New Union Park Charter Academy Set To Open In August At  Full Enrollment!

Union Park Charter Academy is Wesley Chapel’s first charter school and is expected to open fully enrolled, with 615 students in grades K through 6. (Photo: Giuliano Ferrara)

Wesley Chapel’s first charter school will open this fall. Demand for the school is clearly high, as enrollment already is full and there’s a waiting list at every grade level.

Union Park Charter Academy — called “UPCA” and pronounced “UP-kuh” — has 615 students scheduled to start school in kindergarten through 6th grade when it opens for the first time on August 13.

One thing you won’t find is classrooms of kids filling notebooks that transcribe lectures. In fact, the rooms at the school aren’t even called “classrooms.”

“The design of the building allows us to really meet the personal needs of individual students,” says the school’s founding principal, Tracy Ware. “The design of the building is in communities. What’s exciting is that there are so many options.”

Instead of traditional classrooms, each grade level meets in a common area with all of the teachers for that grade level. Students then move into one of the spaces available to them. That might be a learning lab for larger groups of students and a teacher. Or, it could be an area with flexible seating where students sit on creative furniture, such as “wobble boards” (no worries about kids leaning back and toppling over a four-legged chair), or stand at a high-top table.

There also are areas for small group projects, where students can go inside a glassed-in room and work without distraction, but still in complete view of the teacher.

The school is responsible for teaching to state standards and testing using statewide standardized tests.

“What sets us apart is not what we teach — it’s how,” explains Ware. “We have opportunities to use more technology and divide children up based on learning style, with four teachers teaching the same curriculum at the same time, but bringing it to children in different ways.”

UPCA is the newest school by Charter Schools USA, which currently manages 84 schools in seven states, serving more than 70,000 students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.

Charter schools are public schools that operate under a contract — called a charter — with the local school district. Each charter school is independently governed by its own board of directors, and employees do not work for the local school district. However, Pasco County Schools is responsible for some oversight, ensuring that the school is in compliance with its charter and local, state and federal regulations.

Charter schools are required to be non-profit organizations.

As a charter school, it is a tuition-free option for parents looking for an alternative to the public school to which their child is assigned. This fall, Pasco County is expected to have 5,513 students enrolled in a total of 12 charter schools, with UPCA the only one located within Wesley Chapel, although a second charter school, Pinecrest Academy, is expected to open in 2019 at a site to be determined.

Ware was previously an education cluster manager responsible for leading and coaching principals and senior leadership teams using international standards she practiced while serving as a principal in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). In Abu Dhabi, she opened a grades K-5 school, where she promoted clear collaborative relationships between staff members with various backgrounds from all over the world.

“Ms. Ware is the perfect fit for our new innovative school opening in Wesley Chapel,” said Charter Schools USA’s Michelle Thompson, the company’s regional director of education for Florida’s west coast. “We knew we needed someone who will approach educational solutions from an entirely new mindset as we open a brand-new school with such an open and collaborative environment.”

A Focus On Technology

In addition to the innovative building, another unique aspect of UPCA is its focus on technology.

“Technology gives us more opportunities to reach students,” says Ware, explaining that smart technology will be used throughout every learning community, including an iPad issued to every student in grade 3 and higher.

“Teachers can flip the classroom,” because of this technology, explains Ware. Instead of traditional homework — where Wade says that incorrect practices can actually hurt a student’s ability to learn something correctly — a teacher can use video or other means to introduce a lesson at home that will be experienced the next day at school.

In addition, Ware says she’s excited about the level of involvement she’s already seen from the parents of the students who plan to attend. Many students can walk or bike to school, she says, and more than 90 parents signed in to the school’s first Parent Teacher Co-Op meeting (similar to a PTA).

The school’s students have already voted to choose its mascot, which is the Comets.

“The things that really set this school apart are its design, our use of technology, parental support and community investment,” says Ware. “Students have an opportunity to be innovative and creative, and that’s what we’ll provide at Union Park.”

