55 votes, ballots cast on Nov. 8 in Wesley Chapel’s precincts favored Trump 6,453 to 4,994. 

Many voters, according to various media reports, also may have just been plain disgusted by both candidates — or perhaps an election season filled with political ads, name-calling and scandals — and didn’t bother to cast a vote for either candidate, despite going through the trouble of finding a polling station, standing in line and filling out a ballot.

In Pasco, there were 1,388 undervotes, or ballots cast where the voter elected not to make a choice for president, more than twice the 616 undervotes in 2012. The number of undervotes in many other places also was more than twice what it was in 2012. In Michigan alone, for example, more than 87,000 undervotes were tabulated.

While Clinton couldn’t get more votes from Pasco County residents than Trump received, Ron Oakley did.

Oakley, 71, decisively won the District 1 County Commission seat, which represents much of Wesley Chapel, with a decisive victory over retired U.S. Coast Guard commander and no-party candidate Dimitri Delgado.

After all 112 precincts were counted, Oakley more than doubled Delgado’s vote total with 151,849, or 69.2 percent of the vote. Delgado was the choice on only 66,503 ballots, or 30.3 percent.

Oakley, a Zephyrhills resident who formerly served on the Southwest Florida Water Management District governing board and whose family is well known in the local citrus and ranching industries, put $150,000 of his own money behind his bid in June to help win the seat, which includes the area in Wesley Chapel north of S.R. 54.

In 2012, Oakley also ran for the District 1 seat, but was defeated in the Rep. primary by Ted Schrader, who elected not to run for the seat again and instead lost in the Republican primary in his bid to become Pasco’s new property appraiser.

This year, Oakley defeated Rachel O’Connor and Mary Wells in the primary to earn the right to face Delgado, who had no party affiliation.

Oakley led a Republican sweep of the three commission seats that were up for grabs.

In District 3, Kathryn Starkey, 58, rolled past Democrat Barry Horvath 62.2-37.8 percent, or a little more than a 55,000-vote advantage. Starkey’s district runs all the way from the west coast of the county to just east of I-75, and includes a small part of Wesley Chapel bordered by I-75, S.R. 56, Bruce B. Downs Blvd. and County Line Rd. In District 5, Jack Mariano, 56, ran virtually unopposed, garnering 96 percent of the vote.

In the U.S. Senate race between Republican Marco Rubio and Democrat Patrick Murphy, it was the incumbent (and failed presidential candidate) winning comfortably overall with 4,822,182 votes, or 52 percent. Murphy received 44.3 percent, or 4,105,251 votes. In Pasco County, Rubio was the pick of 134,631 voters, or 56.6 percent, while Murphy received 88,520 votes, or 37.2 percent.

Don Peters (below, center) didn’t win his Community Development District (CDD) race, but these folks did: Rick Carroll (Lexington Oaks, Seat 1), Michael Cline (Meadow Pointe II, Seat 1), John Picarelli (Meadow Pointe II, Seat 5), Mimi Kilpatrick (Northwood, Seat 1), Brian Quigley (Northwood, Seat 3), Barbara Cruz (Northwood, Seat 5), Sam Watson (Oak Creek, Seat 4), Charlie Cacioppo (Seven Oaks, Seat 2), Gerald Cruz (Seven Oaks, Seat 4) and John Christensen (Seven Oaks, Seat 5).

For more Wesley Chapel Election results, visit WCNeighborhoodNews.com.