Ware says that although there is a waiting list, interested parents should not be discouraged from applying, because some students who are enrolled now may not attend due to relocations or other factors.

“Even if they’re on the waiting list,” Ware explains, “there’s a good chance they could be enrolled this fall.”

Union Park Charter Academy is under construction at 32775 Oldwoods Ave. in Wesley Chapel. For more information, stop by its temporary office at 3830 Turman Loop, #101, between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, call (813) 358-7306 or visit UnionParkAcademy.org.

Choppy Waters For Lagoon Community?

Construction has resumed at the Crystal LagoonsÂź amenity in Epperson, after a delay due to permitting. The delay in opening the lagoon, combined with the cost of amenities, has riled some in the community. (Photo: Gavin Olsen)

After years of anticipation and months of positive press clippings, the country’s first community to be home to a Crystal Lagoons¼ amenity in Epperson, is facing choppy, albeit crystal clear, waters.

First, summer is here and the lagoon isn’t open, thanks in part to Pasco County ordering Metro Development Group, which is building the high-profile project, to halt construction back in May when it discovered 19 buildings had been built without proper permits.

While construction has resumed, even more disconcerting to Metro might be a host of current residents — and others under contract and waiting to move into Epperson — complaining publicly about what they feel are broken promises and false advertising that have led to additional fees, despite paying premium prices for homes in the community.

That group, which it says numbers roughly 70 homeowners and those who have placed deposits or are under contract, hired the Kovar Law Group to represent themselves when, they say, they did not receive any answers from Metro.

They took their complaints public on June 15, when the group called local media outlets for an impromptu press conference at the lagoon. That has exacerbated strained relationships, mostly through Facebook posts and comments, and residents who say they are pleased with Metro and who fear the bad publicity will bring down their property values and cast an unfair stain on the new community.

Metro responded to the Neighborhood News through public relations firm Tucker/Hall with a prepared statement:

“The Epperson neighborhood has been extraordinarily popular, and we are honored that so many families are moving here and enjoying the area. We want all families to enjoy the neighborhood and amenities, and we have already extended new discounts and benefits to early residents. We want to hear feedback from residents about their questions so we can work with them to make the area even better as this neighborhood grows.”

Those angry with Metro, however, say they haven’t received any clear answers.

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They say they were promised an idyllic paradise, presented for months in beautiful renderings where one monthly fee of $25 gets you full run of the lagoon, all packaged as “Lagoon Living.”

Instead, those residents are discovering a number of things they claim Metro and Epperson did not market — additional costs for amenities, including rides down an inflatable water slide and kayak and paddleboard rentals, as well as rules against bringing in your own chairs and coolers, as well as memberships for non-residents.

“The people complaining are the ones who looked at stuff without asking questions,” says Epperson resident Ken Shere. “They obviously didn’t read the bylaws” which, he adds, states clearly that Metro has the right “to set and adjust pricing.”

Bill Rowe, who moved into Epperson June 1 with his granddaughter, agrees, but only to a certain point.

“You can put into a contract that we have the right to make changes,” Rowe says. “Of course, they are going to make changes. They have to be reasonable, though.”

Some don’t think Epperson’s latest email falls into the reasonable category, though.

According to an email sent to residents three weeks ago, thanking them for their patience, Epperson introduced, in addition to the $25 monthly fee all residents pay, Play Passes.

Bronze Level passes, which will cost $20 a month per person for the summer season (March through September), are good for unlimited slide rides, four Wibit (an inflatable water platform) sessions and four guest passes. For $40 more a month per person, Silver Level passes allow four 1-hour kayak rentals, four 1-hour paddleboard rentals and two more guest passes.

A Gold Level pass is $90 per person per month, allowing for 30 Wibit sessions, 30 1-hour kayak and paddleboard rentals, eight passes and unlimited slide rides.

A family of four could spend as much as $360 a month ($4,320 per year) to enjoy close to unlimited access to the lagoon amenities, or $2,160 just for the summer. (Note-Metro did not respond to a question about what happens from October through February, since it’s not mentioned in their pricing.)

“I hope they come to some sort of resolution, something fair,” Rowe says. “I don’t want that every time my daughter goes down a slide I have to get out my wallet and pay a fee. I want my wife to be able to walk down to the lagoon and have a bottle of water with her without water police stopping her. I want Metro to succeed, but you have to be fair and not let it become some amusement park. It’s not what I signed up for.”

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Epperson is reducing prices for current homeowners. Residents who bought before June 25 receive a 75-percent “pioneer” discount, but just for this summer, meaning that the Play Pass tiers will be only $5, $15 and $22 a month per person. Next year, the pioneer discount will be 50 percent, then 25 percent in 2020, before being phased out completely.

Kristen Alvis, who bought her home in July of 2017, and others, say those who are complaining did not read their contracts closely enough.

“I signed a contract with M/I Homes and again at closing and, in both cases, it was clearly stated that the $25 monthly fee provided you access to the lagoon,” she says. “There was nothing implied about (other) amenities.”

Ken Shere, being interviewed by ABC Action News, says that Metro has been upfront with Epperson residents and that the overwhelming majority of residents are happy.

And, for those who are complaining that public memberships will be available when they thought they were buying into an amenity offered only to residents, Shere points out where it clearly says in a recent community disclosure addendum that “the Lagoon will not be for the exclusive use of buyers within Epperson Ranch, and outside memberships will be available.”

Shere says Epperson is the best neighborhood he has ever lived in.

He said Metro provided an Icee truck, tent for a grill and other items for Epperson’s summer bash, and has helped develop a tight-knight community. He is disappointed in the negativity towards Metro, and thinks much of it is being fueled by non-residents who only have deposits down and aren’t yet as invested in the community.

He says he is convinced that 95 percent of residents are happy, even though many might be discouraged that the lagoon isn’t open yet. Those on the other side say that they believe more than half of the residents are unhappy and want answers from Metro.

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When the group of residents and potential future residents started having town halls, Shere says he and others asked them to stop representing the community and look for other avenues to resolves their issues. When they hired an attorney, he says that started a series of back-and-forth attacks on social media.

“That’s when it all got real,” said Kip Lessem, an Epperson resident since April. “The fact that the lagoon isn’t open yet, and then all this other stuff happened, it just added fuel to the fire.”

But, Jonathan Smith, a one-time prospective Epperson resident, says Metro’s lack of a response to concerns about amenities, and a series of what he called “conflicting messages,” left him and others no choice.

“It was marketed and advertised and sold to us as an all-inclusive exclusive amenity for residents,’” he says. “Metro has gone back and forth wavering on really what it was going to be.”

Some residents are disappointed that the water slide depicted in renderings used in marketing materials still on display at the pool is not what they ended up with, which Metro Development Group says was done out of caution, due to the potential for severe weather in Florida. Other residents are leery of the lack of free amenities at the lagoon. (Photos: Gavin Olsen)

Smith adds that even today, site maps at the lagoon show a two-person slide next to a tube slide in the Adventure Bay part of the lagoon; when in fact, only a large blue and white inflatable slide sits on the other side of the lagoon.

The renderings have been used for months by Metro to promote and market the lagoon, although their defenders says renderings of any project are always subject to change and should not be taken literally.

“If you look at the rendering and can’t take it literally, then why even post it?,” Smith asks, adding that instead of deluging Metro with emails, the group decided to hire an attorney to represent their concerns and try to get some answers.

On May 24-25, two town hall meetings were held. Smith said due to some of the personal attacks he has endured, he and his wife backed out of their contract.

“I don’t want it to fail,” he says. “I just think Metro should come in and say, ‘Hey guys, we’re going to take responsibility for this (confusion), and moving forward we’re going to change our marketing material.’ If they had said amenities not included, prices subject to change, we would have been okay with that. I just feel like the way they did it was false advertising.”

Lessem says he thinks bashing Metro publicly wasn’t the way to go, though he admits he is one of those disappointed that the lagoon isn’t open yet.

He said the pricing is no surprise to him, but he can see how it can add up for larger families. He hopes Metro will reevaluate the prices of passes in order to attract more people to the community.

And, about that community — Lessem knows nerves have been frayed and enemies made, all inflamed by Facebook. He said he is “disappointed in the maturity level” shown by many of his neighbors on both sides of the issue, “but people let emotions get the best of them when they get passionate.”

At the end of the day, however, he says everyone has to live together.

“The community is not the lagoon, it’s the community,” Lessem says. “It’s your neighbors. When all of this is said and done, you have to ask yourself, what’s more important? You’re going to find out you missed out on, like making friends, because of whatever side you are taking in this whole debate.’’

 

Sheriff’s Office Looking For Wesley Chapel Murder Suspects

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco doesn’t have many details about a murder Wednesday that he says was a “targeted execution,” but here’s what investigators have pieced together after interviews with witnesses:

It was right around lunchtime Wednesday afternoon when a car entered the Treviso subdivision in Wiregrass Ranch and drove up to a yellow home on the 28000 block of Marsciano Lane that was still under construction. The two murder suspects, described by witnesses as light-skinned black men with short braided hair, roughly 5-foot-3 to 5-foot-8 inches in height, hopped out of a dark-colored sedan (UPDATE: The vehicle police are looking for is a 2017-2018 black Ford Fusion Hybrid) and walked towards the garage.

Three men were sitting in the garage, taking a break from a tiling project at the house, which they had been working on since 7 a.m. or so. The suspects only seemed interested in one of the construction workers — 46-year-old Heans Gianni Alvarez. Brushing past the two other men sitting there, one of the suspects walked up to Alvarez, tapped him on the leg, pointed the gun right at him and executed him.

The suspect pointed the gun at the other men, but did not pull the trigger as they scattered. The two suspects returned to their car and sped off.

“It looks like they were going after Mr. Alvarez,” Sheriff Nocco said. “They bypassed other people. And, there was no sign of a robbery that took place.”

In fact, Alvarez was wearing jewelry when law enforcement arrived.

Nocco says they are still investigating any possible motive, but it does appear the two suspects knew Alvarez.

Nocco is asking for the public’s help. Anyone with any information is urged to call the Pasco Sheriff’s Office Crime Tips Line at 1-800-706-2488.

Story to follow.

Construction Worker Killed In Wesley Chapel’s Estancia Community

Pasco Sheriff detectives are currently investigating the shooting death of a construction worker in Estancia while he was working.

According to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, a call came in at 12:49 p.m.. The PCSO says this appears to be an isolated incident and not a threat to the community.

Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco will address the media at 3 p.m.

Police Make Arrest In Hit-And-Run Death

A Tampa man has been arrested and faces charges of premeditated murder and leaving the scene of an accident in the fatal hit-and-run Sunday morning that left a New Tampa man dead and his two young children injured.

According to police, Mikese Morse was arrested and is being held without bail at the Hillsborough County jail.

At a press conference Monday morning, Police Chief Brian Dugan said Morse was seen by another driver traveling westbound on New Tampa Blvd. when his car made a u-turn and then purposefully crossed over the road near Wood Sage Dr. and plowed over Pedro Aguerreberry and his 3- and 8-year-old sons, Lucas and Bennett, who were out riding bikes.

“He accelerated and drove over the victims,” said Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan. “It was very clear that he had run these people over and knew that he had run them over. He intentionally drove his 2008 red 4-door Dodge…onto the bike path. At no time did he stop to render aid.”

Dugan said police were still unclear why Morse veered onto the bike path. He said what Morse did was “random and purposeful.”

Dugan said the police have had past contact with Morris. On June 12, he walked into one of their district offices exhibiting odd behavior and was Baker Acted that day. He has had a number of minor traffic infractions.

“He is someone who appears to be disturbed,” Dugan said.

Aguerreberry died Sunday night. His boys are expected to make a full recovery.